Chapter 9: Soph

Me: Can we give Mac and Gabby a lift home? I think Ed needs some time in private with Mac.

Mark Anderson: Ok.

"Come on, Palmer. It was a joke. I thought you liked my sex jokes."

"It was bad taste." I slipped my phone back into my clutch bag and levelled Mac with a disapproving glare. "Everything about your behaviour tonight has been bad taste."

"So you'd rather I pretend to like him?" Mac raised his eyebrows. "That's his style, right? It's all pretend. Nothing is real or genuine. It's an act."

"You're fucking lucky it's an act." I leaned across the table and lowered my voice. "He has far too much class to show you how he really feels."

"It's not to do with class. He's a performer. And tonight he's performing."

Not too far from the truth. Ed was giving the performance of his life tonight.

"You know the ironic thing?" I sat back in my seat and folded my arms. "If you'd been nice—normal—you wouldn't have got the performance. You'd have got the real him. But instead, he's had to sit there bottling up his emotions all night and putting on a brave face—a performance—to avoid doing something that'll get him cancelled tomorrow."

Mac clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I told you I didn't want to come to this stupid dinner."

"And I told you that I want the two main men in my life to get along."

"The fact I'm here, three grand lighter, should prove what you mean to me. I'm not going to be two-faced towards him."

"You can still be civil without the incendiary remarks."

Mac scraped a hand through his blond tousles. "He's not made any effort with me, either, you know."

"I know. But he's also not been a dick to you."

"Because he's acting."

I pinched my eyes shut to contain my bubbling frustration. "Mac. Please."

A light hum of acknowledgement vibrated from his chest. "Fine. I'm sorry. I'll be better."

"Thank you."

When Ed returned to the table a few minutes later, I settled my palm on his thigh and smoothed my thumb over the soft fabric of his trousers. His hand briefly dropped to cover mine, and his lips lifted into a small smile.

"So, Ed," Mac said, and tension instantly spread along my shoulders. "You a rugby guy or a football guy?"

A beat of silence stretched across the table, and then Ed cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Uh, football, I guess. I don't play, though. More of a tennis guy, if I'm honest."

"I can see that." Mac nodded. "You've got the height for it. You a serve-and-volleyer?"

"I prefer the baseline."

"Well, if you want a game at any point, Sophia has my number."

Ed's eyes shifted across to the window in disinterest. "I'm good."

My stomach fell. Fantastic. Just as one had started to play nice, the other had decided not to.

"I think you should," I told him. "Mac's a big tennis fan. Competed a lot at uni."

And you can whack tennis balls at each other as hard as you like. Healthy outlet for your issues.

Ed's attention remained on the window. "I'm happy with my current tennis partner."

Taking the hint, I let it drop. By the time desserts were served, even I'd given up on salvaging the meal. Ed had gone to the bathroom as one guy and returned as another. Clearly those minutes alone had psyched him up not to take any more bullshit, but I couldn't fight off the disappointment. I at least wanted one of them to make an effort tonight.

Before we left, Ed caught my wrist and tipped his head towards the view.

"Quick photo for Insta."

He unlocked his phone and passed it to Gabby. She held it like a newborn kitten she was scared to hurt, but at least she knew how to take a good Instagram shot.

As for Ed and me, we'd become so used to posing for photos that the awkwardness didn't even register. Our bodies melded together instinctively, and our lips stretched into easy smiles. Nobody would be able to tell that tension bristled between us.

"We'll give you a ride back," I said to Gabby and Mac as we wandered back down the skybridge.

"Really not necessary, Palmer," Mac said under his breath. "We Tubed it. Gabby's staying at mine tonight."

"I think it is necessary." I threaded my fingers through Ed's and squeezed tight. "You boys can hash out your issues in private where you don't need to worry about an audience."

We piled into the lift. Hostility crackled through the small cube, suffocating me to the point where I hoped they actually would have it out with each other, if only to end this ridiculous friction and move forward.

Ed leaned against the back railing and crossed his arms. His tall body seemed relaxed, but a muscle in his jaw ticked whenever he glanced over at Mac.

Either unaware or just ignoring him, Mac was winding up Gabby by pinching the end of a curl and tugging it down before letting it spring back up.

The doors finally parted, and we filed out onto the lobby, following a waiting Danny towards the underground car park. Mac once again insisted that they could make their own way home, but I waved him off.

I climbed into the car first, and Ed took the space next to me. He reached to grab his jacket and shrugged it on while Gabby and Mac slid into the rear-facing seats opposite us.

"You okay travelling backwards?" I asked Gabby. I didn't bother checking with Mac—after his behaviour during the first half of the evening, he could suffer for all I cared.

