Chapter 15
Sarah dragged Brian all over the place making him try everything from teriyaki ostrich to skewered lamb marinated in a fine merlot. They tasted some of the finest that Poland, Italy, France, China, India and the American Heartland had to offer. Eventually they decided that there was no way they would have room to try everything and Sarah suggested they each try one last thing. “But,” she said, “Let’s make it interesting.”
“You mean eight different kinds of soft cheese on one cracker wasn’t interesting enough for you?”
“Oh, no, that was definitely interesting.” Sarah laughed with a groan as she held her stomach, “But I was thinking we should find out how much we learned about each other. Let’s play a game.”
“What kind of game?” Brian asked with his curiosity peaked.
Sarah grinned. “We split up and each pick out one food that we think the other will like based on everything we’ve tasted so far.”
Brian grinned wickedly. “Too easy.”
Sarah was surprised by Brian’s sudden burst of confidence. “There’s a lot of food out there. You think you can pick the one thing that will make my knees buckle?”
“I know so.” Brian replied
Brian had Sarah so completely intrigued that she was almost flustered. As she stood there trying to figure out where the almost cocky attitude had come from, Brian smiled down at her with a dangerously playful stare. She found it strangely exciting and was shocked when her eyes wandered to his lips. She quickly pulled her gaze back up to his expectant baby blues and shook off the spontaneous urge. She plastered a smirk on her face before Brian could guess her thoughts and matched his playfulness. “If you’re so sure then why don’t we make it really interesting. Whoever gets it more right gets to make the other try whatever they want.”
Brian raised an eyebrow and his smile grew even wider. “You’re on.” He said clasping Sarah’s hand to confirm the bet.
“I hope you like stomach soup.” Sarah teased.
“Not as much as you’re going to like pickled pigs feet.” Brian replied.
“Meet back here in 10 minutes?”
“I only need five.” Brian said confidently and then walked off.
Five minutes later Brian and Sarah found themselves face to face both with their hands behind their backs. “Are you ready for this?” Sarah asked, “I found something I think you are going to absolutely love.”
“You better hope you’re right.” Brian said loving all the playful banter.
“OK, close your eyes.” Sarah ordered.
Brian did as he was told and smiled when Sarah slipped a fork full of crab into his mouth. “Mmm. That’s some good crab.” He said opening his eyes.
“Alaskan king crab.” Sarah specified proudly when Brian was clearly pleased with what he tasted, “Glazed in a tangy lemon sauce.”
“Crab is one of my favorite foods. What made you think to go with it? We have steered clear of all seafood today.” Brian asked impressed by her choice.
“Lucky guess.” Sarah said, “My dad and I came to your house for a dinner party once when I was about 12 and I was terrified when I saw the crab legs in front of me. I remember you mom saying it was all three of her boys’ favorite.”
Brian’s eyes lit up at the memory. “I remember that.” He said with excitement. “Mom noticed that you weren’t eating and told Nick to make you something else. Everyone enjoyed crab that night and you ate peanut butter and jelly.”
Brian laughed again thinking that the story fit Sarah perfectly. “That was forever ago. I can’t believe you remembered that.”
“Of course I remembered that.” Sarah said, “Not only was it the first time I’d ever seen crab legs, but it was the first time I ever really talked to Nick. I was so embarrassed when your mother made a big deal about fixing me something else but Nick was so sweet. He took me in the kitchen and did this whole cooking channel routine as if PBJ were the most sophisticated food ever to exist. He made me laugh and I felt much better after that.”
Sarah laughed and pulled herself from the daydream missing the look on Brian’s face. “Anyway,” she explained, “I remembered the crab thing and hoped it was still your favorite.”
“You were right. It is still one of my favorites and that was some exceptionally good crab.” Brian said trying not to let Sarah’s story dampen his good mood.
“Still feeling that confidante?” Sarah asked.
Brian grinned. “Let’s find out.”
Sarah closed her eyes and Brian pulled a bite size chocolate coated morsel from behind his back. “Open.” He demanded and then placed it in Sarah’s mouth.
A reverent smile crept over Brian’s face as he watched Sarah’s reaction. Her eyes stayed closed as the heavenly dessert melted in her mouth. She chewed slowly as if every second was pure ecstasy and seeing her so full of delight made Brian’s mouth begin to water. He wanted to enjoy the taste of Sarah’s lips. He knew they would be every bit as delicious as the cheesecake Sarah was eating. She was so intoxicating that Brian’s face slowly drew closer and closer to hers until she released a groan that snapped him from his trance. Brian was startled by just how close he’d come to kissing her and quickly stepped back as she said, “Oh, god, you win!”
Sarah finally opened her eyes and was immediately met with a smirk. “How did you know?” she asked almost as if she were accusing him of cheating.
“I haven’t met a woman yet that didn’t have a serious weakness for cheesecake.” Brian laughed.
