He unsettled me.
Not just for what he was, but for what he revealed in the woman I should have protected. The way her light dimmed in his presence, the way her body folded in on itself. It was too much. I needed to be there.
In that moment, I knew tonight with Carrington wasn’t just about a choice between two paths.
It was about facing shadows.
Hers. His. And mine.
Tyler didn’t stayon the far side of the room for long. He drifted closer again, circling back to where Xanthy and I stood near the edge of the crowd. A shark drawn to blood in the water.
“You clean up real nice,” he complimented, his eyes locked on her as if I wasn’t even there. His grin was wide and lazy. A bit too blurred from the whiskey. “I wasn’t sure you’d come tonight. It must have shaken your tail feathers hearing about Carmen in your neck of the woods. But, guess I should’ve known—you always did love the show.”
Xanthy stiffened, but forced a polite smile. “It’s more of a familiar obligation.”
Tyler tilted his head. “Obligation, huh? That’s one word for it.” His gaze slid down her dress, shamelessly, crawling over her curves until I wanted to rip his eyes out of his skull. Not because I cared to cover her body, but because of how small she became. “Though if you ask me, you look more like temptation than duty, Alexandra.”
My jaw clenched.
“Careful,” I said, low and in warning.
He laughed, and the sound was piercing. “What, can’t a man give a compliment to a dear old friend? Don’t be so sensitive. Possessive is an ugly color, Doctor Anderson.” He finally turned his eyes on me, a smirk hardening. “She’s not porcelain. She knows how to handle attention. Don’t you, Baby? If I recall, you can handle a lo?—”
“I said enough.”
Tyler raised his hands in mock surrender, his whiskey sloshing.
“Relax. You look ready to put me through a wall. I’m just talking, buddy.” Then he leaned closer to Xanthy, lowering his voice but not enough to keep me from hearing. “Maybe later, you and I can catch up—just the two of us. Like old times.”
Her fingers crushed tighter around mine, and the tremor in her grip betrayed the calm she tried to portray.
Her poise and determination were cracking.
I stepped in front of her, my body blocking his view.
“You don’t fucking talk to her like that. Not now, not ever. I’m not possessive. Xanthy is free to make her own decisions. I am protective of the choices she makes for herself. And you, Tyler, are not one of them.”
For the first time, a flicker of challenge sparked in his eyes. He studied me for a long minute, then smirked wider, as if he enjoyed the fire.
“Touchy,” he drawled. “Guess I found the nerve. Good to know where your line is.” He knocked back the rest of his drink, savoring the last drop. “But here’s the thing, Shiloh. You can draw your little lines. But don’t be surprised when men like me cross them.”
The words hung in the air like smog.
Xanthy tugged at my arm again.
“Please,” she whispered, more urgent this time.
I didn’t move, not right away. My blood was pounding too hot, too fast in my ears. My fists itched to rearrange his smug face.
Tyler grinned at my hesitation, tilting his glass in a mock toast again, this time to me. “That’s what I thought. You’ll learn sooner or later. Don’t pick battles you can’t win. Or you’ll be patching up your own face when you lose.”
I’m gonna kill him.
With that, he turned and sauntered off toward another group, as though nothing had ever happened, like he hadn’t just pissed on every boundary in the room and threatened me.
Xanthy sagged against me, her breath unsteady, creating a spike of rationality behind the blind rage.
“Let’s get out of here,” I murmured, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
