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“Oh, this is going to be good,” Olivia muttered just before they turned the corner into the living room.
Sure enough, his brother and Shannon were toe to toe in the middle of the room, wearing almost identical glares of frustration. James cleared his throat and two heads whipped around to stare at him. If looks could kill, he’d have been mortally wounded right then. But while his brother’s stare stayed stony, Shannon’s immediately cleared and shifted to the sex-kitten smile he knew so well.
“Hey there, Mr. Sexy. Liv.” Shannon raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. “You look thoroughly well-fucked, darling. Good for you.”
“Are you always so rude?” Bryant demanded, turning his glare back to Shannon.
“Rude?” Baring her teeth, Shannon jabbed a finger into his chest. “Rude is trying to lay down the law with a woman you’ve just met, who has no interest in having said law laid down for her. You’re not my daddy.”
“It’s a damn good thing, too. You’d never sit—wait.” Eyes narrowed, he looked from Shannon to Olivia and back again. His scowl disappeared, replaced by a wide, satisfied grin. “This is an interesting development.”
“It is not. I’m not looking for a man, Daddy or otherwise.” But the flush in Shannon’s cheeks let everyone in the room know she wasn’t being a hundred percent truthful.
Taking pity on her, James stepped forward. “All right, back to your corners, fighters. We need to figure out dinner, before we do anything else.”
“Pizza?” Olivia asked, and he couldn’t help but smile at the hope in her eyes.
“I think that’s an excellent plan.” He looked over at Bryant and Shannon, who each shrugged. “And while we’re waiting for the pizza, we can discuss how we’re going to keep you girls safe until this son of a bitch is behind bars.”
Chapter Sixteen
Olivia toyed with herpizza, picking at the pepperoni and sausage. The ‘debate’ on how to keep her and Shannon safe had carried into dinner, and call her crazy, but she was finding it difficult to eat while discussing her impending murder. Judging by the scowl on her friend’s face, Shannon wasn’t a fan of the current conversation, either.
“Not hungry?”
Bryant had leaned over; love and concern clear in eyes that matched James’s so closely it sometimes gave her the creeps. Despite their other differences, their eyes were identical. Unable to hold his gaze, she looked back down at her plate and shrugged. “Guess not.”
“You should eat something, sweetheart,” he pressed quietly.
“I’m not hungry!”
She hadn’t meant to snap at him, but she was so on edge, and being nagged at about eating wasn’t helping.
“Olivia.” Across the table, James was frowning at her.
“It’s fine.” Draping an arm around her shoulder, Bryant gave her a comforting squeeze. “I think we’re all a little tense.”
