Aideen (Slater Brothers) (2 page)

I looked up in time to catch Kane stick his middle finger up at Keela and for her to stick up both of hers back at him.

I shook my head good-naturedly.

“Enough, children. Mother is too tired and hungry for your bullshit today,” I declared, yawning.

Kane crossed the room and hunkered down next to me. He placed his elbow on the arm of the sofa behind me and gently scratched my back which his fingers. “Why don’t you come to bed?”

His voice was low and inviting.

“Maybe because she has company, i.e. me, you dirty bastard.” Keela flared. “Stop seducin’ her when I’m sittin’ right next to your nasty arse.”

I beamed at Keela, and Kane smiled at me. He used his free hand to swipe away the already forgotten tears on my cheeks. “There’s my babydoll.”

Keela giggled. “That’s adorable, but you’re still nasty.”

I flicked my eyes in her direction and playfully narrowed them. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” she acknowledged. “You do your thing.”

Kane nudged me and gave me a wink. “You shouldn’t have ever fed her, she’ll never leave now.”

Keela gasped in mock horror. “I’m not a dog. How dare you!”

“I never said you were.” Kane deviously grinned then stood up to his full height. He turned and walked out of our sitting room and headed down the hallway to the kitchen.

Keela pushed my legs, and the blanket that was covering her, off her body and shot to her feet.

“Don’t walk away when I’m talkin’ to you, Kane Slater!” she hollered, and stomped out of the room after him.

Kane’s low laughter did nothing but infuriate her further.

“Or what? You’ll kill me?” he teased.

“You’re damn right I’ll kill you... don’t smile at me like that, I will!”

I chuckled to myself.

They behaved like brother and sister, and I loved it because they loved each other. It would suck balls if my boyfriend and best friend didn’t get along.

“Do
not
throw that at me!” Kane’s voice suddenly shouted.

Keela cackled. “It’s just a tub of butter, you big baby.”

“It’s a
frozen
tub of butter, so you might as well throw a brick at my head!”

“That can be arranged, big man.”

“You’re an evil little person, I hope you know that.”

“I do.”

I laughed at their conversation and sunk back into my sofa, tugging my blanket farther up my body.

“Leave him alone, Keela.”

I heard something being set down on either the kitchen counter or table. It dropped with a thud. “You’re
lucky
she wants you alive and unharmed.”

“And
you’re
lucky she wants you here often, otherwise I’d ban you from ever entering this building.”

Keela seethed. “You’ve gone mad with power.”

I smiled.

Kane recently told Keela that he owned the building I lived in, as well as many others in Dublin. She wasn’t mad, just a little hurt that Alec didn’t tell her about Kane’s secret properties, but once she got over the ‘bro code’, she was cool with it like I knew she would be.

She also kept it under wraps, because Kane didn’t want it broadcasted to the rest of the group. He liked his privacy and she respected that.

“You better thank God that I have to go home and feed Storm. I’d wipe the floor with you otherwise.”

“Till next time, short-ass.”

Keela casually strolled into the sitting room and stated, “I hate your boyfriend.”

I grabbed my chest. “That’s a shame, because I love yours.”

Keela’s lip twitched. “I’ll be back over tonight, I just have to go and feed—”

“The fat beast, I heard you.”

Keela growled. “You’d think being pregnant would make you sentimental and give Storm a chance, but no, you
still
rag on him.”

In Keela’s mind, Storm was her baby.

“He’d make a saint curse, Kay.”

Her left eye twitched just before she turned and walked out of my house, giving me the finger along the way. “I’ll remember all of this when you’re in the height of pain in labour.”

I grunted when the apartment door shut. I cringed then and silently prayed karma wouldn’t make my labour extra painful, because I teased Storm a lot... he brought it upon himself most of the time, so when you think about it, I shouldn’t suffer because of it.

I leaned back and closed my eyes on a sigh, but just as quickly I snapped them back open. I shot upright when I realised no one was in the room with me.

I was on my own.

Panic struck.

“Kane!” I called out as I looked around the sitting room, expecting someone to jump out and grab me.

