Priceless (Forbidden Men 8)

“Yes! I did.” I clapped my hands in front of his face until he jerked his attention up. “And no one’s eaten in my kitchen...ever, which depresses the hell out of me. I don’t want to die a virgin, Brandt.”

Brandt choked out a hoarse sound, and his eyes bulged.

I kept talking. “I want to experience all of it, at least once in my life. And this...this is like finally getting my foot in the doorway of life. I just...I want to go on a date, like a normal girl, without my best friend giving the guy the third degree.” I cupped his face in my hands and looked him straight in the eye. “So can you please not get involved in any way?” When a dark scowl coated his face, I instantly revised, “Until, like, the second date, anyway?”

If I made it to a second date. I was still shocked Seth had been interested enough to ask me for the first one.

He’d always been polite enough when he’d come into the writing center where I worked to be tutored, but he’d never shown, you know, that kind of interest before. I’d nearly fallen out of my chair when he’d lingered after our session yesterday to see what I was doing this Friday.

Who knew me correcting his they’re-their-there’s would turn a guy on? But whatever. At the moment, I didn’t even care why he’d asked, I was just excited he had.

Because I was finally—finally—going to experience my first date. I refused to let my best friend ruin it for me.

“Promise!” I demanded, growing stern because Brandt was still gaping as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

“Uh...” he managed to say.

I dropped my hands from his face, sighing. “You’re not going to promise to leave him be, are you?”

He shook his head. “Who is this guy, anyway? You said Seth, right? Seth who? Where’d you meet him? How the hell did he break past your shy zone?” When my lips merely pursed with amusement, he growled. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

I shook my head and grinned. “Not until you promise.”

“Damn it, you don’t play fair.” After a dirty scowl, he rolled his eyes. “Fine. I promise. Now talk.” When I threw back my head and laughed, he lifted his hands, curling his fingers into mock-claws. “Sarah,” he warned. “Don’t make me tickle you until you pee.”

I gasped and shoved his hands away. “Whatever. Your tickling has never made me pee before.”

“Well, it will tonight if you don’t start talking.”

Knowing he was bluffing, I rolled my eyes. “I met him in the writing center when he came in for help on a term paper.”

“Oh, so that’s it, huh?” Lifting his eyebrows, he sent me an I-told-you-so look. “Well, if he thinks dating you will sweet-talk you into writing a paper for him, then I’ll just set him straight right now. You’re too honest to ever do that. For anyone.”

“Right,” I said slowly. “Because that’s the only reason anyone would ever want to date me.”

Brandt scowled. Then he leaned in and hissed, “That’s not what I meant. You know I don’t feel that way. Why the hell are you accusing me of that so much tonight?”

The fight instantly deflated inside me. Hugging myself, I glanced away. “I don’t know. Maybe because that’s what I keep thinking, that there has to be some ulterior motive behind this. I mean, no one’s ever seemed interested in me before just because they actually like me.”

“That’s bullshit.” He frowned. “I like you for you.”

Slashing my gaze his way, I sent him a dry glare. “I meant dating wise.”

The way his stare went intense made me think he wanted to say, “I do like you dating wise,” but I knew he’d only say that to make me feel better, so I’m glad he didn’t.

A second later, he sighed, then looked to the ceiling for guidance and returned his attention to me. His voice was soft as he murmured, “Come here.” After grabbing my arm and hauling me against his chest, he kissed my forehead. “I’m sorry. I know I’m overreacting, but I don’t know what to feel about you dating. This is...it’s weird. You’ve never talked about even being interested in guys before.”

I frowned into his chest before pulling back to blink up at him. “So, what? You thought I was gay?”

“No.” He scowled at me before pulling his expression into a pained wince. “No, I just...I’ve always seen you as, I don’t know, sexless maybe. Like the subject’s never interested you before.”

It took everything I had not to show how much that hurt. I knew it was pathetic, but I still secretly harbored a little wish that one day he’d look at me and see more, something beyond friendship. But all this time, he’d only ever seen bland, sexless Sarah.

Ouch.

“Well, it does interest me,” I muttered. Feeling lame, I glanced away.

“Since when?”