Priceless (Forbidden Men 8)

“Well...” Brandt blew out a long, slow breath. “Recently, like five days ago—”

“Oh my God,” I squeaked. He was even going to confess what DAY it happened?

Brandt’s fingers tightened reassuringly around mine as he continued, “Sarah and I decided to change...the status of our relationship.”

Mason only wrinkled his brow as if he had no idea what that meant. “The status of your relationship?”

“Honey, you’re repeating everything he says,” Reese murmured.

Her husband swerved his attention to her with a wide-eyed look. “What?”

Without responding to him, she clasped her hands together to her chest and grinned at me, then Brandt. “I for one am very happy for you two. I mean, Brandt...I couldn’t have chosen a better man for our Sarah.”

Mason zipped his gaze between me and Brandt, waiting for an explanation or more likely for one of us to say we were only joking.

“She’s an adult now, Mason,” Brandt said. “She makes her own adult decisions. And you know I love her, and respect her and would give my life to protect her. Please do not tell me you have a problem with this.”

For a moment, Mason appeared to be too stunned to speak. Then he blew out a breath and lifted his hand to rub the center of his forehead. “I just...I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting this. You two have always been close, but you’ve never...I’m just really shocked.” Then he met Brandt’s gaze and asked, “You’re with her exclusively, right?”

Next to me, Brandt bristled. His eyes went hard as all his muscles tensed. I found myself squeezing his hand in the hopes of calming him. But he still sounded pissed as he gritted out, “I can’t believe you seriously thought you had to ask me that.”

Mason let both Isabella and Gracen slide off his lap. As they scampered into their own chairs to eat their ice cream, my brother rose to his feet. Reese skipped to his side and took his hand as if she too felt the need to calm her man.

“You have to admit,” he said, “you’re not exactly known for being a one-woman kind of guy.”

“That was before Sarah,” Brandt said, making my heart nearly leap out of my chest. I looked up at him, sure I was going to wake any second.

He looked down, catching my eye, and his gaze was so somber, I wondered if maybe he was sad because he’d just then realized he’d given up all other women to be with me. But then his face lit with a smile, and there was so much joy and pride in his eyes, I think I died a little from the overwhelming bliss that seized me.

“Well...” Mason cleared his throat, tearing Brandt’s gaze from me. “Not that we all didn’t see this coming for years, but...Jesus, way to spring it on me out of the blue.” He shook his head and sighed. “But all right. I guess I’ll be happy for you two.”

I couldn’t help it. An elated little squeal of relief left my lungs. With a laugh, Brandt swooped down and scooped me into his arms. Then he dragged me out of the chair to spin me in a circle. If my legs could’ve managed such a coordinated move, I would’ve wrapped them around his waist and given him a full body hug, but he didn’t seem disappointed that I couldn’t. His mouth crashed against mine, and we laughed against each other’s lips...until Mason cleared his throat.

“Just don’t break her heart,” he warned. “Or I’ll break you.”

“Deal.” Brandt gently set me back in my chair just as my brother added, “And no sex in my house.”

Brandt’s smile died. He lifted his head to frown at Mason.

Mason shrugged, totally non-repentant. “She’s still my little sister. And I have impressionable two-year-olds running around.”

“Fine,” Brandt mumbled. After easing me back into my chair, he straightened only to announce, “We’re going to go rent a hotel room for the night.”

“Yeah, I don’t even think so,” Mason growled. “You can’t just dump this on me and then sweep her away for...for that.” He shuddered at the very idea. “Go home and come back some other night for a proper date.”

“We’ve already been on a date,” Brandt started, only for my brother to lift his hand, stopping him.

“Then take her on another date. And no more sneaking in through her window either.”

“Oh, come on, man. We’re not hurting anything by—”

When Mason lifted his eyebrows warningly, Brandt shut up, huffing out a disgruntled breath. “Whatever.” He turned to me to give me a reluctant goodbye, only to whisper in my ear, “Twenty minutes. Phone sex.”

I giggled, making Mason narrow his eyes. Brandt ignored him, ruffling the hair of each twin before stamping a goodbye kiss to Reese’s cheek, then he saluted Mason and said, “Warden,” as he strolled from the kitchen and out of my house.

Even though he’d been forced to leave, I couldn’t stop grinning. “Thank you for taking that...as well as you did,” I told my brother.

He sighed. “What could I really do? You are twenty-two. And he’s the only guy I know I can trust with you, so...as long as you’re happy...”