“Are ye’ okay?” she asked Aideen, pulling back from their hug so she could examine her. “What happened?”
When she pushed Aideen’s hair from her face, Keela gasped. I cringed, knowing what she saw. Aideen had a small cut over her eyebrow, and the right side of her jaw was swollen.
“Some bitch jumped me.”
“Who?” Keela snapped. “I’ll fuckin’ deck ‘er!”
That drew a smile from me. She was an itty-bitty thing, and I couldn’t imagine her hurting anyone in a fight, but she sounded confident in herself. Or maybe that was just her anger on her friend’s behalf shining through.
Aideen pulled Keela in for another hug. “I know ye’ would, but I just wanna go home now. Can I stay with ye’ tonight?”
“Of course, ye’ bloody eejit.”
Kane and I chuckled, and this seemed to draw Keela’s attention. She looked up at us, as if just remembering we were there. Her eyes flicked between us, and then widened to saucers. My lips twitched. I knew what we looked like, and I had no doubt this women felt intimidated ... until she glared at us.
Keela helped a slightly tipsy Aideen to her feet and hooked her arm around her friend’s waist, steadying her just in case she fell.
“This is Alec,” Aideen said, but I was too busy roaming my eyes over Keela’s body, “and Kane.”
I flicked my eyes up to her face and watched Keela swallow as her eyes landed on Kane. She stared at him, really stared at him, and I watched as her hold on Aideen tightened. I understood that reaction, and I was sure that my brother did too. All of his scars made eye contact difficult, and it was easy to be afraid of him based on his looks alone.
“Hi,” she managed to say.
Kane didn’t respond.
“Kane came to me rescue when Alec’s girlfriend hit me,” Aideen purred at Kane, who smiled right back at her.
“She was my lay from last week, not my girlfriend,” I said with a grunt. “I also apologised for her actions.”
Things seemed to slow down for a moment as Keela let what her friend said process in her mind. I watched as a spark ignited in her beautiful eyes, then a fire blazed. She released her hold on Aideen and all but rushed me. She placed her hands on my chest and shoved me as hard as she could. She caught me completely off guard, so when she pushed me, I lost my balance and fell back onto my ass with a grunt.
“That is for your bird hurtin’ me friend, and if I find out who the bitch is, I’m gonna do hard time for ‘er!”
Aideen pulled Keela back to her side while I looked up at Keela with wide eyes. I looked at my brother, who stared down at me with his mouth agape. A few silent seconds passed until we both burst out laughing like what just happened was the funniest thing ever.
“I told you, bro. She’s a fucking hellcat!” I cackled as I gripped Kane’s outstretched hand and was helped to my feet. “I can’t believe this shit.”
Kane shook his head, thoroughly amused.
“I wish the twins had seen that!”
Keela wasn’t amused by our laughing, not in the slightest.
“Keep laughin’, pretty boy, and I’ll scratch up that face of yours!”
I stepped forward, a huge grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. “I’m finding myself highly attracted to you right now. Would you like to come home with me since you’re already dressed for bed?”
Keela’s jaw dropped in shock while Aideen drilled holes into my head with her death glare.
“Give over, Alec! I appreciate ye’ both helpin’ me, but I won’t have ye’ treatin’ me friend like she is one of your old clients. She is a good girl.”
I inwardly flinched at her mentioning my escorting days. It still grated on my nerves that Branna had shared that information with her, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I didn’t want that to be the focus on the conversation, so I focused on Keela.
“Oh, I’m betting there’s a bad girl deep inside her somewhere. I’ll just have to use my fingers, mouth, and cock to bring her out to play.”
Keela’s lips parted with what I think was surprise.
“Who the hell d’ye think ye’ are, mister?”
I grinned. “Alec Slater, your next—or only—great fuck.”
She scowled at me, a cute wrinkle creasing her forehead.
“You’re about to be Alec Slater—murder victim—if ye’ don’t shut your filthy mouth!”
Kane cracked up with laughter as he reached for Aideen’s arm and pulled her to his side and away from Keela.
“Please, don’t interfere,” he almost begged the woman. “I’ve never seen a female, besides Bronagh, backtalk him like this before.”
That was true. Bronagh got a kick out of going toe to toe with me. I was staring at Keela, so I saw the moment she noticed that Aideen and Kane were getting pretty comfortable with each other, and she didn’t appear to like it.