Taking What's His (Shillings Agency 4)

Shoving his phone into his pocket without breaking down and calling her, he opened his truck door and walked up the path to Steven’s house. He’d asked Holt to stop by this morning, so he walked in without knocking, like he always did. But as soon as he stepped foot inside, he froze. Steven wasn’t alone.

“But you have to—”

“No, I don’t,” Lydia said, her voice hard. “I don’t have to tell you a single thing, if I don’t want to. And I don’t want to.”

“Just tell me his name. That’s all I want.”

She scoffed. “Who he is doesn’t matter. We’re just…you know, having fun. It’s nothing important, or I would tell you who he was. He’s nothing.”

Holt tightened his fists. Yeah, they’d decided not to tell anyone else about their secret affair, but it still stung to hear it coming from her lips. He was two seconds away from barging in there and demanding she tell Steven the truth…which was crazy as hell.

Just like me.

“So, he’s, what exactly?” Steven asked. “A booty call?”

“Call it what you want. It’s just a temporary arrangement between the two of us. That’s all.”

Steven sighed. “And then once it’s over, you’ll go back to dating guys you can actually bring home?”

It sounded like she stomped her foot. “Steven, I don’t like—”

Not wanting to hear the rest of that statement, Holt cleared his throat and stepped into the room. “Am I interrupting something?”

Lydia’s cheeks suffused with color. She still wore the same outfit she’d had on last night, and her hair was a bit frizzy. Also, her face was devoid of makeup. He’d never seen her looking so fresh before. Gorgeous.

And so off-limits.

Steven turned to him, his cheeks red, too, but with anger, not embarrassment. “No, we were just having a little talk.”

“About?” he asked, cocking a brow.

“Inappropriate boyfriends.”

Lydia turned even redder. “I never said he was my boyfriend. He isn’t.”

“Who has a boyfriend?” he asked, playing along. But the game made him feel sick to his stomach. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone special, Steven.”

“Fuck you,” Steven shot back. “I told you, if I was going to date a dude, I’d date you. But as it is, I still prefer chicks.”

Holt snapped his fingers. “Damn.”

“Wait.” Lydia rubbed her head. “What?”

Steven snorted. “Don’t even think about it. He might be my type, but he’s not yours. He’s too damn stubborn and dirty for a little girl like you.” He slapped Holt on the back, sending a shard of pain through his skull. “Right, man?”

Of course he was right. But again, Holt wasn’t that much worse than any other dude out there. He just…got migraines and couldn’t always form his words properly. That wasn’t so bad, was it? He winced. Yeah, it was.

“Right,” Holt said between his clenched teeth.

“Are you okay?” Lydia asked, coming forward.

“Yes.” Holt locked gazes with her. “I’m fine.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Steven looked at them both, no longer looking quite as jovial as before. “What did I miss here? What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Just a headache,” Holt said quickly. “I mean, just, uh…I—”

Lydia stepped forward. “When he drove me home the other night, he told me he gets headaches every once in a while. Said he felt one coming on, so I was asking about it. That’s all.”