Scorched (The Frenemy Series Book 4)

by Kate Benson

  I hold his eyes as best I can in my mortified state, but there’s little change in his expression. As badly as I want to run away right now, to go home and wait to be eaten by a stray bear, I know I can’t.

  Because you do scary shit for the people you love.

  And the only thing scarier than standing on a bar singing an eighties classic into a bullhorn while your ass sweats is watching the love of your life walk out on you.

  So, I press on. Somehow, what feels like an eternity later, I make it to the chorus and my humiliation compounds when Mooney offers a ‘ooh ooh’ of support from somewhere in the crowd.

  “Oh, my God,” I manage, shaking my head. “Please don’t.”

  By the time I start the second verse, my face is so hot, I feel like I might pass out. Before I can get past the third line, I watch him look down at his feet and my heart begins to plummet. Fuck. My resolve begins to waver for a split second, and then it happens.

  He starts laughing at me.

  Loudly.

  In the middle of the bar.

  Like a total douchebag.

  But then, he pushes through the crowd until it breaks.

  My heart is still pounding, but as he uses a stool to climb onto the bar beside me, grips the back of my neck and presses his lips to mine, it takes flight.

  I fumble with the bullhorn, eager to pull him closer. He senses my struggle and takes it from me, handing it to Amy without ever taking his lips off mine.

  As I grip the ugliest flannel shirt I’ve ever seen and he lifts me into his arms, I hope he never does.

  epilogue

  three months later

  mason

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” she whispers from beside me. I don’t have to see her to know she’s rolling her eyes. “This is so dumb, baby.”

  “You promised you wouldn’t bitch,” I remind her.

  “Yeah, well you also promised this would be fun,” Evie interjects, raising up on her elbows to face me. “How long do we have to do this?”

  “Get down!” I swat at her, earning a look and a middle finger before she finally complies.

  “I’ve got the kids with a sitter right now, Mason,” she gripes. “Every hour we lay in the middle of the street is costing me like thirty bucks.”

  “Shut up!” I hiss. “Zombies aren’t supposed to talk!”

  “They’re supposed to do more than lie in the middle of the street, aren’t they?” Alex asks, turning to glance over at me in time to see me deadpan. She takes another look at my makeup and smirks through her cringe as she presses a piece of latex back against my cheek. “One of your skin flaps is…” she trails off, making a face. “Look, I’m not trying to be a dick, baby, but are you sure we didn’t get here super early?” she asks, raising up slightly to take a look around before I yank her back down beside me. “Calm down!”

  “What did we talk about in the car?” I ask, earning another middle finger.

  “The girls are right, man,” Dash says from my right. “I mean, I get this is a bucket list thing and I’m here for it, but this is pretty fuckin’ lame,” he admits. “The only other people here are either twelve or so old, they’re about to actually be zombies.”

  “Like forty more people just showed up,” I tell him, rolling my eyes. “You guys used to be so much cooler than this.”

  “We also used to fuckin’ sleep, man,” Dash chuckles. “If we lay here much longer, Evie and me are gonna pass out.”

  “Ugh,” Evie groans. “I think I have to pee again.”

  “No one is moving!” I hiss, ignoring their mumbled threats. “It’s bad enough you didn’t even put all your makeup on.”

  “We came here straight from work,” Evie reminds me. “And I only have like three things that fit me right now. What the hell was I supposed to do?”

  “Mason, honey, I’m having a great time,” my mom says from behind us, making me smile. “It’s not every day I get to lie down and look at the clouds.”

  “Thank you, Mom,” I say, loud enough for the others to hear the inflection, but not derail my work. “See? Some people appreciate my efforts.”

  “Yeah, your Mommy,” Dash snorts, making the others laugh, including my only ally.

  “Nerd,” Evie giggles, compounding their laughter.

  I’m about to reply when the low thrum of bass begins to fill the air, shutting all of us up instantly.

  “It’s happening,” I whisper, pulling a low laugh from Alex on my left as I take her hand in mine and squeeze it hard with my excitement. “Dude, we’re really fuckin’ doing it!”

  “Who’s gonna help Mom up?” Evie asks, her voice low as she gently rubs her belly.

  “Maybe if you’d stop getting knocked up, you could do it,” I snort, earning a loud laugh from Alex that she covers quickly with her hand.

  “Sorry, babe,” she whispers. “Good burn.”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t bad,” Dash chuckles, kissing the side of Evie’s head. “I’ll help her, princess.”

  “Get ready to twitch, bitches,” I whisper again, my excitement palpable. “It’s getting close to motherfuckin’ midni-”

  “Language!” Mom hisses, cutting me short.

  Alex laughs harder, this time, hiding her face into my shoulder to quiet her giggles and I glance down to meet her eyes, beaming.

