When I woke up the following morning, I had a plan. I decided to take Bronagh’s advice from yesterday and put it to the test. I wanted to talk ... but not to Damien. I had to build up to that. The person who I wanted to speak to lived eight floors above me, and as I stood outside her apartment door, I prayed she was in a good mood. I had sent her a text to let her know I wanted to speak to her, and she acknowledged the text and told me to come up to her apartment whenever I was ready.
That was five hours ago, and I was just now finding myself in front of her door. Before I could chicken out, I lifted my arm and knocked firmly on the dark wood. Dropping my arm back to my side, I began to sweat bullets.
“I’ve got it.”
The hollering voice belonged to none other than Kane Slater.
Out of all the Slater brothers, Kane was the one who I was least close to. We didn’t do a lot of talking even though we were in each other’s company a lot. It wasn’t awkward because I knew how reserved he was, but my silence wasn’t because I was reserved; it was because of a conversation I had with him when I was eighteen. He had asked me a bunch of questions about my friendship with Bronagh that didn’t sit well with me, so I called him out on it. He had since apologised, but I never forgot that conversation, and thus remained very aware whenever I was in Kane’s presence, which resulted in my silence.
I smiled politely when the door opened, and Kane gave me a welcoming nod in response.
“Alannah.”
“Kane.”
I could’ve sworn I saw his lips twitch, but I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t mention it. Instead, I scanned his face and focused on his bruised jaw, the one that Dante had mentioned he had when I spoke to him on the phone two nights ago. It looked worse than I thought it would have.
“Let me guess,” I drawled. “The other lad looks worse?”
That earned me a grin.
“They both do,” he replied, “but I can’t take credit. Date and Damien can hold their own, which resulted in them both looking worse for wear.”
I stepped inside the apartment when Kane shuffled back and gestured for me to enter.
“Just what I need,” I grumbled. “Two eejits fightin’ over somethin’ stupid.”
Kane closed the door. “You think you’re something stupid?”
I turned away from him.
“They weren’t fightin’ over me. They were fightin’ over bruised egos.” He didn’t reply, so I asked, “Where’s Aideen? I want to get this conversation over and done with as soon as possible.”
“She’s in the bedroom.”
I hesitated. “Is she decent?”
I had to ask. Aideen was engaged to a Slater brother, after all, and that meant if you didn’t announce your presence whenever you entered a house, you were sure to get an eyeful of sweaty bodies humping one another. I’d learned that the hard way a few too many times before.
Kane snorted. “She is.”
“Thanks,” I said, and without another word, I walked away from Kane and in the direction of his and Aideen’s bedroom.
I knocked on the door when I was close enough to do so.
“It’s me,” I said, though I wasn’t sure why I was announcing myself. She knew it was me because Kane sure as hell wouldn’t knock on his own bedroom door and sound his name.
“Come in,” Aideen called.
I took a breath, exhaled, then opened the door. I jumped with fright when a scream sounded, then I laughed. Jax, who was lying on the bed, looked up when he heard the door open and screamed with delight when he saw me.
“Hey, little man,” I beamed.
I stepped into the room and held my arms out to him as he was already reaching for me, his baby language in full swing. Picking him up when I was close enough to do so, I busied myself with him for a few moments. When I peeked up at Aideen, she was staring at me as Locke slept in her arms.
“How long?”
I didn’t even try to play dumb about what she was asking.
“Four months.”
Aideen absorbed this. “Not since Damien came home then?”
I shook my head. “Just the past four months.”
“Are you both together?”
“No,” I answered. “We decided we’re better at bein’ friends. I love your brother but not in a romantic way. He has been me rock these past few months, and to be honest, without the relationship we shared, I may have had a meltdown sooner than a week ago. Damien bein’ back has messed with me head this past year and a half, and Dante kept me sane just when I thought I might implode.”
“Then I’m glad,” Aideen said, surprising the hell out of me. “I’m glad he and the relationship you both shared helped you.”
She didn’t look all that glad, and it worried me.
“Do you hate me?”
Aideen balked. “I should smack you for even askin’ that.”
I leaned back just in case she got slap happy.
“No,” she continued. “I do not hate you, and I will never hate you.”
My shoulders sagged with relief.
