Brian’s eyes widened. She was defending him? How could she defend him? Maybe what Jeremy had said about them getting back together had been the truth. He certainly looked the part of her husband—attractive , clean-cut, wealthy, and wel -educated. Perfect manners. Perfect face. Perfect body. Everything Myrna deserved in a husband. Certainly a more practical choice than Brian. Even he couldn’t deny that reality.
Brian shook his head at his thoughts. No. Jeremy didn’t deserve her. He had hurt her in every way imaginable. She didn’t need someone who looked proper standing beside her. She needed someone who supported her and let her be herself. She needed Brian, dammit, even if she wouldn’t admit it.
“I’m not just going to hit him,” Brian said. “I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”
“No, please don’t.”
Brian could not believe that she was still trying to protect the jerk. Was she mental? “Why not? He deserves it.”
“Because,” she said, looking up at him with concern in her pretty, hazel eyes, “you’l hurt your hands.” She grabbed a tal , crystal vase off a nearby end table and shoved it into his chest. “Use this instead.”
Brian grinned and lifted the vase in one hand, testing its weight. “You sure? This is a real y nice vase. It’s also heavy. Potential y lethal.” He glanced at Jeremy, satisfied to see fear in his eyes. Brian shifted his gaze to the flowers littering the floor by the door. “And you have some nice flowers over there that someone—not me, once again—delivered personal y…”
Myrna careened into Brian as Jeremy shoved her out of the way. Jeremy sprinted toward the front door, but Brian grabbed him by the col ar of his baby blue polo shirt before he could get out into the corridor. “Where do you think you’re going?” Brian shut the door with his foot.
“Let me go!”
“I don’t think you understand. I have a serious beef with you, dude. And I very much want to cause you permanent harm.”
“I’m going to go cal the police,” Myrna said. “He’s not supposed to be anywhere near me.”
Brian was glad to see her confidence returning. He’d scarcely recognized her when he first arrived. “Great idea. I’l keep this guy occupied until they get here.”
As soon as she disappeared into a room at the back of her apartment, Jeremy took a wild swing at Brian. Brian ducked. In his youth, he had been in more fights than he could count and it was obvious that this wuss had never squared off with a man. No, he was the type of coward who hit women and kicked puppies.
Jeremy struggled against Brian’s hold on the back of his col ar. “Get your hands off me, you filthy thug. If you so much as scratch me, my father wil have you put away for the rest of your life.”
“You’re going to tel your daddy on me? You’re even more pathetic than I realized.” Brian jerked him away from the door and shoved him into a wingback chair. “Have a seat while we wait for your handcuffs to be delivered.”
When Jeremy tried to get up, Brian put a fist in his face.
“Now listen to me, you son-of-a-bitch, the only thing preventing me from tearing your head off and pissing down your neck hole is realizing what a mess your blood would make on Myrna’s carpet. So you just sit there calmly or I might do something you won’t live long enough to regret.” Talking trash usual y did the trick with this type of coward, but Brian would be more than happy to turn his threats into reality. He would take great pleasure in rearranging this guy’s overly handsome face.
“I real y don’t understand why you have it out for me. If it’s because I cal ed you a thug, then I apologize for that.”
Jeremy oozed charm from every pore, but Brian wasn’t buying it. “I don’t care what you think of me, you arrogant ass. You hit a woman. My woman. You are on the top of my shit list.”
“I don’t know where you got your information. I would never hit a woman. Especial y not Myrna. I love her.” He closed his eyes and shuddered with tormented ecstasy. “Oh God, I love you, Myrna. I love you so much.”
Brian’s nose wrinkled and the skin on the back of his neck crawled. This guy was five brewskies short of a six pack. “No wonder she hates that word.”
Jeremy opened his eyes, a cold grin spreading across his face. Creepy. Make that six brewskies short.
“She’s never said it to you, has she?” Jeremy chuckled with an odd merriment. “And she never wil . She won’t tel you she loves you, because she stil loves me. I own her heart forever. I made sure of it. She’l always be mine. Eternal y. I ruined her for al other men. And I did it on purpose.” Jeremy lowered his chin, and stared up at Brian with icy blue eyes. “Thug.”
Myrna came back into the room with her cel phone in her hand. “They’re on their way.”
Jeremy launched himself out of his chair and shoved Brian backward with both hands. Brian stumbled, regained his footing, and headed after him. He should never have let his guard down. Jeremy yanked the door open. Brian thrust his arm in front of him to stop his progress. Sneering maliciously, Jeremy slammed the door. On Brian’s hand.
“Ow! Fuck.” Brian cradled his crushed hand against his chest.
“You idiot,” Myrna yel ed and jumped on Jeremy’s back.
Her knees digging into Jeremy’s sides to keep herself clinging to his body, she repeatedly slapped him on the head with both hands. “You stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid—”
“Ow, Myrna, that hurts. Stop it,” Jeremy complained.
She continued to slap him, punctuating her blows with, “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.”
Brian watched, strangely amused by her tirade. Jeremy tried to dislodge her from his back, but she had him in a leg lock he had no hope of escaping.
Brian’s left hand was already so swol en that he couldn’t make a proper fist. He hoped to God it wasn’t broken. But seeing Myrna slap the shit out of Jeremy in retaliation? Total y worth it.
Jeremy covered his head with his arms to try to block her continued flat-palmed slaps.
“I hate you,” she bel owed. “I hate you. I hate you.” When the tears started flowing, Brian couldn’t stand there and watch anymore. He touched the center of her back and she hesitated. She turned her head to look at him, tears streaming down her face and dripping off her jaw.
“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured. “Come here.”