  “It’s time to get up. You ready?” I whisper, watching her nod and I press my lips to hers. “Thanks for doing this with me.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replies, both of us smiling wider as we slowly begin to rise together, our shoulders beginning to twitch as we move in the familiar stiff, choreographed movements. “We do mine next, right?”

  “Paris?” I laugh, eyes widening when she nods, slowly moving with me, her head snapping just right, and my chest fills with pride. “You’re gonna have to do some pretty fancy twerkin’ for Paris, baby.”

  “I did a hell of a lot worse to get rid of that shirt,” she winks, glancing down at the destroyed flannel I’m wearing as we begin to move in stiff, practiced movements. “If a little twerking is all it takes for you to take me to Paris? Done..”

  Before I can reply, her arms stretch out and she drops an inch, her hips thrusting in time with the beat before she hits each and every move just right, pulling a loud wail of laughter from my chest.

  “Twitch bitches!” she calls out to the others as she claps. “Mama’s going to Paris!”

  As she lifts her arms and swings them from side to side over her head, my chest fills to capacity and I reach for one and spin her toward my chest, pressing my lips to hers. There’s movement all around us, the low sound of people dressed like corpses – the four in my immediate vicinity among my favorite – dancing all around us, but right now, I can’t take my eyes off her.

  God, I think I’d take this gorgeous little asshole anywhere.

  “You look so gross,” she laughs against my lips, peeling a loose piece of latex away from my mouth. She starts to pull away and I hold her firm, putting a warm smile to her lips. “Baby, you’re missing your dance.”

  “Nah,” I shake my head, holding her gaze with mine. “I’m not missing anything.”

  *

  Never miss a climax.

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  If you’re new to the series and would like more from Dash and Evie, their story can be found in the first three installments of The Frenemy Series, available now on Amazon.

  about the author

  Kate Benson was raised in Texas and currently resides in central Florida with her husband and their fur-boy, Boomer. She learned to read at the age of four and has been hooked ever since.

  She credits her passion for literature to her mother, her love of story-telling to her father and her unwavering faith in happily-ever-after’s to her husband, Sean.

  Some of her favorite things include rainy days, loud music, superhero movies, sweet tea and of course, lazy afternoons
with a great book.

  To find out more about Kate, her work or to just say hello, she loves hearing from her readers and can be found on social media.

  To be sure you never miss a release or announcement, join her readers group on Facebook, Benson’s Book Babes and sign up for her newsletter!

  acknowledgments

  I think sometimes that my characters know a whole lot more about me than I ever will about them.

  When I finished Fallen, I was overjoyed, elated and lowkey devastated. I’d known since the release of Frigid that Mason was going to have his own book – there’s just too much talking coming out of the boy for him not to – but I really thought his story was going to come later. Much later. The thought of not having these people in my life on a daily basis, even for that year, hurt my soul. I love all my characters, but there’s always been something special about these little meanies that reached into the darker spots on my heart and squeezed just a little bit differently than any others ever have.

  And then Mason said he was ready and helped me steal another couple of months away with all of them.

  Maybe I should’ve titled this one Stolen – book four in The Frenemy Series, but that wouldn’t have fit.

  I guess I’ll just keep calling myself lucky.

  Thank you to God, my mama and my daddy. Not a single line out of any of these books would have ever come without any of them.

  Thank you to my husband for loving those little mean girl parts of my heart just as much as all the others. I love your mean girl parts, too, baby.

  Always the most massive of thanks to Heather and Charlie. I don’t know what I did in a past life to deserve friends like you, but if the higher ups find out, I’m keeping you anyway. I love you.

  To Amy, my delicate little potato chip. We’ve taken a lot of pretty fantastic little journeys together in the past few years, but this might just be my favorite one. Thank you for playing such a special part in this story. Thank you for playing such a special part in mine.

  I love you.

  My book four binging buddies, Charlie and Nikki – thank you so much for your extra love this round! This one just wouldn’t have happened without you!

  To Angie Boomtastic Tucker, who loves me more than all those other bitches. I love you more than them bitches, too, babe.

  Special thanks to Brandi, Kathy and Michelle. You rock and I love you.

  My readers – every single one of you. There are a million books you could be reading, and by some miracle, you’ve chosen mine. The love and gratitude I have for you is limitless.

  For Freddie and Leona for changing my life. To George and Fine Young Cannibals for helping me dance my way through it.

  And last, but never least, my characters. You’re one of the pieces of me I’ll always love the most. Thanks for trusting me. Especially my sweet girl. And for the record, Mase, I agree with you. It’s absolutely as cool as a trip to Paris. Love you.

  Until next time…

  Kate