Page 44 of Off Limits (Alpha Billionaire)

“Stop it! Stop it!” I pleaded.

Ryan brushed me off like he was wiping lint from his shoulder. “Get off me, you worthless bitch.”

I grabbed onto him and held tight. “No, you need to stop this right now.”

He pushed at me, but I did my best to hang onto him like sticky pine tar.

“Fuck, Jessica. What is wrong with you? Get off!”

“I’m not going to let you hit him,” I snarled.

“It’s okay, Jessica, let him go.” Dylan sounded a lot calmer than I think any of us were.

“That’s it,” Ryan growled. “I’m calling the police. You and your crazy girlfriend can deal with my lawyers. You assaulted me, and she is insane.”

“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded.

“Your boyfriend just hit me. Are you blind as well as dumb?” Ryan said.

“That was self-defense.” Dylan’s snarl just added to the overall noise.

“Stop it,” I said. “You know what I mean. Why are you harassing me? Why are you threatening Dylan? I thought you were the one who approached him?”

“Get him away from me.” Ryan pointed at Dylan.

Everything was so confusing and jumbled up. Max was crying somewhere behind me, and I had to stop these two grown men from having a full-blown brawl.

I glanced up at Dylan. He was rubbing the back of his hand.

I had to stop this. “What can I do to make this all stop right now?” I asked both men.

“Leave him. He doesn’t get the girl in the end,” Ryan said, nodding toward Dylan.

I stared at Ryan. None of this had been because the men were fighting over me. I knew that. None of this could be about me, could it? I didn’t understand.

“If I go with you, will you drop this?” I asked. I didn’t know where the fortitude to go forward came from, but I was running with it.

“You leave with me right now, and I’ll drop any charges, I won’t file a lawsuit, and your man can figure out how to run his own damned business into the ground,” Ryan snarled.

“Fine.” I let out a huff. I picked up my tote bag that was full of things for the pool, sunscreen, towels, and the room key. I pulled the room key and my phone out of the bag. I handed the key and the tote to Dylan.

“You don’t have to do this,” Dylan said.

“Do you really want your son to see the police show up here and arrest you? Can your business afford to have him dogging your heels for years, trying to ruin everything?”

Dylan’s nostrils flared as he took long, heavy breaths. “You’re choosing him over me?”

I rested my hand against the side of his cheek. “No. I’m choosing our future.”

Dylan put his hand over mine and leaned into my palm. “You’re putting yourself in danger.”

I glanced at Ryan. The red mark around his eye was already starting to darken into a bruise. “I’m already in danger. I don’t know, maybe I can get him to calm down and talk to me.”

“Jessica,” Dylan said.

“I’ll come back,” I told Dylan. I glanced over my shoulder at Ryan. “I’ll be back. You take care of Max.”

I swallowed hard and stepped away. Before I could say anything, Ryan made a low rumbling sound in his throat and wrapped his large hand over my wrist. His grip was hard, painful as he dragged me away.

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