Page 1 of Fierce-Matt

PROLOGUE

“What the hell?” Matt Kelly said, standing at the bar. His eyes surveyed the room at his brother Ben’s wedding.

The place was overloaded, not just with friends and family but also a ton of coworkers from Fierce, where his brother was the head brewmaster.

But his eyes locked in on the blonde hair of a woman dancing with some dude he didn’t know.

His beer was placed down, he picked it up, tossed cash on the bar for the tip, then strutted toward his brother.

He pivoted and detoured to his sister when he saw Ben surrounded by friends. She’d have the answers he wanted.

“Hey,” Phoebe said. “How come you’re marching around looking annoyed? I thought you’d be on the floor dancing or at least schmoozing with everyone.”

She had him pegged when it came to social gatherings.

“I will,” he said. He nodded his head toward the woman in his view. “Is that Anya?”

Matt knew damn well it was, but learned to hold his cards close to his chest now.

“It is,” Phoebe said. “I’m surprised you recognized her. I had no idea she’d be here.”

“She looks the same to me,” he said, putting his beer to his lips.

Shoulder length hair that was normally straight but had some wave to it. High cheekbones on porcelain skin. Her eyes were light blue. Almost as clear as the spring sky. They’d haunted him for years.

No one ever made his heart pound like his sister’s childhood best friend.

He’d tried but failed many times to feel the same for someone else.

“I guess,” Phoebe said. “She sounds good too. It was so nice to see her. I haven’t talked to her in almost a decade.”

“What?” he asked, confused. “You haven’t?”

He thought they were close. The only reason he never asked was because he didn’t need his sister riding his ass over his behavior anymore.

He’d messed up one too many times when it came to Anya by being an annoying older brother. The last thing he wanted was the girl of his dreams to stop coming over to visit his sister.

That happened when everyone graduated high school anyway.

“No,” Phoebe said. “I went away to college, she stayed here. We just lost track of each other.”

He frowned and took another sip of his beer, his eyes scanning for her again.

Ding, ding, ding. There she was. Some asshole’s hand was on her back as she was spun on the floor to fast-playing music.

The dude was looking at her as if she was the love of his life.

Fuck that.

His expression remained neutral. “Have you talked to her today?” He heard a snort and looked at his sister’s boyfriend sitting at the table. Elias Carlisle. “What?”

“Nothing,” Elias said, not doing a great job hiding his smirk.

“What’s going on?” Phoebe asked, her eyebrows coming together.

Matt shrugged. “I’m only asking you a question. What’s going on with you?” Shit. There was no way out of this unless he turned it into a joke that he was famous for. “Could be Anya thinks you’re snobby now running that satellite office of yours and coming here with you-know-who on your arm.” His eyes exaggeratedly fixed on Phoebe’s boyfriend.

Elias Carlisle was the brother to billionaire West Carlisle. Elias owned Fifth Kid Brewing and was currently working with Fierce on a beer collaboration.