"Are you goin' to leave two lovely ladies stood outside on your porch or are you goin' to invite us in?" Aideen asked with a beaming smile.

Ryder quickly nodded his head. "Right, sorry, come on in. Branna shouldn't be too long so you can hang with me and my brothers while Alec and Keela talk."

Aideen was happy with that and headed into the house with Ryder on her heels. I wanted to slap her silly, she just bloody abandoned me in my time of need. Some best friend she is!

"You're the last person I expected to see today, kitten. How did you know where I lived?" Alec asked me as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe.

I shrugged. "Branna told Aideen and Aideen told me."

I let my eyes wander everywhere except for his body and face, he didn't like this though because he reached out and gripped my chin with his fingers and lifted my head until I was looking at him.

"Why won't you look at me?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Because."

He smiled and dropped his hand. "Because what?"

Because you're the hottest person I have ever seen.

His brothers were fine as hell but Alec was... in your face hot! That hot!

I shrugged again. "Just because."

Alec chuckled and folded his arms across his chest. "To what do I owe this unannounced pleasure, miss?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Daley."

"Miss Daley." Alec smiled.

I stared at his smile before I looked down and mumbled, "I need to ask you somethin'."

"Okay, but look at me when you do it."

I felt my heart pound against my chest as butterflies filled my stomach. "Look, it's hard enough to swallow my pride and ask a stranger this question, a stranger who I had an argument with less then twelve hours ago."

Alec regarded me. "You physically assaulted me less than twelve hours ago as well."

I snapped my head up and fixed a deadly glare on him. "Are you tryin' to piss me off?"

A thoughtful look fell over his face as he scratched his chin. "You clearly aren't shy when you're angry, I'm helping you relax."

I clenched my hands into fists. "I'm not shy at all."

"Then ask the question that you came here to ask me," he challenged.

I glanced at my surroundings and said, "Can we not do this inside?"

Alec raised his brows as he gave me a once over, but did as requested and pushed away from the doorframe and strightened to his full height. He then turned to his side and gestured me into the house with his hand. I swallowed and turned to my side so I could slide past him. While I shimmed by him I locked eyes with his pecs then looked up to his handsome face.

"Hi," he smiled down at me, revealing deep identical dimples in his cheeks.

Why did he have to have dimples? Why?

I let out a big puff of air and replied, "Hey."

A sly smile curved his mouth as he shook his head. Once inside his house I fully looked him over. He had his hair back in a bobbin, but the strands from the front of his head escaped the tie and hung loose. I clenched my hands into fists so I wouldn't brush them out of his face even though I really wanted to.

"We can talk here or in my bedroom, which do you prefer?"

His bedroom?

My legs shook and nearly buckled from under me.

"Here," I squeaked then quickly cleared my throat. "Here is fine, thank you."

Alec fully smiled at me so I looked down to my fingers and said, "I need help with somethin' and Aideen told me you are more than qualified help me with it."

"Clarify 'it'."

I felt my face heat up, so covered my face with my hands. "God, this is so bloody embarrassin'."

Alec didn't say a word so I closed my eyes and blurted, "She told me you're an escort."

Silence.

A long period of fucking silence.

Oh my God.

I wanted to die.

"I'm retired," Alec replied after ten seconds that felt more like an hour.

I looked up at him and found his face completely passive.

I shifted my stance a little and licked my suddenly dry lips.

"Oh, so you can't help me then?" I frowned.

Alec titled his head to the side and looked at me for a long moment.

"No, I can't. I don't deal in that business anymore. You will have to find another guy."

I felt my heart jump.

"But I don't want your, um, regular services. You don't have to do anythin' sexual or anythin' like that, I swear," I blurted out then tensed up when Alec's face turned to stone.

"Sexual? I was an escort, Keela, not a prostitute."

I shrugged my shoulders in confusion. "Are they not the same thing?" I asked, quizzically.

I regretted my question as soon as the words left my mouth because Alec's jaw set and his face hardened even more than it already was. He was glaring at me, and was clearly angry but I couldn't help but notice that he looked so bloody hot when he was mad.

"I'm s-sorry," I stuttered. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just don't know the difference. I thought escorts-"

"You thought escorts were paid money to fuck people, right?" Alec cut me off.

I swallowed, nervous over his clipped tone.

