Page 38 of Never Your Girl

Ryder clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably. “We thought it best to have this conversation here. First of all, you should know that we all care about you.” He glances at the others for backup. “And we only want the best for you.”

I blink. “Umm... okay.”

“And you’ve been going through a lot lately,” Ford adds. “We get it.”

A chorus of murmurs fills the room.

“Get what?” I step closer as tension coils in my gut. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Hayes clears his throat. “With the messages and your father...”

“What is this? An intervention?” I glance around, waiting for someone to crack a smile. Instead, that comment is met with crickets. My eyes widen. “Oh my God, this is an intervention.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary to slap a label on it,” Wolf says, his expression solemn.

“For what?” I bark, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m not drinking any more than you fuckers. I don’t have a gambling problem. And last time I checked, I wasn’t hoarding stray cats in my room.”

“Not yet anyway,” Ford mutters.

Wolf rises to his feet, drawing my attention back to him. “Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“Are you actually dating Holland Tate?”

For fuck’s sake. Is that what this is about?

I press my lips together. “So what if I am? Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Yeah, it kind of is.” Wolf drags a hand over his shaved head.

Steele smothers a laugh with a cough. I glare at him, knowing he won’t be any help. After the text I shot him last night, he’s the only one who knows the truth. And the bastard is enjoying this way too much.

“Look,” Ryder steps in, face earnest, “you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. We get it.”

“Do you?” I growl. “Because it sounds like you’re all one bad joke away from staging an exorcism.”

“We’re just worried,” Maverick adds. “Everyone knows you hate Holland Tate. A few weeks ago, you threatened to wring her neck.”

“I don’t hate her,” I snap, but their dubious glances tell me I’ve already lost this battle. “You guys don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t we?” Colby pipes up. “It’s not exactly normal to go from despising someone to dating them overnight.”

“We’ve been seeing each other on the down-low,” I blurt before scowling at him. “Kind of like someone I know who secretly married a reality star in Vegas?”

He shrugs. “In my defense, I had no idea who she was.”

“I think we can all agree this relationship came out of nowhere,” Ryder interjects, trying to keep the intervention on track. “We just want to make sure you’re good.”

“I still think it’s a cry for help.” Ford leans forward. “Blink twice if she’s got something on you and you’re being watched.”

“Shut up, Hamilton.”

Wolf steps closer, arms crossed. “With everything you’re dealing with, no one would blame you for going off the deep end.”

From the corner of my eye, I catch Steele’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Any second he’s going to lose it and roll around on the floor.

“I appreciate the concern,” I grind out, “but everything’s under control.”

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