Page 20 of Mace
“Maylie…” Her voice wavers, and if I was in a good mood, I might have let her off the hook a little, but I’m not. I am so furious. “You’re not supposed to be back yet.”
My gaze never leaves his face as I respond to her. “I finished work early, which you would know if you bothered to check your phone. I’ve been blowing it up all night.”
“She was with me. She don’t need to be on her phone when she’s withme.” The guy who I assume is Link says this as if Ivy is his.
Back off, buddy. She was mine long before she was ever yours.
“And who exactly are you?”Okay… that was not what I was going for. My words are sharp, and bitter too.
His hand wraps around the back of my sister’s neck in a move I can only describe as possessive. I’ve seen Steve do this to Bella before, but there’s something in the way this arse does it that sends a shard of fear stabbing into me. Bella always melts into Steve’s touch when he does this, but Ivy is stiff as a board as her eyes dance around the room.
She’s… she’s scared of this man.
And that awakens all my mama bear feelings.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
Over my dead body, you are.
“You need to leave,” I tell him. “It’s late and Ivy has school in the morning.”Because she’s a literal child, you fucking pervert.
“I’m not in school,” she complains.
“Sixth form college, which happens to be in a school,” I correct, my eyes never leaving his.
He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, his hard gaze boring into mine even as that grin remains in place. “I think we got off on the wrong foot here.”
“If you don’t leave, you’re not going to have any feet to get off on.”
Not my best comeback, but I’m not feeling at the top of my game right now.
“Maylie,” Ivy snaps. “What the hell is wrong with you?Link hasn’t done anything to warrant this amount of hostility. Quit being a bitch.” Her words are harsh, but I don’t care. This grown man is not dating my teenage sister.
He smirks at me. Fucking smirks. I want to wipe it off his stupid face, but he’s at least a foot taller than me, and I have no idea what he’s capable of.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ivy,” he says to her, but his gaze and mine never unlock.
“No, you won’t,” I counter.
“You don’t get to decide that. I’m nearly eighteen.”
She’s wrong about that. I will literally die on this hill. I don’t care how old she is, nothing about this situation seems equitable and everything about it puts me on edge.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ivy,” he repeats, giving me an amused look before he steps through the door.
Instinct has me shutting it behind him instantly and sliding the lock into place. My job puts me in the line of men who have the potential to be dangerous. Patrons who drink too much and get grabby can be some of the deadliest men on the planet. The way Link carries himself tells me exactly what kind of man he is, and that is not what I want for my baby sister.
“You’re so ridiculous,” Ivy snarls as she heads into the living room.
I follow her, my blood pressure through the roof. I don’t know who I want to throttle more—Ivy or this man she’s dating.
“I’m ridiculous? You literally did everything I asked you not to, including leaving our brother alone while you went out to do fuck knows what with a grown man.”
She moves into the kitchen, grabbing a cup from thecupboard. “What I’m doing is none of your business. I can’t believe you just embarrassed me like that.”
My mouth opens and closes like I’m a fish tossed on land. “You’re lucky the only thing I did was embarrass you. I should’ve called the police. You’re a minor, and he is a grown adult. Where did you even meet him? And exactly how old is he?”
She switches on the kettle as if she hasn’t rolled in at gone midnight.