“I thought you might, given who Dante is to you.”
“Alannah.” Aideen sighed. “I’m not jumpin’ for joy that you had this secret relationship with me brother. If you had a relationship with ’im, without the secret part, I’d be delighted for you both. I just ... it’s just ... we’re friends. Since I got pregnant with Jax, we have both become really close. We’re a big part of the other’s life, and I truly love you. It just caught me off guard that you’d keep this from me. I know it was your decision, and you had your reasons, but I can’t help but feel upset.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry. I could just never pluck up the courage to tell you about it. To tell anyone about it, to be honest.”
“I know,” Aideen said, “and that’s me own fault for makin’ you feel that you couldn’t talk to me about it, so I’m sorry.”
I blinked and didn’t know what to say, so I stayed mute.
“How are you doin’?” she asked me. “Really?”
I exhaled a deep breath and sat on the bed, letting Jax sit beside me. I kept my hand on his back for balance.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Me head is so messed up, and when I think of why, it pisses me off. I don’t understand why Damien and I even argued. We aren’t a couple, and we’ve never been a couple, so it was all over nothin’ when you think about it.”
Aideen clicked her tongue. “You both have history, you share an attraction, and dare I say you even care for one another. You’re both just utterly shite at communicatin’.”
Unexpected laughter spilled free, and it felt good to relax and shoot the shit.
“It’s all just a big mess.”
“Do you plan on cleanin’ it up?”
I gnawed on my lower lip. “I’m goin’ to talk to ’im, but God only knows how that will turn out.”
“I don’t think it’ll be as bad as you think it will.”
“You’re right; it’ll probably be worse.”
Aideen chuckled. “You never usually talk this negatively.”
“I know,” I acknowledged. “I’m just a bit down lately.”
“Everythin’ will work out,” Aideen said with confidence. “What’s meant to be will be.”
I kissed Jax on the crown of his head.
“You’re so mellow since you had the kids.”
Aideen grinned. “Only when they’re quiet.”
I snorted and looked down at Jax as he grabbed and played with my fingers.
“Are you goin’ to stay for lunch?” my friend asked.
With my eyes still on Jax, I shook my head.
“I have to collect me car from your da’s garage,” I replied. “One of the lads had to replace the ruptured diesel pump. I had to wait for the part to be delivered.”
Aideen whistled. “Damien is at work today. He doesn’t just do roadside rescue with Ryder anymore. Me da has taken them both on as apprentices.”
I looked up. “But I thought Ryder said he wasn’t interested in goin’ back to school?”
“He wasn’t until he took an interest in engines.” She shrugged. “Me da already has them set up with FAS so they get paid for workin’ in the garage from me da, and get paid from FAS at the same time. The schoolin’ part of it is cool, too. It takes four years to get their certificate to be approved mechanics, and they split that up between workin’ in the garage and bein’ in school. They’re on the job eighty percent of the time, and then three months out of each year, they have their evenin’ classes to prepare them for their exams. They get trainin’ allowances too, so no college fees.”
“That’s brilliant,” I praised. “Your da really did them a solid.”
Aideen nodded. “He said they are as hard workin’ as me brothers, so he was happy to get them on board.”
“I’m happy for them.”
“Are you still goin’ to collect your car?”
“I have to,” I said with a shrug. “Not only do I need to go shoppin’ to put food in me presses, but I’ve also got a meetin’ in town tomorrow with a lad who applied for the assistant job to help me with the business, and I’m not takin’ the bus. They’ll be packed because the Luas is still on strike.”
“The Luas is always on bloody strike.”
I snorted and looked down at Jax, who was drooling on my fingers as he chewed on them.
“You’re lucky you’re cute, fella.”
Aideen laughed as I moved him into the centre of the bed and went to the bathroom to wash my hands. I popped my head back into her bedroom when I was finished and said, “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Let me know how it goes and if you have a run-in with Damien!”
I leaned my head against the door panel. “Say a prayer for me.”
“I’ll say two.”
I grinned as I walked down the hallway.
“Bye, Kane!” I shouted as I opened the front door.
“Bye,” he hollered from the sitting room.
