Page 59 of Stunner (Whiskey Dolls 3)

“Not that I know of.”

Then I heard his voice. “Open the goddamn door, Owen,” Jackson shouted, giving the door what sounded like a kick. “I know she’s in there! I know you’re fucking my fiancée!”

I should have known the shit was going to hit the fan eventually.

26

ASHER

My blood ran cold the moment I heard Jackson’s voice through Owen’s front door. Then he called me his fiancée and my vision turned red.

“That motherfucker,” Owen growled as he stomped out of the kitchen toward the front door. “I’m going to kill him.”

I jumped into action, my heart beating staccato against my ribs. “Owen, don’t,” I pleaded, latching onto his arm and planting my feet. “You can’t keep hitting him, baby.”

His green eyes were spitting with rage as he turned to look at me. “The hell I can’t. Just watch and see.”

“Owen, stop!” I cried, jerking him back. “That’s what he wants! Please, stop and think for a second.” I let out a sigh of relief when he stopped moving toward the door. I was prepared to launch myself onto his back if that was what I had to do, but it would have made having a rational conversation a bit difficult. “If you think for one moment that asshole out there won’t press charges on you for assault, you’re sadly mistaken.” I rounded him, taking his face in my hands as I tried desperately to calm the beast rearing to life inside him. “He’s nothing. He’s totally insignificant.”

His nostrils flared on a deep inhale. His body still vibrated with anger, but I could tell I was getting through.

“Open this door right now, damn it!”

A growl vibrated up from my chest. How dare he? I was having the best morning, and he had to show up like the annoying gnat he was and ruin it! Forget about Owen killing him. I was going to do it my damn self. At least I knew he wouldn’t go to the cops if I broke his nose a second time. He’d never admit to something as humiliating as being beaten up by a girl.

I spun on my bare foot as he started pounding again and stopped at the door. I whipped it open, shooting fire from my eyes as I snapped, “For Christ’s sake! What do you want?”

His eyes went big and round at the sight of me before the shock eventually wore off as he curled his face into a sneer. “I should have known.”

Triumph came up beside me right then, the hair on the scruff of his neck standing straight up as he let out a low, menacing growl while staring Jackson down. I got a thrill of pleasure at the fear in the jackass’s eyes at the sight of my dog.

“Yeah, you should have, you asshole,” I clapped back, slamming my hands down on my hips, “seeing as you knew Owen was interested in me evenbeforeyou made a move on me. So this”—I held my arms out at my sides—“shouldn’t come as a surprise to you at all.”

“My mom was right, you’re nothing but trash.”

“Fucking watch it,” Owen snarled, coming up behind me and pressing his chest against my back. “Only reason I haven’t laid you out is because she asked me not to. One more comment like that, and even your daddy won’t be able to afford the plastic surgery it’ll take to put your face back together.”

He took a step back, pointing his finger at Owen accusingly. “And you! What the hell kind of friend are you, huh? Sleeping with the woman I was going to marry?”

Owen crossed his arms over his chest. “If you pulled your self-absorbed head out of your entitled ass for two seconds, you’d realize that you and I haven’t been friends in a really long fucking time.” He leaned over my shoulder and hissed, “Even before you fucked my girlfriend in college.”

What the what now?

Jackson’s eyes went big, and I knew he hadn’t expected Owen to know that little nugget.

“Yeah,” Owen said through clenched teeth. “I knew all about how you and Stacy were sneaking around behind my back. I didn’t care enough about her to make a big deal over it, but you should know, the only reason I had a goddamn thing to do with you the past year and a half was because I wanted to keep Asher in my life any way possible. If it wasn’t for her, I’d have dropped your ass a long time ago.”

I didn’t think that was the right time to turn around and kiss him, but my God, did I want to.

A flash of pain skidded across Jackson’s face before he covered it with a look of sheer hatred.

“You want him?” he asked me, “Fine. You two deserve each other. You’re both gutter-trash. But before you go falling for his bullshit, you should know he’s not the good guy you think he is. Why don’t you ask him what happened junior year, huh? See what you think of Mr. Perfect then.”

I turned to look over my shoulder at Owen and saw the color drain from his face. He was white as a sheet, his fists clenched so tight it was a wonder the skin on his knuckles didn’t split.

I didn’t have the first clue what Jackson was talking about, but it was obvious Owen had been keeping something from me all this time, and it was big. I wanted answers, but I’d be damnedif I let Jackson see his blow had landed on its desired target. Whatever Owen had to say, he’d tell me in private. That son of a bitch wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of seeing he’d put a dent in my man’s armor.

I faced him once more, disgusted by the sight of him standing there. “Get out.”

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