Falling for the Good Guy (Can't Resist #2)(4)

It took a while for her brain to register all that he was saying, even longer for her body to make heads and tails of what he was doing. She’d basically just entered a world where red was green and warm was suddenly un-freakin-believably hot.

She pulled back.

But her eyes couldn’t seem to stop staring at his lips. “You can’t kiss me, Brian. At least not how you’re suggesting.” Because I’m still hopelessly in love with your brother. “We’re friends.”

“Best friends,” he agreed.

“Exactly.” Somehow, she didn’t think she was winning this debate.

“Why can’t I kiss my best friend?” he argued back at barely a whisper. “Because she’s an incredible woman I respect, admire, love, and know better than anyone else in the world—the same way she knows me? Or because she’s the woman I’d just as soon cut my own heart out for before ever seeing hurt in any way?” He slid a thumb along her lower lip. “Or is it because she’s the woman who’s scared she might actually want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss her?”

Holy swizzle sticks. She was definitely losing this debate.




GOOD LORD, SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL.

Brian wasn’t blind, he’d always thought so. From the day they’d met, Abby had always been the sweet, gorgeous ‘nice girl’ with the soulful doe eyes, killer curves, and the smile that always made his day. Not classically stunning as Beth had been, but just as captivating in her own unique way. More than that, she had an unparalleled inner beauty and a trademark quirkiness that had immediately drawn him in, catapulted her to the status of his best friend practically from their first conversation.

Honestly, had his heart not been so utterly devoted to Beth every moment of their time together, Brian probably would’ve fallen head over heels for Abby years ago. But the simple fact of the matter was that his heart hadn’t been free then.

But it was now.

“Don’t you want to kiss me?” he teased lightly. “Haven’t you ever thought of me as just a guy, something other than your friend? Ever?”

“No.”

Ouch. Man, that was a mortal blow to his ego. Maybe he had it all wrong—

“Okay, that’s a lie,” she conceded warily. “I may have thought of you in friendlier terms when we first met. For a minute, tops.”

“Really?” A ridiculously pleased grin spread across his face.

“Maybe less than a minute,” she retracted, eyes narrowed now, her chin set at a stubborn that’s-all-you’re-gonna-get angle.

“Less than a minute?” He raised an intrigued brow. “Was I coming or going?”

Her nose scrunched up in the cutest look of irritation. “Oh stop fishing for compliments, Brian. You’re not exactly hard on the eyes and you know it.” She pouted grumpily at him. “You walked into that psych class we shared and I just about unrolled my tongue. I drooled over you all through class and the entire walk to the parking lot, which you insisted on accompanying me on since it was after seven when class got out.”

“So what happened? Did I say something idiotic to piss you off?”

She gave him a wistful shrug. “Nope. I stopped drooling over you the second your phone rang. To this day, I’ve never seen a man light up with a more serene, unfaltering look of love on his face from just a simple phone call. I knew right then that this Beth girl you were talking to had an untouchable hold on your heart, and that nipped my feelings of attraction to you right in the bud.”

He hated the way she said that with such finality.

No, dammit. They hadn’t missed their chance.

“I remember that day too, you know. I distinctly recall you being smarter than every other student in that class.”

A tiny laugh bubbled out of her. “I was not.”

“Were too. Here you were the lone freshman in a 200-level class showing the rest of us up by practically reciting the entire textbook during the professor’s opening discussion.”

She swatted him in the stomach. “You made that crack shortly after we met, too. Sometimes I wonder how we ever became friends.”

“I don’t.” He caught her hand in his and felt every male atom in his body sizzle to life at the reaction his touch had on her breathing. “You and I were two peas in a pod from the start, Abby. You’ve always been my kindred spirit.”

“No way.” She shook her head firmly. “That was you and Beth. She was your world. The way you two loved each other was epic. You and I never had that. Heck, I’ve never had that with…anyone.”

Not even Connor.

He heard the unspoken statement, and saw the stark flash of pain in her eyes. And for the thousandth time, he found himself starting to tell her exactly how Connor felt about her. To spare her all this hurt. To tell her the one thing that would effectively extinguish any chance he could have of making this work between them.

And for the thousandth time, he stopped himself just in time.

I’m giving you one chance, Brian—one chance that I think the universe has shorted you, one chance to make Abby happy. If it’s you she wants, I’ll understand…be happy for you two, even. But I’m not a goddamn saint. Don’t bring Abby up again unless it’s to tell me you’re ready to propose…or let her go.