Damien (Slater Brothers #5)(25)

“No,” I said softly.

“Then no, Alannah,” he growled, “I don’t want to be your friend.”

My heart pounded against my chest.

“I can’t offer you more than that.”

“Bullshit,” Damien clipped. “I felt the way you kissed me, and I see how you look at me. You want me; you’re just scared.”

“Just scared?” I repeated. “Damien, I’m fuckin’ terrified. Me only experience with you ended in disaster.”

He set his jaw. “I’m not the same person I was when I was eighteen.”

I lifted my chin. “Neither am I, and that is thanks to you.”

I turned and made for the exit, but Damien wasn’t having it. He grabbed my arm again, rounded on me, and placed his large, hard body between myself and the exit.

“No,” he quipped. “You’re done walking away from me when we’re talking.”

My mouth dropped open. “You’re givin’ me an order?”

“You bet your perfect ass I am.”

It was wrong to be so turned on by his show of dominance.

“I don’t take orders from you or any other man.”

“We’ll see,” he growled.

“We’ll see nothin’ because—”

“Because what?”

He was in my face again, but I couldn’t think.

“I don’t know!” I snapped. “I don’t know anythin’ when you’re this close to me.”

“And you say you can’t give me more?” he asked on a growl. “Your body knows who it belongs to; your brain just needs to catch up.”

That snapped me out of my haze.

“Me brain and body aren’t the ones callin’ the shots,” I quipped. “The heart that you broke is!”

Damien leaned back and looked down into my eyes.

“You know I’d give anything to change how I left things with you.” He placed his hands on my shoulders. “I know you know that.”

He had told me as much many times over the past year, but I always put it down to his guilty conscience.

“I don’t know what I know anymore,” I admitted, looking down. “Everythin’ is so messed up.”

Damien tipped my chin up until my gaze met his.

“We need to talk about everything. Just the two of us, babe.”

Babe.

I swallowed and nodded. “When?”

“Tonight,” he answered. “I’ll come by tonight.”

My heart pounded against my chest. “Okay.”

He released his hold on me and said, “I’ll walk you out.”

We left the back room then, heading out to the front where my car was ready and waiting. Alec and Kane walked into the shop at that exact moment, and I looked up at the ceiling, silently asking God why he hated me so much to put me in this situation.

“Your car is good to go, good lookin’,” Dante said from my right, gaining my attention.

He walked over to me, staring at me like I was the only person in the room, and before I knew it, I was staring at a person’s back instead of Dante’s face.

“That’s far enough, asshole.”

I closed my eyes the second Damien spoke, and in my heart, I knew what was about to happen.

“I’m gonna give you two seconds to step aside so I can talk to me girl real quick.”

Oh, God.

“Your girl?” Damien snapped, stepping forward, getting in Dante’s face. “She’s not fucking yours, you piece of shit.”

Aideen’s brothers were the only men I knew to all be as tall as the Slater brothers. Even as tall as Dante was though, Damien had two or three inches on him. I rushed over to Alec and Kane, who were just watching the lads like they were having a casual conversation.

“Do somethin’!” I demanded. “Right now!”

Kane glanced at me, then up to the lads again, dismissing me without a word.

I turned to Alec. “Please!”

“Not yet,” he answered without looking at me.

“I hate to break it to you, mate,” Dante quipped from behind me. “But she sure as hell isn’t yours!”

I sucked in a strangled breath as a dark cloud of what I knew was fury fell over Damien.

“Please,” I begged, rushing forward and squeezing between them. “Can we all just stop and breathe for a minute? This doesn’t need to end in violence.”

“No violence?” Alec repeated. “That doesn’t seem right.”

Kane snorted but kept his eyes trained on his future brother-in-law.

“Kane, do you think this is goin’ to sit well with Aideen?” I asked, hoping he would see reason. “Do you think she is goin’ to be understandin’ of you fightin’ ’er brother? Because you know you’re gonna fight ’im if he hits Damien.”

“I’m not going to fight,” he said with confidence. “I’ll just break it up if it pops off.”

“Mr Collins!” I hollered desperately for the only man who I knew would end this madness. “Mr Collins, sir!”

“He’s gone to lunch, good lookin’.”

“JJ!” I shouted, ignoring Dante. “Harley!”