“Not just cheesecake, but raspberry cheesecake.”
“Dipped in dark chocolate.” Brian added.
“Seriously.” Sarah said studying him suspiciously, “”How did you know?”
“Lucky guess?” Brian teased.
“No way. You knew. How did you know?”
Brian grinned wickedly. “That’s not important.” He laughed, “What’s important is that I won. That means I get to make you eat anything I want.”
Brian snickered when Sarah noticed that he still had one hand behind his back. “You already have something?” Sarah asked.
“I knew I was going to win.” Brian replied.
Sarah tried to keep a straight face as her eyes narrowed at Brian, but despite her best efforts, she burst into laughter. “It’s not really pickled pigs feet, is it?”
“They are considered a delicatessen.”
“Bring it on.” Sarah said mentally preparing herself for the worst.
Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You ready for this?” Brian giggled as he pulled another bite of cheesecake from behind his back.
Sarah nodded. “Ok, try not to get sick on me.” Brian teased.
Sarah squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could and then opened her mouth. Brian gently placed the treat on her tongue. He subconsciously let his hand linger and Sarah’s lips brushed over his fingers as she closed her mouth. While neither of them would admit to the electricity in the touch, neither was in a hurry to pull away. Both of them took a moment to recover from the sensual moment and finally it dawned on Sarah that she had cheesecake in her mouth again. He eyes flew open in shock and Brian burst into laughter. “Pickled pigs feet taste surprisingly like raspberry cheesecake.” Sarah said.
Brian shrugged still amused with himself. “I’m in a good mood.” He said.
“Not that I don’t appreciate it,” Sarah said, “But you could have chosen anything and you went with cheesecake? Where’s the fun in that?”
“Believe me, watching you eat that cheesecake was plenty entertaining.”
Sarah laughed but the tiniest hint of redness still entered her cheeks. “I am a big sucker for a good piece of cheesecake. She said shrugging off the embarrassment. “And it was very nice of you to not make me eat something disgusting.”
“Well I’m a nice guy.” Brian said with a big cheesy grin.
Sarah stood there a moment examining Brian. He really was a nice guy, you could see it in his eyes. True he wasn’t always the best with his words, but Sarah realized that deep down his heart was made of gold. She was truly impressed by him and the way he’d completely changed her opinion of him in a single afternoon. “You’re full of surprises.” She said with a smile that caused Brian to swallow a rising lump in his throat.
Brian suppressed his desire for Sarah that was growing by the minute and forced a smile as he held up a small plate of remaining cheesecake bites. He grinned proudly when Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “I knew raspberry was your favorite but I thought you might like to try all the other flavors too.” He said. “Shall we find a seat and have some dessert?”
Sarah nodded enthusiastically and then took the arm that Brian offered her. They soon found themselves sitting at a table enjoying some live music over cheesecake and sparkling grape juice. “So which one did you like the best?” Sarah asked Brian when they were staring at an empty plate.
“That’s a tough choice.” Brian said, “But I bet you still liked the raspberry swirl the best.”
“So are you going to tell me how you knew that or not?” Sarah asked again.
Brian was powerless to deny Sarah anything she wanted and it was obvious she was dying to know the truth, so he finally broke down and divulged the secret. “Last October I took my car to your fathers shop for a tune up and Dave practically forced me to sit down and eat some cheesecake. He said that even though you weren’t there it wouldn’t be right to not have cheesecake on your birthday. I think he really missed you.”
Sarah sighed but still smiled at the sweet story. “He told me raspberry was your favorite.” Brian said, “He also told me that you usually eat most of it which is why he needed my help to get rid of it.”
“Oh did he?” Sarah replied with a roll of her eyes.
“Yeah. He actually told me lots of good stuff about you.” Brian teased.
“I really don’t think I want to know.” Sarah groaned.
“It’s probably better that way.” Brian agreed.
Brian leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head as he watched the band play. “Is this the part where we get all sluggish and take a nap because we ate too much?” He joked.
Brian closed his eyes as if he really were prepared to fall asleep. Sarah laughed but then looked at the dance floor. She smiled as she watched several couples shuffle around to an unfamiliar country tune. Sarah wasn’t much of a dancer but she’d spent enough time at wedding receptions with her aunt over the last year to learn a basic two-step. She stood up and held her hand out to Brian. “Will you dance with me?” She asked.
Brian’s eyes flew open and he nearly fell out of his chair at the request. “What?” he asked nervously.
“Do you know how to two-step?”
“It’s been a long time.” Brian replied.
“It’s not that hard.” Sarah said, “Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can do it. I’m sure it will come back to you. Come on, we’ve got to work off all that cheesecake somehow.”
Brian stared hesitantly at Sarah’s outstretched hand. He wasn’t nervous about the dancing. With all the dancing lessons he’d had over the years, he danced a lot better than he cared to admit. It was the dancing with Sarah part that had him so scared. He’d nearly kissed her without even realizing it when she was merely eating a piece of cake. He feared that holding her in his arms would prove to be very dangerous and the day was going so well he didn’t want to screw it up now. “I don’t know.” He said slowly.
