Aideen cackled at the same time laughter started up outside my apartment door. A few seconds later someone knocked on the door. I got up and opened my door without looking through the peephole.
I knew who it was from the laugh.
“Hey, what're you two doin' here?” I asked and greeted Bronagh and Branna with a hug.
Bronagh fist bumped me and said, “Alec called us and said you needed help with packin' so here we are.”
I leaned against my front door and smiled. “Thank you, you're both brilliant.”
Branna rolled her neck onto her shoulders and said, “We know, now let's get to it.”
Ready to work.
I liked it.
I chuckled and closed my door only to yank it back open when a thud sounded against it and something, or someone, yelped. I widened my eyes when Ryder Slater hunched over in front of me and groaned in pain. He was holding his forehead and hissing. I panicked and placed my hands on his back.
“I'm so sorry, Ry!” I gushed. “Are you okay?”
“He's fine,” Branna stated, waving him off. “He already has a damaged brain, nothin' else will increase his stupidity by much.”
Ryder straightened up to his full height and hissed at his woman, “Bite me.”
Branna snapped her teeth at him making Bronagh and Aideen laugh.
“I'm fine, Keela, thanks for your concern,” he said, glaring in Branna's direction.
Branna wasn't paying him any attention so Ryder strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her into the air and she yelped with surprise. Ryder proceeded to spin around in a circle then and Branna screamed.
“I'm sorry,” she squealed. “Stop spinnin' me!”
I was terribly confused as to what was happening so I looked to Bronagh, my face quizzical enough to make her laugh.
“He does that when she is bein' bitchy for no reason,” she explained.
He spun her around in a circle?
I blinked my eyes. “And it works?”
Bronagh nodded. “She gets motion sickness so it straightens her attitude out when he does it.”
I shook my head. “They have a weird relationship.”
Bronagh nodded her head. “Dominic just tells me to piss off if I'm being bitchy to him.”
I burst out laughing. “Alec won't tell me in so many words, he just glares at me a lot and broods in silence. His silence screams what he is feeling though.”
Bronagh smiled. “That's our Alec, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Poor lad.”
I snorted and looked back to Ryder who sat Branna's feet back on the ground and held onto her shoulders until she got her bearings and stopped swaying like she was about to fall over.
“Is the bitch gone?” he asked her.
Branna growled, “Just about.”
Ryder snorted and kissed the crown of her head and hugged her to him. I saw a small smile quirk at the corner of Branna's mouth as she put her arms around Ryder and hugged him to her.
“Love you,” she mumbled.
Ryder grinned. “I love you, too.”
Things were silent for a moment until Aideen made a heaving sound.
“Puke. Could you both be any cuter?” she asked Ryder and Branna.
Branna grinned. “Yep, would you like a demonstration?”
Aideen scrunched up her face and shook her head. We all chuckled and then us girls jumped with fright when someone burst into my apartment.
“Morning!”
I swung around and pressed my hand against my chest where my heart was pounding away.
“Omigod!” I gasped.
Bronagh and Branna yelped, “Kane!”
“You fuckin' bastard!” Aideen bellowed then stormed over to Kane and thumped him right on the chest. “You frightened the bejesus out of me, Slater. Don't bloody do that!”
Kane looked down at Aideen then to his chest and lifted his hand to rub away the pain that radiated there thanks to Aideen. He smiled when she shoved at him trying to hurt him once more. He grabbed her arms, spun her around and pressed her back into his front. He still had ahold of her hand so for the moment; he had her pinned against him.
“Nice to see you too, Ado,” he purred into her ear.
She growled, “Let. Go. Of. Me.”
Kane chuckled but did as she asked.
Aideen spun around and gave him the finger before she moved and stood behind me. I wanted to chuckle at her—he could easily get her if he wanted to but she thought having me between them somehow made it impossible.
“I didn't mean to scare you, I thought you heard us coming up the hallway,” Kane said and shrugged his shoulders apologetically.
I looked to the empty space behind him.
“Us?” I questioned.
Kane looked behind him and sighed, “Dominic?”
Nico popped his head around the doorframe and smiled. “Hi.”
I snorted, “What are you doin' out there? Come in.”
Nico stepped into my apartment and scratched behind his head. “I heard everyone scream so I waited until you all took your anger out on Kane for scaring you before I showed my face.”
I laughed while Kane glared in Nico's direction.
“Thanks, bro.”
Nico smiled. “Anytime.”
I shook my head at the brothers then beamed. “You came to help us pack, too?”
Nico nodded his head. “Alec is parking the moving truck downstairs, he got a huge stack of boxes with the truck too which is cool.”
That was lucky because I didn't even think of boxes to pack everything into.
Man, I was so unprepared for this.
Today was going to be a long day.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered as my stomach burst into butterflies. I dropped my duvet back onto my bed in shock. I came in here trying to get a start on packing but any thought of packing left my mind when I saw Alec.
His long hair was gone. He had a buzz cut on the sides of his head, but the top was longish and pushed to the back, but some strands hung down on his forehead. I loved his long hair, but this cut allowed his stunning face more viewing time.
“You don't like it?” Alec winced.
The fucking opposite.
“You look so hot that I have butterflies,” I admitted.
Alec raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
I nodded my head. “Alec... seriously. You're unbelievably hot.”
I had to sit down on my bed so I could take all of him in.
I slowly scanned his sculpted body from head to toe. He was dressed in black jeans, a white fitted t-shirt and a thick unbuttoned grey cardigan that I got him from River Island last week. He had on black Timberland boots and I could smell his aftershave from where I was sat. It was effortlessly casual, but he made the look something to gush over.
It felt like the first time seeing him, and I couldn't believe how gorgeous he was.
I couldn't believe he was my fiancé!
“Are you going to cry?” Alec asked, then laughed.
The bastard.
I quickly covered my face with my hands and shook my head.
I was crying, and I was embarrassed because of it.
“Kitten,” he chuckled.
I kept my hands on my face and shook my head, again. “Feck off.”
I heard his muffled laughter, then his footsteps, before I felt his hands on my thighs.
“Look at me, my lovely,” he murmured.
I dropped my hands and opened my eyes.
Oh, Christ.
He was even hotter up close.
“Why are you so stunnin'?” I asked.
Alec smirked. “Why are you only now noticing?”
I growled at his teasing.
“It's still me, I'm still your Alec,” he said and brought his face closer to mine.
My Alec.
Mine.
“I'm so lucky,” I whispered.
Alec scoffed. “Please. The reaction you just gave me is how I feel every time I look at you.”
“Stop it!” I screeched and covered my face again.
Alec burst out laughing and grabbed at my fingers. “Give me your mouth.”