When I left my apartment building, I thanked God it wasn’t raining and started the thirty or so minute walk to C.A.R. to retrieve my vehicle. The walk did me good; it not only gave me time to think, but it allowed me to stretch my legs as well. Being holed up in my apartment for seven days straight was murder on my muscles, and the lack of use was evident as my thighs and calves burned with each step I took.
I reached the building quicker than I would have liked, but I was prepared. My plan was to get my car and be in and out of the garage before Damien or anyone else caught a glimpse of me. It was a good plan, a solid plan, a foolproof fecking plan.
I’ve got this.
I made it seven steps into the poxy place before I saw the back of Dante Collins. I quickly but quietly scurried my way towards the reception where I ducked out of sight so he wouldn’t see me if he turned around. My heart was hammering against my chest, and my palms were sweatier than usual.
This is a shitty plan.
“Why did I think this was a good idea?” I whispered to myself.
I was in a good place with Dante, but I didn’t want to stand around and shoot the shit with him knowing that Damien was on shift. I wasn’t that brave. I closed the door to the reception, and I hoped to God that none of the lads walked in because I honestly had no idea what I would do if either one of them confronted me. I had all of two seconds to myself before I just about jumped out of my skin when the door to the reception opened. I swung around, and when I saw it was only Mr Collins, I placed my hand over my chest and forced myself to relax.
I was wound up tighter than a cheap watch.
“Hello, Alannah love.”
“Heya, Mr Collins.” I beamed. “Are you well? ‘Cause you’re lookin’ well, sir.”
“You tryin’ to make an old man blush, kid?” he replied with a wink. “Have any of the lads dealt with you yet?”
I shook my head. “I just walked in.”
He nodded, then glanced around the messy room.
“I really need to hire someone to organise this mess,” Mr Collins scowled at the mountain of papers before he looked at me, his eyes suddenly wide and hopeful. “I don’t suppose you’re lookin’ for a job, sweetheart?”
I giggled. “No, sir. Sorry.”
“Figures.” He sighed, his hands going to his hips. “I need a miracle worker to get this business organised.”
“Put an advert in the paper or online,” I suggested. “You’d be surprised by how many professional receptionists are out there who need a good job.”
“I don’t think I have any other choice,” he said with a sigh. “We can’t watch the reception all the time ’cause we’re workin’ on cars, so people who come in and wait without service get fed up and leave. In this day and age, I can’t afford to lose costumers, especially since we bought the lot next door last year and had everythin’ renovated into one large shop. I’ve so much paperwork that I consider turnin’ to drink durin’ tax season. I need a fairy godmother at this point in time to sort this out.”
“Definitely try the advert,” I encouraged. “You’ll be fightin’ off applicants, just you wait and see.”
Mr Collins grinned before he looked over my shoulder and sighed.
“I’ll be right back, love,” he said. “I’ve to see to a customer who’s bein’ ignored by me lads.”
I nodded. “Take your time. I’m in no rush.”
Big. Fat. Lie.
I had never wanted to leave an establishment as much in my entire life. I placed my hands on the reception desk, then looked at the beautiful antique clock on the wall. It was after three p.m., and as it was a Monday, I would have my normal weekly dinner with my parents this evening at five. I hoped my da wouldn’t be there; I was in no mood to sit across from him at the dinner table and pretend I didn’t know he was having an affair.
I didn’t have the strength for it. Not today.
The door to the reception suddenly opened and closed. Silence stretched on for a few moments, and I could have sworn I heard a snicker, which caused me to tense even more than I already was. I would just up and die if it was Damien.
“I told you this shite with Date was goin’ to cause problems, Alannah.”
My shoulders sagged as a sigh of relief escaped me.
“I know,” I replied with a firm nod.
I didn’t move a muscle as he moved next to me, his shadow falling over the countertop.
“Yet you ignored me words of wisdom?” he mused. “I bet you feel stupid now, huh, good lookin’?”
I turned my head, tilted it back, locked eyes with Harley Collins, then rolled them.
“I never pegged you for an ‘I told you so’ kind of man.”
“You pegged me wrong because ... I told you so.”
Harley was the only person who knew about my private relationship with Dante because the pair of them were extremely close. If either of them did something or someone, the other knew about it.
“Go away,” I grumbled. “You’re mean.”
He smirked down at me.