“Ah, pretty please?” Sarah pouted.
Brian simply couldn’t resist the big doe eyes he was staring into and he let Sarah pull him to his feet. He reluctantly followed her onto the dance floor and she could feel how tense he was when she placed her hand on his shoulder. Even as uncomfortable as he seemed, Sarah was still surprised to feel a slight tremble in his arm when he slid it around her back. Sarah giggled at the amount of space he left between them as he began leading her around the floor. “It’s ok to get a little closer.” She teased, “That’s kind of the point of dancing.”
Sarah stepped deeper into Brian’s embrace and the closer she got to him the more nervous he became. “What’s with all the nerves?” Sarah asked. “You weren’t this nervous yesterday when you were busy dragging me to Chicago.”
Brian forced a smile. “I was terrified of you yesterday.” He admitted truthfully, “Have been ever since too, you just never got close enough to me to notice until now.”
“Well I’m not gong to bite.” Sarah said leaning in just a little more, “So you can relax.”
“I can’t help it. It’s been a long time since I’ve done the two step.”
Sarah was sure that dancing wasn’t the reason for his nervousness as she realized that he was pushing her around the floor as if it were second nature to him. “Where’d you learn how to do this anyway?” she asked impressed.
“My mom taught me a long time ago.”
Brian found the conversation to be a helpful distraction and he started to relax a little. He whirled Sarah around and she fell comfortably into place at his side as they stepped in time with the music. “Nick was always the better student though.” Brian laughed recalling his childhood lessons.
Sarah smiled at the way she fit perfectly tucked into his side. She pulled on his arms forcing him to hold her just a little tighter. “You seem to be doing OK to me.” She whispered.
Sarah couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt with him and Brian couldn’t believe that such a perfect moment could be such torture. The song ended and gracefully merged into a song with a much slower tempo that called for a traditional slow dance. Brian let go of Sarah and she immediately took his hand. “One more.” She said tugging his hand gently. “You were just starting to relax.”
Brian said nothing but didn’t object when Sarah guided his hand to her waist. He was so confused when Sarah threw her arms around his neck. He didn’t want to analyze the situation but Sarah certainly wasn’t acting like someone who was in love with his brother. She was being attentive and affectionate and she was tying his heart into knots. Brian wanted to believe that she wasn’t as infatuated with Nick as she claimed, but every time his named was mentioned Sarah’s eyes glossed over as if she were in some sort of happy dream. And although she seemed to be having a great time, she’d not once looked at Brian in a way that even came close to that.
All Brian could do was tell himself to enjoy the dream while it lasted since he knew his heart was a lost cause either way. Finally he decided it was time to let go of his restraint a little and he pulled Sarah as tightly against him as he’d wanted to all along. He didn’t leave more than an inch between them and he dropped his hands significantly lower around her hips. Sarah was dumbfounded by the sudden one-eighty but she was strangely excited by the obvious sexual tension between them. She looked deep into his eyes trying to figure out what just happened. “Sorry.” Brian said, “I don’t get to dance very often.”
Sarah was thrilled to see him finally get past the shyness and her eyes twinkled with delight as she said, “Well you can call me anytime you feel the need to practice.”
The music may have been slow but Sarah’s brain was running a mile a minute. She rested her head on Brian’s shoulder and worried that she was enjoying the dance a little too much. Brian had arrived in her life so out of the blue and there was no questioning the chemistry between them. Sarah couldn’t deny it, she was just shocked by it. She’d never had eyes for anyone but Nick and now that it looked as if that dream finally had a chance at coming true she found herself in the arms of his big brother. Could her heart be turning? Was that even possible? She pulled her head off of Brian’s shoulder to get another look at the man who was quickly warming his way into her heart. She was unable to tear her eyes from him as she searched her feelings for some sort of answer and for the second time that day her eyes found their way to Brian’s lips. She chewed on her bottom lip as she imagined the feel of Brian’s lips on hers. Her thoughts were painstakingly clear to Brian and he wanted to devour the lips that were miraculously being offered to him, but he didn’t. He knew that he would never recover from the pain such a kiss was sure to leave behind.
To Brian’s relief the song ended and the band announced a fifteen minute break giving him the escape route he needed. He was playing with fire now and when it came down to it he was scared of getting burned. “Thank you for the dance.” Sarah said when it was obvious the moment between them had passed.
Brian offered her a smile trying not to look as ill as he felt. Brian was sending so many mixed signals that Sarah was losing control of her emotions fast. She was so mixed up inside that she feared she was moments away from tears. She politely excused herself to the ladies room needing a serious breather.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Yay! I actually updated when I said I was going to! Thanks again for all the fun reviews. You guys are awesome! Enjoy!!!!!
