Page 3 of His Lovebug

Jaw tight, I glared. “Jackson.”

Jackson grinned, blasting me with a winning smile that charmed most people. “Hey, big brother. Care to invite me in?”

2

QUINCY “QUIN” KISKADDEN

The Heartbreaker Red lipstick glided easily across my mouth. It had taken me a minute to clean up the mess Matt had created when he’d mauled me earlier, but I gave myself a smile and the red popped against my even, white teeth. I took the time to unravel my bun and pull a brush through my hair—it reached the top of my butt now. The final touch was a spritz of perfume. After stepping into my shoes, I twirled and headed off downstairs.

It wasn’t exactly convenient that someone had interrupted us, but as often as Mattmanhandledme when he was home, it was bound to happen eventually. I chuckled and hustled down the hall because Matt loved it when I played the perfect housewife, bringing guests carefully mixed drinks and homemade snacks, but my good mood evaporated as shouting brought me to a standstill.

“You piece of shit. I can’t believe you have the balls to ask me that!” Matt’s voice was a roar, and I rushed down the steps, gasping when he came into view. He had a man who was almost his size backed up against the front door, and I swallowed hardat the way he had the stranger’s shirt gripped in both hands. His muscles bulged as he gave the man a violent shake. If the stranger had been any smaller, the move would’ve probably knocked him out.

“Matt!” I shouted, but he didn’t look over his shoulder at me, his attention riveted to the man in front of him. It occurred to me all at once that this person could be someone dangerous, and I came to a halt as soon as my red heels hit the floor, hand still lingering on the staircase railing.

“Please. You know I wouldn’t have come here, but my savings ran dry.” The man tried giving Matt a wholesome grin, despite the way Matt still snarled in his face. “I had to sell the house to pay off my credit cards. I even had to sell my car and buy that piece of junk sitting out front. I won’t be any trouble. I just need to get back on my feet. Getting fired was completely unexpected. You’re my only hope of getting this shit under control.”

I inched forward.What in the world is going on?I didn’t know the stranger. I assumed he must be a good friend or family to come to Matt with a request like this, but if he was someone Matt cared about, why was he being treated as an enemy?

“Matt?” I tried again softly. If I had the situation all wrong, I didn’t want to distract him and get him hurt.

“Meet my brother,” he snapped over his shoulder. Instead of moving to let the man in the house, he jerked him to the side, then yanked open the door and shoved him out.

“Your brother?”

The man’s arms pinwheeled, but he still went down on his ass. He hissed and scooted away from Matt as if he was worried he might get kicked in the face, and with the way Matt tensed, maybe he’d been correct in his assumption. The stranger was handsome, and the more I looked at him, the more I was certain he really was related to Matt.

The man’s attention landed on me as I came up behind Matt, and he smiled. “Well, hello, beautiful.”

Matt growled and slammed the door shut. Thecrackof the wood meeting the frame hurt my ears, and I held up my hands as he stood there breathing deep. When I tried to take his hand, he ripped it away from me, which hurt my feelings, but he shook his head and took my hand in both of his, bringing it up to kiss my engagement ring.

Matt grunted. “That asshole. He’s the one . . . .”

A memory popped into my head, and I groaned. “He’s the brother who slept with?—”

“Bethany. Yes.” Matt glared at the door. His anger didn’t do anything to make him less attractive. His brown eyes were mesmerizing no matter what he was feeling, and even now my fingers itched to comb through his thick brown beard. His lips twitched. “My brother ended my last marriage. Don’t get me wrong. She was the problem as much as him, but any brother who can do something like that?” He shook his head and his nostrils flared.

Oh, this is bad news. Yikes.If the man outside wasn’t related to Matt, he might’ve found a permanent home in the ground.

Guilt churned in my stomach. I still wasn’t over the shooting—I had trouble thinking of it as an accident. Could I stand by and let another life be ruined because of something I was complicit in?

Clearing my throat, I put a hand on Matt’s arm. “He’s your family, though, right? I.... We all know he didn’t operate in a vacuum. And he’s here. Alive. Maybe you want to put things right with him?”

Matt glowered at me in a way I hadn’t seen since we’d first gotten together, and it chilled me a bit, but he was still holding me close. I slipped a hand up to trace the tattoo on his neck, but it didn’t calm him.

“My brother took something that wasn’t his. He stole from me.”

My stomach began to ache with tension. “I get it, but.... He seems as if he needs help. You could be man enough to give it to him and let bygones be.... Well, you could put the past behind you. Show him how to be a better man.”

“Then, he should’ve acted right,” Matt shouted at the door, and I flinched.

“Listen, if you hadn’t helped me, who knows where I would be right now? What awful things might be happening to me? Did you know my mom wanted me to leave and go off and find a man who made more cash than you?”

Matt swung all his attention to my face and his cheeks flushed red. “I’m glad she’s in her grave.”

Closing my eyes, I fought back a couple of tears. “This is your brother. He’s alive. Fix it. I wish I could’ve had a way to fix things.”

Matt’s lips twisted into a terrible scowl and he glared at the floor. Seconds ticked by. He yanked open the door, and the man was on his feet, brushing off his clothing.

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