Heart's Duo (Ugly Eternity #4) (3 page)

“Yeah, um, like I said, it’s been a long day.”

An unexpected smile exploded across her face. “Don’t. I’m a big girl, Joss. Don’t make excuses, okay? You don’t owe me anything.” That wasn’t true. The sliver of sanity he held onto was due to her. “I’ll see you when I see you,” she said, walking away. She made it five steps before he snatched up the case and went after her.

“Sophie, hold up. I’m sorry.”

She growled. If he’d been two steps farther behind, he wouldn’t have heard it, but he did. Still, she didn’t look at him as she headed for the door. Even as he fell into step beside her, she didn’t slow or glance in his direction. “Look,” she said, after a moment. “Did I think things would be different after Jamie and Hawke moved away? Yes. I can’t lie and say otherwise, but I don’t need you.” Once they hit the pavement out back and out of earshot of anyone else, she finally paused long enough to meet his gaze. “Do I want you? Yes. Would I love for us to be together and to finally say you’re mine? Yes. But I don’t
need
you, you understand?” Joss nodded, since his throat wouldn’t work. It wasn’t Sophie’s words he couldn’t handle. No one needed him. That was nothing new. It was the pain in Sophie’s eyes. For all the conviction in her tone, her eyes said something different. Perhaps he wasn’t essential to her life, but he was hurting her. Fuck. It was like that was all he knew how to do.

“I just,” he began, but Sophie sliced her hand through the air, cutting him off.

“Please don’t. Nothing has changed. You’ll see me when you see me. Just don’t try to play games with me anymore. It’s exhausting.” Without waiting for his agreement, she walked away. He let it happen. Sophie was one of a kind in a thousand ways, and she deserved better than him. If he was a good man, he’d never call her again. No one had ever accused Joss of being a good person.

* * * * *

Sophie:
Red or black?

Benton:
Is there a reason you’re sending me pictures of shoes?

Sophie:
Because I need to know; red or black?

Benton:
They are both rather pointy.

Sophie:
Men!

*

Benton:
I’ve attached a picture of ties. Turnabout is fair play after all. Green or blue?

Sophie:
In a meeting.

Benton:
Green it is.

*

Benton:
Did you tell Hawke we were texting?

Sophie:
The subject hasn’t come up. Why?

Benton:
Idk. Feels a bit like a secret.

Benton:
Are you no longer speaking with me now?

Sophie:
It does feel like a secret.

Benton:
I’ll leave you alone.

Sophie:
I kind of like it. Like I have something special just for me.

*

Sophie:
Did you decide to stop texting me after all?

Benton:
Sorry. Had a deal go south. Booking ass to fix it.

Sophie:
Superman. You’ve got this
.

Benton:
TY

*

Sophie:
Did everything work out?

Benton:
In a manner of speaking. The band sucks, but the contract is signed.

Sophie:
Bummer
.

*

Benton:
I hate eating alone.

Sophie:
You texted me from your US number. So…

Benton:
I’m in L.A. on business. I hate eating alone.

Sophie:
It’s only 1pm there. Find someone to go to dinner with.

Benton:
I am. Do you like Chinese?

Sophie:
Yes, but I’m in NOLA. That’s not right around the corner.

Benton:
Go to the airport. I’ll make the arrangements.

Sophie:
Seriously?

Benton:
Yes. I’ll see you tonight.

*

Benton:
Hawke says he’s glad we hit it off. Am I to assume I’m no longer a secret?

Sophie:
Yeah … sorry about that
.

Benton:
I’m not.

*

Sophie:
Did you really send me flowers?

Benton:
Yeah … sorry about that
.

Sophie:
I’m not.

*

Sophie:
Hawke says you’re his plus one for Cade’s wedding reception.

Benton:
Looks that way.

Sophie:
So I’ll be seeing you soon.

Benton:
Looks that way.

*

Benton:
Red or black?

Sophie:
?

Benton:
Are you wearing red or black to the reception?

Sophie:
You’ll see
.

*

Benton:
Do you have a plus one?

Sophie:
Nope.

Benton:
Pity.

Sophie:
You’re going with Hawke. You’ll have the hottest date there.

Benton:
True.

*

Sophie:
Is it strange that I miss you even though I never see you?

Benton:
Possibly.

