Chapter 11

Holly raised her chin to meet his eyes. She was calm and had a firm, stubborn gaze. "Yeah."

Because of her mild temper, she remained collected even when retaliating against Bryce.

Bryce wanted to snap at her but couldn't bring himself to now. Instead, his lips curved into a smile. "Sure, I'm your cousin."

He reached out to pull her into his embrace.

That caught Holly off guard, so she stumbled into his chest. She could smell his intoxicating scent mixed with smoke and alcohol. There was also a foreign sweetness, which had to be because of Samantha.

Holly's stomach turned as she shimmied her shoulders, trying to escape Bryce's embrace.

Yet, Bryce exerted more strength through his arms and locked her in place. He positioned himself domineeringly and spoke to Hayden with a formal, distanced tone. "Thanks for sending her home."

"It's not a problem," Hayden replied. Although he appeared friendly, he kept his gaze on Bryce's arm, which rested across Holly's shoulder. He couldn't help