Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
I squint at him, swearing I’ve heard that annoying, overbearing voice before. And then it clicks. I heard it over the phone on the first day I met Hailey. He has the same utter disrespect in his voice now as he did then, and it sparks anger in my gut.
This is Lucas, Hailey’s shithead of a manager. I already hate this man from just the way he spoke to Hailey on the phone, and the way he’s just spoken to me isn’t raising my opinion of him one bit.
I open my mouth to give him a taste of his own medicine, but the front door opens, interrupting us. Both of our heads snap to Hailey, standing in the doorway with a surprised look on her face as her eyes flit between us.
Lucas doesn’t give her the chance to speak, either. No, he just shoves past her and into her house, pushing inside like he owns the place. God, this man reeks of entitlement and a bad attitude.
“Hi, baby,” I murmur as I step inside, pausing to give Hailey a hug as the door closes behind us all.
Lucas evidently is disgusted by that small show of affection because he starts running his mouth yet again. “Who the hell is this man, Hailey?” he starts, gesturing at me in disgust. I can’t help but smirk, finding his outrage just a little amusing. Seriously, why is he so angry? “Is this the man I heard on the phone the other day? What, are you fucking him or something? Jesus Christ. You should know better than to waste your time on random men instead of focusing on your work and building your career. If you wanted a boyfriend to occupy you, you should’ve come to me instead of stooping to fuck the—what are you?” He pauses briefly to inspect the logo on my shirt, then glances out the window to my truck. “A handyman? Seriously, Hailey. This is low, even for you.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
I can’t decide whether to curse this man out or just punch him in the mouth. Not only has he just outright insulted me, but worse, he tries to shame Hailey for having any man in her life except him. Lucas officially takes the cake as the most vile man I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Hailey’s hand lands on my arm, seeking comfort, and I wrap my arm around her, foregoing punching him in order to be there for her instead. I inhale deeply, trying to be the better man and find some sort of inner peace. I don’t succeed very well, though.
“If you’re going to be a disrespectful asshole, then you can leave,” I snap, pointing to the door just in case he needs directions for the way out.
Lucas narrows his eyes at me, scoffing. “Oh yeah? Or what? What are you going to do about it?”
Oh, so he wants to be punched in the face. God, he’s practically begging for it. I step in front of Hailey, protecting her preemptively as Lucas curls his hands into fists at his sides.
Lucas swings first. His technique is shit, and he swings wide, but it’s still a clear threat that I won’t stand for, especially in Hailey’s presence. I dart forward, grabbing his fist and twisting his arm around his back until he cries out, restraining him so he can’t do anything stupid again. Anger flows through me, thick and heavy, as Hailey shouts out in shock at us.
Overpowering Lucas takes all of five seconds, but of course, the asshole doesn’t just accept defeat and go down easy. No, he starts running his mouth again, clearly not learning his lesson like a normal fucking person. God, I hate this dude.
“Do you see this shit, Hailey? Is this the kind of man you want in your bed, seriously? You could do so much better!” Lucas rants, his face red as he struggles to fight against me. I press his front against the wall, holding his arm behind his back still, refusing to let him free because I know he’ll just swing again.
“Don’t fucking talk to her,” I snarl, just as Hailey pipes up.
“You tried to punch him first!” she cries out, outrage in her voice. “Stop this!”
“Only because I was defending you!” Lucas argues, spewing more bullshit.
“Hailey will never need defending from me,” I growl. “I’d rather cut my own fucking hand off than pose a threat to her. You, on the other hand, have verbally abused her one too many fucking times now. If anyone’s the threat here, albeit a pathetic one, it’s you.”
Lucas sputters, his face so red I half expect steam to come out of his ears now. His jealousy is painfully obvious, and maybe I’d feel bad for him if he wasn’t such an asshole. He wants Hailey, and he hates that he can’t have her, hates me for getting her instead of him. But he doesn’t deserve her, not with the way I’ve seen him treat her, not to mention the fact that he’s her manager, not a suitor.