I heard his footsteps as he walked down the hallway and into the sitting room, a white mug in his hand with steam rising from it. He quickly sat the mug down on our coffee table when he saw my face and rushed over to me.

“What is it?” he asked and placed a hand on my stomach in silent question.

I swallowed and shook my head. “Nothin’, it’s just... I thought I was on my own for a second and... you know, I got scared.”

Kane blinked. “You told me you weren’t afraid to be on your own anymore.”

I looked down. “I lied.”

Kane sighed and kneeled on the floor. “I’ll kill him for putting such fear into you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as Big Phil’s face cut through my mind.

“I know.”

Kane kissed the side of my head. “Do you want to help me with my injection?”

He could do them himself now, but I appreciated him putting my focus on him instead of the monster that haunted me.

I didn’t dream of that night I was trapped in my old classroom, nor did Big Phil’s face cut into my dreams. He only plagued me during waking hours when I could sit and think of the ‘what ifs’.

What if I didn’t get out in time?

What if I inhaled more smoke?

What if he was still close by and watching us, waiting for the right moment to strike?

I didn’t voice my thoughts, but they troubled me, and I knew the same questions haunted Kane. He was just keeping it to himself like I was because he didn’t want to upset me.

We both suffered in silence.

I knew Kane, his brothers, my brothers, and Keela’s uncle Brandon were looking for Big Phil, but none of that eased my mind. He got me once before, and he could do it again if he wanted to. He was that kind of person... if he wanted something, he got it.

Period.

I think Kane knew that as well. It was one of the reasons I was never without male companionship. When Kane wasn’t with me, one of his or my brothers were. It was a round-the-clock security gridlock the lads had going. Kane went as far as to completely seal off the apartment complex I lived in, and he tripled the security detail.

I found none of it comforting though.

My mind was my own worst enemy when it came to running plausible outcomes of Big Phil finding me first before the lads found him. It worried me sick.

“Stop thinking of him.”

I looked into Kane’s eyes when he spoke and I nodded my head. “I’m tryin’, I really am. I just can’t help it.”

“I will protect you.” Kane swore, his eyes locked on mine. “No one will ever hurt you.”

I lightly smiled. “Me knight in shinin’... tattoos.”

Kane pumped his eyebrows. “I’m adding to my collection soon.”

I blinked. “Where about and what are you gettin’?”

He showed me both of his wrists so I reached out and rubbed my thumbs over the small patches of un-inked skin.

“I’m getting your name on my left wrist and our child’s on my right wrist. Wrists are a lethal part of the body to be cut; any laceration could potentially be fatal. Without you and our baby I might as well be dead, so I’m putting you both in plain view so I never lose sight of that.”

I touched my chest as a lump formed in my throat.

“That was oddly disturbin’ and insanely beautiful at the same time.”

Kane smirked and my eyes followed the thick scar that curved around his mouth. I stared a little longer than deemed polite, but I couldn’t help it. My gaze locked on the marred flesh until my eyes raked over his stunning face and to his arms where more of the thick lumps of damaged tissue lingered.

I loved my man, but I hated that his perfect body was tainted with such marks that brought bulk loads of nasty memories. Lately, I found myself thinking of Big Phil when I focused on Kane’s scars for too long. I remembered everything I was told about him, and I didn’t think I would ever forget even if I tried. The sick son of a bitch used Kane’s vow to protect Damien from harm to his advantage.

Marco Miles was the main man who called the shots over the brothers, but Big Phil held the leash that controlled Kane. He decided how much free-reign he got, and he was the one to viciously jerk on the leash when Kane didn’t do as he was told.

That usually happened when Kane refused to hurt innocents. He was strung up with rope by the wrists and received lash upon lash to his body, or he was stabbed with needles as punishment for his defiance. Big Phil found pleasure in torturing and training Kane.

He found pleasure in hurting him.

Kane took his perverted son’s life, and in return he wanted my life and our unborn child’s. I was terrified of the lengths he would go to seek his vengeance, and I knew that eventually we were all going to clash.

