Page 4 of His Lovebug

“Quin, this is my brother, Jackson. Don’t fucking talk to him. Don’t look at him.” Matt pointed at Jackson. “If you even so much as speak to Quin, I will rip out your tongue and use it to clean up dog shit.” He poked Jackson hard on the chest. “You can stay. For now.”

Jackson smiled and opened his mouth, but Matt shut the door again and turned, stalking to the left in the direction of his den. I rushed after him, but the front door opened behind me, and I whirled around, torn between talking to Matt and getting Jackson settled in.

“Okay, so it’s ridiculous that you can’t talk to me,” I said, flashing him a small smile. “Do you know where the guest room is?”

“Yes, I do,” he said, but then his face flushed a brilliant red, and I didn’t really want to know what that was all about.

Oh, it’s probably something gross to do with his time here as a cheating cheater. Nope, nope, nope. Do not need to know.I sighed. “You can take your things up. I usually have dinner ready by about six. Sometimes sooner or later, depending on Matt’s work schedule and my school stuff. I’m in my senior year of a nursing degree, so sometimes I have to study.”

He gave me a long once-over I didn’t love, then smirked. “I didn’t realize he’d moved on already. Apparently, he got an upgrade.”

Oh, yeah, they’re definitely brothers.

“What did I say!” Matt called from the archway of his den, glaring in our direction with his arms crossed.

“Just get settled in,” I said with a forced smile, then hustled after Matt. He stared me down as I walked toward him, as if I’d been doing something wrong. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into his den, and while it didn’t hurt, it wasn’t the way he usually handled me. My chest tightened.

“What are you doing?” I asked, yanking free.

“I told you who he is, and you know what he did. Why are you talking to him?” Matt snarled, but I noticed he was keeping his voice down, so maybe he’d had a minute to consider the situation.

“Okay? You really think I can have another person in the house and simply what? Ignore them?” I cocked my head and tried not to glare.

“You’re the one who talked me into letting him stay. That’s my rule. Deal with it.” He went around behind his desk, slouching into his chair, a sulking kid.

Fury ate at me and I stomped my foot. “You’re being ridiculous.”

He stood up and slapped his hands on the desk. “All I want to hear out of you isyes,Husband,I’ll do whatever you say,Husband. And then later, I want you ass up on our bed. Learn your role in this house.”

I flopped my hands against my sides and laughed, absolutely shocked at this turn in his attitude. “What the hell, Matt?”

His lips drew away from his teeth in a grimace. “Why do you want him to stay?”

My gut became a stone at his awful tone. “So you can have your family. Not all of us are so lucky! You need to figure this out!”

He stomped around his desk and dragged me against his front. I thought maybe he was going to apologize, but he covered my mouth with his in a brutal kiss. It was good—kissing Matt was always wonderful—but he was stiff when I caressed his chest, and there was a strange gleam in his eyes when he leaned back to stare down into my face.

“You’re sure that’s the only reason you want him here?” he asked, top lip curled.

My stomach vanished completely and my heart nearly stopped. I couldn’t stand the way he was looking at me. Cold. Dead. Almost worse than when he’d first put me on my knees for him.

I shoved out of his arms and blind fury powered through me. “I’ve never once given you a reason not to trust me. I was trying to do a good thing here.”

He crossed his arms and tilted his head back, glaring down his nose like he was suspicious.

“You know what? You can go fuck yourself.” I’dneversworn at him, but I was livid. I whirled around and stalked away, then kept right on going. I grabbed my little red purse from where I’d slung it on a half-moon table near the front door, took out my keys, and was already dialing my best friend, Morgan, before Igot into my rose-gold Porsche. I’d never been this mad at Matt—and that was saying something.

3

COLT

Anger thrummed in my veins, a deep vibrating sensation that had my ears pounding as blood rushed through them. I wasn’t only furious at Jackson, who’d welcomed himself into my home without an ounce of remorse for what he’d done—thatwasn’ta shock—but I was also mad at myself for letting fear take over.

I knew Quin,knewhe wouldn’t do what my ex had, yet I’d reacted to that twisted panic anyway. It wasmewho’d driven him into getting in his car and leaving the house.

Growling in fury, I slapped the flat of my palm against the desk. “Motherfucker.”

“He’s pretty.”

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