Page 182 of Damaged Protector

“This prick has been fucking Mallori.”

Sean’s eyes shifted to me and narrowed, and goddammit, there was no way I could fight both of them. But when Cam lunged for me, his dad got in between us.

“Stop it, son.”

“Move, Dad,” he seethed, bouncing on his toes, ready for action.

Sean bowed up his chest and faced his son. “This is not the way to handle this. You may be some badass fighter, but I will knock your damn block off if you don’t cool your jets.”

Shiloh ran into the dining room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Why is everyone yelling? I swear, if you wake Bella up, I’m leaving the house and you guys are taking care of her.”

Sean lowered his voice when speaking to his daughter-in-law. “Shiloh, honey. Take your husband into the kitchen and pour a pitcher of water over his head.”

Her eyes flitted around the room, her confusion evident. “Cam…”

He closed his eyes at the sound of his name from his wife’s lips.

“Cam, come with me, and explain what’s going on,” she said softly.

He nodded but left with one last parting shot as his blue eyes burned with hatred. “She’s not one of your sluts, you piece of shit. She’s way too good for you.”

Ouch. It hurt because it was true.

Sean approached his niece, “Mallori dear, do you feel safe leaving with Hawk?”

She scoffed. “Of course, Uncle Sean.” She wrapped an arm around my waist. “We’re in love.”

He looked up at me. “Son, do you love my niece?”

“More than anything, sir,” I said, a little breathless as the adrenaline pumped through my system.

“If you hurt her, I will end you. Better yet, I’ll set Cam loose on you.”

I smiled at that, unable to fault him for protecting his niece after everything he’d heard today.

“I understand, Sean, and I would never hurt Mallori.” I looked down at the woman beside me. “She’s my entire world.”

His smile was sad and distant. “Ah, I remember that feeling. My Deana was my world as well.” He looked back and forth between us. “Her family wasn’t thrilled with me at first, but they came around.”

“I didn’t know that, Uncle Sean. How did you convince them?” Mal asked.

He lifted his chin. “I proved it to them. Every single day, I treated Deana like the treasure she was, and they eventually came around.” His gaze shifted to me. “That’s what you’re going to have to do with that hot-headed son of mine. I’ll have a talk with him, but ultimately, that responsibility lies with you. Don’t fuck it up.”

I chuckled at his candidness. “Yes, sir. That’s my plan.”

He breathed out a weary sigh. “Okay, you two scoot on out of here. I’m going to see if my beautiful daughter-in-law has straightened out my idiot of a son yet.”

Mallori was sitting beside me on the couch, and we were watching yet another Chuck Norris movie. I didn’t even know which one because my mind kept going back to all the words Cam had said to me earlier.

She’s not one of your sluts, you piece of shit. That one didn’t bother me as much as the others because I knew in my heart that Mallori was unlike any woman I’d ever been with.

She’s way too good for you. He was spot on with that comment. Who was I to deserve someone like Mallori Fitz? My sour mood sank even further.

You took advantage of her. Did I? Looking back, she was so vulnerable when we first got together. I was older and more experienced, and I should have fought harder to resist her. Could it be true?

“No,” a sweet voice said, and I looked down at my Little Bee. I hadn’t even noticed she’d turned off the TV and was studying my face.

“No, what?”

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