Kiss and Makeup (9 page)

“Take a seat! I wanted to finish the conversation we started before the wedding photos. How old did you say you were again, Benjamin?”

Ben held out Chloe's chair before taking his seat beside Fiona.

“Thirty, ma'am.”

“Thirty. That's very young to be up for such a big promotion. Chloe's twenty-six and has yet to settle on a career path. It's nice to see her with someone who's so focused.”

Chloe's mother flashed him a beaming smile that was usually reserved for the benefactors of her charities—and for sharks circling bleeding disaster victims treading water miles from shore. Chloe could feel a tiny drop of fear trickling along the back of her neck, heading for her spine.

Fiona Masterson was about to try and talk Ben into making a down payment on her eldest daughter. Upgrading from boyfriend to fiancé.

Chloe could not have been more relieved when the emcee just then took the stage to announce the arrival of the happy couple.

Amidst the applause and catcalls as Mr. and Mrs. Van Allen made their way toward the head table, Ben slung his arm across the back of her chair and leaned toward her. His breath was warm on her ear and, combined with the champagne bubbling in her empty stomach, made her feel a bit woozy in the best possible way.

“I have no idea what your problem is with your parents. They seem nice.”

Chloe laughed at the devilish glint in his eye. He was teasing her. “Of course they seem nice to you! They love you!”

Ben's modest grin let her know she'd reacted appropriately to his bait. “Well, I do give good parent.”

“You sure do. My mom was practically swooning and my dad stayed off his phone for almost four minutes. That's a new record,
Tim
. Which reminds me...not to brag or anything, but I totally nailed you.”

Ben cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, you did. And I liked it, so if you want to do it again later, I'm in.”

“Gross! No!” She punched him in the arm. “I meant I nailed
your job
. I guessed right on the plane. You're in advertising.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“
Ugh
. No law references around my parents, please.”

Ben leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

She tried not to blush. “What was that for?”

He shrugged. “Because you're doing great. And because I get it.”

“Get what?”

“I get why you didn't want to come here. I think a hundred people have made the same joke at your expense by now. But they don't understand that what you did took guts. The thought of quitting my job makes me nauseous, even though I occasionally feel like it's stifling me. Like it's not what I'm supposed to be doing.”

Chloe leaned forward and kissed him back.

“What was that for?”

“Because sometimes, Masterson, you're really good at knowing exactly what to say.”

* * *

B
Y
THE
TIME
they'd eaten, listened to lame wedding speeches, and witnessed every conceivable variation of fathers and brides, mothers and grooms, and bridesmaids and groomsmen sway together to sentimental pop drivel, Chloe was actually enjoying herself. Most everyone with a runaway-bride comment had delivered their joke, and people were finally focusing more on the party than on her past.

And Ben had been an amazing wingman, guiding her through the night with very little damage. Plus, he was pretty freakin' cute. And so good in bed. Like, really, really good, she decided as she watched him fend off the advances of one of her cousins on his way back from the bathroom.

“Your cousin Amber says hi.” He folded himself into the chair beside her.

“Yeah, right.” She glanced over to where her cousin stood, her eyes still glued to Ben. Not that Chloe blamed her. Ben had loosened his tie and popped the top button on his shirt, so he was looking pretty damn sexy right now. Chloe raised a hand to her cousin and wiggled her fingers in a wave that earned her a glare before Amber stomped off to try her luck with some other target.

“Excuse me. Can I have your attention please?” Her sister's fiancé, no,
husband
, Chloe reminded herself, had grabbed the DJ's mic and a hush settled over the crowd. “Hey, everyone! Are you guys enjoying the party?”

Applause and catcalls answered the question.

“Before we hand this dance over to DJ Spinnicus,” more applause and catcalls from the younger attendees, “I wanted to take a second to tell my beautiful bride how much I love her, and how glad I am that our lovely mothers, who sit on the Children's Hospital board together, set us up on that blind date, because I can't imagine my life without her.”

