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My eyes fall to Lilly, and the way she smiles up at him fucking guts me. She used to smile at me like that. Those are my fucking smiles, and he doesn’t deserve them.
“Toby,” Bishop says my name in a warning. I didn’t even realize my hand was on the door handle before it is too late. I’m already opening it.
Lilly’s eyes flick over to me and her smile slips just a little. “Toby?” Lilly questions.
Ryan looks over too and gives me a friendly smile. “Hey, You’re Toby, Lilly’s brother, right?”
I don’t miss Lilly’s reaction to the word ‘brother’ and I fucking hate it. At least when it’s referring to her.
My tongue glides along my teeth before I answer. “Stepbrother.” It’s not any better. But it’s the truth. I am her stepbrother.
“Right.” He nods before holding out his hand. “I’m Ryan.”
“I know.” I don’t shake his hand. Because if I do, I’ll crush his fucking fingers, thinking about the possibility that they’ll be on Lilly in some way tonight.
“Toby,” Lilly hisses, glaring at me before looking at Ryan. “Sorry about him. He’s not a people person.”
Lie. I very much am a people person. Only she doesn’t know that because she’s only seen me as who I am when I’m around her. Back in the day, I was too focused on keeping her safe and happy, and since I’ve come to SVU, I’ve been nothing but a cold dick to her.
She doesn’t know that I make friends with almost everyone I come in contact with, that people wave and greet me wherever I go.
Ryan knows this because, even though we’re not friends, we run in the same circles.
To prove a point, his brows jerk up. “This guy? Not a people person?” he chuckles. “I find that hard to believe.”
She bites her lower lip and looks at me. “Guess it’s just me then,” she mutters.
“Lilly,” I sigh, taking a step towards her. I don’t want her thinking of me like that when it comes to her.
She looks away and back to Ryan. “Just give me a second, I’ll grab my purse and phone, then we can head out.”
When she slips back into her room, leaving me alone in the hallway with Ryan, I step closer to him. “Listen here, Tucker,” I growl. “Lay a fucking hand on her and I’ll break all your fingers. Kind of hard to throw a ball with a broken hand. Kiss her and I’ll break your face. Got it? Because you are not worthy of Lilly. Not even close. So don’t even think for a moment you are.”
This fucking asshole smiles. He smiles at me. And then he chuckles. “Well, might want to watch yourself there, Munro. You could say you’re acting like a big brother, but for a moment, you almost sounded like a jealous ex. But don’t worry. I have no plans on being anything but a gentleman to Lilly. Although, if she takes my hand, if she touches me or kisses me, I’m not going to pull away. She’s an adult, not a child. So how about we let her make her own decisions?”
My blood boils as my anger rises rapidly. Fists clenching, nostrils flaring, I’m just about ready to raise my fist and punch his smug face when Lilly opens the door. “Ready.” She smiles up at him.
Ryan tips his head at me, that smile still on his damn face, before bringing his attention back to Lilly. “Ladies first,” he says, waving his hand out in front of him.
I watch as they walk down the hall, stopping at the elevators. When they step inside, Lilly looks over at me, biting her lip. Her eyes never leave mine as the door slowly closes.
I’m in my room within seconds, grabbing my phone and the keys to my car off my bedside table.
“Where are you going?” Bishop asks, jumping up from his bed.
“Out.”
“What do you mean, out? Toby, where the hell are you going?”
I pause, looking over at him. “That guy is a fucking douchebag. You should have heard the way he just spoke to me. Cocksucking son of a bitch,” I growl, shaking my head. “I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”
“So what, you're going to follow them?” Bishop gapes at me. “Man, that’s next level stalker shit.”
“Are you coming with me or not?” I spit, but I don’t give him time to answer before I’m heading towards the door.
“Wait up!” he shouts, sounding all too fucking amused. “I’m coming.”
I’ll go to the movies, stay in the back, and just keep an eye on her. The only guy she’s been with was Jonas, and as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a good guy. He treated her well, from what I heard.
