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Jez shifts her gaze to the opposite side of the room, and I follow it. Zach has his arm around Delaney’s shoulders, and he’s leading her back to the mic.
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I count to ten in my head. Every cell in my body itches to demand the prospect get his hands off my woman, but I can’t because she’s not mine.
Not yet.
I shake my head as the music starts, knowing I have no business thinking like that. Not only do I barely know Delaney, but I’m also not at all looking for love.
“I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways…”
An image of Tamara and I dancing at prom to the same Ed Sheeran song surfaces, and my gut twists. Zach is way off-key as he sings, but Delaney is eating it up like they’re star-crossed lovers. And when he grabs her hand and pulls her into his body to slow dance as he sings, my control snaps.
I stride across the room and yank Zach away from Delaney. “You don’t get to touch her,” I snarl.
Bone crunches when my fist connects with his nose, and the sound fuels my anger. Zach barely fights back, and before I know it, I’m pulled off of him and slammed to the floor.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Grim signs as he pins me down with his knee in my chest.
I glare at him and struggle to break free, but my brother is a helluva lot bigger than me.
“Get off me,” I counter.
“Fifty bucks. Answer the question.”
Soul comes into my line of sight and tugs on Grim’s cut, forcing him to stand. I scramble to my feet, and my chest is heaving.
“Answer his question,” Soul demands as he gets in my face. “What the fuck were you doing?”
I shove a hand through my hair and take a deep breath. “I… He…”
“Zach didn’t do shit wrong,” Soul barks. “Delaney’s a free agent.”
“What?!” Delaney screeches, stomping into the mix.
Soul sighs. “All I mean is Thorn hasn’t laid claim to you, so you’re free to flirt with any man you want.”
“I wasn’t flirting,” she insists. “We were just having fun.”
Zach approaches me slowly, holding a rag to his nose. “You broke my fucking nose,” he accuses, his tone nasally.
“Because you touched my fucking woman,” I seethe.
Delaney whips her head around to stare at me. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, brother,” Zach says.
“We’re not brothers,” I remind him. “You’re a prospect. Keep it up, you’ll go from that to a nobody real fast.”
“Wait a second,” Delaney demands. “You don’t get to decide who I can and can’t flirt with.”
Cece quickly joins our group and rests her hand on Delaney’s shoulder. “Why don’t you come with me,” she says, urging her out of the common room.
Delaney continues to glare at me over her shoulder, but as soon as she disappears from sight, I’m spun around.
“You’re laying claim?” Soul asks.
“No, I…” I press my lips together and lock eyes with my president. “I don’t know.”
“Either you are or not,” Grim signs.