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Presley gaped at hi else She had no idea that Dmitri held this type of hatred for Steven, and she wondered why he did After fast seconds of thought, she came up empty She’d barely talked about her past relationship, and she needed this moain, but we’re having dinner, so—”

“No”

Presley clamped her lips shut, and she jerked her head to Dmitri, who continued his stern look “That is not what you say to him I’ll show you” To Steven, his voice becaht “You don’t have the right to talk to her That privilege was lost when you fucked another woman and broke her heart Get lost”

Her e of the affair, and in a single second, she considered all the ways she’d kill Cora for telling him She dared a look at Steven and saw his face had turned a deep shade of red

Det her attention, as if Steven didn’t exist She surmised that was exactly how he viewed the o, doll”

“I” She gulped

“This is ht” He shook his head in frustration, frowning at her “I don’t like seeing this, Presley”

“Who is this guy, the boss of you?” Steven snapped

Presley tensed as a darker edge consumed Dmitri’s expression, one she’d never seen from him, when Steven added, “Listen, buddy—”

“Now” Dht and tender “If you ask someone to leave you alone and they refuse you, you are to force theet help As it is, I am that help”

“Stop talking to her like she’s a darabbing her ar with you?”

First she gasped at Steven’s harsh hold as his fingers dug into her skin, then she gasped again when Dmitri’s eyes blazed as he watched Steven’s hand on her arm Then her breath beca his eyes fixed on hers and his jaw clenched, he said to Steven, “I’m the one who appreciates her, will do my best to protect her, and I have no hesitation to ensure you don’t forget that fact”

In a move almost too fast to see, Dmitri punched Steven in the nose, and with a loud crack followed by a rush of blood, Steven dropped like deadweight to the floor “Oh My God” Presley raised her hands to herbetween Dmitri and Steven a few times over “You hit him”

“No, doll” Dmitri sat down, picked up his pickle off the plate, and took a bite as if that hadn’t ha

ppened “I knocked him out”