Once Upon an Earnest Nerd (Instalove in the City Book 2)

by Maggie Dallen

  Yvette shook her head. She had plans for tonight, not that she felt like sharing the details with Kat at this precise moment. Kat would probably read way too much into her whole seduction plan.

  Some of her earlier reasoning came back to her, strengthening her resolve as she watched Kat walk out her bedroom door with one last wave.

  Yes, perhaps she’d gone a bit overboard with this plan. Maybe she should have just ignored Darren and not let him get under her skin.

  She could admit that he’d gotten to her. He was intriguing. A puzzle, of sorts. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he showed a new side of himself. First he’d seemed like a cute but nerdy automaton. A conventional monkey in a suit who followed the rules of society to a tee. Totally not her type.

  But then she’d gone and kissed him and…bam! The corporate stick in the mud was replaced by a passionate hottie. But then there was the other Darren, the one who’d shown up at her studio, looking to help her with her grant application and become her friend in the process.

  Her mind flashed back to the way he’d made her laugh, the way he’d listened, the way he had an interesting take on every situation, one that was neither traditional nor boring.

  And then there was the attraction that was there between them. She’d never denied that. So, sure, she could admit that he’d gotten to her. He’d wheedled his way in somehow, intriguing her and teasing her.

  But if he would just sleep with her, he’d no longer be a mystery or the enthralling puzzle he currently was in her mind. He’d be a man, plain and simple. She could handle men.

  Could she have just walked away? Maybe. She could have come up with a plan to avoid him in the future, to give him the brush off once and for all.

  She eyed the nightie drawer and some of her earlier excitement started to come back to her.

  But this plan was definitely better.

  Ten

  Darren’s brother sat across from him at the kitchen table as their mom moved around them like lightning, putting together a ‘quick meal.’

  A quick meal for his mom usually consisted of several courses and the kind of ingredient list one would find at a five-star restaurant, not a simple Montana ranch home.

  Darren was torn. On one hand he loved his mother’s cooking, but on the other, he had his woman to get back to and somehow convince that she had real feelings for him. He had to do this while not touching her or getting too close to her so he could smell her shampoo. He also had to avoid accidentally looking at her lips…or any other part of her body.

  For the first time since he’d suggested that she join him on this trip, he was starting to doubt the wisdom of this particular plan.

  To convince her that this was about more than physical attraction meant that he had to steer clear of sex. Yet, he’d invited her to a romantic location in the middle of nowhere with no buffer except a couple of lovesick newlyweds.

  But that was beside the point. How was he going to keep his hands off her? How was he going to sleep knowing that she was in the very next room?

  And, more importantly, how was he going to get her to see that there was a real connection here? Even if she acknowledged the connection, he still had one more hurdle. The biggest hurdle of them all.

  How was he supposed to convince her to get past her fear of commitment long enough to give him a chance?

  He slathered a biscuit with some of his mom’s homemade apple butter as he stewed it over. He thought best on a full stomach.

  Brett hadn’t stopped staring since he’d shared his news. Darren didn’t particularly mind as he was used to his older brother looking at him like he’d sprouted two heads. He’d been doing it since they were toddlers and to stop now would be discomfiting.

  “So, let me get this straight,” he said, leaning across the table and grabbing Darren’s beer out of his hands so he could help himself. “You brought a woman home for the holidays.”

  He opened his mouth to confirm, but Brett cut him off.

  “You,” he said, emphasizing the word with a point in his direction. “You, Darren Jasper Pensky, have brought a person of the female persuasion home to meet the family.”

  Darren narrowed his eyes at his brother. Normally, his older brother’s teasing wouldn’t bother him, but at this particular moment, he was feeling uncertain and unstable—an odd sensation for him, to be sure.

  He didn’t need anyone adding any more doubts to his already doubt-filled psyche.

  But his brother kept pushing his buttons, relentlessly teasing him about the fact that he’d never brought a girl home before, not even when he’d lived in Montana all the way up through college.

  But then, he’d never felt this way before.

  Brett had, he was sure of it. He watched his brother, with his easy laugh and his broad, charming smile. He tried to block out the words coming out of his mouth and focus instead on the objective differences between them.

  They were night and day, and always had been.

  Brett had always been the charismatic, outgoing, and charming one. The one with social skills and a trail of girls he’d dated that was so long, Darren had stopped trying to keep track.

  He, on the other hand, had been the quiet one. The one who excelled in school, who was deemed ‘too serious’ by just about everyone he met, and who most assuredly did not have a backlist of girlfriends that anyone would consider lengthy.

  Though he wasn’t listening, Brett’s teasing must have gone a tad too far because his mother, with her neat silver bob and her starched apron, deviated from her zig-zagging in the kitchen to swat Brett on the back of the head before returning to the stove.

  Brett smirked at his brother as he rubbed the back of his head with a feigned pout. Darren was certain his mother’s smack didn’t hurt that badly but this was a familiar, oddly comforting ritual and he relished it.

  It brought him back to the moment and to the fact that he was home. Despite the teasing, and the incessant doubts that made him wonder whether he’d made the right decision in bringing her here, he was here now and surrounded by people who loved him.

