He chuckled softly. “See? You can be funny.”
I gave him what had to be a dazed smile. Man, he was beautiful, especially up close like this. He angled his head and nudged my cheek with his nose, kissing the corner of my mouth. Fingers toyed with the zipper on the back of my dress. Not moving it, just casually threatening me with its imminent descent. Good god, did I enjoy being threatened in this way by him. My ni**les hardened, more than ready to be on display. They so had no sense.
“Been thinking,” he said. “Maybe you need to be kissed in other places.”
The man was a f**king genius.
Ever so slowly, he tugged the zipper down an inch or two. His smile dared me to stop him. Pity I’d lost all power over my limbs. The zipper went lower, loosening the bodice of my dress, making the front gape. Mal slipped a finger in the neckline, drawing the black lace out a ways.
“You not going to stop me?” he asked in a soft voice.
“Any minute now.” Not a chance.
Then he looked down. Hopefully, he appreciated br**sts of all types. If he was a size-based guy, this would not end well.
“Anne. Fuck.” He swallowed hard. A very good sign. Softly, his fingers traced over the hollow at the base of my throat.
“Yes?”
“You are so damn–”
Somebody hammered on the door, knocking me out of my lust fog.
“Mal, it’s time,” a voice hollered.
No. NO!
“Wha–?” Mal turned, scowling, while I got busy frantically holding my dress in place.
The door opened and Ben stuck his head in.
“Fuck’s sake, man,” said Mal, voice tight and furious. “Anne could’ve been naked.”
Ben scoffed. “You never cared who saw what before. And if it’s an issue, there’s a lock on the door, dickhead.”
“Rules have changed.”
“Shit, man,” said Ben, flashing his teeth in a big smile. “You’re actually serious.”
“Of course I’m f**king serious. This is my f**king girlfriend, you moron.”
Ben’s gaze flitted over my body. “Yeah well, your f**king girlfriend’s pretty cute. You know what? I think I like her.”
Every part of Mal tensed. There was fire in his eyes. “You–”
“No.” I grabbed hold of the lapels of his jacket. “No fighting.”
He looked at me, nostrils flaring. What was it about weddings that invited so much drama?
“I mean it,” I said. “This is Ev and David’s special night.”
But Ben was apparently having far too much fun to stop now. “Remember that time we shared a girl in Berlin? That was good … real good. Always thought I’d like to try that again. What do you say, Anne? Up for a bit of fun? Promise we’ll take good care of you.”
Mal snarled and I lunged, getting him in a strangle hold. I was basically hanging off him. Damn, the man was strong. Ben might be huge, but given Mal’s current mood, I wouldn’t bet against him in a fair fight. The muscles in his neck were bulging.
“Mal?” I said his name in my super calm and in control voice. Under different circumstances I’d have probably made an awesome therapist. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah.” His hands gripped my ass, taking some of my weight. A good thing. Dangling from someone’s neck was harder than it looked.
“Everything’s fine. Ignore him,” I said. “Ben, get out.”
The jerk waggled his eyebrows at me.
“Now.”
“Sure, Anne. No worries.” He winked at me, closing the door.
“Be calm, Mal. The bad man is gone.”
“I’m calm,” he growled, holding me to him.
“He didn’t mean it. He was just messing with you.”
“Didn’t you see the way he looked at you? Idiot meant it.” Mal hugged me tight. “Piece of shit’s bad as Jimmy sometimes. Should have kicked his ass.”
“Hey now, harness that inner caveman. You’re very aggressive tonight.”
“I don’t like people saying stuff about you. You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”
“Well, that’s sweet. But I don’t need you beating up anybody for me.”
“Four of us have been beating each other up since we were kids. It happens.” One handed, Mal tugged my zipper back up into place. Then he pierced me with a hard look. “You didn’t want to, did you?”
“Generally, I do prefer one penis at a time. It’s a failing of mine, I guess …”
“Good.”
I gave him a kiss on the cheek because a jealous Mal was an awesome sight. “What was he talking about ‘it’s time’?”
“Davie wants to play a few songs for Ev. We gotta go back out.” He sighed and sat me back on the counter. His hands rubbed over my sides. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
Still he frowned.
“You know, you can be kind of intense sometimes, Malcolm Ericson.”
His watched me in silence.
“You come across as this happy-go-lucky-type dude most of the time, but you are in fact a man of many layers. You’re kind of complicated.”
“Surprised?”
“Yes. And no.”
“And you call me complicated. You gonna dance with me later?” he asked, shaking off the bad mood.
“I’d love to.”
“You wanted another drink, didn’t you? C’mon, let’s go get that before I set up.” He lifted me down, his hands on my hips, treating me with the utmost care.
“You’re the best boyfriend ever. Fake or not.”
“How many you had?”
“Boyfriends? Two.” I held up a couple of fingers, just in case he wanted a visual aid. It was good to be helpful.
“So I’m number three?”
“No, you’re number two. Relationships aren’t my specialty.”
“No?” He lifted his chin, looked down at me. “You’re doing real good, Anne.”
“Thanks, Mal.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I had a nice buzz by the time we stumbled home. We shared a cab with Nate and Lauren at around three in the morning after an amazing party.
I’d finally heard Stage Dive play live. They were awesome playing acoustic. Jimmy’s and David’s voices melding together beautifully. Each one of those men was so damn talented it made my teeth hurt. Ben, with his bass, and even Mal, deprived of his full drum kit, made his presence felt in amazing ways. They were all in perfect balance, integral to the music.