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Ryder turned to leave the reception, and my heart jumped.
“Don’t leave me!” I hissed. “Ryder, she’s gonna eat me alive.”
He headed back into the hangar, laughing as he went. I heard him call out to Dante, and whatever he said made Dante and the others on the garage floor laugh like the eejits they were. Any other time of the day, they were hanging around my desk, drinking tea, talking about what happened on the latest episode of Eastenders, but when I needed them most, they ghosted me. Bastards, the lot of them.
I ducked my head back down low, and I kept it there until I heard Dante’s voice minutes later. “Your car’s out front, Lil. No issues, thank God.”
“You’re a good nugget, Date Collins.”
I peeked over my desk and watched as Dante helped Lilly to her feet. “I suppose ye’ll be wantin’ some kisses as payment?”
Dante bent down and tapped his cheek. “Three of them, no four … and an extra one for good luck.”
Lilly laughed as she kissed his cheek five times. I realised that she was leaving so I jumped to me feet, hurried around my desk, and approached her and Dante.
“I’ll see ye out, Lilly.”
She jerked her head as if she was going to attack me, and I jumped about a foot in the air with fright. Lilly snorted before she turned and walked away with the stride of a queen. Dante made a sound close to a squeal as he hurried after Lilly and helped her into her car. When he came back into the reception after she was gone, he lifted his hand to his mouth to try to hide his smile, but he couldn’t. When I let out a little huff of laughter, he lost it, bending forward and clapping his hands against his thighs.
“That was one of the scariest encounters I have ever had with another person,” I admitted, still chuckling. “I thought I was gonna cry. She’s terrifyin’, like a mean gremlin.”
Dante cackled. “That was brilliant.”
“Good God.” I swallowed. “She’s as little as a rabbit, but she has the bite of a dog.”
“She’s a terrier,” he agreed as he wiped his eyes. “The woman puts grown men in their place. Ye never stood a chance, country.”
“I’m sweatin’.” I fanned my face. “The woman scared me so much I’ve actually started sweatin’.”
Dante continued to laugh as I returned to my seat behind my desk. He followed me and leaned his elbows on the desk’s countertop. “She’s just testin’ ye.”
“Testin’ me?” I repeated. “Whatever for?”
“God only knows.” He shrugged. “She loves me and the others. We’re her toy boys, ye could say. She stops by every few weeks and says somethin’ is wrong with her car, but there never is. She just likes poppin’ in and makin’ us fuss over her.”
“That’d be cute if she didn’t stare at me like I slaughtered her entire family.”
Dante chortled. “What’d she say to ye?”
“When?”
“When she came up to your desk. I saw her approach ye.”
“Oh, that.” I relaxed in my chair. “She asked what me intentions were with you. Can ye believe that? I told her I’m just here to work, and she hmphed. What does that sound mean?”
“The Lilly judgment sound. She’s sizin’ ye up. The next time she comes in, be nice to her, but don’t let her push ye around. She’ll know ye mean business then.”
“I can’t do that. She might shout at me. I’ll cry if she does that.”
Dante barked with laughter. “You’re so feckin’ cute, specs.”
We both turned our heads when Harley and Ryder came into the reception, half arguing, half laughing.
“We’ll kick your arse, Slater.”
“We’ll see about that.” Ryder snickered. “You’ve no clue how serious Alec takes this shit. He’ll declare war.”
“On Sunday, it’s all on the line,” Harley said, then looked at me. “Are ye comin’ with us, Ina?”
I had no idea what Harley was talking about as I shrugged and said, “Sure, where are we goin’?”
“One word, country.” Dante grinned. “Paintball.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ina
* * *
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” I huffed. “I look bleedin’ ridiculous.”
“Ye look cute.”
I looked up at Dante in utter disbelief.
I did not look cute. I looked silly, and he knew it. It was Sunday, and we were at a paintball course in County Wicklow with all of the Collins brothers and all of the Slater brothers. It was a little weird to be on an outing with my landlord, but he was lovely whenever he spoke to me. I had met some of the Slater women for the first time, as well as their beautiful babies. Ryder’s and Damien’s partners stayed home because they were pregnant and not feeling the best, but Aideen, Bronagh, and Keela attended, which made me feel much better.
I didn’t want to be the only woman in a group of men, even if they were all gentlemen.
