wasn’t going to let him get away with it, and I meant it.
“Roman,” she grits out, a warning clear in her tone. “What happened to your hands?”
I look down at them, my brows furrowing, as I feign innocence. “No idea.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and juts her hip out sassily. “Start talking, right now.”
I pop a handful of blueberries into my mouth in response. Fuming, she opens her mouth, and I’m sure she’s going to rip me a new one, until Ryder walks into the kitchen. He pauses when he sees us, his gaze narrowing on Olivia.
“Are you in the middle of a fight?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Olivia and I respond in unison. Ryder’s gaze darts, back and forth, between the two of us. He glances at the stack of pancakes, takes the whole plate, and slips out of the kitchen.
“I’ll be in my room if you need me.”
As soon as she hears the click of his bedroom door, Olivia whirls on me, with fire in her eyes. I shouldn’t find it as sexy as I do, but fuck me, her anger makes me hard as a fucking rock.
“Last time, Roman. What happened to your hands?”
I swallow my mouthful of berries and shrug noncommittally. “While you were sleeping soundly this morning, I made a call to a friend, and he was able to pull some strings, so I could handle some things.”
Her chest turns a bright shade of red, and I watch as it slowly climbs up her neck in her rage. “What kind of things, and what the hell does it have to do with your hands?”
“Paid a visit to Travis early this morning. He won’t be a problem anytime soon.”
Olivia’s mouth drops open. The color leaves her face, and I see the moment she loses her composure. Hell, I swear I see steam billow from her ears. “You did what?” she shouts, her angered voice, bouncing off the walls.
Pushing away from the counter, I close the distance between us, which is risky. She’s liable to punch me right in the nuts for going against her wishes. “He touched what was mine, Olivia. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.”
“So, you kicked his ass for it? How could you be so…so…ugh, so stupid, Rome! You have Ryder to think about.”
I grit my teeth together. “What’s done is done. You can sit here all day and be angry, or you can get over it. Either way, Travis has been dealt with.”
“What’s done is not done, Rome! You can’t just come in here and fight all my battles for me. I’m not some damsel in distress. I told you I was handling things the way I wanted to.”
Within seconds, I have a hand wrapped around the back of her neck, and I tug her into me. Her eyes widen, and she lets out a puff of surprise. “This is one battle I refuse to let you fight on your own, Olivia. So, be angry. Fucking hit me, kick, or scream. It’s not going to change the fact that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you—whether you want me to or not.”
Slowly, the tension eases from her body. A softness enters her eyes, in the midst of the anger she’s still holding. “I’m still mad at you. I hope you know that.”
I drag my lips across hers, reveling in her sweet taste. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, babe.”
Loving and protecting this woman is my purpose, and I’ll be damned if I fail at that.
“Little Lies”—Fleetwood Mac
At my request, my parents and brother head up to my place for Thanksgiving, instead of me having to fly out. This will be the first time I’m able to host a holiday dinner. Back at my old apartment with Reid, we always did what he wanted to do. Dinner at his parents’, then dinner with my family. I hated driving to two separate places. It just always felt like a lot of work, but I never complained.
A thrill courses through my body, as I take a step back, surveying the guest room we just finished. My house will be a little crowded with three extra bodies, but I’m not complaining. A part of the reason I did this was so Rome and Ryder would be able to have Thanksgiving with us. Sure, Roman could’ve given his little brother something amazing on his own, but I wanted them a part of this, a part of my family.
I also wanted my parents to know we’re