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Green grass and old trees lined the winding drive that led up to the house, which was set about a hundred feet from the road.
Soft lighting illuminated the double front doors and spotlighted every window on the front face of the house. The place had been landscaped professionally. Once the foliage bloomed it would be beautiful.
“This is unbelievable.”
Max parked off to the side in a spot parallel to the three-car garage. “Wait until you see the view from the backyard.”
When he’d said he wanted to take me to a party with his friends, at Ben’s new house, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel among porn actors. Inferior-looking. Pathetically unsexy. Those were the first things that came to mind.
With his hand at the small of my back—a gesture I had come to crave—he led me to the front door. I smelled wood burning in the distance. Immediately I thought of marshmallows and chocolate.
“Do you normally socialize with your actors?”
“You think this is a porn party?” He laughed. “Surprisingly, I have friends who aren’t in the business.”
My mouth formed into an O. “Right. Sorry.”
So I was meeting his friends. Real people, not that the actors weren’t real, but technically they were his employees. These were people he chose to associate with. People who had known him for years—knew his quirks, his dreams, and maybe even his fears. He tried so hard to keep all that hidden from me. I wondered if I was going to get a glimpse into any of it tonight.
“Ben is my best friend. Has been for twenty years.” He opened the door without knocking and I stepped into a bright foyer, warm beige adorning the walls. “We have other friends we’ve known since high school.”
“Grace is the only true friend I’ve had almost my whole life.” As pathetic as that might be. She had stuck with me even though sometimes I was an awful friend. I had let my parents dictate my life—and sometimes, it affected Grace. “I didn’t have many friends growing up. I didn’t have time for them.”
“There he is!” The man I had met at the club—Fridge—yelled from the hallway. He turned and called to the other room, “Mr. Levin has graced us with his presence.”
In the bright light, I got a better look at Ryan Maddox. He was attractive, but not in that tall, dark, and handsome way. He was shorter, stocky, and his torso was broad and thick. He definitely worked out, but his standout feature was his eyes, they were the most uncommon gray color.
He pulled Max into a hug and held it. “So glad you’re here.”
“Dude, I just saw you three days ago.” Max patted his friend’s back and finally the man released him from his bear hug, and turned to me. “You remember Everly Parker.”
“I certainly do.” Fridge bowed and grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his mouth for a kiss.
“Christ, lay off.” Max pulled my hand away and wiped away his kiss.
I couldn’t help it. My stomach fluttered at his actions. He was jealous. Although I was sure the gesture had everything to do with a dick-measuring contest, it still made me happy.
“Careful of that one.” Ben sidled up and kissed my cheek. “He has no shame.” I placed my hand on his shoulder as he pulled away. His blond hair was always so disheveled it made me want to finger comb it into submission.
“Why would I, when my two best friends hook me up with the hottest chicks?”
Made sense.
“Well, this woman is off-limits, so keep it in your pants.” Max glared then took my hand, pulling me to the kitchen.
“Welcome, Everly.” Ben had followed, Ryan hot on his heels. “My house is your house. Help yourself to anything you want.”
“You didn’t say that when I got here,” Ryan said, punching Ben’s biceps.
“That’s because you’re not welcome.” Ben grinned then turned to Max. “Bobbi and Drake are on the dock. Carrington is on his way. Woods is with Able and his chick of the week on the patio. El is manning the barbecue and she brought two friends.”
“And they’re hot,” Ryan interrupted.
Max explained. “El is my father’s executive assistant. She and Ben did a year of film school together, but they both dropped out.”
I understood the lure of letting go of your education goals. I battled that every day.
“So what do you do, Everly?” Ryan asked.
