Page 38 of Tangled in Vows

“Not today.” His fingers tighten as if he just remembered he’s still holding my hand. “But if you really want to watch a fight, we can come back another time.”

Damien clears his throat. “You’re always welcome here and in the other clubs, Olivia. Maybe Holden can take you to Ruby Luxenext? In disguise, of course.”

Archer raises his bandaged hand to his mouth and coughs to muffle something he’s saying, still jumping around. Holden’sonly reaction to Damien’s words is to tighten his grip on me even more.

The testosterone is heavy in the air, making it slightly more challenging to focus. Holden is already a lot to take in, in his custom-tailored suit. Add Damien, who exudes bad-boy vibes in his black top-to-bottom appearance, and Archer, who’s only wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a robe that barely covers his muscular chest and abs. All three are also clearly tattoo lovers, raising the attraction meter by a thousand.

I should be more nervous around these guys, but I know Holden would never put me at risk. And Archer has never been anything but friendly to me whenever I’ve seen him before.

“Five minutes,” comes from the hallway.

“Shit,” Holden mutters. “Arch, listen. O’Neal called to tell me that they had to release Adam Dwight. He had proof of the message exchanges with Olivia. I’ll forward everything O’Neal sends me. We need to figure out what’s going on. Someone is clearly trying to fuck with Olivia.”

The smiles disappear from Archer’s and Damien’s faces, immediately replaced by grim expressions. They’re these nice guys with a dark side to them.

Morally grey cinnamon rolls.

I blame this one on Evie for getting me hooked on romance novels.

Archer dips his head. “You got it. I’ll check it out as soon as I’m done.”

Holden claps his friend on the shoulder, his chest expanding on a deep inhale. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. You know I got your back.” He glances at me. “And yours too, Olivia. If someone fucks with one of us, they fuck with all of us.”

Damien thumps his chest and yells, “Hell, yes.”

This twisted display of loyalty is oddly sweet, and a small laugh slips through my lips.

All three men watch me just as the door swings open, and a tall man with a bald head points at Archer. “Out. Now.”

Archer gives us a bow and heads toward the hallway. “Go have a drink on me upstairs and relax. I’ll see you later.”

Damien gives us a salute and follows him. “What he said.”

Holden bumps fists with both of them. “Knock ’em out, Arch.”

Archer thumps his chest, and I call, “Good luck,” after him.

Archer and Damien say their goodbyes to me—Archer with his typical wink and Damien with an imaginary hat tip.

I give a tiny wave before they round the corner and are out of sight.

Holden and I stand silently for a moment. “Do you want to go home? We can tell Nisha it wasn’t a good time.”

Under normal circumstances, I’d love to go home, but it’s been a long day. A long week, actually. Going home now would mean facing what happened between Holden and me earlier, and I’m not ready for that yet.

Did it feel good to let out some of that resentment and crushing feeling of abandonment after being locked away for so long? Absolutely, yes. Do we have a ton to talk about? Undoubtedly.

But the past will still be there to relive tomorrow.

Tonight, I want to forget.

I want to pretend my life hasn’t turned into a shitshow in a matter of days.

So I shake my head. “We promised Nisha we’d have some fun and dance for some good photos, so let’s have that drink or two and do what we came here for.”

He leans down to get a better look at my eyes. “Are you sure? You say the word, and we’re out of here.”

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