Priceless (Forbidden Men 8)

Once we reached the blanket he’d already spread open, he lowered me gently to my feet, all the while turning to face me so he could keep me standing steady.

Unable to stop laughing, I brushed windblown hair from my eyes. “Okay, that was fun.”

My cheeks felt flushed, and the rest of me was just...exhilarated.

“Liked it?” he asked, helping me lower myself to the ground until I was seated comfortably.

With a snort, I rolled my eyes. “What’re you trying to do? Ruin me for all future dates ever?”

His blue eyes glittered with intensity. “Maybe.”

My breath caught as he settled next to me and busied himself, throwing open the basket to draw out all the food he’d brought. It took everything inside me not to blurt out that he was the best thing to ever happen to me and that it didn’t matter if I never went on another date again because this was the only one I’d ever wanted to go on, anyway.

“Why are you so good to me?” I murmured, feeling this heaviness in my chest, as if containing all my feelings was becoming too much, too impossible to handle.

But he merely tossed out a flippant, “Because you’re special to me,” as he concentrated on pulling out the chicken, then a bottle of wine, grapes, cheese, and my favorite Club cracker minis he knew I loved. It was obvious he’d thought about me as he’d prepared all this, picking out what he knew I’d appreciate the most.

I knew—had known for a while—I was special to him.

“Why am I so special to you, though?” I persisted. I really didn’t understand what he saw, why he tried so hard to make me happy, why keeping me safe and protected was such a priority to him. There really wasn’t anything grand about me at all. I was just...me. Plain, boring, sexless Sarah.

Brandt paused and glanced up, realizing how important the question was. Studying me from thoughtful blue eyes, he squinted a moment before saying, “I guess you probably wouldn’t understand it, but...when I needed someone the most in my life, you were there. You’ve always been there for me. You are the most reliable, trustworthy person I know.”

I wrinkled my nose, glad such traits had gained his loyalty, but still, they sounded as boring as hell. “I feel like a freaking trained dog.”

Throwing back his head, he barked out a laugh. “And you always make me smile,” he added before removing plates, silverware, and glasses from the basket.

Remembering the day we’d met and how he’d known no one else in school but had waited in the hall, just outside the office, for me to rescue him, I drew in a breath, suddenly glad I hadn’t been too afraid to approach him that day. My one little act of bravery had turned out to be the smartest thing I’d ever done.

Brandt continued to be the attentive date as he filled both our plates, asking me how big of a portion I wanted for everything. And though he’d brought silverware, neither of us used them, eating everything with our fingers. He’d even had the forethought to steal a package of diaper wipes to keep our hands clean.

We talked easily through the meal, commenting on flavors, the weather, school, what we were going to do after graduation. I decided I wouldn’t have been able to relax and just enjoy a date this much with anyone else, because Brandt was comfortable and safe.

Plus, I could totally pig out without caring what he thought of me. In fact, we had a laughing fight over who was going to steal the last piece of cheese before he acquiesced and let me have it.

As I popped the last grape into my mouth and chewed, I groaned and cradled my stomach before relaxing backward until I was lying on the blanket and staring up at the cloud-filled sky. “Oh my God, I think I’m going to burst at the seams. That was so good.”

Brandt chuckled and plopped down beside me, angling his legs so his body went off in a different direction from mine but keeping his face close enough that some of his hair brushed my cheek. “The way you were chowing down, I was beginning to worry how I was going to cart your fat ass back out of here.”

I gasped. “Whatever.” Then I shoved at his shoulder. “Jerk.”

“Ouch.” He laughed and rubbed a hand over the spot I’d abused. “Assault.”

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, “As if that hurt. I barely nudged you.”

“As if I actually insulted you?” he charged right back. “You’re all of what, a size two?”

“Six,” I hissed back.

“Ooh.” He made a sarcastic shivering motion. “That must classify you a step above anorexic, then?

I shoved him again, but this time, I chased it with a laugh. “You really are a jerk.” Though, honestly, I appreciated how he treated me. He’d never been too gentle with my emotions, as if I were a piece of delicate glass that might shatter at the slightest teasing. That was one of the things I loved most about him. He never made me feel handicapped.

After a couple seconds of silence, he said, “The sunset’s pretty.”

I turned my head to look at the pinks and yellows and oranges. “Yeah.”

A comfortable silence washed over us as we watched the colors slowly blur and change with the gradual setting of the sun.