Slow Hands

over in curiosity from the head table, Maddy warned, under her breath, “Do and you might be on the receiving end of that steak knife.”
    “Jealousy? That’s a good sign, right?”
    Maybe it was.
    “I can’t wait to get out of here,” he admitted, and she knew he was not referring to the oddly tense celebration. “This is almost over, right?”
    The waiters had cleared away the dinner dishes and were bringing dessert. The toasts and speeches had occurred before they’d arrived, and the wedding party gifts had been opened. So yes, thankfully, it was almost over. There hadn’t been a single opportunity for Oliver or Bitsy to speak to them. If Maddy had her way, they’d be out of here before the two unwelcome guests ever got the chance.
    “Absolutely.”
    For a few minutes, Maddy thought she’d have her way. As dessert ended and everyone prepared to leave, an impromptu receiving line formed at the exit. Tabby and her fiancé, as well as both sets of parents, were thanking their guests. The milling crowd, in no hurry to leave, lingered over each goodbye, blocking the door.
    Groaning at the delay—for several reasons—Maddy remained silent as they edged closer to escape. Finally, there were only a few people between them and her father, who was at the closest end of the line. “Almost there,” she whispered.
    But they didn’t make it. “Not going to even say hello?”
    Oliver.
    Maddy’s back stiffened. She forced herself to pretend she hadn’t heard, focused only on her father’s face…not to mention the damned door.
    Jake, however, did not. With his arm curved possessively around her waist, he glanced over his shoulder at the other man. “No. She’s not. So shove off, will you?”
    A grin tickling her lips, Maddy stepped closer, tempted to just push past the well-wishers and leave. Tabby would understand. But she wouldn’t let this jerk force her out of her own sister’s party.
    “Oh, come on, Maddy, this is childish.”
    Feeling Jake tense, she murmured, “Forget it, he’s not worth it.”
    Though as tall, her ex didn’t even approach Jake’s massive build. Which just proved he was a moron for what he did next.
    “Jesus, Maddy, you won’t even face me? Are you going to hide behind this hired stud all night?”
    Gasping, she spun around, taking in both the sneer on Oliver’s handsome face…and the spiteful amusement on Bitsy Wellington’s. Obviously the woman—at least ten years Oliver’s senior—had gotten what she came for. Nasty drama.
    “Babe, like you said, he’s not worth it,” Jake murmured, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t let him use me to get to you.” He raked a cold stare over Oliver’s impeccably clad form. “I don’t give a shit what a lying, cheating little prick like this thinks.”
    Behind her, Maddy heard someone cough, or choke or laugh. Dad. He’d heard. He’d edged closer. And he liked what Jake had had to say. Oh, God, what if he’d heard all of it?
    “You’re right,” she whispered quickly, tugging at Jake’s arm. They needed to get out of here. Now. “Let’s go.”
    “You’re the hired help, so keep your mouth shut,” Oliver said to Jake.
    Oliver must have been drinking—he was flushed and there was a definite slur in his voice. Not to mention that he seemed to have lost his own sense of self-preservation if he didn’t notice that Jake, despite his casually insulting tone before, was holding his temper in check by the merest sliver.
    Still oblivious to the danger, Oliver added, “Come on, Maddy, you could at least talk to me. I didn’t know I’d screwed you up so badly that you’d have to pay for it ever since. If I’d known you were that much in love with me, I’d have tried harder to make you forgive me.”
    Jake snapped. With an audible growl, he stepped away from Maddy, grabbing Oliver by the front of his jacket. “Let’s go. Outside. Right now.”
    Bitsy shrieked, apparently realizing the vicious games she played could occasionally turn around and bite her on the ass. Others in the room froze and stared at the spectacle. Maddy couldn’t even find her vocal cords to stop what was about to happen, partly because she was reeling from Oliver’s offensive accusation and partly because she was stunned at the raw violence dripping off the sweetest, most tender man she knew.
    “Get your hands off me. She pays you to screw her, not to protect her.”
    “You sonofabitch…” Jake’s arm flew back in preparation, but