Page 51 of Intense

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“I’ll have you lose your job for this.”

I shrug.

And then he’s pulled away from me.

I come face-to-face with a furious Finn, gripping Zak by the scruff of his neck.

I glance around; thankfully, everyone has filtered into the ceremony room.

“Stay the fuck away from her,” Finn hisses and throws him to the floor.

Zak scrambles away, leaving just the two of us.

“Uh… Thank you?”

I tug at the hem of my dress. I guess I better keep up the damsel-in-distress act.

“You’re welcome.” He nods, straightening his bow tie.

If he really disliked me that much, why would he step in like that?

“Like I’d let that asshole have you fired. If anyone gets to be responsible for it, it’s me. Good luck tonight.” He smirks and strides away without another word.

Ah. There it is.

Asshole.

Sometimes I wonder why I’m still into men.

I guess it must be their dicks.

Because I’ve yet to see what else they’ve got going for them.

Chapter 19

FINN

Idon’t go straight into the ceremony room. Not yet. I hide in the shadows. My pulse picks up as Stephanie stomps past me without so much as a glance.

I need a minute.

My hands are still clenched from grabbing that smug fuck by the collar. I should’ve done more than throw him to the ground. Should’ve knocked out a tooth or two. Left a mark. Something permanent.

He touched her.

Looked at her like she was something he could pick off a shelf and play with.

And even though I have no goddamn right, I’m the only one who gets to fuck with her, push her buttons. I don’t own her. But something about it made my vision go red.

She didn’t need me.

She had it handled like the calculated, venomous force she is. But still… I stepped in.

Because men like him never learn until another man teaches them. And no one teaches harder lessons than me.

I step into the hallway and pull out my phone, scrolling through the notes I keep on her. Lines she throws, reactions I provoke. A study of hatred disguised as obsession.

The notepad in my suite—she thinks I started on this trip. She has no idea I have years of phone notes on her.

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