Damien practically lay against Dominic and Bronagh as he watched me with widened eyes.
“This is both insanely hot and terrifying at the same time,” he muttered to his bully of a twin.
Dominic snickered, but I saw him nod in agreement. I was about to dish out some more insults his way, but I froze when I watched his focus turn from me, Damien and everyone else to Bronagh, and her alone. It shocked me how he looked at her; it was like she was his whole world. He lifted his hand and gently brushed her hair back out of her face. She lightly snored and it caused him to smile as he stared down at her, his eyes only blinking here and there, like he was trying to savour what she looked like when she was in his arms. I blinked when he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.
He likes her.
I continued to stare at him, but jumped when Ryder spoke in my ear.
“Yeah,” he whispered, loosening his hold on me. “He cares about her. He has a funny way of showing it, but he’s trying, Branna. He doesn’t understand what he’s feeling and it’s taking him longer than he would like to express to her that he likes her. She fights him tooth and nail at every turn, and it’s bred into him to push back when he is backed into a corner. When she is hostile, he becomes hostile, too. I think it’s a bad match, but he likes her, and he can’t help that.”
“He needs to back off of her.”
“I agree, and we can talk about it tomorrow. She’ll be sober, and in my home so we’ll lump them together and figure it all out, okay?”
I reluctantly nodded.
“Thank you, darling.”
I tensed. “I’m not your darlin’, Ryder.”
“Yeah, darling, you are.”
I hated that I wanted to smile.
Alec pulled to a stop in front of his house and said, “Welcome to casa—”
“Slater,” his brothers finished. “We know.”
“Assholes.” Alec grumbled.
I snorted and it made Ryder smile as we exited the car. He kept a firm hold on me because even though I was coherent, my legs were quite unsteady.
Bloody Vodka, my mind grumbled.
“‘Bout time you showed up!” A male voice shouted, followed by laughter and cars screeching to a stop.
I looked around and when I took in all the people that were ambling up the driveway to Ryder’s house, I pressed back against his chest. His arms came around me, and his face nuzzled against my neck.
“Don’t be frightened,” he said into my ear. “We’re throwing a party to celebrate Dominic’s win at Darkness.”
A house party?
I went rigid. “Maybe me and me sister should leave—”
“Dominic is already inside with your sister.”
I broke out of Ryder’s hold and pushed through the crowd of people waiting to gain entry into his house. I heard him shout after me then curse when I didn’t turn and wait for him. I stumbled through the front door and shouted, “Bronagh!”
“I’m here!” I heard her call out.
I followed her voice over to the bottom of the stairs where she was now awake and standing up, but was still in Dominic’s hold. He kept his eyes on me as I neared them, and I saw annoyance flash across his face as I reached for my sister and took hold of her hand.
“We’re goin’ home, Bronagh.” I said firmly.
“She wants to stay here,” Dominic argued.
I cut my eyes to him and narrowed them. “I don’t give a flyin’ fuck what she wants, if I say she is goin’ home then she is goin’ home, you got that?”
Dominic set his jaw and nodded once so I turned my attention from him to my sister. She was giggling and turning into Dominic’s chest, which prompted me to release her from my hold. I was about to grab her again when hands grabbed hold of me.
“When I tell you to wait for me, you fucking wait.” Ryder’s voice growled as he wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t want to lose sight of you in a crowd of strangers.”
I struggled against him. “You shouldn’t have invited them to your house then, you bloody eejit!”
“I didn’t,” he countered. “Alec did.”
As if on cue, Alec shouted, “Paarrtttyyyyyy,” from someone where down the hall followed by loud, pulsing beats of music. The strangers in the house cheered.
Dominic laughed at his brother, but quickly turned his attention to Bronagh when she spoke to him. “I want to sleep with you,” she purred.
The lad’s entire body went rigid.
“Dominic,” my sister slurred. “Did you he-hear me? I wanna cuddle with you. Now.”
A switch flipped inside his head because without hesitation he hooked his arm around Bronagh’s waist, then bent down and slid his arm under her knees and lifted her. My sister squeaked the moment she became airborne and wrapped her arms around Dominic’s neck as he protectively tucked her into his chest. He turned then and hauled arse up the stairs.
“Dominic!” I growled after him, but he ignored me and took the stairs two at a time, with my laughing sister in his arms.
I made a move to shoot up the stairs after them, but hands clamped down on my hips.
I tensed. “Get away from me, Ryder.”