Harris’ confusion was palpable and I shook my head at Matt.

“DuMont-Bradley,” I reminded my husband as I took my place under the crook of his arm.

“Pardon?” Harris’ eyes went wide and round as saucers. His mouth remained open, in shock perhaps?

“Harris, I’d like you to meet my wife,” Matt took great enjoyment from doing his introduction. “But it seems you two have already met.”

“Your what?” Harris was definitely shocked. “Wife? You got married? Toher?”

What the- why did he have to say it like that? The volume of solidarity I felt took a dip.

“Yes,” Matt was obviously a merry state of drunk. The immediate tension I would have expected from him at Harris’ outburst never came. “A little over a month now we’ve been married.”

Harris rubbed his temple, then said, “Well congratulations. This is – I never pegged you as one to get married.”

Matt laughed and gave me another one of his sultry looks. “Things change as we get older.”

“Congratulations.” Harris repeated, regarding my husband and I as if we were pod people.

Matt turned his attention back to Harris, a devious gleam to his eyes as he gripped my hip. “Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Were you flirting with my wife, Harris?”

“What? No!” My exclamation came hard and fast. Harris’ denial followed mine immediately and the volume of solidarity rose up once more.

“Come off it,” Matt chuckled. “I know you, Harris, you can’t fool me. The question is: wassheflirting back with you?” Matt leaned away, mock suspicion on his face.

“Matt,” I started, a touch alarmed. He was just teasing, wasn’t he?

“She wasn’t,” Harris came to the rescue with a smirk. “Flashed her rings a few times, warning me off I daresay.”

Damn. I thought I had been subtle with my poontang blocker.

“That’s my girl.” Matt crooned before kissing my forehead.

Harris laughed in delight before thumping Matt across the back. “Congrats, she’s lovely.”

Hmph. Why was Harris acting as if Matt deserved the praise? He didn’t make me lovely. I was lovely because I was me. Stupid men.

“Listen, if you’re ever in Dubai, give me a call and we’ll arrange to meet up,” Harris shook Matt’s hand again then winked at me. “A pleasure meeting you.”

Matt cleared his throat in a very pointed manner and I had to laugh.

“It was a pleasure meeting you too.” I replied.

This time it sounded as if Matt was coughing up a lung, so loudly had he cleared his throat.

“Behave,” I murmured as Harris gave us a wave and sauntered off. Mhmm, he was fine, nothing wrong with acknowledging a prime specimen of blackness.

“I leave you alone for ten minutes and you’re already capturing hearts.” Matt berated me with a playfulness that elicited warm and fuzzy feelings inside the pit of my stomach.

“Uh, more like forty minutes and how much have you had to drink, mister?”

Shrugging with a fluid nonchalance, Matt fingered my necklace then let his touch drift lower. “A bit.”

More like a lot, I thought to myself but refrained from saying it.Instead I asked, “So are you and Harris good friends? Where do you know him from?” I was curious, nothing wrong with that.

“Good friends? No, Nathan knows him better than I do,” Matt said. “We have some mutual acquaintances and before he was based in Dubai, we sometimes socialized within the same group.” Matt peered at me. “Why?”

I shook my head. “No reason. You just seemed quite friendly.”