He really was like a human male.

"Come on, off the bed," I coaxed.

He stretched, yawned and then jumped off the bed. I looked down at him when I heard a growl erupt from him followed by a loud bark that gave me a fright. He was crouched down a little and looking behind me so I turned around and saw Alec leaning against the frame of the doorway looking between Storm and myself with an amused expression on his face.

"You named your fake boyfriend after your dog?" Alec asked, the light laughter in his voice not going amiss.

How embarrassing!

I felt myself blush. I was mortified that I was caught lying in the first place but it was even worse now because Alec knew who Storm really was.

"Shut up, Alec," I muttered.

He chuckled. "You're adorable."

Come again?

"I'm twenty-three, I'm not adorable."

Alec winked. "You're a very adorable twenty-three year old, kitten."

I pursed my lips then looked back down to Storm when he growled.

"Hey, enough of that, he is our new house guest."

I looked at Alec when he lowered himself down to his knees. He avoided eye contact with Storm and held out his right hand like his was offering something.

"Come here, Storm," Alec said then whistled a little.

Was he for real?

"He won't go to you, he hates everyone but me."

Alec ignored me and continued to call Storm to him. I folded my arms across my chest and sat back on my bed with a sigh. Alec continued trying to coax Storm closer to him and just as I was about to put a stop to it Storm suddenly took a hesitant step in Alec's direction and ceased growling altogether.

I felt my jaw drop open as his hesitant step turned into slow moving strides. When Storm was in front of Alec, he sniffed at Alec's outstretched hand and nuzzled his nose into his palm then allowed Alec to pet his head.

He actually allowed someone other than me to touch him.

"I don't fuckin' believe it!" I gasped.

"What?" Alec asked me without looking way from Storm.

"He doesn't like anyone apart from me, this is weird."

Alec shrugged. "I'm good with animals."

I looked at him in disbelief. "Are you a dog whisperer?"

Alec flicked his eyes up to me for a moment before looking back at Storm, but not before I noticed they were creased with amusement. "No, I just know how to act with animals. Did you see how I was down on his level, and not looking directly in the eye as I offered my hand to him? He could sense I wasn't a threat which is why he is letting me pet him now."

I scoffed. "Aideen isn't a threat, she has known Storm since I got him when he was a puppy and he hates her."

"Does she hate him?" Alec asked quizzically.

That would be a hell yes.

I nodded. "Yeah, they fight all the time."

Alec chortled. "How can a dog and a woman fight?"

I scratched my neck. "You'd be surprised what lengths a woman will go to just to argue with someone... or something."

Alec smiled and shook his head causing lose strands of hair to fall free of his bobbin. "Well, he can sense she doesn't like him so he has decided not to like her back. He can decipher whether he likes someone or not, dogs are very smart."

"I know that, Storm is very smart."

Alec looked up to me. "Easy, mama bear."

I bit the insides of my cheeks so I wouldn't smile.

"Look, let me just show you the rest this coffin sized apartment so you can get settled in while I clean up before me ma gets here."

Alec complied and got to his feet then gestured around with his hands. "Let the tour begin."

I cleared my throat. "Well, this is me bedroom."

Alec glanced around then focused his gaze on the bed, the bed that pretty much took up all the space in my room.

"A king? I like it."

I gave him a pointed look. "Storm sleeps with me so I need all the room I can get."

Alec pumped his eyebrows at me. "Sounds like you need-"

I held my hand up cutting Alec off. "I'm sure whatever was about to leave your mouth was crude, offensive, and would make me wanna slap you so save it and let me continue on with the tour."

Alec smirked at me then motioned with his fingers that his lips were sealed.

"Follow me," I chirped.

I breezed by him then stopped seven steps later and opened the bathroom door on my right. "This is the bathroom. I'm OCD about cleanin' it so leave the bathroom lookin' like it did when you entered it or I will hurt you, understand?"

Alec leaned his head in and glanced around then looked down at me. "I'll keep it clean, but out of curiosity how would you hurt me exactly? I'm not sure you could physically hurt me... your hands are tiny."

They were not!

I frowned. "Don't underestimate me playboy, I can be dangerous."

Lie, I couldn't and wouldn't hurt a fly.

Alec licked his plump lips. "You can go from kitten to hell cat in half a second, got it."

I blinked up at him. "Great, so we're clear on that?"