Cue the obligatory romantic “awwwww” from the crowd.

“And I also want to wish her a very happy birthday! So to honor what has become a bit of a Masterson family tradition—”

“Oh no.” Chloe shook her head.

“—I thought you might all help me serenade the birthday girl on her wedding day. You know the words!”

“Nuh-uh. This can't be happening.”

“What? What's happening?” Ben asked.

A familiar riff filled the ballroom, and the wedding guests went crazy as the screen behind Dalton lit up with a slideshow of the happy couple, and everyone began singing along.

“No way!” Ben exclaimed, but she was already laughing at herself, at the situation, at the expression of incredulity on Ben's face. “Is
this
why you hate the song?” He laughed, shaking his head. “You're jealous of your sister? Pathetic, Masterson. I expected better of you.”

“You were never, ever supposed to know about this,” she gasped through her giggles. Her crying sister ran up onstage to kiss Dalton, who was manfully belting his way through the lyrics with no attention to whether he was in tune. Chloe would never admit it aloud, but it was all kind of sweet and romantic.

Ben drained his beer, and placed the bottle on the table with a
thunk
that she could hear even over the sing-a-long.

“Come on,” he said, standing and holding out his hand to her.

“Are we leaving?” she asked, wiping her eyes, hoping that her tears of laughter hadn't tracked mascara down her cheeks. She grabbed his hand and he yanked her to her feet.

“Oh, hell no! We're going to dance, Masterson.” She yelped as Ben twirled her, startling another peal of laughter from her before he tugged her onto the dance floor.

“You need to get over yourself and respect the man, nay, the
legend
, that is Neil Diamond,” he lectured, pulling her into his arms just in time to sing-shout “ba ba baaa” before spinning her away again.

By the time the song was over, not only had Chloe joined in for a couple of “ba ba baaas” and some “so goods,” but she had a new appreciation for Caroline—both the song and her sister. Neil Diamond, she decided, wasn't half bad. And neither was Ben.

He leaned in but he still had to yell over the applause. “You want some water?”

“Yes, please!”

“I'll meet you back at the table,” he said, heading through the throng of dancing guests toward the closest bar.

Chloe headed in the opposite direction, wiping her brow. She was having fun, she realized as she flopped into her chair.

“I thought you hated this song.”

The familiar voice was a punch in the gut, and her good mood soured a little. “Patrick.”

He plunked himself down in the chair beside her, Ben's chair, and took a gulp of his beer.

“I see you brought a date.”

“Didn't you?”

“It didn't seem appropriate.”

She flinched at the censure in his words and the alcohol on his breath. “It's been four years.”

“So? You think people have forgotten?”

Chloe shook her head. “No. I'm
sure
people haven't forgotten. But they've moved on, for the most part. I guess I'd just hoped that maybe you'd forgiven me by now.”

“Forgiven you? For embarrassing me in front of my entire social circle? And now you're here, dancing, making a spectacle of yourself. Do you understand how this looks to people?”

“I haven't done anything wrong. We were twenty-two years old. Kids. We had no business getting married. We weren't in love. You were just trying to get in good with my father. And so was I. I'm sorry that I hurt you, just like I'm sorry if you're embarrassed to be here. But if it's that bad, then maybe you shouldn't have come.”

“Shouldn't have come? You know that wasn't an option.”

Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

She was sad for Patrick. He wasn't the quick-to-smile kid she remembered. And she felt bad for her part in that, but she'd made the right decision, and she refused to regret it, despite the fallout.

Chloe reached for her wine, more for something to occupy her hands than because she really wanted any. Still, she was shocked when Patrick snatched the glass from her hand. “You've had enough.”

Chloe's brain had barely reacted to the douchebag move when a bottle of water appeared on the table in front of her.

“Is there a problem here?”

“Yes.” Patrick stood and drew up to his full height. Ben still had four inches on him. “The problem is that my ex-fiancée is singing and dancing and making a fool of herself. People are starting to talk.”