Gabby nodded and ran a white-painted fingertip along the seat's leather seams. Nerves etched lines into her face. Would she tell Becca about this shit show of a night? What would she think? Why did I even care?

As the engine purred to life, I yanked down the partition so Mac could recite his address to Mark. He responded to say that Ed and I would be dropped off first.

Fine by me.

I shoved up the partition again and fastened my seatbelt. Nobody said anything for several long, uncomfortable minutes.

"Have you moved, Mac?" I asked to make conversation. "I thought you lived near Putney."

"Upgraded. New year, new house. Well, apartment."

Gabby's eyes lit up. "Oh my God, Soph, you should see it. It's like living in a hotel. All big and modern and shiny. Honestly, I could only dream."

"Palmer already lives in a hotel, Gab."

"Oh, yeah, I know. But you've just got a room, right, Soph? This is like a whole apartment." Her teeth punctured her bottom lip. "Oh, crap. I didn't mean it like that."

I chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not so much a hotel as a fortress."

"Mac's has a lot of security, too," Gabby quickly added, as if that would soften her previous blow. "Doormen, codes for the lifts, on-site security team."

"Part of the job, is it, Logan?" Ed quirked a brow. "Need to upgrade your security to keep potential threats at bay?"

"I've pissed off a lot of people. Need to stop them hunting me down." He winked at Gabby to pass it off as a joke, but I didn't miss the sly dig. I doubted Ed would have, either.

Silence resumed.

"Anyway, dinner was lovely." Gabby's tentative voice broke the tension. "Thank you, Teddy."

Offence cut across Mac's face. "I paid for your meal."

"I know." Her fingers latched onto his forearm. "Thank you so much. But Teddy invited us and it was a really nice restaurant and I'll probably never go there again so—"

"I'll take you there again, Gab." Mac patted her hand. "You can repay me in sexual favours."

She wrinkled her nose and withdrew her touch from his arm. "Gross."

"Nice to see it's not just Soph who gets the pleasure of your inappropriate jokes," Ed said.

Immediately, Mac's mouth opened to respond, but then his eyes darted across to me and his lips slammed shut.

Ed popped open the third button on his shirt and relaxed into his seat, one elbow propped on the arm rest.

"Do you flirt with her like this all the time?" he then asked, "Or was tonight's performance just for my benefit?"

"Look, man..." Mac blew out a gentle sigh. "I'm sorry, okay? I was a dick at dinner. I just care about her a lot, and I was struggling to see past a few things. I'm happy to wipe the slate clean and start over if you are."

A tense stretch of silence spanned the space between them. Finally, Mac had rolled over and offered an olive branch. All Ed had to do was swallow his pride and accept it.

Instead, he scoffed and muttered, "Fuck you."

A squeak escaped Gabby's throat as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Sorry." Ed's eyes flickered over Gabby before returning to Mac. "But seriously, fuck you. I came here for Soph, and you've been nothing but a rude dick to me all night. Wiping the slate clean suggests we'll be seeing each other again. We won't."

Disappointment tightened my chest. Seriously? Yes, Mac had been a dick, but at least he'd apologised and tried to make an effort afterwards. Why throw that back in his face when Ed knew this was what I wanted?

"Look..." Mac rested his forearms on his knees and linked his fingers together. "My behaviour tonight aside, I don't know why you have an issue with me—"

"You know exactly why I have an issue with you."

Mac glanced at me and ran his tongue slowly over his top lip. Turning back to Ed, he asked, "Because Sophia and I have slept together?"

"Try again."

With a grunt, Mac sat back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair.

"I have far more reasons to hate you, Ed, and yet I'm trying to make an effort here."

"The only reason I'm here tonight is because I love Soph and I promised I'd try—"

"Except you haven't tried, mate. You want to know why I've been a dick all night? Because you've barely given me the time of day. Trying to get a reaction out of you was a tall order."

"Well, you've got a reaction now, and it's the only one you'll be getting. I'm not going to get in the way of your friendship with Soph, but I won't be part of it."

Fucking fantastic. I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window and stared out at the passing buildings. Music blared from bars, groups of friends laughed together, and lights twinkled in every direction. Inside this vehicle: misery.

Gabby nudged her knee against mine. "You okay?" she mouthed.

I flexed a shoulder in a subtle shrug. One glance across at Ed showed him watching me. A hand scrubbed at his jaw. A sigh spilled past his lips. A foot crossed over his ankle. But no words.

The car bobbed to a halt. Seconds later, the door opened onto the side alleyway of the hotel.

"Give me a couple of mins, Gab." Mac hopped out of the car.

I shuffled forwards to hug Gabby, whispering apologies in her ear about how awful this night had been.

