Ryan Hunter

hurt Liza. She sent me pleading glare, probably expecting me to be the smarter one and end this. I didn’t know how. With her standing between us, we let a minute pass, both bristling with anger. But when she didn’t get out of the way, we finally toned it down a notch.
    The frightened look in her eyes ceased. Now frustration seemed to take over, and she turned away from me, facing Tony. “Why did you come here?”
    “I had to make sure this asshole keeps his hands off your body.”
    He fucked up everything from the start and called me asshole? “You’ve chosen one helluva moment to show up,” I growled cynically over Liza’s shoulder.
    “Seems like I’m just in time. You’re not going to touch her again.”
    “I’m sure Liza can speak for herself and doesn’t need you to babysit her.” Anyway, it was time to get this over with. I wasn’t going to hang out here with Mitchell and discuss the matter over Liza’s head. Placing my hands on her hips, I moved her gently to my side. I’d never hurt this girl, but in the condition Tony was in, I couldn’t judge his next move, and I just wanted her out of the way. Fixing him with a death glare, I added, “This is none of your business.”
    “She’s my friend and sure as hell is my business,” Tony spat.
    “What’s your problem, man?”
    “You are. This shit ends now. I didn’t ask you to go that far with her.”
    The hair at the back of my neck lifted and I froze. “Shut. The hell. Up, Mitchell.”
    But the bastard pointed a finger at me and kept sputtering. “I didn’t mean for you to screw her when I asked you to distract her.”
    Shit.
    I clenched my jaw, waiting for Liza to take up on that. And she sure as hell did. Slowly tilting her head to me, her brows furrowed to a line. “Distract?”
    What could I say to make her understand that? “It’s not like that—”
    “No?” Her voice was a far cry from stable, and tears sprang to hear eyes.
    I wanted to take her face between my hands, make her look into my eyes and see the truth in there. That for me, it had always been her.
    “Bullshit, of course it’s like that,” Tony snapped before I could even lift my hands to her face. “He called me this afternoon, wanting to know why you’d quit training all of a sudden. I asked him to get your mind off—” He broke off then continued with less wrath in his voice, “Off us . I knew you didn’t want to see me, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you being in your room all alone, crying.” He moved a killer scowl at me. “But now that I think of it, it was a crap idea from the beginning. You deserve better than him. All he wants is to get you in the sack. Don’t you, Hunter?”
    “You don’t know anything, you fool!” Did he even know me one bit after all the year we’d been friends?
    But at the same time I growled at Mitchell, Liza asked him, “I deserve better?” She angled her head. “Then who, Tony? You ?” Everyone caught her cynicism.
    Tony came toward her and replied, “ I was good enough for you for the past ten years.” He was clearly hurting at her words.
    But I didn’t care. If anything, it madder than ever. With a hard shove against his chest, I sent him back against the wall . “ Now you start to fight for her? You goddamned idiot!”
    “I don’t have to fight for her. Not with you. She never wanted you.”
    “She might, now. And that scares the shit out of you, doesn’t it?” I knew it was what had sent him back to her room tonight. “Giving her up, but not wanting her to be with someone else. You’re pathetic.”
    Liza walked up beside me and gazed for a long moment at Tony’s face. “What’s going on? You told me you’re dating Cloey. So why are you in my room in the middle of the night?”
    Tony didn’t answer her, and suddenly everything made sense. “Not hard to guess,” I said with a dry, painful laugh. “You slept with Cloey. And she dumped you like I told you she would, didn’t she?”
    The truth shone in his glistening eyes—visible even for Liza this time. She backed away, dropping on her bed. Tony went after her, knocking hard against my shoulder, but when he reached for her, she crawled away from him and hissed, “Don’t you dare touch me!”
    Tony planted one knee on the mattress. “Please, Liz—”
    “No!” She slapped him hard in the face. “Just go!” And when he didn’t move, she added with a voice gone toxic, “ Now !”
    It would have been enough to make me back