“You tell me. You’re the one sitting by the fire, pouting like a bitch.”
Hammer’s condescending remark, coupled with the patronizing brow, set Liam’s temper razing through the room. All the grievances he’d been swallowing since he’d first taken Raine for his own sat like bile in his throat, waiting to spew.
“You’re the bitch here, Hammer. But I’ve got to hand it to you. You almost succeeded,” he spat before raising his glass in a mock salute. “Aces to you.”
“Succeeded at what?” Hammer growled as he turned in his seat. Face-to-face, Liam could see confusion and anger narrowing Macen’s eyes.
“At totally fucking up Raine’s life,” Liam jeered. “It wasn’t enough that you stunted her emotional growth for years by locking her away in your ivory tower. You had to top it off by trying to impregnate her, you selfish prick.”
“What?” Hammer roared as he launched to his feet. “That’s not what happened and you damn well know it.”
“Okay. Everybody take a deep breath,” Seth instructed as he situated himself between them, trying in vain to keep them apart.
Slamming his glass on the table, Liam surged out of his chair. Eager to go toe-to-toe with the man he used to call his best friend, he set his shoulders and clenched his fists. “Are you enjoying making Raine your substitute for Juliet?”
“What the—” Hammer screeched. “You need to get your goddamn jealousy under control, Liam, and think about what you’re saying. If Raine had been pregnant with your child, she would have wanted it, too. You’re too smart to be this stupid, asshole.”
“Time out,” Seth bellowed, slashing an angry scowl first at Liam, then at Hammer.
“Jealousy? Look in a bloody mirror. The minute I showed the least bit of interest in Raine, you suddenly turned on me like a rabid dog.”
“Christ, here we go. You’re not really going to start whining about that again, are you?” Hammer snarled. “Damn it, I know what she said up there cut you deep. But you’re out of line, man. Way the fuck out of line. Deal with the shit Gwyneth put you through before you destroy yourself and any chance of happiness.”
“Don’t start psychoanalyzing me, you bastard, especially when you’ve done such a bloody fine job on yourself. You don’t know a damn thing about what I went through with Gwyneth. You were too busy banging subs a dime a dozen, so shut the fuck up.”
Hammer scowled. “I know you can’t stand that the fucking bitch cheated on you, but you’re not the first guy to find out his wife was unfaithful. Stop being a damn martyr because you’re about to screw up the best thing that’s ever happened in your life.”
“What? A fake friendship with a man who’s kept me in the dark about everyone and everything that ever mattered? Thanks, but no thanks, Hammer. You’ve shown me your true colors and they’re uglier than fuck.”
“I’m not talking about me, asswipe. I meant Raine. She loves you.”
“Oh, so you’re suddenly concerned about salvaging my relationship with Raine? This from the man who bragged just days ago that he’d get her back in bed. Isn’t that just your way?”
“And what’s your way, Liam? Ripping the collar from her throat and shoving her out the fucking door? You’re goddamn lucky we found her because I would have killed you if she’d left me for good.”
“Left you, is it? She’s mine!” Liam growled.
“Not now, dumbass.” Hammer smirked.
“That’s enough, you two,” Seth barked.
“Shut the fuck up,” Liam snarled at Seth before glancing over the man’s shoulder to pin his anger on Hammer once again. “You know, I tried hard to forgive you from keeping secrets from me. I even managed to feel sorry for you. After Thanksgiving, I’d hoped you’d gotten over your shit so we could finally put our differences to rest. But no. You buried the only worthwhile pieces of yourself with Juliet.”
“Stop!” Beck roared, sidling next to Seth. “Sit the fuck down, you two.”
“Butt out.” Hammer scowled at the other two Doms before he turned back to Liam. “You leave Juliet out of this.”
“How can I? You can’t let it go. Instead of dealing with your guilt, you’ve hurt me. You’ve hurt Raine. And you don’t give a bloody fuck.”
Liam couldn’t miss the flash of pain in Hammer’s eyes. Good! The bastard needed to feel how much it hurt to have his heart ripped from his damn chest—exactly the way Liam had.
“This is about your sorry ass. Don’t pin this on me. I thought you’d be a man about helping Raine grow. But obviously you’d rather shit in your diaper than pull your head out of your ass.” Hammer leveled him a glare of contempt.
“Take off your rose-colored glasses, Macen. Did you honestly think the three of us were going to set up house and live happily ever after just because you had a boner to do it ten years ago? Hate to burst your bubble, mate. But when we leave here, Raine will be mine again,” he blustered, knowing he had no way to make that hope a reality.
“Over my dead body,” Hammer fumed.
“For fuck’s sake. Shut. Up,” Beck howled as he glanced toward the stairs.
Liam turned.
There stood Raine. Dressed in jeans and a dark sweater, she clutched her suitcase as tears streamed down her face.
“Fuck,” Hammer groaned in regret.
Swiping a careless hand across her cheeks, Raine burned them both with a stare steeped in pain. She took Liam’s knees out from under him. His heart clutched, and a wave of dread tingled through his limbs.
As he and Hammer both started toward her, Raine pinned them with a scathing glare, shaking her head and halting them in their tracks. Liam longed to scoop her into his arms, hold her tight, and tell her he was sorry for breaking his vow.
As she descended the stairs, she gave off a near-palpable blast of arctic air that rattled his bones. He could almost feel her reconstructing her walls, building them tight and impenetrable. His guts seized. All the progress they’d made was now destroyed because he and Hammer hadn’t kept a lid on their shit.
“I agreed to do this with you both under one condition,” she spit out through clenched teeth. “Just one!”
The agony in her voice slammed Liam with guilt.
Hammer tried to take another step closer. “Raine, listen. We—”
“Shut up!” she snapped as she seared him with a fierce scowl. “Don’t you dare come near me.”
For once, Hammer was stunned silent.