“Stop it! Both of you, stop!”
But they weren’t listening. They were too busy trying to kill each other, and all I could do was stand there uselessly, watching my husband and my boss beat the hell out of each other.
I hadn’t thought Derek would be the one throwing a punch.
Jack shoved Derek backward, and suddenly they were fighting. Derek got Jack in the ribs and his fist connected with Derek’s cheekbone with a crack that made me flinch. They crashed into the desk, sending papers flying everywhere, and I heard myself shouting for them to stop.
Then, another man was suddenly there, dragging Derek backward.
“Enough!” Sean’s voice boomed through the office. “Both of you, knock it the hell off!”
Sean, Derek’s best friend, law partner and my other boss. He was back from his vacation with Chelsea, standing at six-foot-three wrapped in an expensive suit. He stood between Derek and Jack, one massive hand on Derek’s chest, the other pointed at Jack like a warning.
Jack wiped blood from his split lip, and the sight should have made me concerned. Instead, I felt nothing but a hollow sort of satisfaction.
Am I a bad person?
“You’re going to regret that, Peterson,” Jack snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. “I’ll sue you for assault. I’ll ruin you.”
“Go ahead,” Derek said, his breathing hard and jaw clenched. “Do your worst. But you don’t get to come into my office and disrespect Paige. You don’t get to make her feel like she’s the problem when you’re the jerk who destroyed your marriage.”
“My marriage?” Jack laughed, and the sound made my skin crawl. “My marriage? You are the one who’s been after her for years, you bastard!”
“That’s enough, Jack,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You need to get out of here.”
Jack turned to me, and there was something ugly in his expression making me flinch. “He’s using you. Can’t you fucking see that? Or you’re just enjoying the attention you’re getting.”
“Get out,” Sean said and pushed Derek back, since he looked like he wanted to tackle Jack to the ground. “Now. Before I call the security.”
Jack straightened his jacket, his jaw already starting to bruise purple. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Sean’s glare was too imposing to ignore.
“Stay out of my marriage, Peterson,” Jack said. “Whatever game you two are playing, it’s not going to work. She’s still my wife.”
“Not for long,” Derek said calmly.
My heartbeat increased, and I clenched my hands into fists to stop the shaking.
Panic flashed in Jack’s eyes, surprising me. He looked at me one more time, and I found myself taking an involuntary step back.
“We’re not done talking about this, Paige,” Jack said. “I miss my daughter, and I’m not letting you run away from our problems. We’ll fix it.”
“Too bad Lily doesn’t miss you,” Derek said with a smirk, making me close my eyes.
“Now get the hell out.”
Sean escorted Jack to the door, speaking in low tones I couldn’t quite hear. When he finally closed it behind Jack and turned back to us, his expression was somewhere between exasperated and concerned.
“What the hell was that?” He asked, looking between me and Derek. “Someone wants to explain why Jack Mitchell just walked in here looking like he caught you two in bed together?”
“Coffee,” I said, gesturing at Derek’s still-damp pants, heat flooding my face. “I just spilled coffee on him.”
Sean’s eyes dropped to Derek’s lap, then slowly traveled back to my face. One eyebrow climbed toward his hairline. “Okay. Coffee. And the part where Derek assaulted him?”
“He deserved it,” Derek answered flatly.
“Derek, you?—”
“He called her dramatic, Sean. He blamed her hormones for being upset that he cheated. What was I supposed to do, shake his fucking hand?”