I just didn’t know who would be left breathing in the end.

“Babe.” Kane’s voice jarred me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”

I blinked my eyes, and looked down to his wrists and lightly smiled.

“I can’t wait to see them both when you get them done.”

Kane playfully nudged me. “I could get them done tomorrow if junior here would hurry up and vacate your premises.”

I giggled. “She will come out when she is good and ready.”

“Like a typical woman then?” Kane mused. “Her way or the highway option.”

I bobbed my head up and down. “You got it.”

“Good thing it’s a boy then.” He grinned as he leaned in and kissed my head. “I love you, babydoll.”

“And I love you.”

Kane smiled and said, “You want to know something funny?”

“Always.”

“There are over seven billion people on this planet, and I can only tolerate eleven.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Who are the eleven people?”

He held up both of his hands and dropped a finger for each person he named. “You, Branna, Bronagh, Keela, Alannah, Alec, Dominic, Ryder, Damien, Tony the pizza delivery guy, and Susan who works in Subway in the village.”

I resisted the urge to laugh.

“Why the last two? You don’t know them.”

Kane pointed his index finger at me. “Tony brings me food, and Susan makes me food. Leave them alone, they’re good people.”

I snorted. “You really need to expand your circle of people.”

“I need to do a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to.” He shrugged.

I grinned. “Why was there no mention of my father or brothers on that list?”

Kane gnawed on his lower lip then smiled wide. “Your family are my ultimate favourites, they’re above any list... 
obviously
.”

I hummed. “Obviously.”

“Have I pleased my lady with my answer?” he asked in an awful British accent.

I was about to say yes, when his eyes dropped to my breasts, and he licked his lips.

I playfully rolled my eyes. “You’re such a man.”

He stood up, took a giant step backwards as his eyes dropped down to his crotch before he looked back to me and said, “I’m aware of that.”

“No, like, you’re so—”

“Handsome? Sexy? The best sex of your life?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Irritatin’.”

“But still handsome, sexy and the best sex of your life?”

My lip twitched. “I suppose.”

“I can live with being irritating if I’ve got the rest going for me.”

“You’re really annoyin’ me.”

He grinned. “Not irritating you?”

“It’s the same thing.”

“Not really. They’re different words.”

I was losing my patience.

“They have similar meanin’s though,” I stated.

Kane folded his arms across his chest. “But they’re still different words.”

That was it.

“Come closer to me so I can smack you.”

“Yeah,” he snickered. “Like
that
is going to happen.”

I leaned back and closed my eyes. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

A hand gripped my thigh causing me to jump. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Kane looming over me. The man could move fast for such a big lad.

“It’s only fair since you drive my body crazy all the time.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “I wonder if you’ll still be lookin’ for some when we’re in our eighties.”

“No doubt about it. I’ll speed after you in my wheelchair for some sugar.”

I burst into laughter and leaned my head against his when he crawled over me and tucked himself behind me on the sofa.

“How many babies will you give me?” he murmured as his hand absentmindedly stroked my swollen abdomen.

I glanced over my shoulder to him. “How many do you want?”

“At least five.”

I gnawed on my lower lip. “Five total or like, five boys? ‘Cause we could have all girls, and me body won’t be able to go until you get your mini football team of lads.”

Kane rumbled with low laughter. “Five total will be fine. I come from five siblings and you do too. I like the number five.”

I leaned back and kissed his forehead. “Five it is, bud.”

“They’ll have to be close in age, too,” he stated. “So right after this one comes out, we’ll have to get working on the next one.”

My lip curved upward. “So lots and lots of sex then?”

“Yep,” he chirped. “We have to make sure your eggo gets preggo.”

I laughed and held my stomach.

Kane slid his hand over my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’re having a baby,” he whispered.

“We are indeed,” I beamed.

“I couldn’t be happier, Aideen,” Kane said and sat upright. He looked down at me for a long moment before climbing off me and walking out of the room.

I watched him leave the room and confusion caught hold of me. Wanting to know what he was doing, I heaved myself up off the sofa and followed him out of the room, down the hallway and into our bedroom.