“What? No, that is not what I came ‘ere for!” she stated, her entire face turning crimson. “First, your brother thinks I am pregnant by you, and now ye’ think I am virgin? I’m not pregnant, and I’m not a virgin!”
Ryder thought she looked fucking pregnant?
She didn’t wait for a response from me. Instead, she hollered, “Aideen! Move it, we’re leavin’!”
She turned away from me and made for the front door. I wasn’t sure when I moved, but I was at her back in an instant. I slipped my arms around her waist and brought her to a halt. “Now, wait just a second, kitten. I jumped to conclusions, but so did you. Give me a break here. I’m not being a dick. I’m just trying to understand why you would need an escort.”
I felt her relax against me, but she tensed again when muffled voices and noises came from the gym to our right. Without a word, Keela stepped out of my hold, walked to the double doors, and opened them. It happened like the snap of my fingers. One second, Keela was standing upright, and the next, she was under three of my fat ass brothers.
“Can’t breathe,” I heard her wheeze.
I just about had a stroke thinking she might be seriously hurt.
“Get off her!” I snapped, shoving at my brothers. “Now!”
Choruses of the word, “Sorry,” were shouted as they rolled off her. I lifted her to her feet and scanned my eyes over her looking for an injury, relaxing when I saw she was okay.
“That hurt,” she groaned as she rubbed her hand over her chest. “Jesus.”
“Do you think something might be broken?” I asked as I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Does everything feel okay?”
“I’m fine.” She nodded. “I just couldn’t breathe for a second, and it burned.”
Without looking away from her, I said, “You almost smothered a woman.”
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
I looked at them and scowled. The three bitches must have snuck into the gym while I was speaking to Keela at the front door so they could hear what we were talking about.
“Which brother are you?” Keela asked Dominic.
“Nico,” he replied at the same time me and my brothers said, “Dominic.”
“What am I callin’ ye’?” Keela asked him. “Nico or Dominic?”
His lips twitched. “You can call me whatever you want, gorgeous.”
I rolled my eyes as Keela giggled at my soon-to-be dead little brother.
“I’ll call you Nico,” she replied with a nod.
Dominic was happy with that. He preferred when people called him Nico; he hated his given name because of our father, but myself and my brothers constantly assured him that the man had no influence on him, and his name was his own. That was why we only ever called him it and not a nickname.
“And you are?” Dominic asked, not looking away from her.
“Keela.”
He was pissing me off with how he was looking at her, and I couldn’t explain why.
“Kee-lah,” he purred. “Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
I gritted my teeth as I tugged Keela’s body behind mine and locked eyes on my baby brother.
“Boy,” I said, my tone threatening, “cut that shit out, or I’m knocking you on your ass.”
I didn’t look at my other brothers, only Dominic, but when his jaw dropped with shock, I imagined theirs did too. I looked down at Keela when she looked around me and to my brother and said, “Are you okay?”.
“We’re fine,” Ryder assured her.
She moved back to my side and curtly nodded to Ryder, which he frowned at.
“I really am sorry for what I said to you earlier, Keela,” he stressed. “It was a dick move just to assume something like that. Forgive me?”
I assumed that apologise that was about him assuming she was pregnant—which I still had no idea why he’d think that, let alone say it—but Keela smiled at him and gave him hearty nod, forgiving him.
“Were ye’ all listenin’ to the conversation I had with Alec?”
One by one, the nosy bitches hung their heads in shame and nodded. I found the sight hilarious, but I didn’t laugh ... I would later on, though.
“Great,” she muttered. “Now I’m even more embarrassed.”
“What do you need an escort for?” Kane quizzed. “Don’t you have a boyfriend?”
At the reminder of the infamous Storm she spoke about last night, I grinned.
“Yeah,” I said, folding my arms over my chest “What was his name again? Thunder?”
“Storm,” she answered. “His name is Storm.”
“Ah yes, Storm.” I chuckled. “Why can’t Storm escort you?”
She scowled up at me
“Because I don’t have a boyfriend,” she admitted. “I only said that Storm was me boyfriend last night to stop ye’ from chattin’ me up because I didn’t want to have sex with ye’. I still don’t want to have sex with ye’. I just need your help, but ye’ said ye’ couldn’t help me so I’ll be goin’ now. Aideen!”
Aideen walked out of the kitchen. “What’s up?”
“We’re leavin’. Alec won’t help me.”
Aideen frowned, and her shoulders slumped. “Crap, who the hell can we get to be your date to that weddin’ now?”
“Whose wedding?” Dominic asked Aideen.
Keela gave Aideen what I guessed was supposed to be a stern look, but Aideen ignored her, and the look, and answered Dominic’s question.
“Keela’s cousin.” She clicked her tongue in distaste. “Micah is gettin’ married to ‘er dickhead of a fella next week. Jason, Micah’s fiancé, fucked Keela over a few months ago. Since she has to attend the weddin’, we wanted someone to go with ‘er who would show Jason she can do miles better than ‘im. I thought Alec was the man for the job, but apparently, I was wrong.”
Keela was embarrassed—one glance at her told me so—and it was getting harder and harder to keep from helping her.
“Wait,” Dominic said to Keela. “You’re related to Micah Daley?”
“Yeah, Micah is me cousin. D‘ye know ‘er?”
“Unfortunately, I do. She was in my homeroom in high school.”
My brother leaned forward and really looked at Keela’s face. “She was a brunette in school, but I’ve seen her around town, and she has red hair now. You look similar to her.”
“Her hair is dyed red. Mine is naturally this colour. I’m not like ‘er at all; she is a bitch of epic proportions.”
Dominic grinned. “You don’t need to convince me that she’s a bitch, I believe you.”
Keela’s lip twitched.
“What did Jason do to fuck you over?” Ryder questioned her.
She rubbed her neck awkwardly.
“He pretended to like me, took me out on dates and so on in an effort to make me think we were a real couple, but really, he was only usin’ me to get back at Micah for cheatin’ on ‘im. It’s all really fucked up. They worked shite out and are gettin’ married, and because we’re family, I have to go their weddin’.”
“Why not tell them to shove their wedding up their asses?”
This came from Kane.
“Because me ma would be on me case about it. Goin’ to the weddin’ and keepin’ out of the way is much better than dealin’ with me mother if I don’t go. She is the devil.”
“Amen,” Aideen said and made the sign of the cross.
I could feel Keela’s disappointment at how the situation had turned out, but she kept a smile on her beautiful face to keep it hidden.
“It was nice seein’ ye’s again, Kane and Alec, and lovely meetin’ you two lads.” She nodded at Dominic and Ryder. “Have a nice day.”
I moved before she finished speaking. She turned to head for the door, but I was standing in her way. In that split second, I decided to help her. I wasn’t sure why I even considered it, but I saw it in Keela’s eyes that she needed my help, and I wanted to give it to her.