  Surely they could help.

  He glanced at his mom who’d married their father straight out high school and had lived happily ever after ever since. Well, maybe she couldn’t be much help.

  But Brett could.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Brett asked, his hand stilling on the back of his head as his fake pain turned to wariness.

  “I may need your advice.”

  The room stilled. Even his mother stopped her movements to turn and gawk.

  The silence turned awkward as his brother stared at him with wide eyes. “You,” he said slowly, “want advice from me?”

  Darren blinked. This wasn’t a difficult concept to grasp and Brett’s obvious shock was confusing. “Yes.”

  Brett sat back and ruffled his dark hair. “Um, okay.”

  Their mother was still watching. Listening. Much as he loved his mother, his love life was one topic he did not need to share with her at this particular moment. He nodded toward the garage and Brett got it instantly.

  “Want to see the motorcycle I’m fixing up?” he asked.

  Darren nodded. He’d never had an interest in anything vehicle-related but he went along with the lie. “I’d love to.”

  A little while later Darren found himself on the receiving end of one of Brett’s shocked stares for the third time that evening.

  Was it odd that he was starting to take some pleasure out of shocking his brother speechless? Possibly. Still, he allowed himself a moment to revel in it before his brother broke into his thoughts.

  “I don’t get it.” He shook his head, leaning back against the ledge that held his tools. He’d moved out to a place of his own in town years ago but his place didn’t have a garage so his workbench and equipment were still here.

  “What don’t you understand?” Darren asked.

  “Why you’re not just sleeping with this chick.”
/>
  He flinched at the use of the word ‘chick.’ She was not a chick. She wasn’t a girl. She was a woman. A lady.

  And she was his.

  Brett shook his head again, his brow furrowed in honest confusion. “This girl is hot, right?”

  He nodded. “She’s stunning.”

  “And you guys have chemistry,” Brett clarified.

  Darren gave a short nod. He did not feel the need to give the specifics of just how mindblowing their kisses had been.

  “And she wants to hook up with you?”

  Darren hesitated before giving another short nod.

  Brett blinked rapidly, to the point where Darren feared his brain might short out from some sort of system overload. “I don’t get it.”

  Darren stared at him. This was not the helpful advice he’d been hoping for.

  Brett sounded almost anguished as he asked the next question. “Why don’t you just sleep with her?”

  Darren bit back a sigh. He should have known his brother wouldn’t understand. “She’s used to dating men who don’t treat her right,” he said. At least, that was the impression he got from Kat. “I think she’s afraid of real intimacy. She seems to have a problem dating a nice guy.” He used air quotes around the term nice guy.

  “Yeah, I get that.” Brett didn’t seem surprised by that. He was nodding, studying his brother as if for the first time.

  Darren stilled. “You do?” Of course he did. This was why he’d come to his brother for advice, wasn’t it? Brett knew women. He understood them. He should after all his experience playing the field.

  Playing the field. Huh. Was that where the word player came from? Now it was his turn to study his brother with new eyes. “Brett, are you a player? I mean, would you consider yourself a player?”

  Brett rolled his eyes in response and continued talking as if Darren hadn’t spoken. “I get where she’s coming from.”

  “Enlighten me, please.” Darren was not a stupid guy. He was, in fact, quite smart by anyone’s standards. But in this particular realm, he had to bow down to Brett’s superior knowledge.

  Brett seemed to be savoring the moment, rubbing his chin like he was some sort of professor of casual sex. “It’s easier, I guess.” At Darren’s look of confusion, he continued. “When there are no expectations, it’s impossible to get hurt.”

  Darren stood there in silence for a moment as he digested that. It was in keeping with his initial analysis. She’d been afraid of him from day one—no, not day one. She hadn’t been afraid of him when she’d thought of him as a potential one-night-stand. She’d only shown that wariness when he’d made it clear he was serious.

  He gave his brother a slow nod. “Yes. Okay. That is in alignment with my thoughts on the matter.”

  Brett let out a snort of amusement at his brother’s serious manners. It had always been this way and Darren barely noticed.

  He had another question, one that was far more difficult to ask, but he found himself in desperate need of an objective opinion. “Do you think…” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Do you think that I stand a chance of winning her affection?”

  Brett’s eyes widened in surprise.

  Understandably. While they were close enough as far as brothers go, he’d never come to Brett for advice before, let alone a pep talk. But that was just it. He didn’t want frivolous words of encouragement—that he could get from his parents or Bryce, or even Kat.

  No, he needed a clear-headed opinion, and Brett had never pulled his punches when it came to Darren. Literally and figuratively.

  Brett shook his head and Darren felt a surge of disappointment. But then Brett spoke. “I don’t know, man. I mean, I don’t even know this girl.”

  Darren let out a breath of relief. “Yes, but you’re like her.”

  “I am?” Brett laughed under his breath. “You think I’m like this sexy, artsy, party chick?”

  “Yes,” Darren said. “When it comes to your views on relationships, it seems to me as though you are very similar.”

  Darren was certain he’d never seen his calm, cool brother ever look quite so disconcerted. His eyes widened, then glazed over, and then his mouth fell open making him look dumber than he really was.

