Prologue

PROLOGUE

PAISLEY

" P ut that down!"

I never thought I was a murderous person, but I'm starting to rethink my morals. Especially when the box I'm carrying gets yanked from my hands by the Incredible Hulk. If only he were actually green, I might like him a bit more.

My best friend's brother Kieran scowls down at me. It's his normal expression. Sometimes, I wonder if he's had Botox and can't move his face, which is why he always looks like that.

"You were supposed to tell us where to put everything. Bash instructed you girls not to lift shit."

When I agreed to move in with my best friend and her husband, I didn't think about the fact that her brother lives right next door. Or the fact that he's her husband's best friend, so he's over here all the time. I figured after our first time meeting, that he would ignore me and act like I don't exist.

Putting my hands on my wide hips, I glare at him. As usual, he doesn't back down. Unlike most men, he's not intimidated by me. It's irritating. And oddly satisfying, too. Not that I'm going to tell him that.

"It's my stuff. If I want to move it, I'm going to."

"No, you won't. You're small, and this shit is heavy."

"This shit is my stuff, jerkface. And it's not that heavy. Give it back."

When I reach for the box, he raises it so it's out of my reach. Which is way too freaking easy for the giant of a man.

"Oh, that's mature," I huff.

He responds with a grunt and a smug smile before he spins around and takes the box up the stairs. God. He is so freaking maddening.

"Is Kieran being Kieran again?"

My best friend Chloe skips up to me, grinning. Her pigtails bob up and down with her movements. She looks so carefree and totally amused. I think she enjoys watching me and her brother going at each other's throats.

It's his fault. If he hadn't been such a dick the night we met, maybe we wouldn't hate each other's guts. But being an asshole seems to be his thing. He excels at it. Especially around me.

"He is so aggravating. I don't know how you can stand being related to him. I'd totally shank him."

Chloe bursts out giggling. "Do you even know what shank means?"

I shrug and watch Bash and Grady carry boxes toward the stairs. "I'm pretty sure it means stab. Or cut off their head? I don't know. It doesn't matter. Either way, I would maim the hell out of him."

Wrapping her arms around my neck, Chloe squeezes me. She's been so happy since she got with Bash, and I'm thrilled for her. Truly. She deserves it. And sometimes, I feel like a shitty friend for these pangs of jealousy.

"He's not that bad. It's because he cares that he gets all bossy and grunty." She kisses my cheek the way she always does, and my chest swells like it always does. After going so long with no affection in my life, getting it from my best friend is all I need.

I roll my eyes. "I'm pretty sure the last person your brother cares about is me. He's so overbearing, and he hates me because I don't let him walk all over me like the other women he comes across."

Chloe glares at me, but there's no heat behind it. "You know we don't let him walk all over us. We give him as much crap as you do."

Letting out a huff, I roll my eyes. "Yet, for some reason, he hates me and not all of you."

"He doesn't hate you. If he hated you, you'd be at the bottom of the river."

My eyes bulge. "What?"

She snorts and bursts out laughing, slapping me on the back. "I'm kidding. He wouldn't kill a woman."

Oh, because that's so much better.

Dropping my shoulders, I stare at my best friend. "Are you sure you want me here? You just got married. The last thing you need is me living with you."

It's not the first time I've asked Chloe this question, but I don't want to intrude on them. Not that it was my idea to do all of this. I would have stayed at our crappy townhouse and probably gotten another roommate. It would have sucked hairy balls, though, because no one can fill Chloe's shoes in my life.

"Yes. I absolutely want you here. So does Bash. Especially with everything that's going on. It's safer. Besides, all the rooms are soundproofed, so it's not like you're going to hear us fucking."

By here, she means the enormous estate where I'm about to live.Closed in by steel gates and stone walls, yet surprisingly, it doesn't feel like a prison. I don't know how many acres it is, but there's a huge mansion plus six other enormous houses within the walls of the property. And all of it belongs to the Irish mafia.

One look at the estate, and I couldn't turn her down. It's stunning. Every inch of the land is pristinely manicured. Gardens spread out all over the place. I don't think the groundskeepers allow a single blade of grass to get out of place. It's like a park—but the kind in movies because it's so perfect.

It's kind of like I'm living in one of the books I like to read. Well, without all the smut. Because nothing exciting is going on between my legs, that's for sure. It's a fucking snooze-fest down there. But a single girl living with the Irish mob? Yeah, total book shit. Grady and Ronan seem nice, but there hasn't been any kind of spark with either of them, so I'm not holding my breath that my story will end up as a happily ever after.

I wasn't sure how I felt about all this mobster stuff when Chloe first told me that her brother and Bash were part of the mafia. I didn't think there was even such a thing anymore. But so far, every one of these Irishmen that I've met has been nothing but protective and kind. Well, all but one. And he's stomping down the stairs with nothing but irritation on his face.

I don't know why he's here helping if it's such an inconvenience to him. Part of me wants to ask, but I do have some sense of self-preservation. I like poking the bear, but it seems like a smart move to pick and choose when to poke Kieran.

Grady and Bash follow him down, looking much more relaxed. Grady smiles at me, his green eyes sparkling in the bright light of the foyer. "We have one more truckload on the way and then that's it. You sure you girls got everything you wanted from your old place?"

"Yep. Thank you, Grady. You guys didn't have to do all of this," I reply.

Bash hooks his arm around Chloe's waist and drags her away, giggling, leaving me alone with Kieran and Grady.

"We take care of our own, lass, and like it or not, you're part of this family now." Grady winks at me. Man, he's hot. Definitely diddle material. And yet, I feel absolutely nothing toward him. What the hell is wrong with me?

A lot.

I shoot the man a smile, then glance at Kieran. He's scowling as usual, and when our eyes meet, he narrows his and lets out a grunt, then practically stomps away.

Chuckling, Grady shakes his head. "Don't worry about him, lass. He likely needs to eat, have a drink, or fuck. Maybe all three. It's hard to tell, really. You'll get used to his moods."

My mouth falls open. Well…okay, then.What have I gotten myself into? I think I might be in way over my head with these men.