Page 132 of Stepbrothers with Benefits
“My God,” Milo whispered, his eyes wide with horror. “And a smart ass.”
“That too...so what?”
“He’s Mason. He’s a less abrasive Mason.”
I thought about that for a moment before eyeing him. “How many of your siblings have you dated?”
“Oh, you can go straight to hell,” he gasped, giving me a push. “Straight to the bottom.”
I laughed, drawing him close with the hand that didn’t have my cocktail still clutched and kissing him. “There’s the Milo we know and love.”
“Quit,” he squirmed. “My brain is panicking, and I want to feel better, so even though you’re being sweet, my body is really confused.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, giving him another gentle kiss for good measure.
Only for my heart to leap when I heard someone clear their throat, we both whirled around, and a strangled noise escaped my lips when I found Marshall standing in the hallway, staring at us in amusement.
“You can go to hell too,” Milo told him grumpily. “Sneaking around the place. How did you even get in here?”
“You were the one who invited me to dinner,” Marshall reminded him. “You even called ahead to leave my name so someone would bring me back here. And I walked. That’s not sneaking. Maybe you two were a little distracted. Kind of bold, don’t you think?”
“We weren’t…” Milo began before huffing and marching off toward the doors.
I flipped Marshall the bird. “Fuck you, I about had a heart attack.”
“I should ask you how he’s been while he’s out of earshot, but he’s left me back here when I need an escort if I’m going to face Matilda again,” Marshall said wryly.
“Didn’t she threaten you with a shotgun the last time you were around?”
“Yeahhhhh, she did. Scared the shit right out of me because I’m pretty sure she meant to use it if I didn’t get my ass moving.”
“You sound oddly turned on by it.”
“What can I say? I like my women feisty and fiery, and I like my men roguish and just a little bit of trouble.”
Both descriptions sounded familiar, the first because they described Marty completely, but the second...I couldn’t quite place. “He’s fine. Trying not to freak out, and constantly beating himself up for what he did, but genuinely trying to make sure I know it won’t happen again, even though nothing in life is promised.”
“It’s the attempt at keeping a promise that counts more sometimes than the promise itself,” Marshall said with a small, sad smile.
“Well, he’s trying to keep it, even though I know he wants to take off again.”
“Good. Then he learned that lesson faster than I did. Even a parent who wasn’t as involved as they should have been wants better for their kids than they had, including being a better person. But I’m going to give all the credit for that to you and the rest of your family.”
“Mmm, might want to throw that out to Marty at some point. She acts like flattery gets you nowhere, but it can smooth feathers, especially hers when ruffled.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Are you ready?”
“No, but right now we’ve got each other and you, so thanks for coming.”
“Of course. I’m not sure what good my presence will do. I tried to tell Milo that when he practically begged me to come, but?—”
“Milo is hard to tell no,” I said with a laugh. “And you’re here because it makes him feel better, and me too, just havingsomeone who already knows and is okay with it. You’re not really here to defend us.”
“Probably a good thing, anything I say might set her off. What’s your dad like?”
I grinned. “Worried he might get jealous?”
“Just want to make sure I don’t have to watch where his hands are, as well as Marty’s.”
