Page 35 of Claiming Lily

The violent knocking on the front door startles me out of my reverie. All three guys are on their feet instantly, and I join them, frowning toward the sound. The knocking comes again. Harder this time. Hudson heads toward the door while Cole and Gage flank me like bodyguards.

“Who the hell is that?” Cole mutters, jaw clenched tight.

Before Hudson can even reach for the handle, the banging starts again, the wood rattling.

“LILY! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?”

Matt’s voice cuts through the door and slices through my chest. My breath catches and dread pools in my stomach. Shit, he’s pissed.

Hudson’s hand hovers over the door handle. Something flickers in them, but then Matt slams his palms into the door and Hudson wrenches the door open.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asks Matt.

My ex storms in like a hurricane, all wild hair and bloodshot eyes. Oh goody. He’s been drinking. Totally normal at this time of day. Not.

“Where the fuck is she?”

Hudson’s palm immediately presses against Matt’s chest, stopping him in his tracks. “Calm the fuck down.”

“Get your fucking hands off me! This is about that whore, not you!” He tries to push past Hudson, face red with fury, spittle flying as he talks.

“Watch your mouth,” Cole growls.

Matt’s gaze swings wildly around the room until it lands on me. His lip curls in absolute disgust. He tries to storm toward me, but Gage and Cole step in front of me, a wall of solid muscle blocking his path.

“What the fuck?” Matt’s voice cracks with disbelief as he stares at his friends like they’ve betrayed everything he holds sacred. “Why are you siding with a slut over me?”

“Watch your mouth,” Cole repeats, his voice dropping low and dangerous.

“Why? If it’s true?” Matt’s laugh is bitter, cruel. “She fucked you all as soon as she got the chance! She’s a fucking slut⁠—”

Hudson’s arm locks around Matt’s throat from behind. He pulls Matt back against his chest in a fierce chokehold, biceps pressing against Matt’s windpipe with controlled pressure.

“Call her a slut one more time and we’re going to have a problem.” Hudson’s voice is barely a whisper, but it’s full of menace that makes me shiver.

Matt glares at me with so much vitriol it’s hard to believe we ever dated. Pure hatred burns in his eyes, like I’m the worst thing that’s ever happened to him. Like I personally ruined his entire life. But I stand my ground, lifting my chin and meeting his gaze head-on. I won’t cower. Not anymore.

“Are you going to behave?” Hudson asks, his grip never loosening.

Matt grunts out what sounds like an agreement, and as soon as Hudson releases him, he stumbles back, gasping and rubbing his throat. He stares at his friends with betrayal written across every line of his face.

“What ever happened to bros before hoes?” He spits the words like they taste bitter.

“That’s your ex-girlfriend. Show some respect,” Gage snaps.

Matt scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable. Is she sucking your dicks or what?”

“It’s not like that,” I say quickly, hating that he’s being so cruel to his friends. These are good men who don’t deserve his venom just because they showed me basic human kindness.

“It’s not like that?” Matt gestures wildly. “What the hell is it like then, Lily? I find out from someone in town that you’re staying with my friends? My fucking best friends?”

Cole invades Matt’s space, chest bumping into his. “Lower your voice when you talk to her.”

The last thing I want is for them to fight because of me. Their friendship matters, even if Matt’s being an ass right now. “It’s not forever, Matt. You kicked me out. I had nowhere else to go.”

“So you decided to open your legs for a bed?” The words sting across my face.

Something snaps inside me, white-hot rage flooding my system. This time, it’s not the guys who rush him. In a matter of seconds, I’m standing in front of Matt, my palm cracking across his cheek with a sound that echoes through the room.