Brian waited for Becca to laugh and tell him how cheesy that sounded. Instead, her already-pale skin looked as though it had grown even paler in the last few seconds.
"You're going on a dating show?" she asked, the excitement and support that had been radiating off of her in waves was gone, drained from her body.
Brian searched her eyes, trying to figure out what could have happened in barely a minute or two. As his eyes studied her, he recognized her expression from the time she thought she'd lost his pet turtle. They'd found Slowpoke under the porch, but Becca had been beside herself for the short time he was missing. She'd looked devastated then, and she looked devastated now.
"Well, I'm going to audition for a dating show. I have no idea if I'll be on one," he said as he grew concerned. Maybe she wasn't feeling well. Sometimes after flights, she would get nauseated. She hated flying. Maybe he should just take her home. "You know what? Why don't I run you home and get you settled? If I have time, I'll come back out."
"No," she quickly said, and a broad smile appeared on her face. "That's silly. Let's go. This is exciting." She spoke with what seemed like forced enthusiasm.
"Ooookay," Brian agreed as he looked behind him and began backing out of the space.
He honestly had no idea what was going on with Becca, but something was up. If he didn't know better, he would think that she didn't like the idea of him being on dating show. That she was jealous.
But that was a ridiculous notion. Becca had always been the first one to make sure everyone had known that they were ‘just friends.' She'd just said that very thing to Stella. Brian shook his head as he pulled the parking ticket out of his pocket. He was probably just projecting what he was feeling on to her. Because, like Becca was the first one to point out, they were just friends.
Chapter Three
Becca shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She tried not to let the fact that Brian's muscular thigh was pressed up against hers and that his arm was oh-so-casually draped across the back of her chair affect her-outwardly, at least.
"You okay?" his deep voice asked as his thumb ran up and down her shoulder, sending a chill throughout her entire body.
"Yep," she said, trying to scoot away from his touch without seeming obvious.
"Are you cold?" Brian's voice was filled with concern.
Why?
Why did he have to be so in tune with every movement, every look, every mood shift?
"I'm fine." Becca sounded fake and overly chipper even to her own ears. But in her defense, the fact that she'd been able to speak at all with Brian surrounding her was a fairly impressive feat in and of itself.
As his panty-melting brown eyes searched hers, she knew that, behind those sexy, soul-searching peepers, Brian was trying to work out what was going on with her like an intuitive jigsaw puzzle. The thing that made her heart beat even more rapidly than his smell, his stare, and his touch was the fact that she knew if he looked deep and long enough he would absolutely put all the pieces together. Where Brian was concerned, Becca was an open book. Always had been.
Her lips turned up, in what she hoped was a convincing smile, as she tried to casually dismiss her mood. "I'm just tired. My finals were killer this semester."
He nodded, still not looking completely convinced, and turned his attention back down to the sheet he'd picked up when he'd signed in. She knew that he was only momentarily dropping this subject-and that it would, definitely, be coming up again.
Shoot.
Becca needed to figure out how to go back to the way things had been and she needed to do it fast. For years, years, she'd looked at Brian as exactly what he was-her best friend. She just needed to get her head, hormones, and heart back in that place. Back in the friend zone.
The zone where his gaze didn't make her heart rate speed up so fast that it was like she was on amphetamines. Where his touch was innocent and comforting, not heated and causing flames of lust to ignite like a four-alarm fire. Where his voice soothed and calmed her, instead of aroused and excited her.
What was wrong with her?
Maybe it was just that she hadn't had a serious boyfriend for almost two years. Not that any of her relationships really could have been classified as serious. They weren't. But she'd definitely had boyfriends. Relationships she'd enjoyed, a couple she'd even briefly thought might have led to something.
But, after witnessing, first, her cousins and, then, her sisters all drink Love Potion #9, get bit by the love bug, fall head over heels in love, Becca knew that she hadn't even been close to the real thing. She'd always been the one to end the relationships she'd been in, and it was usually for the same reason: she just didn't have time for them.
Well, she didn't have time to lust after her best friend either, but she was quickly learning that, as much as people might think they have control over what they feel, what they think, who they love … they don't. As a matter of fact, Becca was beginning to consider the possibility that her lifelong belief that, if you put your mind to something and worked hard then anything was possible, was actually not the case.
Although maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough.
The small waiting room she was seated beside Brian in was filled to the brim with nothing but guys. As she looked around, she saw that she was surrounded by good-looking, age-appropriate, and most likely-since they were here to audition for a dating show-available men. Becca's eyes bounced from one to the next, and although she appreciated the fact that some of them were extremely good-looking, she felt absolutely nothing inside. No spark. No interest. No attraction.
Great.
It wasn't helping that, every time the rough pad of Brian's thumb brushed across her sensitive skin, it left a burning trail of desire in its wake. Taking a moment while Brian's attentions were focused solely on the paper he held in his hand, Becca tried to look at him objectively and see her friend, not the current star of all of her not-so-innocent fantasies.
He was still … Brian. She saw what she always had. He had all-American good looks. Light-brown, shaggy hair. Brown eyes. Strong jawline. The difference was that, now, Becca also noticed other things. Things like his full lips that made her own tingle. The sprinkling of stubble across his jaw that made her fingers itch to reach out and touch him. His long, dark eyelashes that framed his light, caramel-colored eyes. The slope of his neck beneath his chin that she wanted to lick.
Stop!
This had to stop. It was getting ridiculous. Becca's entire body was alive with awareness, a deep pulsing had begun in her lower belly, and her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure that Brian could hear it.
"Brian Scott," a young woman called.
Thank God!
"Wish me luck." Brian winked at Becca before leaning down and kissing her on the top of the head. She felt the kiss all the way down to her toes and everywhere in between on its journey down south.
Brian stood and started towards the pretty girl holding the clipboard in her hands, and Becca noticed how the girl's dark-brown eyes widened and her face became flushed the closer that Brian got. Becca knew exactly what was happening. Brian was one of those guys who looked attractive from a distance, but his real appeal became evident when you got up close to him.
When you could see the two tones of his mesmerizing eyes, the dark outline surrounding his lighter-brown irises. When you could fully appreciate the shape of his sensual lips. When you could smell him. Even before Becca's unfortunate trip into not-so-friendly territories, she'd always loved the way Brian smelled. It was a heady combination of fresh, clean, and all male.
From across the room, it was impossible to hear what Brian said to Clipboard Girl, but whatever it was had her giggling and flipping her blond ponytail behind her shoulder. Becca refrained from rolling her eyes, but only because she knew she had zero reason to be upset. It used to amuse her when girls got all giggly and flirty around Brian. It had made her proud, even, that her friend was so popular with the ladies. Now, amusement and pride had been replaced with irritation and jealousy.
Lovely. Just lovely.
After reaching into her purse, she pulled out the book she'd packed for her flight. The moment she touched it, she felt a little bit of the stress melt away. Books had always had that effect on her. They calmed her. Centered her.
She opened the book to where the dog-eared page had kept her place and began to read. Her skin quivered beneath his touch as the Duke's hand slid higher up her creamy thigh.