Ryan (Mallick Brothers 2)

"Like you here," he said, sounding tired.

That was the last thing he said because not more than a few minutes later, his arm went heavy on my stomach and I knew he was asleep.

I, however, didn't sleep for a long time. This was mostly because my mind decided to take the fact that he 'liked having me there' and run with it until, on one hand, things ended with me back to work, in a happy relationship with him, and mostly-normal. But the more likely way it would probably get my hopes up, turn to hell, and leave me more screwed up than before.

And on that lovely note, I drifted off to sleep.I woke up to Rocky jumping up onto my hip and letting out a loud 'meow'. "Get," I whined, whipping off the room temperature icepack and glaring at him with my good eye, somewhat relieved to realize that the other one wasn't completely shut anymore either. It wasn't open per say, but I had a slit I could look out of.

He let out another meow, somehow with more attitude, and I sighed and folded upward. Rocky jumped up and ran toward the door where he paused as if waiting for me. "I'm coming," I told him, but turned to make a quick stop in the bathroom where I already found a wrapped toothbrush waiting for me. Grateful, I brushed my teeth, wiped off what was left of the antibiotic cream, and made my way back out toward the kitchen.

"I did feed him. But the stubborn fuck apparently won't eat unless you're around," Ryan informed me, not having even turned away from where he was standing at the stove, looking freshly showered in a tight black tee and dark gray, thick sweatpants.

As if agreeing to that statement, Rocky sauntered over to where Ryan had set up his bowls beside the front door and started eating.

"He's finicky," I supplied. "Are you... cooking?" I asked, smelling heating butter in the pan but not quite willing to accept that a guy like him was capable of mundane tasks like cooking. That was why he had his housekeeper, wasn't it?

His head turned over his shoulder with an amused smirk, no doubt picking up on the incredulousness in my tone. "Omelettes," he supplied. "I stole the eggs from your apartment. And the cheese. And orange juice. Apparently Anita hasn't hit the grocery store recently."

God, could he possibly get any better?

Seriously.

"Alright, so I need," he started, tone slightly more serious, turning to me as he whisked eggs, leaning back against the counter.

But he was cut off by the sound of two loud raps on his door before it suddenly flew open, making me stumble back a step, my heart flying into my throat before I saw who came walking in.

One of his brothers.

Really, there was no mistaking them. They all had the same perfect bone structure, dark hair, and light eyes. They were all tall though their shapes varied. Ryan was tall and lean as was one of the other brothers who I had seen visiting. Another was a giant wall of muscle. This one was something in between. He was a little more broad than Ryan, but not hugely muscular.

And he had stopped dead three feet in the room, frozen completely in place.

What had him frozen you might ask?

Me, apparently.

Because he had been smiling slightly when he charged in. But in a blink, the second his gaze landed on me, the smile fell, he stopped walking, and a darkness seemed to come over his eyes.

"Eli," Ryan's voice said, low, deeper, almost like a warning. But a warning against what?

Eli unfroze at that, reaching into his pocket, but his eyes were still pinned on me. He brought out his cell, holding it up, and I heard the unmistakable shutter of his camera, making me jump back, my gaze going to Ryan.

"Back off, Eli," Ryan growled, louder, dropping the bowl of eggs down with a clink and switching off the burner. Then he moved to stand somewhat between me and his brother.

"Just in case," Eli said, flashing the picture at his brother, making me wince at seeing the evidence of my beating so plainly. Then he shut the phone down, slipped it back into his pocket, and looked past his brother at me. And just like that, whatever had overtaken him a moment ago slipped away, leaving him with soft eyes and an apologetic smile.

"It's okay," I offered, swallowing hard. "I know this is a bit... ah, startling," I offered, motioning to my face.

"Think the word you were going for there was 'gorgeous'," he said, easily skirting the topic of my face and saving my vanity. "I'm Eli," he said, giving me a smile. "Since my brother here has completely forgotten his manners. Don't worry," he added, moving in so that he was next to me, leaning his head toward me like he was sharing a secret, "I will be informing our mother about not introducing us. She'll straighten him out."