Page 46 of I'd Never Date my Brother's Best Friend

“Jessica!”

“Okay. Fine.” She turns to face me. “Umm–nice weather, huh?”

I burst into a laugh that has my stomach hurting. “Weather! Really, Jessica?”

Jessica laughs with me. “What? It’s not my fault. I couldn’t just think up something. I’m not ready for a date, am I?”

“Nope.” I pop the “p”. “But by the end of the night, you will be.”

“You really pride yourself in this, don’t you?”

I can’t tell if she’s being sarcastic, so I keep the teasing tone in my voice. “Yes. It’s one of the many things I pride myself in.”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s still excitement in them, and it tears down my defense. “I believe you, actually. How many dates have you been on this year?”

I glance at her, my brows arched up to my hairline. “Are you serious? Is this what you’re going to ask Rick? That’s too much too soon.”

She laughs again and nudges me. “Be serious, Sean. I’m asking you. Not Rick.”

“I see.” I grip the steering hard and pretend to think. “Hmm…let’s see. I’ve been on zero dates this year.”

“What?” Jessica stares at me with her mouth open and then shakes her head. “That’s a lie.”

“You know I wouldn’t lie to you,” I tell her. “I’m serious.”

“Really?” She looks me up and down, disbelief still in her eyes. “That’s hard to believe, somehow.”

“No worries. I get that all the time. People just see me and think, ‘Oh, playboy’. It’s a stereotype I’ve had to deal with.”

“Nah.” Jessica shakes her head. “I’d never stereotyped you to be a playboy.”

“Really?” I glance at her again. “Why’s that?”

“Because I like to think that I know you,” she answers. “You were never that type of person. You wouldn’t string a girl along like that.”

She’s right. I’ve never been the one to string women along to feel good about myself and have an ego trip, but people hardly believe that.

“But I see why people would think that,” Jessica continues. “They think all handsome men act that way.”

“Oh, yeah?” My lips lift in a smirk. “You think I’m handsome?”

“Stop!”

“Wow. Someone needs to call Hell; I’m sure it’s frozen over by now.”

Jessica shakes her head at me. “You’re being dramatic. You said I should give genuine compliments when on a date, and that’s what I’m doing.”

“Well, thank you.”

“So no dates this year?” She asks. “Haven’t met anyone you’re interested in getting to know better?”

I repress a smile. It’s been years since I’ve had any genuine desire to date, until now. I get a lot of female attention, and although I love it, I’ve never thought to pursue any of them.

“You can say that,” I tell Jessica. “I’ve not had any reason to. It just wasn’t in my plans.”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

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