Heart's Duo (Ugly Eternity #4) (2 page)

“Sweet,” Joss said, heading for the stage without a backward glance.

A wry voice cut through the air, snagging Benton’s attention. “So you don’t intend to say hi or anything.”

Spinning, Benton found Maddox seated on a stool behind him. He could’ve been there the whole time for all Benton knew. It was unnerving. The guy looked like shit. The bright eyes, which were usually filled with good humor and intelligence, were dimmed by alcohol and dark circles.

“Maddox,” Benton said for lack of anything more.

One corner of Maddox’s mouth lifted. “Come on, Benton. You can do better than that. I saw that flash of hatred when you realized it was me. You can let it fly. Now’s your chance.”

For a moment, Benton considered it. Maddox deserved it. Hawke had loved this man, and he’d destroyed him for it. Loyalty made Benton want to rip the man to shreds. He wasn’t worth it. Hawke would never forgive Benton if he did. On the other hand, he couldn’t remain totally silent. If there was any chance Maddox didn’t fully grasp the ramifications of his actions, it was Benton’s duty to shine the light on each one. Leaning into the bar, Benton set his elbow on top and gave Maddox his full attention. He flashed him a fake smile.

“Look, I’ve been to every corner of the world, meeting every possible personality and side of the spectrum. There’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I could cut you off at the knees. Hell, with my money, I can probably afford to get away with at least one murder, but do you know what all that travel, interaction with different people, and life experience has taught me?”

Maddox’s eyebrows lifted, but he didn’t take the bait. Since Benton hadn’t expected him to, he continued without encouragement. “There’s no one else on the planet like Hawke. Not a single one,” he said, rubbing it in. “Truly. He’s an original. His heart is ten times the size of everyone else’s. There’s nothing he won’t do for others, even at the expense of his own happiness. You lost that—threw it away, actually. There is nothing crueler that I can say to you than to remind you of that single truth. You will never again own the most beautiful soul in the world, and it’s all on you.”

Maddox didn’t flinch nor did he show an ounce of emotion until he spoke. His voice came out sounding tight. “I never had him.”

Maddox turned away, heading for the stage. As far as arguments went, it was a powerful one. Admittedly, it was also one he’d never considered. The pair had danced around one another for months before—finally—ending up together. Perhaps, by that time, it had already been too late for Maddox. Hawke’s heart belonged to Jamie. Benton wouldn’t be surprised if it was the truth. Hawke was loyal. He would’ve stayed with Maddox because that was the path his life was set upon. There was also the way Hawke had fought to make Jaime’s dreams come true to consider. Yes. Maddox’s argument was a powerful one indeed. Hawke had never been Maddox’s to lose.

*

Benton watched Maddox heading for the stage with calculating eyes. Sophie could’ve walked away at any time, ignoring the pair’s conversation, but no. She’d shamelessly eavesdropped on every word. Hawke was her brother, after all. Of course, it all turned out to be pointless since she learned nothing she hadn’t already known. There was something about Benton that held her in place. Even when Maddox claimed the mic, Benton didn’t seem to as much as blink. The offer rose to her lips before she had time to consider the ramifications.

“Dance with me.” Sophie held her breath, hoping. She’d met Benton a few times over the years, but he was Hawke’s best friend. If he held any particular opinion of her at all, he didn’t show it. His position at Guillotine Records kept him on top of his poker face, or perhaps he was successful because it came naturally. Either way, he could hate her or love her, but Sophie couldn’t tell. When he smiled, the way he did now, his amber-colored eyes smiled too. She liked it. That’s probably why she couldn’t walk away and leave the man in peace.

“Uh. No. I think I’ll pass.”

“Awww, come on,” Sophie pled, lightly slugging him in the arm. “Just one dance, and I promise I’ll let you leave.”

Benton’s gaze swept the room, landing on the stage for a moment before returning to her. “If there’s anything I’m worse at than playing an instrument, it’s singing. If there’s anything worse than singing, it’s dancing.”

“Have a drink with me then.” She couldn’t stop. There had to be something about him. Hawke and Jamie moved their life to another country to be closer to him. As far as Sophie could tell, he was somewhat bland. Occasionally she caught a flash of some unnamed emotion crossing his features. He had layers. She was intrigued. Not to mention, he had a nice ass. She’d copped a feel and wasn’t sorry.

“I’d rather not.”

It was direct. She had to give him that. Clasping her hands behind her back, Sophie pasted on a fake smile. There were two types of people in the world: those who loved her and those who hated her. Rarely did anyone fall in between. It seemed Benton wasn’t a fan. Considering his obvious dislike of Joss, she shouldn’t have been surprised. “Okay, well, send Hawke and Jamie my love, and it was nice seeing you.”

“I don’t like to eat alone.”

“Does anyone?” Sophie asked, trying to keep up. She’d been set to make her escape. Now, she didn’t know how to react. A genuine smile lit his face. It was wicked and devastating. Sophie held her breath. Whatever he was thinking, she couldn’t wait to hear it.

“In some cases, I’m certain they do.” His voice turned seductive. She wasn’t entirely sure they were still discussing the same thing. Either way, she wasn’t ready to stop. “Nonetheless, I’d intended to find a restaurant before bed. Would you care to join me?” She cast a quick glance toward the stage. Joss still had several hours left in his night. Plus, they weren’t serious, and it was Benton. He was an extension of her brother. Possibly. If anyone asked, she would go with that. Benton moved closer, drawing her focus back to him. “That is, if you’re free.”

“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.”