Page 103 of Dirty Temptation

His name is Steve, my brother tells me. The man who broke her heart.

I want to kill him with my bare hands. And I’m not usually the murdering type.

“Atlas!” Molly exclaims when she sees me.

“Fuck off, map boy.” Steve says glancing over his shoulder. “We’re busy.”

I squint.

Is this douchebag for real?

“Really? That all you’ve got? How embarrassing for you. Let’s go, Molly.” My fists are clenched as I wait for her to come to me.

After all my goddamn work with the roses, he’s fucked everything up. Tomorrow I was going to be the one delivering the single dark red, almost black, rose and she was going to melt into my arms.

I had itplanned.

“Who is this guy?” He spits as I roll up the sleeves of my black Verity & Co. shirt, exposing my ink which she loves circling her fingers over.

I watch Molly blink when she notices it.

Come to me baby.

But it has to be of her own freewill.

“I’m the man she’s in love with.” I take a step closer.

Molly gasps and I can’t look at her for too long because if I see rejection in her eyes, I think it might crack open a part of my heart which will never heal.

So I understand why she’s here, hurting and confused right now. The heart and brain are sometimes enemies.

“You love me?” she whispers as Steve moans,Jesus I thought this was your latest fuck.

I want to smash his head in.

Still might.

“What’s going on?” Levi arrives and I feel both my brothers on either side of me.

Supporting me.

It’s also a show of power. I know we’re big guys —and Levi’s a quarterback—so the three of us together are bit intimidating if we’re snarling in your direction.

Which for poor Steve, we are.

Poor Steve? Na, fuck that.

“Atlas is about to rearrange this guy’s nose.” Knox helps.

Not helpful.

Steve laughs and glances down at Molly in expectation that she will do what he says, and it grates at my last fucking nerve. It speaks to the power he had over her.

Where is his damn wife?

“Let’s go,” he demands.

I reach out my hand farther to Molly and she looks between us while my heart thuds.

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