A Heart Decision by Laurie Kellogg

surprisingly
enough, had a few romances by her favorite authors scattered among
them.
    Wow. She shook her head. In all the years she’d
known Luke, he’d never let on that he read so much or had such
varied interests. When did he find the time in between his job, his
volunteer work with kids, renovating his house, and chasing
thrills?
    She closed the office door behind her and glanced up
the long hallway at the two bedroom doors beyond the stairs. As
tired as she was, she’d never hear Luke if he needed her during the
night. That left her two choices until she got the portable
intercom tomorrow. She could either stay awake or crash on the
king-size mattress beside Luke.
    It was a no-brainer, seeing as her exhaustion ranked
a fifteen on a scale of ten. Besides, wasn’t his bed where she
wanted to end up, anyway?
    Dusty chased her heels as she tiptoed through Luke’s
room into his bathroom to change into his soft cotton T-shirt.
Since it hung halfway to her knees, she washed out her bra and
panties in the sink.
    The clock radio read six-fifteen by the time she
pulled down the shades and hoisted herself into the bed on Luke’s
right side. The moment she closed her eyes, Dusty started to whine
and whimper. She pried one eyelid open and peered down at the floor
to see him gazing up at her like a toddler left out of a game of
ring-around-the-rosie.
    “Ohhh, all right.” She scrambled off the bed and
scooped him up. When she climbed back in, she scooted over to make
room for the dog so he wouldn’t disturb Luke. She stroked his soft
fur while he pawed the mattress several times and snuggled into her
side. Luke would probably give her hell for spoiling his pet.
    “You miss Mopsy don’t you, sweetie?” she whispered.
“Don’t worry, your sister’s coming back tomorrow, and then you can
sleep downstairs with her.”
    She had plans for this bed and Dusty’s master that
didn’t include any puppies.
    ~*~
    Sabrina wiggled into the warmth pressed against her
bare back and tugged at the wad of fabric bunched under her
armpits. A wave of shivers rippled through her as her nipple
tightened from the delightful friction teasing it into a hard,
aching point. Moaning, she arched her back, forgot about the
irritating roll of material under her chin, and thrust her breast
toward the source of the intense pleasure.
    If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake
up—ever. Except, the rasp of stubble against the back of her neck
said she already had. She lifted her head and peered at the clock
radio lit up on the night table.
    Eleven o’clock.
    Luke’s calloused palm cupped her breast while his
thumb stroked idly back and forth over its erect tip, making it
ache for more. His slow, deep breaths told her that, even though
he’d shoved her shirt up around her neck and found her breast, he
was still sound asleep and caught up in an erotic dream.
    Was this how Ben felt when he kissed her, wondering
who was on her mind? Despite whether Luke was making love to some
fantasy woman in his dreams or not, she wanted him way too much to
wake him up and tell him to stop.
    His hand slid down her stomach and pulled her fanny
against him. She gasped at the thick hard shaft poking her in the
back.
    As she squirmed against him, his breathing
accelerated to a soft panting in the crook of her neck. Suddenly,
his breath caught and the rest of his body stiffened and lay
motionless.
    “Are you up?” she whispered into the darkness.
    “Ohhh, yeah,” he muttered. “Or did you think I sleep
with my nightstick?”
    “I wasn’t talking about your state of—” She huffed.
“I was asking if you’re awake.”
    “That, too.” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “What
the hell are you doin’ in my bed?”
    “Up until a few minutes ago, I was sleeping.” And
then enjoying what his wayward hand had done.
    “Why here? And why are you naked?”
    “I’m only nearly naked, thank you very much. I’m
wearing one of your T-shirts,” she explained,