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Tessa said, “Jamie!” but he ignored her and stepped toward Eric.
Eric met him in the middle of the kitchen.
Jamie let all his disgust show in a sneer. “Don’t bring up that you completely betrayed me just to get a piece of ass?”
“That is not what happened.”
“You used my name. You used the reputation you’ve spent years sneering at. All because some random chick was putting out and you wanted a sample?”
“Watch it,” Eric growled, fury eating up every crumb of guilt that still clung to him. “Don’t talk about her.”
“Her? Because she meant so much to you? That stranger you fucked with my name?”
“Jamie!” both women shouted at once, but Jamie just smiled.
“Let me ask you something, brother….”
Eric felt his fists float up slowly, as if they were raised by someone else’s arms.
“What name did she call you when—?”
Eric punched his brother. He punched Jamie. The moment his fist connected, Eric was already sorry. The regret crashed into him even as furious momentum kept his arm moving forward.
He heard the women scream, heard Jamie grunt, but, thankfully, Eric had been standing too close to get good leverage, and Jamie stumbled back but didn’t fall. Nothing broke. Nothing bled. But Eric was sure he heard a momentous split crack through the room.
“Eric!” Tessa screamed. “Eric, stop!”
But it wasn’t Eric that needed stopping now. Jamie touched his jaw, eyes blank with surprise, but it took no more than a second for those eyes to flatten into rage. He jumped forward and Eric stepped back.
Jamie’s first swing slid so closely past Eric’s nose that the breeze danced over his skin. But Jamie’s second blow landed square in Eric’s stomach. Eric grabbed for him, trying to catch his breath as he wrestled Jamie backward. Jamie punched him in the stomach again, but Eric’s stomach was already numb, so he hardly felt it.
He shoved Jamie off and raised his fists again, ready for the next round, but a hand closed over the back of Eric’s neck and pulled him back.
“That’s enough!” Luke Asher’s cop voice was damned effective. Eric froze automatically, as if he had to worry that Luke would draw his gun. Jamie didn’t stop quickly enough, and Luke dropped his hold on Eric and lunged forward to grab Jamie by the shoulders. “I said, that’s enough! You two can punch each other around as much as you like in private. But you won’t do it in front of Tessa.”
“You idiots!” she yelled, and Eric could hear the tears in her voice. He winced and dropped his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pressing a hand to his stomach. It was no longer numb. “I don’t know what happened.”
“You hit me, you dumb shit,” Jamie growled. “That’s what happened.” Olivia clung to his arm, watching Eric with wary eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. His muscles screamed with adrenaline.
Tessa pointed at Jamie. “You were being cruel. You should apologize, too.”
“He hit me,” Jamie insisted.
“Well, you almost deserved it,” Tessa said.
Luke stepped warily back, keeping an eye on both men.
Tessa wiped tears from her cheeks. “You two are getting ridiculous. You’re worse than you were ten years ago. What’s going on?”
Eric wanted to blame it on Jamie. After all, Jamie was the one who’d caused trouble in the past. But Jamie wasn’t doing anything wrong now. He’d settled down. He’d changed. And now Eric was the one swinging in the breeze. He’d actually punched his brother in the face, and despite all the screaming, yelling, pushing fights they’d had in the past, neither of them had ever hit each other before today. “I’m sorry,” Eric said again. “I’ll go.”
He started for the front door, leaving chaos behind him. Tessa was ordering him to stay. Jamie was threatening to leave if Eric didn’t. And Olivia made sympathetic noises and urged Jamie to calm down.
For the first time i