  He might not have won the science fair like Darren, but Brett was no dummy.

  “Brett?” he prompted. “With your particular insight into her mindset and with your knowledge of me, would you say I stand a chance?”

  Brett’s eyes focused on him once more and when they did, his mouth slammed shut and he studied Darren with all the seriousness Darren had hoped for.

  “I think you should stick to your plan.” That was his final pronouncement.

  It was not a yes nor a no and so Darren was left with more questions. “What if she still—”

  “Look, if you want to show her that you’re not going anywhere then you need to stick to your guns, little bro. My guess is, she’s going to do everything in her power to test you. Don’t let her push you away.”

  He nodded. That was his theory to a tee. The only way to prove to her that he wasn’t going anywhere was to…well, not go anywhere. Ever.

  And he didn’t intend to. If it was up to him, he’d never leave her side.

  So long as she wanted him there. He grimaced. That was the problem. “I’m not like the guys she’s dated in the past. Maybe I’m not…” He swallowed his pride. “Maybe I’m not the kind of guy she wants.”

  Brett scoffed and the familiarity of that sound was mildly comforting. “Dude, you are a strange bird, we all know that.”

  He frowned. “Helpful. Thank you.”

  But Brett wasn’t done. “What makes you different is the kind of guy you are. You’re not going to lose interest after sex, because that’s not you. You’re serious about everything, including people.” His brother’s lack of sarcasm or mockery made his words seem particularly important. “You’re going to stick around, that’s just who you are.” Brett said. “But she doesn’t know that yet. If you want to prove that to her, just be yourself. Don’t play games.”

  Darren bristled at that. “I’m not playing games, I’m—”

  “Withholding sex to make a point? Pretending that you just want to be friends when you don’t? That seems like playing games to me.” Brett suddenly seemed wiser than ever, and far more intelligent than Darren had ever giving him credit for.

  Worse, his brother was right.

  “Crap.” He rubbed his forehead as his brain registered the truth in Brett’s words and his view of the situation shifted once again. “I’m so confused.”

  “Welcome to the wonderful world of dating.”

  He didn’t have to look up to know that his brother was grinning at his own joke.

  “What do I do now?” He wasn’t really asking Brett so much as talking to himself, but Brett answered nonetheless.

  “Now, we eat. After that, you go and talk to your woman.” He jabbed a finger in his direction. “No more games.” He frowned. “By the sounds of it, all she’s gotten from men is games.”

  Darren nodded. “Brett, we don’t give you enough credit for being wise.”

  Brett grinned and slapped a hand on his back so hard he coughed. “Ain’t that the truth, little brother.”

  As far as plans went, Darren supposed it was a good one. They did as Brett suggested and ate a fantastic dinner with his parents. Darren was mildly anxious throughout dinner and, oddly enough, missing his Sarah to a degree that made him physically uncomfortable.

  Despite how nice it was to see his family and eat his mom’s food, he was the first out the door when his brother offered to give him a ride back to the lodge.

  He had a new plan now, because Brett was right. He couldn’t keep playing games. He didn’t want to just be her friend. It was time to woo her with romantic gestures, and then not go anywhere, no matter how much she tried to push him away. It might take months or even years, but he’d show her that he loved her and couldn’t be scared off. More than th
at, he’d never do anything to hurt her.

  His plan was simple and straightforward. He could do this.

  He paused in front of his own door, trying once more to listen for any sounds coming from Sarah’s room next door.

  Nothing. She was probably already asleep. He heaved a sigh. It was his own fault for taking so long at dinner. Now he’d have to wait until tomorrow to attempt to woo her.

  When he opened the door to his room, he gaped at the sight before him.

  He was dreaming, obviously. Or maybe Brett had driven them off the side of the road and he’d gone to heaven instead of the lodge. Both seemed like likelier possibilities than the fact that this was real.

  This couldn’t really be happening.

  Sarah couldn’t possibly be lying on his bed. Her purple hair spread out around her as she gave him a sexy, welcoming smile. It was a smile that gave new definition to ‘come hither.’ And only in his wildest dreams would Sarah be clad in nightie that was more wispy lace than actual material.

  But not even in his dreams would he have imagined that Sarah would decorate the room with candles and flowers, as he’d been planning to do. Almost as if…as if…

  His body finally started to function and it kicked into gear by blurting out words. “Are you trying to woo me?”

  Her brows shot up and her eyes widened but then her head fell back with a laugh he was starting to love more than life itself.

  Was it possible to fall in love with a laugh? If so, he was a goner.

  “I meant to seduce you.” When she lifted her head and met his gaze, she said, “Is it working?”

  His body screamed ‘go to her,’ but his brain needed to catch up. He hesitated. This was not the plan. After his talk with his brother, he’d come up with a game plan that involved wooing. Candles. Flowers. Chocolates. Champagne. He was distinctly aware of the heavy bag of accoutrements in his hand that he’d picked up at the store.

  He was supposed to woo her. But with the flowers, the candles…not the nightie.

  He didn’t realize he was frowning until her smile faded and he caught a flicker of vulnerability that made his heart melt in his chest.