“Well, I think you might be mistaken. From where I'm standing, it looks like my
girlfriend
is celebrating her sister's big day, having a really good time without you, and people have been talking the entire night. If that's a problem for you, feel free to leave.”

Patrick opened his mouth to say more, but even in his slightly inebriated state, his common sense kicked in. With a mumbled, “Whatever,” he slunk away, disappearing into the crowd.

A tingly sensation spread through Chloe's body, like she had carbonation in her blood.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Ben asked, amber eyes wary.

“You fought for me. That's pretty cool.”

Ben scoffed. “I didn't fight for you. I had a conversation with a total dick for you.”

“Still pretty cool.”

Ben's chuckle made her feel warm and throbby. “You want to get out of here?”

Chloe took a swig from the water bottle. “More than anything.”

* * *

T
HE
TRIP
UP
to their room was a magical blur of stolen kisses and sweet relief. Chloe had survived her sister's wedding, and she was in the mood to celebrate.

“You're really sexy when you're defending my honor, you know that, Ben Masterson of the Seattle Mastersons?”

She wound her arms around his neck, kissing his ear, his cheek, his neck, whatever she could reach, loving the pressure of his steadying arm around her waist.

Ben unlocked the door and pulled her inside. “I'm really sexy all the time,” he told her, stepping so close that she had to look up to see his eyes, even in her kick-ass shoes.

He cradled her face with his hands and Chloe's breath shook as she exhaled. Heat rolled from his body, bewitching her senses. The feel of him, the sounds, the scent. No cologne, just warm skin. Simple. Manly. Intoxicating.

His thumbs brushed her cheeks, his fingers slid into her hair, and he lowered his head. The sweet thrill of his lips against hers paralyzed her. Ben's kisses always seemed to knock the wind from her, make her gasp. She was helpless to move as her world narrowed to just their mingling breaths and the sweet pressure of his mouth as he started walking her farther into the room.

Then he spun her around and pressed her up against the wall. The paint was cool against her skin, and Ben was hard and warm as he molded himself to her back. The dichotomy was hot as hell. Especially when he started kissing her neck...

“Oh, God. Ben,” she breathed as his right hand grazed her breast, caressing it, setting her on fire. His hand continued its sensual journey down the front of her body, and she resented the dress she'd loved hours earlier, as it blocked her aching skin from the hand skimming over her stomach, her thigh, lower. Finally his warm palm reached her knee, and when he began the journey back up her leg, he slipped his hand underneath her dress. Now there was nothing but the erotic heat of skin against skin as his fingers tracked up to her inner thigh. It felt incredible, his hands on her like this. Chloe braced her palms against the wall, opening her legs, pushing her ass against his erection.

He groaned as he dug his fingers inside her panties, and she thought she might pass out from the pleasure.

“You're so wet.”

She could only sigh in response as his finger invaded her.

* * *

B
EN
PLUNGED
ANOTHER
finger into her slick wetness, and her whimper of pleasure went straight to his groin. She started chanting his name, low and pleading, and he was sure he'd never experienced anything as erotic as this moment.

“I'm so close,” she whispered.

He could feel her on the precipice, wanted so badly to give her what she craved.

Ben dropped his other hand to her clit, rubbing her through the damp lace even as he sped the rhythm of his fingers inside her. Her knees buckled as she came and she gave a sweet cry of release.

She was panting as she turned in his arms, her hair disheveled, her breasts on the verge of escaping her dress. Her satisfied smile was so goddamned sexy.

“Come to bed with me.” He barely recognized his own voice, the words were rough.

Chloe's grin was naughty. “I'm not sure I can walk,” she teased.

“I can work with that,” he said, scooping her over his shoulder in the fireman's hold. Chloe's scream of surprise became laughter as he hauled her toward the bed and gave her a slap on the ass before dropping her on the giant mattress.