“Just tellin’ you like it is,” I smirked. “Kid.”

Ash growled. “You have five-seconds.”

Oh, shit.

I stood up and quickly scurried around to the other side of our work counter, and placed my hands in front of my chest.

“Ash,” I warned, my voice low. “Don’t even think about it.”

He rounded the station and advanced on me, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Don’t!” I said firmly, hoping my no-bullshit-demeanour would give him reason to stop.

It didn’t, if anything, it only fuelled the freak to come at me faster.

“No!” I shrieked and made a move to dive behind the counter but Ash was too fast, and caught me mid-air.

He set me down, and full on assaulted my sides with his fingertips as he tickled me. I laughed, shrieked some more, and did the strangest moves known to man as I made my bid to escape the terror.

“Mercy!” I laughed. “For the love of God, mercy!”

Ash pulled back on his tickling but kept hold of me as I steadied myself and came down from my laughing high. I was about to playfully sucker punch him and make a run for the break room when I heard my name being… bellowed.

I turned and looked down the hallway and raised my brows.

“Dominic?” I said aloud, hearing the confusion in my own voice. “What are you doin’ here?”

He was glaring as he walked up the hallway towards me.

“Bronagh can’t collect you today.” He said, or rather, growled. “She’s not feeling good, her morning sickness is still lasting most of the day, so I said I would come get you instead since I was on my way home from using the gym at your place. Who is he?”

I blinked, and glanced to my right when Ash moved to my side.

“Me?” he questioned, and pointed his finger at his chest.

“Yeah, you.” Dominic narrowed his eyes. “I’m looking at you, aren’t I?”

He wasn’t happy.

Ash cleared his throat and extended his hand. “My name is Ash Wade. I’m Branna’s co-worker... who are you?”

Dominic didn’t even glance at Ash’s hand as he said, “I’m her brother-in-law.”

Ash furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and lowered his hand back to his side when it was evident Dominic wasn’t going to shake it.

“Branna isn’t married.”

Thanks for the reminder, I silently grumbled.

“That’s a technicality,” Dominic’s eye twitched. “She’s dating my brother, and has been for a long ass time. They’re engaged.”

Ash nodded. “Ah, I see. Nice to meet you.”

“I wish I could say likewise, but I can’t.” Dominic quipped. “Take a couple of steps back from my brother’s fiancée.”

Oh, for the love of God.

“Stop it, Dominic.” I chastised. “You’re being rude.”

Dominic’s eyes never left Ash’s. “I’m about to get real rude if this guy doesn’t back up away from you.”

Ash held his hands up in front of his chest and took a hesitant step away from me. “We were only joking around, man.”

Dominic’s eyes blazed with anger. “You don’t ‘joke around’ with another man’s woman. Ever.”

Ash lifted his hand and scratched his neck. “We’re friends.”

Dominic took a threatening step forward. “Let’s see how long that lasts, shall we?”

I stared at him. “What the hell does that mean?”

Dominic flicked his eyes to me. “It means he might have trouble breathing when Ryder finds out he was touching you like that.”

“Touching her like what, man?” Ash asked, his tone firm, as he grew impatient. “We’ve been on shift the last eight hours and for once we have ten minutes where a woman isn’t giving birth. We were just joking around. I was tickling her, not dry humping her.”

I nodded in agreement. “He’s tellin’ the truth and I don’t appreciate you insinuatin’ somethin’ other than harmless fun was goin’ on because I would never betray Ryder.” I frowned then. “He probably won’t even care anyway, he never does.”

I felt Ash take a step closer to me and Dominic quickly closed the distance between us, putting his body in the way of us.

“What?” Ash taunted. “Are you gonna hit me for seeing if my friend is okay?”

“I’ll see to her,” Dominic growled. “You go stare at a massacred pussy.”

He did not!

“Dominic!” I growled.

He held up his hand to shut me up. “I was there when Jax was born, don’t you try to convince me all births aren’t as horror filled as that. Bronagh makes me watch One Born Every Minute. I know what I’m talking about.”

“And the trained midwives don’t?” I questioned.

Ash shook his head and turned to me and asked, “Is he always this pigheaded?”

“Hey!” Dominic snapped, clearly offended.

“Yeah,” I replied to Ash. “He is.”

Dominic turned to face me and stared down at me, his expression displeased.

“Can we leave?” he asked me. “I don’t want to hurt your friend, but I will.”

I held his gaze. “You wouldn’t dare.”

He turned to his side and with his eyes on me, he lifted his arm and in the blink of an eye, he reached out and jabbed Ash in the shoulder with his left hand.

“Ow!” Ash gasped and grabbed hold of his shoulder. “That hurt, you arsehole.”

I blinked at Dominic as he shifted his gaze to Ash. “You bastard.”

“You challenged me,” he said to me without looking away from my friend.

I wanted to smack Dominic who leisurely dropped his hand to his side and laughed at Ash who was behaving like he was shot in his arm, instead of just being punched.

“It’s on fire!” He hissed and gripped it tightly, furiously rubbing the aching spot. “What the fuck is your hand made of? Steel?”

Dominic looked at Ash with distaste. “I barely touched you.”

“Barely…” Ash repeated, his eye-wide. “My future fucking grandchildren felt it.”

Dominic snorted, but said nothing further.

I shook my head in annoyance. “You’re being very immature and irrational right now, Dominic.”

He blinked. “I’ll apologize later.”

He was as stubborn as Ryder, if not worse.

“Get your stuff,” he continued. “It’s four, your shift here is over.”

I think what he meant to say was my time with Ash was over.

“Okay, I’ll get me coat and bag.” I pointed my index finger at Dominic and gestured to Ash with my head. “Leave him alone.”

“No promises,” he muttered.

I rolled my eyes and quickly scurried into the break room where I got my coat and bag from my locker. I put my coat on, hooked my bag over my shoulder and rushed back out front where I found Dominic and Ash staring at one another. Well, Ash was staring while Dominic was glaring.

“Stop it,” I hissed to Dominic and pinched his arm.

He grunted and rubbed the spot once before taking my arm and tugging me to his side. I resisted fighting him because I was in my place of work, I’d save the arse whooping I had in mind for him when I got home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bran,” Ash said as he backed away, his eyes on Dominic.

I sighed. “Bye, sweetie. I’m sorry about him.”

Ash waved me off like it was no big deal, and I hoped it was no big deal because I didn’t want Dominic’s rudeness to make him uncomfortable around me. I thought this over as I left the hospital and power walked ahead of Dominic all the way to his car.

“Why’re you running away from me?” he asked when he unlocked his car and we climbed inside.

I punched him on the shoulder when he was settled. “Because I can’t bash you outside, but in here I can.” I spat and punched him again.

“Are you supposed to be hurting me?” Dominic asked, grinning as he easily dodged my swinging hands. “Because you aren’t.”

I growled in frustration as I buckled my seatbelt and folded my arms across my chest.

“You’re bloody maddenin’!”

“Bronagh tells me that all the time,” he mused, not seeming bothered one bit.

“She’s not lyin’, you can be a real prick. How dare you behave like that on me ward? That’s me job, and co-worker, Dominic!”