Taking What's His(53)

Stop thinking he wants you. He doesn’t. Shaking her head, she broke the eye contact and said, “I’m sorry, please excuse me. I have to go.”

“Are you okay?” Steven asked, his forehead wrinkled with concern.

“I’m f-fine,” she said quickly. A quick glance in Holt’s direction showed him making his way through the crowd, toward her, and she had a mild sense of déjà vu. Here she was, at another party with her brother, trying to escape the same man.

She’d been a fool for coming here.

Steven frowned. “But—”

“I’m fine.” Spinning on her heel, she took off for Gianna.

She’d only gotten halfway across the field before Holt caught up to her, grabbing her elbow and hauling her behind a tree. His simple touch hit her like an anvil. “Lydia, wait. Why the hell are you here?”

She spun on him, glowering. “Don’t touch me. Just leave me alone.”

“No.” His grip on her flexed, but then he let go. “We need to—”

“We don’t need to do anything.” She crossed her arms tightly, backing up a step. “I’m sorry I came and disrupted your party, but Steven invited me.”

“I’m not upset because you’re here. I’m upset because you’re here.”

She threw her hands up. “That makes no sense.”

“Yes. It does.” His nostrils flared. “You’re not supposed to be here. You were supposed to go. You’re supposed to be hours from here by now.”

“Where the hell was I supposed to go?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. Over his shoulder, she saw Steven talking to Gianna. As they spoke, Gianna pointed at her and Holt, gesturing. “You know what? Never mind. Just go away. Steven is watching, and he’ll be on to us.”

“I don’t give a damn who the hell is watching us. Not anymore.”

“Typical man.” She snorted, gripping her forearms tightly. “Too little, too late.”

“Lydia.” He grabbed her hand, his touch faltering slightly. He looked so damn tormented, she couldn’t help but freeze. He looked so…so…sad. “Please.”

She swallowed hard, not pulling free. Steven was really studying them now. “What? What do you want, Holt?”

“What I want and what I can have are two different things,” he said. He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “You weren’t supposed to be here.”

Her heart wrenched. Steven scowled, and he stalked over toward them. It was only a matter of time till he reached them. “I have to go. Steven’s coming over.”

“Fine. Let him come. Why aren’t you in Delaware?” he asked, his jaw ticking. “You had till five to accept the job, and Steven said you would.”

“Steven isn’t my voice,” she said. “If you wanted to know whether or not I accepted the position, you should have asked me.”

“Shit,” he said, paling and dragging a hand through his hair. “I was too late, wasn’t I? You’d already turned it down?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, confused as all heck. “Too late for—wait a minute. How did you know about the job?”

“I…uh…” He floundered for words, and she forced herself to wait, even though she wanted to pounce on him and demand answers, to fill the words in for him. “Steven told me about it.”

She shoved his shoulders, rage making her see red. “You son of a bitch, you knew, didn’t you? You knew what I’d been offered, so you broke it off.”

“I—” He tugged on his collar. “Why didn’t you take the job?”

“Answer my question first.”

He shook his head, locking gazes with her. “No. You.”

“I’m leaving,” she snapped.

He cursed under his breath, caught her around the waist, and pressed her against a tree, cradling her the whole time to make sure the bark didn’t hurt her. “Damn it, Lyd, yes. Yes, I knew, and yes, I lied. I lied to you so you’d leave, but you didn’t do it. You stayed. Why did you stay?”

“I didn’t not take the job because of you, you pompous ass. I didn’t take it because I didn’t want to. It had nothing—I repeat, nothing—to do with you. And even if we’d stayed together, it still would have had nothing to do with you. I make my choices based on me, and me alone. Not a guy I’m sleeping with. Who do you think you are?”

“Lydia—”

“Don’t. Just don’t. You ruined everything. And you—”

Without giving her a chance to finish talking—and she had so much she wanted to say—his mouth punished hers with a harsh kiss.