Damien (Slater Brothers #5)(20)

I settled on dark colours to reflect my mood.

I grabbed my pencils, then settling on my settee, I crossed my legs, placed my canvas on my lap, and got to work. I hadn’t decided on what to sketch until the second I touched the sharpened lead to the canvas. And when my hand automatically curved and drew the same pair of eyes I saw in my dreams every night, I realised I wasn’t drawing a what.

It was a who.





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.”