Page 51 of Enemies with Benefits (Finding the Right Brother #1)

"So, you're sure about this?" I asked one more time, looking him over.

He had chosen to drive all the way up to Portland rather than have me give him a ride, and I wasn't sure how to process that.

On the one hand, he was probably trying to make sure he had a safe way out of the city if he wanted to flee back down to Cresson Point.

On the other hand... Actually, I couldn't think of another reason unless he was just being awkward at the idea of being stuck in a vehicle with me.

All the same, he had come and was now standing outside my apartment building, and I had to wonder if I should invite him up or if we should just head out.

"Ask me again," he said, his eyes rolling but his tone a warning. It was accompanied by him crossing his arms and glaring at me once he was done rolling his eyes.

I looked him over again. “Are you sure?"

"That's it," he said, turning to head back down the sidewalk where he'd parked at the nearby parking garage.

It was funny to think about how irritated I would have been only a couple of months ago because I was trying to be courteous, but he was being a stubborn jackass about the entire thing.

Now, though, there was something almost charming about it, and I let out a little laugh, reaching to take him by the forearm and pull him back to face me.

"Quit being grumpy, I'm just making sure.

Imagine that, Mason fucking Beckett being courteous and thoughtful. "

"He has his moments," Jace muttered, but I could see the tension leave his face even as he crossed his arms again. "Mostly I'm just surprised you haven't said anything about my outfit."

"Your outfit?" I wondered, looking him over in confusion. "I mean, it's a little basic. Jeans, a thin button-up, looks like boots of some sort, but I wasn't expecting a mesh shirt or bright pink."

He looked down at himself. “You said it's a club."

"Yes," I drew out, cocking my head. "But it's...different."

"Everyone wants to be different."

"And no one can ever hope to be as special as you," I said with a laugh.

"Now, quit worrying about your outfit. This isn't some nineties movie where I'm going to whisk you away on some outfit montage.

Plus, even if your outfit is basic, that doesn't mean you don't look good in it.

Doesn't hurt that you fill out your clothes. ..quite well."

He blinked, looked down at himself, and turned slightly, and I watched his eyes dart around the sidewalk.

There were people, of course, but none of them were paying the slightest attention to us.

I wondered what it was like to go through life, worrying about what other people thought about you, that they might be judging you, and about what? The fact that you liked guys?

Well, I guess I’d done that for a time, but sheesh, it had to be exhausting after a while. Well, then again, he had blocked it so hard in his head that he hadn't even been aware of his love of dick, so I guess I had to take that into account. Damn him for making me want to be nicer.

"Quit," he muttered, cheeks coloring as he ducked his head.

"Fine, fine," I said, waving him off. "I'll behave. Just don't act like that in the club, because literally not one person in that building could give a flaming fuck."

"I'll try. Just say the outfit looks nice."

"Here, I'll text it to you, along with a reaction."

"A reaction?"

"Yeah." I tapped away. "Here."

He eyed me warily as he pulled out his phone and opened my message.

As expected, I watched his eyes widen, and he jerked back, pulling his phone closer to his chest and making a soft noise I could only imagine must be indignation.

And yet he didn't lock the phone right away, glancing around a bit, and once he was sure no one had come running up to peer around him at his phone, he looked at his screen again.

"Yeah?" I asked with a soft laugh. "I guess that's a winner."

He cleared his throat, tapped away for a moment, and tucked the phone away. “Shut up."

"Deleted it, didn't you?"

"Look, am I supposed to be thrilled you sent me something you've probably sent to a dozen other people?"

I frowned. “I took that this morning. While thinking of...someone."

He was dense, but not so dense that he didn't realize I was talking about him. "Really?"

"Really. Thanks for assuming the worst, though."

"Well...I guess it's a good thing I saved it in a private folder no one can access before I deleted it."

"Mmm, if that's the case, maybe I should make you a video or three."

He eyed me. “You really just...roll with the punches, don't you?"

"What'd I do now?"

"You...it sounded like you were offended, and then magically you let it go."