“Date said he couldn’t get hold of you and that you revoked his access to your buildin’. He was arrested when he tried to break in, ye’know?”
What the fuck?
I choked. “What?”
“Don’t worry, he was released without charge thanks to the landlord of the place not pressin’ charges.” Harley laughed, his shoulders shaking. “The fuckin’ eejit tried to use a fire escape as a back door after he was refused entry a third time. He ran from the security guards too but dropped like a fly when they tasered ’im.”
“He was tasered and arrested?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“Fainted and everythin’.” Harley cackled. “Don’t tell ’im I told you that; his ego is still sore about it.”
“I just spoke to ’im two nights ago, and he never mentioned anythin’.”
“And you won’t hear ’im speak a word. He made me and me da promise to never speak of it.”
“Your da?”
“He was with me when Date called me from the garda station.”
I facepalmed. “This week can’t get any worse.”
“Famous last words,” Harley murmured.
I was mad. Steaming bloody mad.
“Where is he?”
“Now, Alannah,” Harley said, raising his hands in front of his chest. “He only wanted to check on—”
I walked away from Harley, hearing him curse before he jogged to catch up with me.
“Dante Collins!” I hollered. “Where are you?”
He was across the shop, lifting a large piece of a car engine up into the air on a floor jack. He paused what he was doing, then looked over his shoulder, and when he saw me, he smiled. That smile slowly slid off his face as I approached him, and I wondered if he saw how mad I was, or if Harley was doing hand signals as he trailed along behind me.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped at Dante when I came to a stop in front of him and thumped him in the chest. “Tasered and arrested? Are you naturally thick, Date, or were you born this way?”
“Born this way,” JJ and Gavin called out in unison from somewhere in the shop.
Dante rolled his eyes at his brothers before looking back at me.
“I needed to see you, to talk to you ... but since you made that impossible before our phone call, I had to go to extreme lengths.”
I scowled. “You’re lucky the owner of the buildin’ didn’t press charges.”
“The owner of the buildin’ is me future—”
“Your future reason for goin’ to prison if you try to break into his buildin’ again,” JJ all but shouted.
Dante cringed as he looked at his brother over my shoulder, before switching his gaze back to me. “What JJ said.”
“I don’t even want to know what you’re both talkin’ about,” I scowled, rubbing my temple with my fingers.
“Hey,” he said, stepping closer. “Everythin’ is okay. There’s no problem.”
I scoffed.
“Sex with you has caused me nothin’ but problems.”
Dante grinned devilishly. “It was worth it, though, right?”
I hated that I tried and failed to hide a smile.
“Are you here to see me?”
I shook my head. “To collect me car.”
“I finished replacin’ that diesel pump this mornin’ but give me five more minutes. I want to check the oil level on your car. I think it’s runnin’ low.”
Dante jogged over to my car and popped the bonnet. I stared at him and placed my hands on my hips. I scanned my eyes around the shop, keeping watch for Damien, but there were several cars and equipment that blocked my view. The garage’s extension meant the place was huge, but more space meant it had to be filled with something.
“Your body language is screamin’ how uncomfortable you are,” Harley murmured as he came to my side. “Relax.”
“How relaxed would you be if the lad you have history with worked with the lad you were sleepin’ with?”
Harley folded his arms over his chest. “Very uncomfortable, considerin’ I’m straight.”
I shoved a now laughing Harley away from me.
“You’re bloody hilarious.”
He came back to my side, slung his arm over my shoulder, and said, “Damien’s in the back room sortin’ new tools into the trolley drawers.”
Harley went over to Dante then and began doing God knows what with my car engine. I looked over at the doorway that led to the back of the shop, and before I could rationally think otherwise, I walked towards it. When I entered the room, I had to walk around large tool trolleys, but when I saw Damien’s white hair, my feet and my heart stopped. My eyes roamed over him. He had on black work trousers, the ones that had a million different pockets and hugged a man’s arse deliciously. He was wearing thick soled boots, and a fleece jumper with the shop logo on it. It was the only matching uniform item of clothing that the men in the shop wore.
I took a breath and said, “Damien?”
Instantly, he tensed and kept his back to me.
“Can I talk to you, please?”
He remained silent, tense and unmoving.
“I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but I’d be really grateful if we could talk. Please.”
