Take a Chance on Me by Vanessa Devereaux Page B

baby brother.
    “Yeah, I’m here…and I’m still pissed at you.” He
sat on the bed.
    “You shouldn’t be, because I went to a lot of
trouble to arrange this for you.”
    “You know I hate blind dates. In fact, it was
you who set me up on the last disastrous one, while I was home.” He spotted a
loose thread in the quilt and began to pick at it.
    “Guilty as charged. However, this time it’s
going to be different.”
    “Different?” Mitchell scooted up the mattress
and leaned back on the headboard.
    “It’s not me who’s done the matching. I signed you
up at Perfect Pairingi .”
    Mitchell pulled the phone away from his ear,
looked at it and knitted his eyebrows together. The real Ryan Farraday must have been abducted by aliens, because who the
hell was this guy? Ryan just wouldn’t pull this sort of crap, especially on a
family member.
    “So you’re telling me you’ve signed me up for an
escort service?”
      “No, no, absolutely not. It’s not like that at all. I was
listening to a show…well, Julie listens to this radio sex show, and the host
was interviewing this lady named Sadie Sutton who runs a matchmaking service.”
    “I’m not thinking of dating or being matched
right now.”
    “Will you just hear me out? She said she’s had
great success with pairing up couples who are perfect for one another, but the
likelihood of them finding each other is zilch, so she brings them together.”
    “I can find my own dates…when I’m ready.”
    “I’m sure you can, but I thought if I signed you
up you might get your confidence back in a safe environment.”
    Mitchell took a deep breath. He had other things
to think about now besides women, dating and sex. And just what the hell had
his brother meant by “safe” environment?
    “You know I’ve never liked going on dates with
women that someone else has picked for me, especially some matchmaking service.
I mean, what if she’s a psychopath or something?”
    “I looked into that for you. I’ve got your best
interest at heart, and believe me, this lady does an
in-depth check on everyone. You’ve already been screened thoroughly.”
    Shit, he’d been what? Without
his permission?
      “Look,
Ryan, I don’t care if the woman’s been screened by the FBI or Homeland
Security. I don’t do this sort of thing, and shame on you for thinking I’d say
yes.”
    “Too late, because I’ve
already paid for it and it’s non-refundable. And
what I haven’t told you is , the service comes with
limo to a hotel, where you’ll spend the night getting to know your dream
girl.   Just think of it as your welcome
home gift from me.”
    “Don’t think I don’t appreciate it, but the
answer is still no.”
      “You’re
not getting off this easy,” continued Ryan.   “When’s the last time you had sex?”
    They’d shared all sorts of secrets, but Mitchell
didn’t feel comfortable answering for one simple reason. He hadn’t had sex
since…
    He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to go
there. No, he wouldn’t go there again. Truth was the last time he’d made love
was when Debbie had seen his leg for the first time and abruptly called off
their engagement.
    “It’s been a while.”
    He’d leave it at that.
    “Define a while.”
    “You know, little brother, you’ve become a major
pain in the you -know-what since I’ve been gone. I
think we need to sit down and have a good talk.”
    Ryan laughed.   “It’s been more than six months, hasn’t it?”
    “If you don’t quit this third-degree shit, I’m
putting the phone down.”
    “It’s when you and Debbie…”
    “That’s enough .”
    Mitchell scooted down the bed. He hadn’t meant
to shout at his brother, but right now all he really wanted to do was hang up.
However, he enjoyed hearing Ryan’s voice. It felt so good to be less than an
hour’s drive from the only family member he had left.
    “Wouldn’t you prefer having sex with a woman
rather than resorting to