Sophie:
Story of my life. Always the weirdo.

Benton:
I miss you too.

Benton:
Sometimes you feel very far away.

Sophie:
Weirdo.

*

Chapter 2

Cade and Dylan’s wedding reception…

He should’ve never gone looking for a drink. It was the first thought that hit Benton when he spotted the party going on inside the open lounge. Better yet, Benton should’ve never accepted Hawke and Jamie’s invitation to join them in New Orleans for Cade and Dylan’s wedding reception. The Victorian house they were staying in had been converted into a hotel. It was gorgeous and quiet. Dylan’s parents had rented the entire place for the weekend. Benton had hoped he could make it through at least one night knowing Sophie was under the same roof without making a complete ass of himself. It wasn’t to be. Five people crowded the table of an otherwise empty lounge. The room was barely lit. Joss and Sophie were the only ones Benton knew. The rest were faces he’d seen in passing. They were part of a small, local rock band. It seemed they’d been hired to perform for a few of the many formal and informal events planned for the weekend. It had sounded like good fun to Benton when he’d agreed to come. Staring at Sophie now made him realize, it had been a terrible idea.

She wore only panties. Even though her bare breasts were covered by Joss’ arm, and he’d barely glimpsed her before turning away, he already knew the memory of Sophie’s smooth skin would live in his head forever. Mixing that knowledge with their late night texts was a bad, bad thing.

“Benton,” Joss bellowed before he could get away. “Just the man we need. We’re playing a game and could use some fresh blood.” Lovely. Joss was smashed.

“I’m losing,” Sophie said, adding her two cents. In a chair big enough for three, Joss kept an almost nude Sophie cradled against his chest. Benton tried averting his gaze. It was more than obvious Joss wasn’t the only one inebriated. Vodka tainted the air. Several open bottles and a few shot glasses sat on the table between them. The additional three participants were two women and one man who looked beyond fucked up. The man—a red-haired guy with more tattoos than not—was almost as nude as Sophie, but whatever they were playing, Sophie was most certainly losing. The two other women at the table didn’t seem to be missing any clothing. Not that it would’ve mattered. Considering the brown-haired of the two was half in inch away from getting the blond-haired woman off in front of everyone, Benton imagined her clothing wouldn’t last long either, but for a different reason. Her hand was shoved down the front of the woman’s pants. Their mouths hadn’t parted to acknowledge anyone else at the table and he wasn’t keen on breaking things up. Instead, he tried switching his attention between focusing on some point over Sophie’s shoulder and attempting to remember the semi-nude’s name. It seemed the safest thing to do. Damn, the man’s name was right there on the tip of his tongue. It was driving him crazy. More importantly, it was saving his sanity in the face of Joss and Sophie.

Red-haired-too-many-tattoos finally spoke up, setting Benton free. “Finn Villiers.”

Finn!
“Ah, yes. Sorry. It was right there, but I meet so many people.”

“I’m down to having nothing left to lose but my panties,” Sophie said, pointing out the obvious with laughter lacing her words, and forcing Benton’s gaze back her way. “We really need another player.”

No good could come of this. “What’s the game?”

Sophie shrugged, seeming almost oblivious to her state of undress. “We made it up. We each take a turn asking a question. If you answer incorrectly, we all have to take a shot, and you have to choose truth or dare. Of course, that part is obvious, you either have to tell the truth or take a dare.”

It was hard, but Benton managed not to let loose the sigh in his head. This was bad. “Okay.”

Sophie cheered at his agreement. He got an eyeful. Tearing his gaze away, he tried focusing on her face. Damn, he truly had believed he wasn’t staring. There was a chance he’d survive. Maybe. He chose a chair as far away from her possible. She was in Joss’ lap. He sort of wanted to punch the man in his smug face. “It was my turn,” Sophie said, sounding prim in spite of her situation. “Benton, how many times have I been to an amusement park?”

Benton almost groaned. When he shifted through the hundreds of texts they’d shared in his mind, he couldn’t think of a single time that topic had arisen. In for a pound, he said the first thing that came to mind. “Seven.”

“
Anh
! Wrong. Everyone take a shot.” They did. Sophie winced as she tossed back the clear liquid, but she did it. The alcohol helped. His shoulders relaxed. His dick was as hard as steel, but his shoulders, they were good. It was beyond ridiculous to be turned on when he was also furious. “Now. Truth or dare?”