Nothing.
“It’s okay,” I said, my shoulders sagging. “I get it.”
I turned around and began walking towards the exit of the back room but came to an abrupt halt when a hand gripped my forearm. In one swift motion, I was spun around and pulled against a rock-hard chest.
“Damien!”
A split second later, his mouth came crashing down on mine. Absolute bewilderment overcame my mind, but not my body. My lips acted of their own accord, and so did my hands. I ran my hands up Damien’s arms, up his neck, and grabbed his thick hair tightly.
He hissed into my mouth and kissed me with the hunger of a man starving. His tongue plunged between my parted lips and danced with my own. His hands had somehow made their way to my behind, and he wasted promptly zero seconds in palming and squeezing it to the point of pain.
He didn’t stop there; he ran his hands up my back, neck, and buried them in my hair. When he pulled it, as I had done to his, my mouth opened on a gasp, and he used that moment to snag my lower lip with his teeth. I groaned when he sucked my lip into his mouth and hummed.
His hands slid back down to my arse, and then, suddenly, my back was pressed against a tool trolley. I moaned, and upon hearing that sound, Damien broke our kiss, placed his lips by my ear, and growled, “Now, I can talk to you.”
He stepped back away from me, and it was only then I realised I was trembling, and my body ached with need. My chest, like Damien’s, was rising and falling rapidly. I lifted my hands to my thoroughly kiss-swollen lips, and my fingers lingered for a moment before I dropped my arm to my side. I stared at his bruised eye, and I couldn’t believe how sexy he looked with it.
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
What did he mean do what?
“Why did you kiss me?” I asked breathlessly.
That wasn’t just a kiss, though, and I knew it wasn’t. It was more than that; it was a claiming.
Damien’s eyes were narrowed as he said, “I couldn’t talk to you knowing his lips were the last to touch yours, so ... I fixed it.”
“You fixed it?”
“Yep.”
“You kissed me like that just because you have a stick up your arse about Dante bein’ the last to kiss me?”
Damien’s right eye twitched. “Something like that.”
I threw my hands up in the air.
“You’re un-fuckin’-believable, Damien Slater.”
He surprised me when he grinned and said, “I know.”
I dropped my arms and scowled. “That wasn’t a compliment.”
He shrugged, and repeated, “I know.”
I placed my hands on my hips.
“Don’t kiss me unexpectedly like that ever again.”
“I can kiss you if you expect it then?”
“What? No!”
“Hey.” Damien raised his hands. “I’m just making sure.”
I glared at him. “No more kissin’. I don’t like it.”
Damien’s smile dropped, and he stepped closer to me. “It’s not nice to lie.”
I licked my lips, shivering when I tasted him on them.
“I’m not ly—”
“You’re still lying,” he said, his voice firm as he took another step closer to me. “You kissed me like a woman possessed, freckles.”
I reluctantly stepped back and realised Damien had me cornered when my back pressed against something solid. The tool trolley.
“Damien,” I said, my voice sounded raspier than I would have liked. “We have to talk, remember?”
His eyes were on my lips. “I remember.”
“Then back off and stop lookin’ at me like I’m your prey.”
He flicked his eyes to mine. “Do you feel like you’re my prey?”
Hell yes.
“I do,” I said, lifting my chin.
“Are you scared I’m going to eat you?” he asked, dropping his voice to a seductive whisper.
I sucked in a breath. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Whatever it is that you’re doin’ ... I can’t think.”
Whenever he was close to me, all logical thought vanished.
“I make you nervous,” he said, and he sounded ... pleased.
“You drive me crazy,” I corrected. “You just kissed me.”
“I know.”
“Damien, you can’t just kiss me whenever you want.”
He got in my face. "Fucking watch me."
My limbs felt like jelly.
"Why did you kiss me?"
“I had to,” he said. “He kissed you last.”
Dante.
“No, he didn’t,” I said with a sigh. “Of all the things we did, kissin’ wasn’t one of them.”
Damien’s brow furrowed together as he took a step back.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothin’,” I answered. “I don’t want to talk about Dante.”
“He’s part of the talk, and you know it.”
I lifted my hands to my face and sighed.
“You have confused me even more than I already was,” I said, dropping my hands. “I thought you wanted to be friends?”
