“But you weren’t sure,” Ant stated, glowering at him.
“I wasn’t,” Jon admitted stiffly.
Ant laughed, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t fucking believe you. You know the protocol for situations like this.”
Jon suppressed a wince. Of course he had known it: if an agent wasn’t sure of the authenticity of his memories, he wasn’t supposed to compromise his cover identity, just in case. By stubbornly wanting to believe that he wasn’t related to Liam, he had gone against every rule.
“You got it that bad, huh?” Ant said.
You have no idea.
“Look,” Jon said, glancing at the door again. He was itching to go after Liam. “I really didn’t mean for that to happen. Trust me, I felt like a perv in the beginning.”
“You should have. Even with the whole issue of being me aside, he was still in diapers when you presented as an alpha, Jon.”
Grimacing, Jon took a deep breath. “I’m just twelve years older. There are couples with much bigger age differences than us. The point is moot anyway.” He held Anthony’s gaze firmly. “I’m not proud that it happened while I pretended to be you. I’m really not. But it happened, and he’s mine now. That isn’t going to change. I don’t want to fight you, but I won’t let anyone else have him. He’s mine.”
Part of him—the part that had been an intelligence officer for a decade—watched the conversation from afar, analyzing it coldly. He was aware that he was being too aggressive, pumping out alpha pheromones like an animal, but there was little he could do about it. He’d always been terrible at behaving rationally where Liam was concerned, and for the first time in their acquaintance, Ant felt like a threat. He was Liam’s alpha and legal guardian. If Ant chose to make things difficult for them, he could. It raised Jon’s hackles. He’d gotten used to being considered Liam’s alpha, even if for the wrong reasons, and giving up that role wasn’t easy.
“Tone it down,” Ant said, wincing. “I will allow you to marry Liam. It’s not like I have much of a choice—I don’t want Li to hate me. He barely tolerates me as it is.”
Jon frowned. “Really?”
Sighing, Ant nodded. “He tends to avoid me and barely looks me in the eye—though it makes more sense now. I thought he just didn’t like me and that’s why he didn’t allow me to scent-mark him.”
Jon tried to look sympathetic, but judging by the dry look Ant gave him, he largely failed. Sue him; he didn’t want another alpha’s scent on Liam, even if that alpha was Liam’s brother.
Ant laughed. “Seriously, you turn into such a knothead when it comes to Li, it’s fucking hilarious. Never thought it’d happen to you.”
“Yeah, laugh it up,” Jon said dryly, the tension in him easing. He could tell that Ant was no longer angry with him. “I’ll do the laughing when it’s your turn.” He clapped Ant on the shoulder. “Aren’t you going to give me the ‘if you hurt him’ talk?”
Anthony shook his head. “I don’t need to,” he said simply. “Despite the shit you pulled, I still trust you with my life.”
“Thanks,” Jon said quietly. “I didn’t want to lose your friendship.”
“But you were willing to, for Li. It’s reassuring, in a way.” Ant gave a chuckle. “That’s one way I never imagined you becoming my brother. Welcome to the family.”
They returned to the ballroom together, drawing double-takes and curious looks. It wasn’t an unusual reaction: people often mistook them for twins at a distance, which was what had actually given him the idea to assume Anthony’s identity to draw out the culprit.
Jon entered the ballroom ahead of Ant, his eyes scanning the room for Liam’s golden head.
He found him next to Terlaine.
Trying to school his face into something more socially acceptable, Jon headed toward them.
They were speaking very quietly, and Jon caught only the tail end of their conversation as he approached them.
“…very sorry,” Liam was saying softly, looking Terlaine in the eyes. “I’m very grateful for your support and kindness this past week.”
He didn’t like the way Liam was looking at that alpha. Or the fact that he was looking at him at all.
Jon grimaced on the inside. He knew he had to do something about his jealousy. This wasn’t healthy or sustainable, considering how lovely Liam was. If he got jealous over every alpha who approached Liam, he’d end up killing someone.
Jon cleared his throat.
Liam turned his head, and Jon’s irritation was forgotten immediately when Liam’s lovely golden-brown eyes lit up at the sight of him. Fuck, that never got old. It made him feel about ten feet tall. Nothing had ever made him feel that way; the satisfaction he’d derived from the hardest missions he’d successfully completed utterly paled in comparison to just getting one such look from Liam. Jon was amused with himself. He felt like a lovesick boy, not a grown man, but he couldn’t stop feeling it. The way Liam looked at him—with such adoration and need—was as addictive as the way he felt when he looked at Liam.