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“Eew,” Mia said. “TMI.”
“Sorry, babe.” Butch grinned at her. “She’s been ours since she’s been coming over almost daily to shoot the shit with Mia. Bake stuff. Laugh with us. She’s one of us now, West.”
“Why the hell am I only hearing about all of this now?”
“Because you’ve been ignoring it,” Mia told him. “Every time she appears, you run off to do something on the opposite side of the ranch.”
He couldn’t argue that fact.
“If you’d wanted me to let her down easy, you should have told me,” he grumbled.
Butch scowled. “I thought it would have been obvious that’s what you had to do since she’s Flick and it’s pretty damn clear she’s had zero experience with men. If she did, she’d have known to steer clear of you.”
He clenched his hands into fists. Butch was seriously pissing him off now.
“You have no idea what I said to her. Maybe she only ever came here because of me.”
Mia snorted.
“Think that much of yourself, do you?” Butch replied.
West had had enough. He pulled his arm back, his hand already clenched into a fist. Then a hand of steel grabbed his elbow, holding him still. He looked over her shoulder at Alec with a glare. “You know the rule. No fighting inside.”
It had become a rule ever since Mia came to stay with them because Alec worried she might get caught up in a fight and get hurt. God help anyone that hurt Mia. Alec would rain terror down on their ass.
“Fine,” West said. “Let’s take this outside.”
“Good,” Butch replied, turning and stomping his way outside. West followed him.
“Or how about we just don’t fight?” Mia called out as she followed them.
“Kitten, don’t you dare leave this house,” Alec commanded.
“Alec!” Mia complained.
“I mean it. One toe goes over that threshold and you won’t sit comfortably for dinner tonight.”
West heard this as though it was coming from a distance. His anger was burning too brightly to take the words in. All he knew was that he needed a way to get rid of the fury riding him. And Butch had provided a way to get that out. As they moved into the yard, Jaret walked up. “What’s going on?”
“Gonna teach him that you should treat a woman like Flick with more care,” Butch told him.
He waited for Jaret to try to talk them down. Jaret was usually the voice of reason. Alec was the one who handed down the law, but, after him, Jaret was probably the least hot-headed of the lot. And since he’d caught his skanky ex fucking around on him, he’d become far more serious. In fact, Butch couldn’t think of the last time he’d smiled.
“Good,” Jaret replied then just stood there, arms crossed over his chest.
West turned to glare at him. “Not you too. What is wrong with you people? Since when do we start adopting little strays? We don’t let people onto our land, and definitely not into our family. Your loyalty should be to me.”
And that was what really pissed him off. That they’d chosen her over him.
Alec just glared at him. “Don’t be an idiot. Of course our loyalty is to you. She fuck you over?”
“You know she didn’t.”
“She do something to betray us? Hurt you?” Jaret asked.
West growled.
“She lie? Cheat? Steal?” Alec shot out.
