Page 5 of Wedlocked

Laughing, she reached for my hand, and our fingers threaded together. After scooping her bag off the sidewalk, we started toward the car.

Tugging her closer, I leaned in to speak quietly in her ear. “If P wasn’t in the car, I’d throw you in the backseat and show you just how delicious I think you are.”

“Oh, Matty’s here?” she said, quickening her steps.

I towed her back. “Woman, I just offered to give you the ride of your life in the back of my sports car, and you ask about your brother?”

Her smile was brilliant and made my heart skip. “Every ride with you is the ride of my life.” She tried to sweet-talk me. Then for added measure, she tacked on a saccharine, “Benji.”

It worked. Hell, she was so sweet I probably had diabetes. Hitching my chin, I said, “Give me another one.”

She spun, putting her back to everything but me, and bounced forward to lay her lips on mine. Then she did it again. “I love you.”

Ugh, those three words were magic. It didn’t matter how many times she told me. Every time was like the first.

“I love you too, baby.”

Prism slid out of the passenger side, and Jess rushed ahead to pull him into a hug. “Matty! How is it we live together and I haven’t seen you for two days?”

“End of the semester is always a busy time,” he answered, returning the hug.

“Let me look at you,” she said, pulling away to grab his face to study it as if he’d changed drastically in the last forty-eight hours. “Is that Arsen’s shirt?” she asked, pinching the front of the raglan Balmain shirt he was wearing.

“Is that Ben’s shirt?” he countered.

Laughing, she nodded. “We know what we like.”

She started for the door, but P tugged her back around. Her eyes were questioning when she looked at him.

“How you doing, sis?” he asked. “You happy?”

Pausing midstep, I shot my stare to the pair.

A surprised sound slipped from her lips, and she pushed at her windswept hair. “What?”

It wasn’t often that Prism just outright asked stuff like that. He was more of an observe-and-draw-conclusions type of bro. Considering the conversation we’d just had on the way, I knew he was asking this for my benefit.

“Don’t I look happy?” Jess asked.

“You do,” Prism confirmed. “But sometimes a brother needs to ask these things,” he explained, then tilted his head. “Tell me the truth.”

I wanted to interrupt and tell him I could ask her myself. I mean, she wasmygirl. But my lips stayed sealed. Once again, I found myself realizing P likely saw things I didn’t want to admit to myself. Like the fact that Icouldask Jess but was afraid to.

Bro, I am too young to be having a midlife crisis. I’m not a chicken shit either.

“You’re so sweet, Matty,” Jess mused. “Of course I’m happy. Never been happier. How could I not be when I have a brotherlike youandthe best fiancé to ever fiancé?” As she spoke, her eyes found mine and she smiled.

My heart tumbled and squeezed at the same time. The sensation was so contradictory that I clutched my chest.

“Ben?” Jess’s concern was instant, and she left Prism’s side to be at mine. Her hand was gentle when it slid around my waist to anchor at the small of my back. “Are you okay?”

I kissed her. Snatched her right off her feet and slipped my tongue right between her lips. Fuck, I was starved for her. I could not get enough.

When I finally lifted my head, her lips were plump and deep pink and my voice was raspy. “I’m all right, baby girl. Just needed some mouth-to-mouth.”

“Well, now I need some indigestion medicine because that was graphic,” Prism lamented nearby.

I made a rude sound. “Tell that to Arsen who walks around with his pierced nips out, tattoos on display, and hands all over your unmentionables all the time.”

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