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“Shut up, or I’ll mangle you next.”
Shaking his head, he said, “So mature.”
“Yeah, that’s me,” she muttered.
Steven sighed and took his hand off of her. “You’re being awfully antsy, even more so than usual. What’s going on in that pretty little red head of yours?”
“My hair isn’t red,” she said, tossing another destroyed sugar packet into a pile with the first. “It’s strawberry blonde.”
Steven rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure.”
“How late is this thing?” She picked up her drink and took a big sip, her heart skipping a beat when someone said Holt’s name. No matter how hard she tried not to react, she couldn’t help it. “I have a headache.”
“Out too late last night?” Steven asked, one brow raised. “What happened, anyway? I heard you and Sam broke up.”
“Yeah. We had a differing opinion on who he should sleep with. As in, he felt the need to sleep with other women, and I didn’t agree with that decision.”
Steven snarled. “That little shit. I’ll kill him.”
“It’s fine.” She waved a hand. “I’m over it. It actually happened like three days ago, but I didn’t mention it, because I really didn
’t care.”
“Yeah, well, he made a huge mistake. He’ll never find another girl like you.” He squeezed her hand, then leaned back in his chair and glanced over his shoulder. “And he didn’t deserve you, obviously.”
Lydia smiled at him. “That’s sweet, but according to you…no one does.”
“Truth.”
She took another sip of wine. “So what happened with Heather, anyway?”
“According to her, I never let her in, and refused to open up to her…whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean. Oh, and she didn’t think I loved her.” He paused, tugging on his bowtie. “I didn’t, so she was right about that, at least.”
“She didn’t deserve you either, then,” she said softly.
His grip tightened on his tie. “You’ve got it wrong. If anything, I didn’t deserve her.”
Ever since he’d gotten out of the SEALs, Steven had been different. No big shocker, there, but he used to be so open and free. “Steven…”
“I’m fine. Seriously. We didn’t work out, so it’s over. That’s all.” He turned away and finished his drink. “But I wish Holt was here.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “You guys seem awfully close.”
“We are.” Steven shrugged. “I like him. He’s been through a hell of a lot of shit, but he just keeps going. Doesn’t let it get him down.”
She tapped her fingers on the table. Would it seem weird if she pried for information from him? Or maybe she’d just seem like a curious sister. “What happened to him?”
“He was a sole survivor of an ambush overseas. The IED messed with his head, but he’s brilliant. I’ve never seen anyone code like he does.” Steven stared down at his glass. “It takes him longer to form words out of his thoughts now, but he doesn’t let it show often. I think that’s pretty fucking incredible.”
Her heart twisted. So she’d been right yesterday. He’d kept pausing, as if he’d been choosing his words carefully. “Wow. I had no idea.”
“Why would you? You’ve never met him before. Besides, no one really knows. It’s not something he wears on a T-shirt.” He canted his head. “Why so many questions about him?”
“No reason.” Lydia shrugged for extra effect. Time for a change of subject, or he’d start to suspect something was up between her and Holt. “How’s Lauren?”
“She’s fine. She’s got some new sucker on a string, so she’s too busy for me,” Steven said, his voice tinged with a little bit of jealousy…not that he’d ever admit it. He stood up and tugged on his bowtie again. “I hate these damn things. You want another glass of wine? I’ll go get it for you.”
“God, yes.”