"Don't apologise. It was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

"I sure hope so," I said dryly.

I clambered out into the icy January air. Hushed voices drew my gaze towards the side door, where Mac and Ed stood chest to chest.

"You don't interfere in my friendship, and I won't interfere in your relationship," Mac was saying, "but if you hurt her—and you know exactly what I mean by that—then you can be damn sure I will interfere."

"As someone in the legal profession, you should really get out of the habit of threatening me."

Mac took a casual step back and slid his hands into his pockets. "It's a fucking shame, mate. She's already given up a lot for you. The least you could do was pretend to get on with me."

Anger flashed through Ed's eyes as Mac reached for the car door and hauled himself back inside. The SUV began to reverse down the alleyway, and I'd had enough of standing in the cold. I'd had enough of this night in general.

I slammed my keycard against the sensor and wrenched open the door to the hotel. Quiet footsteps followed me down the corridor towards the lift. A shadow lingered in my wake as I stabbed the button. And when I stepped inside the metal box and Ed automatically initiated the procedure for the penthouse, I waited until he'd finished before reaching past him to tap for my own floor.

A dark chuckle cut through the silence. "Very passive aggressive."

"Better than being aggressive."

"Ah. Is that what I was doing? Being aggressive?"

Amusement dripped from his words, and the fact he wasn't taking this seriously only pissed me off more. I ignored him.

"So, is this a punishment?" Ed asked when the doors opened on my floor. "Or a matter of principle?"

"Both."

"I see."

His dark stare raked over my body. My nipples hardened under the heat of his appreciative scrutiny, but I kept my expression neutral and my gaze away from the delicious slice of chest peeking out from beneath his unbuttoned shirt.

"That's a shame." He heaved out a sigh of regret. "I was planning to apologise by making you come over and over again, but if you're not interested in that..."

"Counteroffer." I set my hands on my hips and glared. "You apologise to me using words, and I'll go back to my room and make myself come over and over again."

His lips twitched but his eyes softened, losing some of their previous deviance.

"I'm sorry, Soph. We can talk about it properly in the morning if you want to go to bed."

I nodded. "See you tomorrow."

His hand darted out to catch my wrist as I turned for the corridor. "Do I not even get a goodnight kiss?"

Routine battled with pride. For weeks we'd shared a kiss every single night before bed. Tonight would be my first time sleeping alone in nearly two months. That would be strange enough without breaking another habit.

That was my excuse for giving in. For closing the distance between us and tilting my head up to press my mouth against his. A zip of adrenaline rushed down my spine. Fuck, he tasted good. Soft lips with a hint of citrus.

My hand curved around his jaw as our mouths parted. The warmth of his breath mingled with mine, the smoothness of his skin beneath my palm. I kept my eyes shut, because I didn't want to show any weakness in front of him when I was so pissed off, but fuck me did I want him.

The imposing tower of his body rested up against the lift railing, my thighs pressing against his as I leaned my weight into firm muscles. Spicy cologne drifted through the thick air and the horny part of my brain betrayed the stubborn part.

I grazed my teeth gently over the plump flesh of his lower lip. Heat from his palm burned through leather as his hand curled around my waist. His touch remained featherlight, almost tentative, and I couldn't work out if that was tactical teasing or genuine not-wanting-to-push-his-luck.

As I sucked his lip into my mouth, his fingers pressed harder into my waist before loosening their grip. I dragged a hand through his hair and tightened my hold on his jaw to angle his face closer to mine. Our noses brushed, my tongue sought his, and he followed my lead. His compliance lit a spark of intrigue deep in my gut. Most of the time, Ed set the pace, and I happily matched it. Never before had I felt like the one in control.

It was almost as if he was handing the reins over to me in apology.

Fuck.

I tore my mouth away from his and stumbled backwards. Instantly his hand fell from my waist and settled on the railing to his side.

"You sneaky bastard."

One eyebrow rose in mild curiosity, but a familiar glint bounced through his eyes.

"It was just a goodnight kiss," he said.

I huffed. "Your sex drive knows no limits. The lengths you'll go to in order to get laid."

"How offensive. Maybe I was just remembering your desperate request and thought it might cheer you up. Or maybe I knew I was in the wrong so wanted to let you control how physical things get."

It could be both of those things, but I was no idiot. He wanted sex, and he thought agreeing to my request for carte blanche would secure it when his chances were otherwise low.

"Night, Ed."

This time he didn't stop me when I left the lift. Yes, I wanted that chance, but he'd made one big miscalculation: my stubbornness overpowered everything else. 

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Thank you for reading :) xx

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Do you think Mac & Ed will eventually manage to see eye-to-eye, or should Soph accept that there's too much between them?