Priceless (Forbidden Men #8)(80)

Pressing a hand to my abdomen, I said, “You mind if I sit down? Feels like my legs are about to wobble out from beneath me.”

“Shit, sorry.” He leaped forward and then steered me toward a chair at the table. Then he hovered next to me and set a warm hand on my shoulder before glancing at his siblings. “I’m going to take Sarah home. I’ll probably stay there tonight.”

No one had a problem with that, so...it was settled. Brandt was coming home with me.





BRANDT




I felt drained, exhausted, and sore. For a moment, I wasn’t sure why I was so sore, but then I realized I’d been holding myself tense for the past couple hours. My muscles were probably screaming for a little relaxation.

When the door to Sarah’s bedroom opened, I turned my face on the pillow where I’d been resting my head and staring up at her ceiling to watch her roll into the room. My chest tightened with emotion as she smiled at me. But my muscles, they seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

I was so f*cking glad she’d been there tonight.

The first moment I’d seen her wheelchair in the kitchen, I’d thought my life had ended. I was ready to wilt away into nothing, because I hadn’t trusted our friendship the way I should have. I was certain I was going to lose her.

But Sarah had ended up saving me instead of leaving me to drown in the horror.

I didn’t think I could love her any more than I did in this moment.

“Hey,” she murmured brightly, dressed in her nightclothes and ready to sleep.

Shifting under the covers to make room for her, I smiled back. “Hey.”

After everything that had happened tonight, all the shit we’d been through lately, the drama that had seemed to take over our lives, all we had to say was “hey” and it covered everything.

“You look beat,” she told me as she climbed onto the mattress with me and settled the blankets in around us before lying down with her head on my shoulder instead of on her pillow.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her more snugly against me. “I am beat,” I admitted, “But my brain is f*cking wired. I doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight.”

“That would actually work great for me. You can rub my back while I sleep.”

When Sarah fluttered her lashes at me in a begging manner, I chuckled. “Oh, is that how’s it going to be, huh?”

“Sure. You can get started now if you like.” She even tried to roll away from me so I’d have full access to her back, but her bare shoulder where her tank top wasn’t covering her soft, sleek flesh had my body sparking with awareness.

“I don’t think so, smart-ass. Get back here.” Rolling her back so that she was once again facing me with her breasts and warm belly pressed into my side, I tucked her against me. Her cheek settled back onto my shoulder, and I closed my eyes, content.

“Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying.” She sighed out her disappointment even as she cuddled closer.

Even though I’d rejected her request for a backrub, my fingers began to lazily strum up and down her arm. And no, I couldn’t blame her for trying anything at all. All her warmth and softness soaking into me reminded me of what else she’d tried lately.

I knew I was being a total guy, but every thought in my brain turned to sex. After the night I’d had, sex should probably be the last thing I wanted, but for some reason, all I could think about was how every reason I’d been trying to stay away from Sarah suddenly seemed moot.

I’d been worried about freaking her out with my weirdness, except she was aware of that now and had actually seemed turned on by the idea of bondage.

I’d been afraid our friendship might suffer, but it felt so strong at the moment, I knew I could trust it to weather anything.

I’d thought everything with my mother had made me dirty, but after a stern talking-to from Sarah, I was finally accepting the idea that maybe I had been a victim, so honestly, I shouldn’t feel too filthy to contaminate her. And she didn’t seem disgusted by me, which went a long way.

So, yeah, with all those reservations out of the way, I just wanted to do her. Hard, fast, slow, intense, languidly, and every way in between.

I wondered if she’d kick me in the nads if I asked, though. She’d tried so hard to talk me into it, and I’d resisted; it would serve me right if she spat a rejection right back in my face now that I was on board with the idea.

Then again, she’d been brave and faced rejection for me. It only seemed right that I do the same for her.

“Sarah?” I murmured, my heart beginning to pound as I looked up at the ceiling and bit the inside of my lip.

“Mmm?” she asked, nuzzling her nose up my throat and making my already hard dick pulse with need.

I groaned and took her wrist before drawing her hand down and placing her palm firmly over the crotch of the sweatpants I was wearing. The warmth from her fingers soaked through the cloth and made my cock jerk.

Sucking in a surprised breath, Sarah lifted her face to look into my eyes. “I...are you saying...are you sure it’s okay that I’m touching you here? No bad déjà vu?”

With a laugh over how cute her reaction was, I shook my head. “Not yet. I think holding your wrist and controlling every move you make helps.”

“Oh! Well...” She gulped, looking so adorably excited I wanted to kiss her. “Control whatever you need to, then.”