“Do friends kiss each other the way I just kissed you?”
I licked my lips, still tasting him.
“No,” I said softly.
“Then no, Alannah,” he growled, “I don’t want to be your friend.”
My heart pounded against my chest.
“I can’t offer you more than that.”
“Bullshit,” Damien clipped. “I felt the way you kissed me, and I see how you look at me. You want me; you’re just scared.”
“Just scared?” I repeated. “Damien, I’m fuckin’ terrified. Me only experience with you ended in disaster.”
He set his jaw. “I’m not the same person I was when I was eighteen.”
I lifted my chin. “Neither am I, and that is thanks to you.”
I turned and made for the exit, but Damien wasn’t having it. He grabbed my arm again, rounded on me, and placed his large, hard body between myself and the exit.
“No,” he quipped. “You’re done walking away from me when we’re talking.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’re givin’ me an order?”
“You bet your perfect ass I am.”
It was wrong to be so turned on by his show of dominance.
“I don’t take orders from you or any other man.”
“We’ll see,” he growled.
“We’ll see nothin’ because—”
“Because what?”
He was in my face again, but I couldn’t think.
“I don’t know!” I snapped. “I don’t know anythin’ when you’re this close to me.”
“And you say you can’t give me more?” he asked on a growl. “Your body knows who it belongs to; your brain just needs to catch up.”
That snapped me out of my haze.
“Me brain and body aren’t the ones callin’ the shots,” I quipped. “The heart that you broke is!”
Damien leaned back and looked down into my eyes.
“You know I’d give anything to change how I left things with you.” He placed his hands on my shoulders. “I know you know that.”
He had told me as much many times over the past year, but I always put it down to his guilty conscience.
“I don’t know what I know anymore,” I admitted, looking down. “Everythin’ is so messed up.”
Damien tipped my chin up until my gaze met his.
“We need to talk about everything. Just the two of us, babe.”
Babe.
I swallowed and nodded. “When?”
“Tonight,” he answered. “I’ll come by tonight.”
My heart pounded against my chest. “Okay.”
He released his hold on me and said, “I’ll walk you out.”
We left the back room then, heading out to the front where my car was ready and waiting. Alec and Kane walked into the shop at that exact moment, and I looked up at the ceiling, silently asking God why he hated me so much to put me in this situation.
“Your car is good to go, good lookin’,” Dante said from my right, gaining my attention.
He walked over to me, staring at me like I was the only person in the room, and before I knew it, I was staring at a person’s back instead of Dante’s face.
“That’s far enough, asshole.”
I closed my eyes the second Damien spoke, and in my heart, I knew what was about to happen.
“I’m gonna give you two seconds to step aside so I can talk to me girl real quick.”
Oh, God.
“Your girl?” Damien snapped, stepping forward, getting in Dante’s face. “She’s not fucking yours, you piece of shit.”
Aideen’s brothers were the only men I knew to all be as tall as the Slater brothers. Even as tall as Dante was though, Damien had two or three inches on him. I rushed over to Alec and Kane, who were just watching the lads like they were having a casual conversation.
“Do somethin’!” I demanded. “Right now!”
Kane glanced at me, then up to the lads again, dismissing me without a word.
I turned to Alec. “Please!”
“Not yet,” he answered without looking at me.
“I hate to break it to you, mate,” Dante quipped from behind me. “But she sure as hell isn’t yours!”
I sucked in a strangled breath as a dark cloud of what I knew was fury fell over Damien.
“Please,” I begged, rushing forward and squeezing between them. “Can we all just stop and breathe for a minute? This doesn’t need to end in violence.”
“No violence?” Alec repeated. “That doesn’t seem right.”
Kane snorted but kept his eyes trained on his future brother-in-law.
“Kane, do you think this is goin’ to sit well with Aideen?” I asked, hoping he would see reason. “Do you think she is goin’ to be understandin’ of you fightin’ ’er brother? Because you know you’re gonna fight ’im if he hits Damien.”
“I’m not going to fight,” he said with confidence. “I’ll just break it up if it pops off.”
“Mr Collins!” I hollered desperately for the only man who I knew would end this madness. “Mr Collins, sir!”