"I was offended. But it wasn't magic that fixed it," I said, stepping closer but careful not to get so close he’d be uncomfortable with the sidewalk still teeming with people.

"But then you decided to throw in that little comment about saving it, and I realized I’d jumped to conclusions and hurt my own feelings for a second there. "

"Should I point out that I'm still amazed you have feelings to hurt?"

"Be more amazed that out of all the people who’ve tried to hurt my feelings, you actually managed it without trying...and then fixed it in seconds flat."

The words left my mouth before I could think about them, and I was hard pressed to figure out who was more surprised.

Jace, as always, wore his thoughts on his face, and his surprise was obvious by the discomfort that followed, before it disappeared under his customary frown.

There wasn't much I could say because, without thinking, I'd spoken the truth.

Somewhere along the way, he had become someone who could get well and truly under my skin.

Well...he'd always found ways to get under my skin, but the difference was as vast as it was hard to explain, even to myself. There had been something about the way he was, who he was, that had...changed things in me. As much as he still got on my nerves with his overreactions and constantly seeing the worst in me, I had seen too much of the other parts of him. The parts that showed a man who cared about justice and doing the right thing, a man who was trying his best to break away from the legacy of his parents’ mistreatment and abuse.

A man who was trying his best to find a place in a family that he didn't understand after being on his own for so long, and a man who I suspected, deep down, just wanted to belong. ..and be seen.

Huffing, he shoved his hands into his pockets and eyed me. “So...why did you have me come to your place instead of the club?"

"Well, pretty much figured we'd end up back here unless you plan on driving back to Cresson Point in the middle of the night," I said with a shrug. "I can get us to the club, no problem."

"Oh," he said, looking around. "Where are you parked?"

"Around the corner," I said, smirking because I knew what was about to happen. "But you're going to need something before we go."

"This had better not be a sex joke waiting to happen," he warned, making me laugh.

"Nah," I assured him as I stepped back toward the front door of my apartment building and opened it, leaning in to grab what we needed. The wide-eyed look on his face was priceless as I held out one of the two helmets. "But safety first."

"Like fucking hell," he snapped, eyeing the helmet like it had personally offended him.

"What, don't trust me?"

"With the way I saw you drive that fucking thing?"

"What, because I drove it fast? You'll also notice I drove it so well I managed to get away from you, and the damage to it was purely superficial from having to take the uh...back roads."

"You took dirt bike tracks."

"And did it without doing more than scraping my paint. So you tell me if that's the sign of a good driver or not."

"It tells me you're used to driving like a fucking idiot and got good at it."

"Well, there you go."

"That doesn't make it safe."

"Hey, you can't say you want to go to the club and not expect me to think you want to have a night of fun."

"Being on that thing with you driving like a moron is your idea of fun?"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me, in full honesty, that you didn't have at least a little bit of fun trying to chase my ass down that night."

He continued to glare at me for a few heartbeats before letting out a frustrated huff and snatching the helmet.

I didn't bother to hide my smug expression as he looked it over and, after realizing it would fit him, gave another noise of annoyance.

Then he looked up and saw me watching him with amusement, and his expression darkened. "What?"

I laughed, tucking my helmet under my arm. “Nothing, it's just funny. You really go out of your way to be as difficult as possible about having fun."

"Fuck off," he grumbled, jerking his head. "Go on, show me where you parked."

"Fine, fine," I said, knowing it wasn't a good idea to poke and prod too much. It was his way of relenting and admitting I was right, it was angry and begrudging, but it was relenting all the same. "C'mon then, I get to find out if you loosen up when you drink."

"Seriously? Are you using this as an excuse to get alcohol into me?” he scoffed.

I snorted. “C'mon, I don't get to see you drink, it's always worth seeing at least once in a lifetime."

"It's really not that big a deal," he muttered behind me, and I didn't have to look back to know he was rolling his eyes.

"Then I guess you won't have to worry about drinking tonight," I said with a shrug as we approached my bike. I slipped the keys from my pocket before putting the helmet on and swinging my leg over the bike. "Now c'mon, or we're going to miss the fun as the night picks up."