Alec smiled at me again and I couldn't help but stare at his mouth.

"Did you ever have braces?" I asked.

Alec slid the tip of his pink tongue over his pearly whites and made me want to do the same with my own tongue.

Calm it, girly.

"Yeah, when I was a kid I had to wear thick metal ones for about two years. It sucked, but it was worth it."

I sighed. "Your smile is very pretty. I don't know if I like it... It seems wrong for someone to possess a smile like that."

I wasn't trying to chat him up I was just being honest.

Alec regarded me with a thoughtful look before he gazed at me with amusement twinkling in his big blue eyes. "All my brothers have nice smiles, it's something we all got from our father. Dominic, Kane, and myself have dimples - we got those from our mother. You can see Dominic's dimples when he speaks, that's how deep they are, but mine are only when I smile. Kane has a dimple on his cheek when he smiles, but you can't see it unless you're close to him when he smiles because a scar cuts through it. Speaking of Kane, his smile is the one to watch out for, it changes how he looks when he smiles."

I ignored the comment about Kane's scars because I didn't want to be rude and ask how he got them.

I thought about his smile though, and nibbled on my lower lip. "I already noticed that. He is sort of scary when he isn't smilin', but when he is smilin'... Oh my God, he is stunnin'. I don't believe in one night stands, but if he smiled at me-"

"He won't be smiling at you," Alec cut me off, all traces of amusement leaving his eyes and features.

I frowned. "What has your knickers in a twist?"

"Kitten, when I'm in your presence I don't want to hear you talking about my brothers. Any of them."

When I am in his presence?

"Who the hell do you think you are? Jesus?"

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "I'm probably the closest thing on this Earth to Jesus, kitten."

What. The. Fuck?

"You vain piece of shite. How dare you compare yourself to-"

I was cut off when Alec burst into laughter; he bent forward smacked his left knee with his left hand and placed his right hand on the wall to keep him steady.

"Your face!" Alec roared with laughter. "You should have seen your face!"

I hated him.

I didn't know him that well but I hated him and I was allowing him to move in with me.

I officially lost my fucking mind!

I grimaced as I turned around. "Pipe down and follow me."

Alec continued to laugh as he followed me down the narrow hallway.

I stopped when I entered the combo kitchen and sitting room. "This is the kitchen and the sittin' room since there is no wall separatin' them. It's a small one bedroom apartment but it suits me fine."

I glanced behind me to look at Alec who was glancing around.

"You make the place look even smaller," I muttered.

Alec chuckled. "It's fine, it is small but we can use that to our advantage."

I turned to face him. "Explain."

Alec grinned. "We will be in close quarters so getting to know each other and becoming comfortable with each other will be a breeze. That's what you want, right?"

I eyed him sceptically. "Uh-huh."

Alec had a ghost of smile on his face that broke into a wide grin when Storm came up beside him and brushed his head against his thigh. Alec reached down and rubbed behind Storm's ears then he bent forward and gave him a few strong pats on the stomach. I folded my arms across my chest and glared.

"Bloody traitor," I muttered lowly to myself.

I cleared my throat. "Okay, so I don't know what time me ma will be here at but this place needs to be spotless before she gets here."

Alec stood up, glanced around the apartment and looked at me. "It is spotless."

I scoffed. "There is dog food and water on the floor behind you."

Alec shrugged. "Okay, apart from the dog food and water on the floor, everything else is spotless."

I scratched my neck. "I don't think so, I have to hoover, wash down the kitchen counters, and bathroom, then straightened up my bedroom-"

"Hold up. You mother checks your bedroom when she comes over? How old are you thirteen or twenty-three?"

I groaned. "It sounds bad I know, but just havin' everything clean and tidy will make her visit less painful. Trust me."

Alec regarded me with a wary look but eventually complied. "Okay, what can I do to help make this visit from the she-devil less painful?"

He was going to help me?

That was a nice and unexpected surprise.

"You can rinse the dealf that Aideen left on the draining board next to the sink this mornin'. I don't like them sitting there all day, dust and such will gather on them. Get on that while I sort out me bedroom and the bathroom, okay"

Alec held his hand out to me, his fist tightly closed and said, "On it, boss."

It took a second for me to realise that he wanted me to fist bump him and when I eventually did ball my own hand into a fist and touched my knuckles against his, he audibly awed.