Heart's Duo (Ugly Eternity #4)

by Charity Parkerson

  “I’m always free.”

  “The way Joss is watching us right now says something different.”

  “He’s working, and you’re a friend. I’m free to do as I please.” Sophie plucked at his tie as she made the claim. She had no idea why. That’s a lie. She wanted to know if a thousand-dollar tie felt differently than a thirty-dollar one.

  “Does that mean you’re not going to force me to eat alone?”

  Sophie shook her head. “I could never do such a thing. The guilt would dog my heels for the rest of my days. I’d wake up in the middle of the night sweating, wondering if you’d choked and I wasn’t there to save you. Or worse … what if you couldn’t reach the pepper?”

  “Exactly so. Shall we go?”

  The laughter Sophie had been biting back burst out at Benton’s serious reaction to her foolery. He didn’t as much as crack a smile. She’d make him laugh if it was the last thing she ever did. The warm palm pressing against the small of her back gently steered her out the door and toward a black SUV. Before they made it to the back door, a driver stepped out and opened it for them. Benton waved her inside.

  “A personal driver?” Sophie asked before the uniform-clad man could slide behind the wheel, catching her surprise.

  “It’s the only way to go,” Benton said, sounding pragmatic rather than haughty, as she’d half expected. “No matter how often I come here, I can’t adjust to this wacky business of driving on the wrong side of the road.”

  Sophie snorted. “You’re the ones who drive on the wrong side of the road. Our side is perfectly reasonable.”

  “Yet, even the people who deliver your post are forced to adjust.” She couldn’t argue with his logic. “Ah. You have no argument for that, do you?”

  “Nobody likes a smartass.” Sophie knew her muttering made her sound childish. She didn’t care.

  “I must disagree once again. In my experience, most people are smartarses to some degree.” Damn. That was true too. “Am I to assume by your silence I’m correct?”

  “Only because you’re sexy and everything sounds reasonable in that yummy accent. Plus, you have a nice ass.”

  Even in the dark, Benton’s eyes shined with laughter. “I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, but, of course, it couldn’t simply be that I’m right.”

  “Naturally,” Sophie agreed, barely holding her laughter in check. The vehicle came to a stop in front of Emma’s, Sophie’s favorite all-night pancake house. She’d been enjoying herself too much to notice they’d already traveled to the opposite end of town. Her shoulders relaxed. Considering Benton had a personal driver, they could’ve been headed anywhere. If they’d ended up somewhere fancy, Sophie would’ve sucked it up, but this was better. “Oh, good. I love this place. I’m buying,” Sophie added, tossing the words over her shoulder as she jumped from the back seat without waiting for the driver. Benton was hot on her heels.

  “Like hell.”

  At his curse, Sophie turned, catching him checking out her ass. It surprised her enough she almost forgot what they were talking about. She walked backward, keeping her eyes locked on his. “You can’t win them all Benny-boy. I let you have the last two. This one is mine. I’m buying.”

  He overtook her, spinning her back toward the door and linking his fingers through hers. “I can and do win in all things. This is no different.”

  A smirk tugged at her lips. “We’ll see.” Little did he know, she knew all the waitresses. The moment they were seated and Sophie found out who would be serving them, she’d send them a quick text and have them charge her account. Ha! Take that one, Mr. Always Wins.

  * * * * *

  As Joss packed up his new guitar, he watched Sophie program Benton’s UK and US phone numbers into her cell. She’d been gone with the man most of the night. Joss could quote the exact minute she’d left Khronos with Benton, and he’d known down to the exact second when they’d returned. Seeing the pair together left him feeling an odd mixture of jealousy, peace, and resignation. While Sophie was always gorgeous, she was breathtaking when she smiled. Benton seemed to be the pied piper of cheer; everyone laughed when the man was near. Joss was the exception. Benton made him feel old, bitter, and exhausted.

  Meeting Sophie had been heaven and hell for Joss. Sometimes, he was tempted to walk away from everything, and then there was Sophie. He could start over somewhere else. He was sure of it until he would see her again. Then he was torn between banging his head against the wall and settling down.

  Benton kissed the back of Sophie’s hand, making her laugh. Joss couldn’t hear what the man was saying, but whatever it was, it caused Sophie to sock him in the arm. A smile tugged at the corners of Joss’ mouth. Maybe he could convince Sophie to start over with him. They could move to a new place, buy a house, have two-point-five kids, and get a dog—the American dream. Sophie snapped her fingers in front of his face, making Joss realize Benton was gone and he’d been staring into space.

  “Are you okay?”

  The concern in her eyes had Joss wondering how long she’d been trying to get his attention. He massaged away the line between her brows with his thumb. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s been a long day. Where did you run off to earlier?”

  She shrugged. “Benton didn’t want to eat alone, so we went over to Emma’s.” A bright smile lit her face. “He thought he could best me and pay for my dinner. I won, of course.” She snickered, and he smiled since he knew she expected it. “Then he tried leaving a fifty-dollar tip when he thought I wasn’t looking. Little does he know, I’d already left the tip, and I just slipped that fifty back in his jacket when he wasn’t looking.” Sophie swiped at her eyes, crowing with laughter. She loved to win. He knew. Her eyes still shined with humor even after she got her laughter under control. “How did the rest of your night go, and how much are you loving this awesome new guitar?” Maddox appeared at their side before Joss could answer.

  “Hey, Sophie.”

  It was amazing how easily Maddox pretended Joss wasn’t there. The man did such a good job of it; at times Joss wondered if he was invisible.

  “Hey, Maddox. You look like hell.” Sophie’s sweet smile said more than her words. It was concern driving her, not the intention to insult.

  “Fantastic. I’m so glad we had this talk. Now I can go drown myself in Jack.”

  Sophie scrubbed her hands through his hair before he could duck out of her reach. “Oh, hush. It’s nothing a little hair gel, some sleep, food, an oxygen bar, possibly a bit of AA, an intervention, a keeper….” It might’ve gone of forever if Maddox’s laughter hadn’t made her pause. “I haven’t heard you make that sound in a long time. Keep that shit up, okay?” Proving she was faster than him in all things, Sophie swooped in and kissed Maddox’s cheek. Joss sort of wanted to put his head between his legs and stave off the building panic attack.

  The longer Maddox stood there pretending Joss didn’t exist, the thinner the air became. Maybe he really didn’t exist any longer. Maddox wrapped his arms around Sophie. The pressure increased in Joss’s chest. Joss looked away. He could disappear. He really could. No one would miss him. It would be so easy.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  It took Joss a second to realize Sophie was speaking to him. Glancing around, he noticed they were finally alone. He still had to clear his throat before he could speak. After all, drowning took work. “Go where?”

  For a full minute, Sophie simply stared at him, either attempting to figure him out or waiting for him to catch up. Either way, he had nothing. “Back to my place,” she finally answered once it became obvious his brain wasn’t functioning properly.

  “Oh.”

  Her features went blank, closing him out. “I guess you forgot about me.”

  He shook his head, scrambling for anything. “It’s not that. I wasn’t expecting Benton to show up. Now I need to head over to the shop and lock this baby up in the safe. This thing is worth more than anything else I own. I’d hate to drag it around town.�
�

  Her expression didn’t change. Even though it was only partially true, Sophie could sniff out a lie from a mile away. A half-truth was still an untruth, and she knew it. He could see it. “All right. Would you like me to go with you? If anyone tries to jump you, I can bust out my mad biting skills until the police arrive.” In spite of the humor in her voice, it was forced. “We could go to your place afterward.”

  “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?”