ComfortZone Read Online Free Page B

?”
    Sarah’s mouth dropped open.
    “Dude. Pull it back.” Pete shook his head.
    “Never mind.” Brice shrugged his shoulders, as if he hadn’t
just said something completely rude and uncalled for.
    “No. I absolutely will not ‘never mind’. How dare you judge
me? You don’t want me. You’ve made that abundantly clear to me in the past.
While you’ve made playing the dog in the manger an art form, I’ve had a life.
So please. Please forgive me for being with other guys— Sorry, Sarah.”
    “No problem,” she sang.
    “And not sitting up in some ivory tower, waiting for you to
make a move that you’re never going to make .” Okay. She’d skipped
straight over assertive and moved right on into shrill, bordering on crazy. Not
her finest moment.
    Brice’s jaw clenched, and she would have sworn she saw one
of his beautiful brown eyes twitch. But he said nothing. At least he didn’t
deny it. Wouldn’t that have been a whopper of a lie.
    She turned on her heel and started down the gazebo steps. As
she passed Ariel, she whispered an apology. Then the minute her heels hit the
makeshift aisle, she took off at a speed walk.
    Sure, running might have been more dramatic, more
point-proving. And it would have gotten her out of there much faster. But she
was in heels, damn it. Practicality wins over drama.
    * * * * *
    What the hell?
    It was the only thing Brice could think of while he, once
again, stood off in the shadows, watching other people socialize. This was
becoming an uncomfortable habit. He caught himself in mid-scowl, wiped his face
clean of any expression and glanced at the dance floor.
    There. That made him feel better already. His sister,
dancing with her husband. Looking like someone lit a lantern inside her, she
was glowing so much. Trav whirled her around until her skirts swished and
tangled them both. They laughed, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder.
    His heart contracted a little, both in joy and sorrow. She
wasn’t his to protect anymore. Wasn’t his to watch over, keep safe. Something
he’d vowed to do since she was six years old, and looked up at him with those
big eyes and put one sticky hand in his and said he was home.
    But she was happy. Happier than he’d ever seen her before.
And he refused to ruin her day by acting like an ass. He’d already played that
card earlier, during pictures.
    Making his way over to the bridal party’s table, he squatted
down next to Sarah’s chair. In a low voice, he said, “I’m sorry about earlier.”
    “Hmm?” She kept her eyes trained on her brother, Trav, a
small smile tilting her lips.
    “During the photos. Bringing up past stuff that—”
    “It’s okay.” She turned a brilliant smile to him, and he
breathed a sigh of relief. “Really, it is. I understand.”
    “Thanks.” He stood and held out a hand. “Dance?”
    “Love to.” They walked to the dance floor and found a little
piece all for themselves. She wasn’t the most graceful, but she made up for it
in enthusiasm and soon had him smiling.
    Even a glance to his left to see Mary Ellen dancing with
Pete didn’t dampen his spirits. Sure, they had a past. But Pete was with Sarah
now, and any fool could see he wasn’t giving Sarah up. No threat.
    Wait. No threat? To what? He didn’t want her.
    Christ, what a lie.
    Pete spun Mary Ellen out, only to be caught by one of the
ushers. Trav’s cop buddy, Taylor. Pete took over dancing with Brice and Ariel’s
mother and Mary Ellen stayed with Taylor.
    “You’ll have to see a dentist soon.”
    “Huh?” Brice looked down to see Sarah looking at him with a
gleam in her eye.
    “Your back teeth are grinding so much, you’re about to lose
them. You might want to do something about that.”
    “I don’t grind my teeth.”
    “I meant that .” She nodded her head toward the
oh-so-happy dancing couple of Mary Ellen and Taylor. “Listen, I’m the new kid
in this equation. So I might be way off. But from where I stand,