Page 71 of Enemies with Benefits
Moira glanced over her shoulder, brow shooting up. "What...what are you doing here?"
"I invited him," Jace told her. "I figured since you had your plus one, I’d get one too."
A dirty fucking liar is what he was, but he was a dirty fucking liar with a straight face. There was not one thing on his face or in his tone that gave away anything but exactly what he'd said. I hadn't known that he'd invited Kayden, but I knew damn well he hadn't done it for himself. He would have been perfectly happy with what we had, even though he was right in saying that Moira had asked me to come along. Personally, I thought she was still trying to make sure Jace and I were getting along, clearly not aware that Jace and I had found our own way to make peace with each other.
Lots and lots of peace.
Kayden's presence, however, had nothing to do with being Jace's best friend and everything to do with including him for Moira's sake. The two were still trying to keep what was going on between them a secret. I couldn't fault them since Jace and I hadn't exactly been public about...whatever it was we were doing. At the same time, though, they weren't nearly as subtle about it. Funnily, it was Moira rather than Kayden who was giving them away. By all accounts, he was still the same goofy, laid-back guy who enjoyed the company of other people and just happened to be around Moira a lot. My sister, however, was not equipped to hide those moments when emotions got the better of her, which meant anyone paying attention would have seen that her surprise at Kayden's presence barely managed to cover her pleasure at seeing him again.
Moira shot Jace a searching look, but he was doing a good job of pretending he was concentrating on the worker's speech as she prepared to open the doors. I suppose in some ways, I’d underestimated how sneaky Jace could be. That was exactly the sort of setup I would have arranged if I’d been in his shoes. I had to wonder if maybe he’d loosened up over the years or if a lot more than my dick was starting to rub off on him.
"I like nerdy stuff like this," Kayden offered with a shrug, giving Moira a smile that was as shy as it was warm—something I made sure to pretend not to notice. "Plus, it's always fun to watch kids have a blast. Well, and someone has to make sure Jace here actually has some fun."
"You can leave, I won't mind," Jace grumbled, but not one person was fooled by his grumpiness. I could say several things about Jace, but I’d never accuse him of being fake. Kayden probably got on his nerves at least half a dozen times before noon every single day, but there was no way he would ever choose anyone else as his best friend. The asshole was a giant softy under all that grumpiness, and he was stupidly fond of Kayden. Why else would he have arranged for his best friend and his ex-girlfriend to spend time together without the slightest suspicion from them? Not that anyone would give a shit that they were dating, but my sister had always been ridiculous when it came to expressing herself.
"So before I let you all loose to explore to your heart's content," the worker said, stepping between us and the doors as the projector turned off. "Remember, you can visit all the stations at your own speed, and if you thoroughly explore them, you'll find a token at each. If you collect all the tokens, there's a special prize at the end. So make sure to use those eager minds to gobble up as much as you can. Knowledge is its own reward, but that doesn't mean there can't be extra benefits too!"
"You know, I know I don't have room to talk about being a ray of sunshine," Kayden muttered with a laugh as the double doors automatically swung open to let the group in. "But she's kind of making my teeth hurt."
"I think they're all made in a special factory," Jace said, his expression revealing that he not only agreed with Kayden but had worse things to say, but was holding back.
"Behave, children," Moira muttered as we walked forward. Not out of eagerness, but because it was the only hope we had of keeping up with Micah, who had taken off without so much as a glance backward. "Micah!"
"Let him have some fun," I said with a laugh as he immediately darted for the first exhibit. It was small, just a cylindrical tank that reached the ceiling with colorful coral at the bottom, and green seaweed flowing back and forth. There was a digital display with pictures of everything inside, with English and Latin names, and a brief description. "He knows better than to go too far."
"Not always," Moira sighed.
Jace grunted. “Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him."
Moira glanced over at him, and part of me felt a flare of annoyance at the way she immediately accepted his words with a nod, her shoulders losing a bit of tension. She trusted me, that much I knew, but she hadn't even tried to argue or look wary at his words. I guess there was something to be said about being the responsible sort. Like knew like, but that didn't mean I had to enjoy that my damn sister trusted someone else immediately and not her own damned brother.
"Oh shit," Kayden said brightly. "They have a jellyfish tank."
"I haven't heard him talk about jellyfish much," I admitted as I looked around. The entire area was filled with tanks, some with wildlife. I had to wonder how much money had gone into what had to be a temporary but reliable construction, as well as thecareful transportation that came with moving living things. The exhibits were cast in hazy blue light that created their own light show of undulating patterns on the floor, ceiling, and walls.
"Kayden likes jellyfish," Jace added, his eyes already drifting to a tank where a small school of fish flitted about, curiously staring at the onlookers. "Likes the way they move."
Kayden looked at him in surprise. “How do you know that?"
Jace shrugged. “Your sleep tablet at home is set to show jellyfish videos when you have a hard time sleeping. I always thought you liked them because of the way they moved, like it was calming or something."
Kayden stared at him, eyes blinking rapidly, and I had to resist the urge to laugh at the blatant and unabashed display of surprise...and affection. "Wow, okay."
Moira gave a small smile, putting a hand on Kayden's shoulder and steering him away. "Yes, yes, we're all surprised when Jace shows he genuinely cares by paying attention. Let's go look at the wiggling invertebrates you apparently love so much."
"Oh...you know about jellyfish?" Kayden wondered hopefully.
"Not much, but I have a son obsessed with marine life at the moment, so I've learned a few things," she said as they walked off. "Why don't you tell me what you know? Maybe I can use something to impress him later."
Jace snorted. “She wants to act like they're not an item, but then immediately takes the opportunity to spend time alone with him. Subtle."
"Subtlety was never her strong suit," I said, though I felt a trickle of nervousness. She hadn't shot Jace and me her normal look of suspicion and concern before she walked off. Yes, it could just be because she was enjoying a chance to spend time with Kayden in a seemingly platonic manner, but my instincts said otherwise. It could simply be paranoia on my part, butsomething told me she was leaving Jace and me alone for reasons beyond trusting that we could get along.
Not that I was going to mention that to Jace. He wasn't the type for hunches, not because he didn't trust them, but from what I'd seen, his mind was only comfortable dealing with facts and hard reality. Telling him I suspected my sister might be catching on to something going on between us would sit uncomfortably in his mind. From there, he would obsess and end up self-conscious, which would irritate him and make him unbearable. It was hard enough to keep him from being pissy, I wasn't going to try to piss him off intentionally.
Well, not about things that wouldn't get me laid later anyway.
"Does she think either of us is gonna care that they're a thing?" Jace wondered, staring after them.
