Priceless (Forbidden Men 8)

I laughed. “I wouldn’t have thought talking in front of a bunch of people would be a problem for you.”

He rolled his eyes. “As if anyone would want to listen to me...not when the sacred almighty valedictorian would talk right after that.”

The way he sneered the word valedictorian made everything suddenly clear. “Oh, so you just don’t like being in second place.”

He really had tried to do the best he could on his tests. He just hadn’t done better than one other person, and that bothered him.

“Who likes being in second place?” he grumbled. “It’s the first loser’s spot. Everyone is going to watch me get up in front of them and accept being the first loser.”

I frowned at that thinking. “Well, I don’t think it’ll be quite that—”

“And the valedictorian is a fucking douche, too,” he ranted on. “I can’t believe I’m losing out to a total douche. I might as well not have fucking tried at all.”

“You know, you’re right.” I nodded sagely. “I’ve never won first, second or even third place at anything in my entire life. Why, I might as well just kill myself now.”

Colton blinked, startled by my vehemence. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “So you’re telling me to stop being a whiny little bitch and suck it up, huh?”

I grinned. Colton was such a fun kid. “Pretty much. Now sit down already.” I motioned to a nearby bench. “Before staring up at you and into the direct sunlight blinds me.”

“Oh! Shit, sorry.” He immediately plopped onto the ben

ch beside me.

I laughed, though the entire thing made me think of Brandt. I never had to ask him to lower himself to my eye level. He just automatically did it. Ever since our first meeting, he’d been so considerate, thinking of things from my perspective and altering himself to fit it. He always put me first.

God, I didn’t deserve him for a friend. Why had I asked him to pimp himself out to me?

“So what’s going on between you and Brandt?” Colton asked, making me whip my gaze to him.

“What do you mean?”

He grinned. “He was acting like a jackass at breakfast. So I told him he needed to go visit you, because, well, you always put him in a better mood. But I swear he would’ve torn my head off if Noel hadn’t jumped in and saved my adorable butt.”

I sighed. Yep, I’d really screwed the pooch with my stupid question last night, hadn’t I? Poor Brandt.

“We’re fighting,” I lamented.

“I figured as much.” Colton sounded amused as he pulled a pack of gum from his pocket and unrolled a piece before popping it into his mouth. “But what are you fighting about?”

My face went so hot I could only imagine what shade of red it turned. Glancing away, I mumbled, “Nothing.”

No way in hell did I want to admit how humiliating being turned down by Brandt had been...or go on about how much it’d hurt to learn he had some kind of secret he wasn’t telling me. I already felt crappy enough for pushing at something I shouldn’t have pushed.

“Interesting,” Colton murmured as his lips spread so wide into a devilish grin I wondered if they’d break out the sides of his cheeks. “So you guys finally did it, huh?”

“What?” I sputtered. “No!”

My cheeks had to be so red they were bordering on purple now.

“Ahh.” I really didn’t like that knowing gleam in his eyes as he watched me. “So you turned him down? Bummer for big bro.”

“No. I did not turn him down.” Feeling petulant and moody, I scowled and mumbled, “He turned me down.”

Oh my God, I couldn’t believe I’d just said that. Brandt’s brother was like family and I was more comfortable with him than ninety-nine percent of the population, but still. Embarrassing!

Colton seemed similarly shocked by my confession. He choked on his piece of gum. “Uh...excuse me?” He pounded on his chest before coughing the gum back up. “Did you just say—”

“Yes!” I snapped, totally losing all patience and modesty. But since I couldn’t talk to Brandt about this, and I was too embarrassed to tell Reese how I’d thrown myself at him, then...Colton would do. “Yes, okay. I asked him.”