Page 59 of Wedlocked

“You think that’s funny?” Arsen asked, and, bro, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up a little. He shifted, leaning in farther.

“Arsen,” Prism said somewhere behind him.

“Because I promise you there is not a single cell in my entire body laughing right now. I accept you as Matthew’s brother. Hell, even mine. But he willneverhave your name. The only name Matthew will be wearing is mine.” The muscles in his jaw shifted, and I swear I heard his teeth grind. Unclenching, he asked. “You understand me?”

“I understand that if I looked up territorial asshole in the dictionary, your picture would be there.”

“Your dictionarywouldhave pictures.”

Burn.

“What the fuck?” Prism spat, pushing between us. “Seriously, you guys? I thought you got this shit out of your system months ago.”

“That was before he started trying to put his name on you,” Arsen said. “Even I have limits.”

Prism spun to look at his man. “Bear?”

Arsen’s face softened, his gaze bouncing between Prism’s eyes. “I’m not mad at you, princess. But this is a no for me.”

“I’m not taking his name,” Prism promised and turned back to me.

I opened my mouth to ask if he was sure, and he cut me a warning look. I pressed my lips together and then sighed. “Listen, I wasn’t trying to piss anyone off. I was just trying to show you that I’ll always be your family and that, even when me and Jess get wedlocked, it won’t change.”

“What’s going to change?” Jess asked, coming into the kitchen.

The second she saw the three of us standing there with P pressed in the middle, she stopped in her tracks, chocolate eyes narrowing. “What’s going on?”

“Kruger is trying to marry Matthew,” Arsen deadpanned.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! I am not.”

Jess’s nose wrinkled. “What?”

Prism glanced around at Jess. “I was just a little worried that you two getting married might change things,” he said. “Then these two started in on each other.”

Jess sighed dramatically and walked over to her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Nothing is going to change. You’ll always be my brother.”

Prism wrapped his arms around her, hugging back.

Pulling away, she grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. “Okay?”

He nodded.

She patted his cheek and stepped back, glancing at my phone and laptop. “What’s going on over here?” she asked, putting her snoop face on.

I slammed the laptop shut. “Nothing,” I said, giving Arsen and Prism a look. This honeymoon was a surprise. She wasn’t gonna know about it until my ring was on her finger. If I told her now, she’d just fuss about how it cost too much.

I forbid it. She was getting a nice honeymoon, and that was final.

“You want some coffee, sweetheart?” I asked her. “I’ll get you some.” I went to the kitchen to pour a cup.

While I was over there, Arsen pulled Prism into his lap, and my cell phone binged with a new message.

“Coffee for the most gorgeous bride in the history of brides,” I said, handing over the white mug and kissing Jess on the forehead. I might be corny, but she loved it, and the giggle she let out was proof.

I was smiling when I snatched my phone up to check the message.

The smile disappeared.

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