"Um, well yes, I did," I replied honestly.

Alec shook his head and muttered something under his breath before his fixed his eyes on mine. "Escorts provide companionship to a person, sex is optional, but not the baseline. Prostitutes are paid for sex and only sex, that is the baseline."

I wondered how many times he had to explain that to people who knew about his previous job.

I swallowed feeling awful that I assumed the worst in him.

"I apologise for bein' naive."

Alec shrugged uncaringly. "It's okay, but I still can't help you. I'm not in that business anymore."

I felt my stomach drop at the rejection. I was mentally prepared for it, but it still wasn't a nice feeling.

I nodded my head to Alec and looked down to my fingers. "I understand, sorry again for offendin' you, I didn't mean to pass judgement. I know I probably came off as a bitch last night but I am a nice person and I wouldn't purposely try to hurt your feelin's. I'm not like that. I'm very sorry."

I heard Alec hiss as he inhaled.

"Damn kitten, don't be getting upset on me." I looked up at him and he growled.,"Put that pouty lip away otherwise I'm going to bite it."

I didn't even realise I was pouting, but I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth on a gasp and bit down on it.

Alec's lip twitched as he scrubbed his face with his hands. I took the momentary break from his gaze to clear my throat and gather myself.

"I'll go and get Aideen so we can leave-"

"Out of curiosity, what did you want an escort for?"

"I'd rather not say, it's embarrassin'."

"You didn't want me to take your virginity, did you?"

I snapped my head up and hurt my neck a little doing so. "What? No, that is not what I came here for!" I angrily snapped.

I felt heat spread across my chest and up my neck then onto my face. "First your brother thinks I am pregnant by you and now you think I am virgin? I'm not pregnant and I'm not a damn virgin!"

Alec raised his eyebrows and looked a little shocked. I ignored him and his expression, as I turned my body then shouted, "Aideen! Move it, we're leavin'!"

I felt a rush of air touch my skin seconds before a body molded into my back and arms came around my waist. "Now wait just as second, kitten. I jumped to conclusions, but so did you. Give me a break here - I'm not being a dick, I'm just trying to understand what you would need an escort for."

I opened my mouth to snap off a snarky reply, but nothing came to me because Alec was right. I relaxed a little and he must have felt it becuase he moved back away from me, giving me back my space.

I was about to reply to Alec when I heard movement and mumbling in the room behind the doors across from me. Without a second thought I walked to the double doors and opened them. Three large males fell forward taking me to the ground with them.

A mountain of muscle was crushing me, most would say this was the ideal way to die, but not me!

"Can't breathe," I wheezed from under the bodies.

"Get off her!" I heard Alec bellow.

Courses of the word 'sorry' were offered as I was dug free from the mountain of muscle and helped to my feet. I took in a few deep breaths and groaned in delighted as oxygen filled my lungs.

"Fuck, that hurt me chest."

"Do you think something might be broken?" Alec asked as he appeared in front of me, placing his hands on my bare shoulders.

I shook my head and took a few more breaths. "No, I'm fine. I just couldn't breathe, and it burned."

Alec looked to his right and said, "You almost smothered a woman."

"Sorry," three voices said in unison.

I got control of my breathing then looked to my left and saw a frowning Ryder and Kane as well a frowning younger man who looked similar to Alec.

"Which brother are you?" I asked him.

"Nico," he replied at the same time all three of his brothers said, "Dominic."

I looked to the lad and asked, "What am I callin' you, Nico or Dominic?"

He shrugged and grinned at me. "You can call me whatever you want, gorgeous."

I raised my eyebrows at him and couldn't help but smile a little, his forwardness and the way he held himself was kind of charming. I observed him with my eyes which he fully appreciated, judging by his smile which revealed dimples that matched Alec's.

"I'll call you Nico," I replied, smiling wide myself now.

I settled on Nico since that was the name he said when I asked his name. His name was obviously Dominic, but if he wanted to be called Nico, I would call him Nico.

"And you are?" Nico asked, keeping eye contact with me.

"Keela," I said and blushed.

His stare was very intense and I couldn't help but flush under it.

"Kee-lah," Nico purred. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

Alec used his hands, which were still on my shoulders, to push me behind him as he stepped forward towards his younger brother.

"Boy, cut that shit out or I'm knocking your ass out," Alec snarled to Nico.