Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men, #1)(67)

When Ethan followed me home and up to my apartment, he was unusually quiet. “Neat place,” was pretty much all he said after he followed me inside.

“It’s growing on me.” I tossed my book bag onto the coffee table and scrounged up my cell phone. “Is there any specific pizza place you want to order from?”

He shook his head as he wandered curiously around the front room. “Anywhere’s fine. I’ll take pepperoni.”

I dialed my favorite delivery and placed our order. By the time I hung up, Ethan had made his way to the refrigerator and was staring at the only picture I had pinned up with a magnet.

“Who’s this?”

I grinned fondly at the snapshot of Sarah sitting in her wheelchair and perfecting a thumbs-up for the camera.

“That’s the little girl I babysit. Her name’s Sarah, and she is sooo precious.”

Ethan nodded. “What’s wrong with her?”

I scowled and wanted to snap, “Nothing’s wrong with her. She’s perfect in every way,” but I knew what he meant.

“She has cerebral palsy. It kind of freaked me out a little when I first met her,” I confessed. “But once you spend five minutes in her company, you don’t see the wheelchair at all. She’s just…she’s a bundle of sunshine.”

“She sounds special.”

“She is. Oh! You might know who her brother is. He goes to Waterford too. Mason Lowe?” I don’t know why I had to say his name aloud. It just tumbled out of me.

Ethan snapped alert. “Mason Lowe? Yeah, I know who Mason is. He’s her brother?”

I nodded. “Yep. He could tell you how awesome Sarah is too.”

“I…I’ve actually seen you and Mason around campus together a few times.”

I shrugged, trying not to react to his curious gaze. “Sure. We became friends because of her.”

“Friends,” he repeated. Flushing, he glanced away. “I thought…I’m sorry. I’d just always assumed you two were…dating.”

I shook my head, though my neck felt sluggish and my cheeks suddenly hot. “No. No, we’re just…friends.”

Sadly.

“Well, that’s kind of a relief. I’d heard…I mean.” He bit his bottom lip. “I’ve heard some pretty crazy rumors about him.”

Hadn’t everyone? I wanted to scream and cry and throw stuff on Mason’s behalf. And on my own behalf too.

But I forced utter nonchalance. With a grin and roll of my eyes, I said, “Let me guess. You heard he’s a gigolo who works at the Country Club as a front to set up all the meetings with his rich, older, female clients.”

Ethan turned beet red. “Uh, yeah. Something like that. So…” He lifted his eyebrows above his glasses. “It’s not true, then?”

“Umm…” I made a strange face. “Wouldn’t he be, like, in jail by now if he was practicing prostitution so openly?”

With a shrug, Ethan said, “I guess. But it doesn’t matter. I’m just relieved he’s not dating you.”

“Why?” I asked, immediately alarmed. “What else have you heard about him?”

“Nothing. I just…” He drew in a long breath. “I’ve always wanted to ask you out.”

My mouth fell open. “Really?” Wow, shy Ethan Riker might not be so shy after all.

He nodded bashfully and glanced away. “So what do you say?” he pushed. “This Friday? Do you want to, I don’t know, do something with me?”

I began to shake my head and turn him down. But then I paused and remembered how crushed I’d felt on Sunday when Mason had gotten that phone call and ducked into the bathroom for a private word with his client. I remembered how it had hurt to listen to him talk about how he’d almost been caught by a husband. I remembered all the reasons we could never be together.

Mason certainly wasn’t acting like a monk just because he wanted to be with me. Why should I act like a nun just because he was the only person I wanted to be with?

I had no reason to be faithful. We certainly weren’t dating. We could never date.

We were just friends.

And I needed to move on with my life. If I could get over what had happened with Jeremy only to get stuck on Mason, I was going to end up back on square one.

Nowhere.

But I was still uncertain. “I’m supposed to babysit Sarah every Friday,” I said with a wince.

When Ethan’s shoulders fell and a crushed look crossed his face, I felt evil. I didn’t mean to, but I quickly added, “How about Saturday?”

He instantly brightened. “Saturday would be great. Pick you up at seven?”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE




My stomach churned through the rest of the week. I think it was filled with a nice, acidic regret. And maybe some guilt too, though that one made less sense. I wasn’t attached to anyone; I shouldn’t have felt any qualms about telling Ethan I’d go out with him. But I did.

I never should’ve said yes. I wasn’t really in the dating mood; well, not in the mood to date anyone but one person. And that one person wasn’t Ethan Riker.

But that one person was utterly forbidden and I should move on. I mean, if his visit Saturday night to tell me about his escapades with married woman and detail his stupid plan—that totally didn’t involve me—hadn’t convinced me he was forbidden, then Wednesday night certainly did.