Priceless (Forbidden Men #8)

Bringing my hand to my mouth as I watched the scene unfold around me, I narrowed my eyes at my little brother, knowing something was up.

“Yeah, I’ll help him,” I announced, watching Colton’s shoulders tighten as he opened the door to the dishwasher.

“Well...” Grinning, Noel wiped his face with a napkin and tossed it on his plate before reaching for Beau, who sat in a high chair between him and Aspen. “Why don’t the three of us getting out of KP duty head to the living room and enjoy our freedom, huh?”

Aspen beamed at the opportunity to spend some quality time with her two guys, so she hurried to her feet after him. Before she disappeared from the kitchen, she slapped a grateful kiss to my and then Colton’s cheek.

“So...” I started, keeping my eye on my little brother as I gathered up stray plates from the table. “You went to Caroline’s today?”

He shrugged and sent me a quick glance over his shoulder before taking the plates from my hand so he could load the washer. “Yeah. Just checking in, you know, making sure they’re all okay.”

“Mmm hmm.” I folded my arms over my chest as I rested my hip against the counter. “And are they? Okay, that is?”

“What?” Colton glanced up, frowning in confusion. Then he straightened and reached for a glass to dump free of water into the sink. “Yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t they be?”

“No reason.” I lifted an eyebrow as I watched him work so hard. “Do anything else today?”

He paused before turning to me fully. “Why do you ask?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. You just act like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

His face showed surprise before he cleared it. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “You know, there is. I mean, it was nothing big. Just...Sarah asked me to have sex with her.”

I came away from the counter and dropped my hands to my sides. “What?”

He must’ve said that wrong, because there was no way he said Sarah asked him to— “I’m considering it,” he answered with a cocky grin.

Without thinking, I reacted, grabbing his shirt and yanking him close to growl into his face. “Touch her and I will break you in half.”

He laughed.

The little bastard actually laughed before he shoved me back. “Relax, asshole. It’s not like you want her.”

Arching an eyebrow, I stared him down hard. “What makes you think that?”

“Well...” He lifted a single shoulder. “You haven’t claimed her already, and if you don’t claim a woman as beautiful as she is, someone else will eventually. Say, like…me.”

Shit. Was that what had happened? She’d asked me to sleep with her, and I’d said no, so she’d moved on to the next guy in line?

Did she have a fucking list of candidates or something?

“Motherfucker,” I muttered, storming toward the back door.

My punk-ass brother laughed after me. “God, you are so predictable.”

I was too busy stewing to reply or even really listen to what he was babbling about. I practically sprinted to my truck. Glad I already had my keys in my pocket, I palmed them as I slid behind the wheel and cranked the engine.

Making it across town in record time, I skidded to a halt at the curb in front of Sarah’s house and slammed the door before racing to her window.

I pounded on that glass, surprised I didn’t shatter the damn thing before I remembered Mason, Reese, and the kids weren’t home so I could’ve gone straight to the front door without disturbing anyone else.

Oh, well. This would get to her faster, anyway.

When a shadow of movement shifted across the closed blinds, but no one opened them, I scowled harder. Why were her blinds closed, and why did the shadows seem to move away from me instead of closer to open the damn window?

Fuck, maybe she’d already gone to someone else to break her in, and they were in there right now together...naked.

I pounded harder. “Dammit, Sarah,” I growled under my breath. “If you have some fucking loser with you—”

The blinds came up. Sarah’s surprised face gaped out at me, but at least she looked to be alone, thank God.

Of course, then my worry spiked right back to insane levels when she bit her lip, cracked the window only an inch, and said, “Um...sorry, but now’s not really a good time. Can you—”

“What the fuck?” I exploded. She was wearing her robe and clutching the front together with one hand. “Is someone with you?”

“What?” She blinked, clearly not expecting that question. “No. Why?”

“Let me in.” I reached for the small gap we’d been talking through so I could open it myself.

But she hissed, “Brandt! No. I’m not...I’m not decent.”

Squinting at her, I wondered if she’d just gotten out of the shower maybe. But her hair was still dry and...what the hell? She was wearing makeup. A lot of makeup, like as much as she’d worn the night of her date with Seth the Dick.

Holy fuck. Maybe she really did have some guy in there with her. Was she lying to me?