Fuck. He’d forgotten that part. “Truth.”

“Hmmm. Are you an only child?”

“No. My turn. Do I have a brother or a sister?” It wasn’t really fair since she just learned he had a sibling, but it gave her a fifty-fifty shot.

“A sister,” she answered after a moment.

“
Anh!
” Everyone took their shot. The sting of vodka still burned in his throat as he issued his challenge. “Truth or dare?”

Sophie smirked. Her eyes flashed, making him wonder which of them was truly losing in this game. “Dare.”

Benton carefully avoided Joss’s gaze. A part of him wondered if the man would come looking to kill him once he sobered up. All the nights he’d lain awake fantasizing about Sophie came rushing to the surface. He might die tomorrow, but he’d already been slowly dying for a long time now. “Give me your panties.”

A low laugh rumbled from Joss. “You lost them fair and square, Sophie. Hand them over.”

Shifting in his lap, she worked them down her hips. She made him pay for the request. Every exposed inch skin came slowly as if ensuring he was paying attention. There wasn’t a chance in hell of him looking away. Her pussy was waxed smooth. Water filled his mouth. It was one more detail about her to add to his fantasy. She held out the bit of lace. “Your prize.”

While keeping his eyes locked on hers, Benton slipped them in his pocket.

“My turn,” Joss said, breaking the spell. “Benton, how long have I known Hawke?” It was as if they were ensuring there was no way anyone might answer the questions they asked. Benton still tried.

“Six years.”

“
Anh!
Drink up.” They did. After tossing back his shot, Joss swiped Sophie’s bottom lip with his thumb, wiping away a drop of vodka before bringing it to his mouth, licking it away. “Truth or dare?” He held Benton’s stare, openly challenging him. He’d always known they were together—somewhere in the back of his mind, but he hoped it wasn’t true.

“Dare,” Benton answered without hesitation. “I have plenty of clothes on. How bad could it be?”

Joss’ eyes flashed. He seemed almost wicked at that moment. “Kiss Sophie.”

Benton’s heart stopped. If there was a proper response, it escaped him.

“I don’t think he wants to kiss me,” Sophie said sounding sad.

“Oh, he wants it,” Joss assured her. “It’s in his eyes.” They turned matching questioning gazes his way. Benton recognized the truth. He wasn’t alone in his desire. Sophie felt the same. Underneath her taunting gaze was the same hunger, he carried with him on a daily basis. He inched closer, expecting at any time she would stop him or Joss would come to his senses. Sophie’s chest rose as she inhaled deeply, then moved no more. She was holding her breath, he realized with a sense of awe. It gave him the courage needed to close that final gap. With his palms braced on the arms of the chair, he hovered over her. A hair’s breadth from her lips, Benton froze. A devilish smile tugged at his lips.

“I don’t think I will.” He straightened away. A round of loud groans nearly shook the table. The flush of arousal on Sophie’s cheeks made him want to join in. His body hated him a little at the moment.

“Take a shot,” Joss ordered. “You backed out of a dare.”

Holding Sophie’s stare, Benton touched the shot glass to his lips. He allowed the alcohol to linger on his tongue before swallowing it, hoping to burn away the disappointment. The problem was, he couldn’t decide what left him the most discontent—that he’d missed his chance to taste her or that she belonged to someone who would sit there and let it happen. He set the glass aside.

“This has been interesting, but the jump across the pond has left me exhausted. However, I do believe I’ll take one of these,” he said, snagging one of the open bottles. “A nightcap,” he added with a bland smile.

“If you’re skipping out on the rest of the game, can I get my panties back?”

He’d already given up his chance to learn the flavor of her tongue. There was no way he was passing up another lingering glance of her gorgeous body. His gaze slipped over her skin, pausing at all the right places before meeting Sophie’s stare once more. She was turned on. It was obvious to anyone who cared to look. “Sorry, my dear. Those are mine now.” With a final wink, Benton left the debauchery behind, praying with every step he took toward his room he met no one else along the way. There was no way he could hide the erection tenting his pants. Fuck. Sophie would be the death of him. She was with Joss. Of all the men in all the world, it had to be Joss. His feet barely crossed the threshold of his bedroom before his phone buzzed, alerting him of an incoming text.