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The hell it was.
“What’s over?” Steven asked, not turning away from Holt as he dragged a hand through his hair. He didn’t even blink. “What’s going on?”
“I was the guy that was fucking with her life.”
Lydia growled. “No one was—”
“I’m going to kill you. Slowly and painfully. Twice.” Steven stepped closer, his fists clenched at his sides. “How long has this been going on?”
Holt leveled a look on him. “You know the answer to that question already. I told you about her the day after I met her.”
“Son of a bitch,” Steven growled, swinging at Holt.
Holt ducked, barely missing a nose shot. “It’s not what you think, though,” he said quickly. “I—”
“It’s exactly what I think,” Steven said, lunging for Holt again. “And I’m going to fucking kill you.”
“Dude, I lo—argh.” Holt leapt back again, getting caught up on a branch that had been hidden in the leaves. He hit the ground hard, slamming his head on another branch. Stars swam in his vision, and his glasses flew off his face. He knew he was going to get hit, because he didn’t have the time to get to his feet before
Steven pounced again.
And, he kind of deserved it.
The fact that his best friend was defenseless didn’t stop Steven. He leapt for Holt, obviously intent on shedding some blood. “You son of a—”
“Steven, no!” Lydia screamed, grabbing his fist.
He shook her off and hauled back his arm. This time, he would have connected, but someone grabbed him from behind and yanked him backward. “What the hell is going on here?” Cooper asked, his voice hard.
Lydia fell to her knees beside Holt, her face pale. Her soft fingers touched him. “Are you okay? You hit your head.”
He caught her hand, squeezing. “I’m fine. I’ll have a headache, but I’ll be okay.”
“We should get you home so you can take a pill, just in case.” She pressed her lips together. “I mean, you should go home. And take a pill.”
“No, you had it right the first time,” he said. He swallowed hard when she wriggled her hand free and scooted away from him. “Lydia, please. I—”
Cooper cleared his throat. He still had his arm around Steven, who was glaring at them and shaking with the urge to kick ass. Holt knew him well enough to recognize the murderous glint in his hazel stare—the one that matched Lydia’s perfectly. “Would someone like to tell me why our work function turned into a soap opera?”
Steven flexed his jaw. “Let me go. You might be my boss, but it won’t stop me from kicking your ass to get to him. He’s messing around with my baby sister.”
“Steven,” Lydia snapped, her cheeks going red. She could feel all the attention at the party focused on her. “Enough.”
“I’m not messing around with your sister,” Holt said from between clenched teeth. He stared at Lydia, who watched him with wide eyes. “Can we talk…alone? Just give me one more chance to tell you why I did what I did. Please.”
Lydia hesitated, but then nodded once.
She’d give him that much, at least, but that was it. It was all he’d get, and he knew it. He swallowed hard. “Thank you.”
“Hell no.” Steven growled, wrestling to be free of Cooper. Everyone else had dispersed, giving them their privacy. It was just Steven, Lydia, Cooper, and him. “You’re not getting anywhere near her. No way in hell I’m letting her become another girl on your list.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Cooper rolled his eyes. “I swear when I fell in love with Kayla, I somehow became the love doctor of Shillings Agency.”
“Not her, Steven,” Holt said, finally turning away from the woman who held his heart in her hands, even if she didn’t know it. “She’s never been just another girl to me.”
Steven crossed his arms. “Meaning?”
You know exactly what I mean. “I-I…” Holt cleared his throat and took his glasses from Lydia, who had gathered them off the ground. “Meaning, I need to talk to your sister. I refuse to do this in public. This is between me and…” He looked at Lydia. “You. Just me and you. Us.”
