Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths, #4)(73)

I think she’s charming.

“Well, half ain’t bad. Get that license and you can come work for me, okay?” I’m pretty sure he’s not kidding about that, either, which is great because I’d love to work with Lina.

Turning back to me, Jack says, “I’m heading out, Reese, but thank you for setting this up.” He leans in to add in a low tone, “You’re right. Better than Mrs. Cooke’s church basement.”

I shrug. “It’s the least I could do for my loving stepbrother.”

“Right. Try not to torment him too much tonight.”

“That’s what she’s here for.” I jab my thumb in Lina’s direction.

Shaking his head, Jack walks away, leaving me to face Ben, who quickly reaches out and throws an arm over both Lina and Nicki. “Good to see you two again. Thanks for coming to my party.”

A small part of me spikes with jealousy, wondering if Ben would have tried for one of them had I not been there. There are definite drawbacks to being friends with a male slut who you occasionally mess around with, like that little voice in the back of your head that tells you he’ll probably sleep with your friends too.

“I’m here for him,” Lina corrects a little too sharply, her gray gaze on Mason, who’s standing next to Ben—and, more importantly, to the Twinkie and her friend hanging off him.

“Hi.” Mason wastes no time breaking free of his fawning fans to shift next to Lina, his tone dropping an octave, sounding oddly softer and less robotic. “You made it all right?” He leans in to kiss her cheek.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to them together.

I’m still watching them as Ben grabs my attention, yanking on a dark purple tip of hair. “I like it. And I really like the red dress.” Pulling me into his chest—to an innocent bystander, it could probably pass as a congratulatory hug—he murmurs, “What are you up to?”

“Whatever do you mean?” I ask in mock innocence, the comfort of his arms conflicting with the tension running through my spine, knowing Jared’s going to be here.

I feel the vibration from his chuckle through my entire body. “I know it’s something bad. I’m just not sure if I need to be careful or if you have another victim in mind.”

I reach up and give his nose a gentle flick as I step away, realizing I’m slightly reluctant to do so. If I weren’t on a different mission tonight, I might not want to at all. Ben feels really good.

His face softens as he gazes down at me from his impressive height. “Thank you for arranging this night for me.”

“And Mason,” I remind him.

There’s that playful smile of his. “Who’s kidding who? You did this all for me.”

“Are you going to get all emotional about it?”

“No . . .” A wistful smile touches his lips. “But I wish I could kiss you for being so uncharacteristically nice.”

A tiny knot of guilt is forming in my stomach. But then I remind myself that this is Ben. He doesn’t really care why I did it. “Well, then this could work out in your favor. I may be calling in my fake-boyfriend card tonight.”

His head tips back. “Ah, shit, Reese. You can’t do that to me tonight!”

“I’m doing it. You promised.”

“And you promised you wouldn’t get my ass fired.” He looks around as if to make a point. “Half of the firm is here! Including Jack!”

“Relax. Jack is leaving.”

“Yeah, well, so am I.” I watch him suck back a big gulp of his beer, a spark of panic igniting in me. Ben, leaving? “My buddies are having a little party for me back at my house. You and your friends are more than welcome to come—just keep it to yourselves. I don’t want a bunch of lawyers there.”

Relief immediately pours over me and I realize how much I really want to hang out with Ben tonight, Jared or not. “What about Mason?”

Ben lets out a derisive snort. “I’m not worried about Mace. He knows exactly what I’m about.” His eyes drop to settle on my mouth.

“I didn’t order the full-service fake boyfriend model,” I remind him with a hard poke to his stomach, though I feel my heart speeding up its rhythm. Ben doesn’t even flinch, the thick layer of muscle protecting him.

“That doesn’t mean you’re not gonna get it.” He winks, adding somberly, “Just not here.”

“Well . . .” I feel my teeth slide against each other in thought and catch Twinkie’s casual glance over her shoulder as she pretends not to watch us. “Can you at least not make out with anyone else while you’re here? Or I’ll look like the idiot getting cheated on a second time.” I tack on a soft “Please?” at the end for good measure.

“I was hoping to use Mason as a distraction for Mercy, but your friend here kind of f*cked that all up for me.” After a pause, he murmurs, “Hold on,” and pinches my ribs gently. My eyes trail him as he cuts through the crowd to talk to two attorneys from Litigation who can’t stop looking over our way. I’m guessing they’re focused on the two strippers, because their faces light up when they follow Ben over.

“Uh, Reese?” I hear Nicki call out, a shot of tequila resting against her lips as her eyes stay focused on something across the room. “That thing you forgot to mention?”