Page 83 of Slow Ride

Ollie interrupted as he caught up, breathing hard, Kyra tagging a few steps behind, her lipstick smeared.“Van, I’m sorry.I know you have a thing for her.”

“Then why’d you have your tongue stuffed halfway down her throat?I thought we were friends, asshole.”Van shocked everyone gathered by pulling back and popping Ollie right in the face.Guaranteed black eye.Damn!

Kaelyn and Nola, who were closest to Ollie, huddled over him, preventing Van from taking another shot.Kaige and Bryce rushed Van, pinning his arms while trying to force him to calm down.Instead, they only made him a captive target when Kyra rushed up to him and kneed him in the nuts.

Ouch.

“How dare you act like you want me now that someone else is interested?How many times have I thrown myself at you?”She sounded like she might cry or curse; it could go either way.Wren knew that was when a woman was most dangerous.On the verge of destruction.In that place where everything hurt and you wanted to lash out.“You idiot!You don’t have the right to say jack shit to me now or ruin this.Fuck you.”

Kyra tried again to lunge for Van.This time the women restrained her.

“Hey, come on.”Wren wedged herself between Van and Kyra.She held out her hand, leaving Jordan to keep Kason upright.“You’re going to be pissed at yourself for this tomorrow.Come with us.We’ll eat a ton of that ice cream I saw in your dressing room and figure out how to handle this better.”

Devra was there too, speaking in her calm voice, inserting herself between Kyra, Van, and Ollie.Together, they defused the situation.

Ollie called Kyra’s name.Though she flinched, she didn’t turn around.

Devra and Wren steered Kyra toward her private space, bolstering her with well-meaning lies about how men were dumb and promising everything would be okay once things settled down.

Ollie tried again to pierce the wall of people keeping them safely separated.

Van shouted her name too.

“Stop.Both of you.I just want to be alone,” Kyra said loud enough for them to hear.

Wren and everyone else around them winced, because no one who’d ever said so in such a miserable tone of voice really meant it.

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