Page 58 of Candy Hearts
“What?” Benji asked.
“You seem distracted. Are you okay?” William’s burnt-caramel brown eyes were full of concern.
Benji tapped the edge of William’s glasses playfully. “I’m fine.”
And he was. He would be.
He’d milk this secret valentines thing for all it was fucking worth. He was going to keep sneaking kisses and sex and fun until their time was up, and time was going to be up soon. He was going home tomorrow. He’d never be William’s ideal prospective partner, and he wasn’t going to try to be. He was never going totryto be someone’s perfect partner ever again. One day it would be right, and he would be good enough. Today just wasn’t that day.
Chapter Seventeen
Benji spent most of the day with a low-key buzz, which was not a bad state in which to while away one of the worst holidays of the year.
He’d managed to act normal around William, despite not feeling normal at all. He’d finished his Valentine’s Day card (those stupid candy hearts would not stay glued) but had no idea if he’d work up the guts to give it to William.
Now, he had his head in Sasha’s lap. Perry was on her other side, dozing. William, Robin, Manuel, and Avi were playing poker at the kitchen table. Benji had sucked at poker. Wren was painting tiny black hearts onto her nails by the fire.
Wren was drunk, but it wasn’t affecting her nail-art ability. She’d promised Benji she’d do him next. Sasha was also drunk. They were fun drunks—cuddly and giggly and pleasant. Benji tended to get teary-eyed when inebriated (or after he had mind-blowing sex with William, evidently), but his sister was the opposite.
Sasha combed her fingers through Benji’s hair. She was brainstorming sex toy ideas for Lady Robin’s fantasy line—Monster Me—and he was watching the “likes” tick up on the photo he’d posted on Instagram earlier. He already had thirty, which wasn’t that many, but considering he’d started the weekend with zero followers, it was kind of exciting.
“So, baby brother … did my evil plan work?” Sasha asked him out of the blue.
“What evil plan?”
“My evil plan not to tell you that the party had been postponed.”
He frowned and glanced up at her, dropping his phone onto his stomach. He’d decided not to be mad at Sasha for being a forgetful flake. Presents made him very forgiving, and she’d brought him a sex toy and a beautiful silk robe. The robe was silky and the color of blood, and he’d already put the sex toy to good use.
“That was on purpose?” he asked.
She nodded. “Sure was, bub.”
“Why in the world would you do that?” He sat up. Wren turned to watch them while blowing on her fingernails. He narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on?”
Sasha sighed. “I’m drunk. Don’t listen to me. Do you think people would fuck a White Walker dildo? I’m pretty positiveIwould, but that might be the wine.”
“Don’t change the subject, Sasha Holiday! And yes.”
Wren nodded very seriously, but Benji didn’t know if it was in response to Sasha trying to wiggle her way out of a confrontation or the White Walker thing.
“What are you talking about?” Perry asked, waking up at the worst possible moment.
“Nothing,” Sasha said smoothly.
This thing between him and William had been a setup? Was William in on it?
No. William had been too shocked and awkward on Thursday when Benji had arrived.
Dread bloomed in Benji’s gut. He didn’t want to be manipulated into anything. That was exactly what he’d been running away from. He wanted to be in control of his decisions, especially ones about his bleak-ass love life. He didn’t want to fall in love because his nosy sister had pushed a hot, unsuspecting guy in his path.
And he didn’t want William to find out this had been orchestrated. That would be one more knock against Benji. Right up there with his blue-collar job and his lack of interest in murder podcasts!
“Sasha,” Benji bit out. “What the fuck? Your romance-reading boy toy has scrambled your brain.”
“I do prefer boy toy to fiancé. Thank you for remembering that,” Perry said.
“You’re welcome,” Benji said. “Sasha, come with me, please.” He pulled Sasha off the couch and into the entryway for some privacy.