“He’s gone to lunch, good lookin’.”
“JJ!” I shouted, ignoring Dante. “Harley!”
“We’re ’ere, Alannah,” JJ answered from across the room. “But you need to move aside so they can sort out their differences, darlin’.”
“Fuck you, JJ!” I snapped. “And you, Harley. Neither of you speak to me again.”
“What about Gav?” Harley huffed. “He’s ’ere, and he’s not plannin’ on stoppin’ them either.”
“Fuck ’im, too!”
“Thanks a lot, dickhead,” Gavin grumbled to his brother. “Now she’s gonna ignore me when she sees me next. She’s not like Bronagh; she’s doesn’t hit me when I piss ’er off, she ignores me. Silence hurts way worse.”
I ignored them all and focused on the Collins brother who was causing me so much trouble. I shoved Dante’s chest with both of my hands, though the action didn’t make him stumble back like I’d hoped it would.
“Stop this, you’re eggin’ ’im on for no reason.”
“I have me reasons,” Dante replied to me but kept his eyes over my head as he stared Damien down. “Plenty of ’em.”
He was a lost cause, so I turned and looked up at Damien.
“Please,” I begged. “Don’t fight, Damien.”
“He called you his when you’re not.”
“Well.” Dante chuckled. “She sure as hell isn’t yours, bud, or she wouldn’t have had been on my cock otherwise.”
Damien attempted to swing at Dante, but because I was directly in the middle of the pair, he stopped before I could get hurt. His eyes though … I had never seen anger like it dwell in them before.
“Just stop!” I screamed as I pushed Damien back by his chest. “Look at me!”
He did; his eyes dropped to mine, and they softened almost instantly.
“Please,” I begged him. “Don’t do this. I hate fightin’.”
The tension in his face slowly began to fade away.
“You better listen to ’er, Slater,” Dante sneered. “Otherwise, I’ll have to fuck up that pretty face of yours some more then talk to me girl.”
Dante had the audacity to slap my behind for no other reason than to start a fight by claiming I was his. Damien’s eyes hardened once more, and he moved around me so fast I barely had time to register it. I screamed as Damien and Dante collided, but thankfully, it only lasted maybe thirty or so seconds before all the lads pulled them apart. I hadn’t realised I was crying until the shouting stopped, and my cries could be heard.
“I said stop!” I bellowed. “I don’t want anyone to fight!”
Both Damien and Dante were breathing like enraged bulls and glaring at each other. Dante’s nose was gushing blood, but Damien wasn’t bleeding. He looked as if he faired better out of the pair of them. I wasn’t even sure if they heard a word I said, but I knew the others did because I received a frown from each of them.
“Ye’know what?” I said to pair of saps, sniffling. “Kill each other for all I care. I’ve bigger things to worry about than your poxy egos.”
I stormed forward, snatched my keys from Harley’s hand without a thank you, and headed for my car.
“Alannah!” Damien shouted. “Please, wait. I’m sorry! Baby, wait!”
I ignored him. I got into my car, started the engine, and pulled out of the garage. Driving in the direction of my parents’ house, I did nothing but cry. My chest was rising and falling rapidly, and my hands had a death grip on my steering wheel. I was furious and hurt. Always fucking hurt. When I pulled up outside my parents’ house, I was glad to see my da’s car wasn’t in the driveway. I was a bit early for dinner, but I didn’t want to go back to my apartment and sit by myself. Not after what just happened at the garage.
When I got out of my car, I locked it and headed inside my parents’ house. The sound of my ma singing from the kitchen brought a small smile to my lips. She was always happy and always looked on the bright side of everything. I wished I was more like her and didn’t dwell on the things that made me miserable.
“Alannah, is that you, hon?”
I hung my coat on the rack.
“Yeah, Ma, it’s me.”
“Brilliant,” she chirped. “You can help me with dinner. I just got the veggies chopped. Da just called, and he will be joinin’ us tonight. Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah,” I echoed. “Great.”
I leaned against the wall and resisted the urge to smack my head against it. I’d already endured an awkward conversation with Dante and Damien today, as well as watch a fight between the stubborn eejits, and now I had to sit through a dinner with my parents and pretend I didn’t know that my da was sleeping with another woman.
Mondays fucking sucked.