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She gave hiht back atcha, Chris In fact, I’e erupted in his eyes "You have the nerve to tell h for you? You stupid little bitch--"

In the blink of an eye, Chris was on the floor

Claire hadn’t even seen Dylan strike, heChris’s torso and ja his elbow into his brother’s windpipe "Don’t you ever talk to her like that," Dylan said in a soft but deadly voice "Say whatever the hell you want about me, or about Aidan, but you speak to Claire with respect"

Chris sputtered, tried to shove Dylan off, but the SEAL’s body was inflexible, a rock-hard wall of e

Wide-eyed and a little bit frightened, Claire watched as Dylan dug his forear his brother over the coals

"And you knohat? I’ve had it up to here with your homophobic bullshit Jesus Christ, so one of your buddiesdeal Get over it already"

The revelation left Claire dumbfounded Chris had never shared that piece of infors clicked into place Like why Chris had always been so rude to Natasha, or why he’d cringed every tiy couple passed them on the street

Unwelcome sympathy washed over her, which only pissed her off evensorry for this y it took to pity him

Dylan reed, because he abruptly released his brother and stood up In nothing but those boxers, hemuscles and sleek sinew and raer

The moment Dylan stepped away, Chris bolted to his feet, his eyes blazing with indignation "Don’t you ever lay a hand on ain, little brother If Mom ever found out you did that--"

"You really want to have a conversation about Mo happy to do that, a house!"

Chris didn’t even have the decency to apologize "I’m the man of the house, Dylan I take care of Mom, not you"

"The only person you take care of is yourself," Dylan retorted "And now if you don’t mind, I’d like you to leave Maybe one of these days we can sit down and have a ht now, I can’t stand the sight of you"