A Heart Decision by Laurie Kellogg Page B

ever
happened.”
    “Can you?” Her gaze flicked to the prominent tent in
the sheet. “Because I certainly won’t be able to.”
    “We can try.” He closed his eyes to block out the
sight of her heaving breasts and tousled blonde hair.
“ Pleease—g o fix us something to eat before we do something
we’ll regret.”
    “I wouldn’t regret it,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted
to make love with you since I was fifteen. Now I want to more than
ever—especially after our rather unconventional bout of
foreplay.”
    “Damn it, Sabrina.” He raked his fingers through his
hair. “How can you even think about doing that to the man you
supposedly love?”
    “I assume you’re referring to Ben?”
    “Who the hell else would I be referring to?”
    “There’s always you .” Staring into his eyes,
she sank onto the edge of the bed and laid her soft hand on his
bare chest. “Luke, I love Ben. But I’m not now, nor have I ever
been, in love with him the way I’ve always been with you. He
knows it, and we’ve agreed to put our engagement on hold for a
while. So, if you want to make love with me, you can do it with a
clear conscience. At the moment, I’m not engaged, and Ben has no
expectation of fidelity from me.”
    His heart pounded under her warm palm. As her hand
trailed down his abdomen, he grabbed her wrist and flung it away
from him. Then he lied like he’d never lied before. “Well, I don’t
want you to be in love with me. I’ve been dodging your come-ons for
so long, I would’ve thought you’d have gotten the message by now.
Damn it, I don’t want to hurt you, Brina.”
    She stood and strolled over to the door. “It doesn’t
matter what you want. Whether you like it or not, life doesn’t give
us a choice about who we fall in love with.”
    No one knew that better than he did. A lump the size
of a twelve-gauge shotgun casing clogged his throat as she spun on
her heels and left. He’d give anything not to love her.
    He snatched the phone off the night table and slowly
stabbed out Ben’s number with his left hand. When his buddy
answered, Luke blasted him, “Why the hell are you doin’ this to
me?”
    “Doing what?” Ben asked through a long yawn.
    “You know very well what. If this is some kind of
twisted test of our friendship, then be prepared to be
disappointed. I can’t do this. First thing tomorrow, I’m calling an
agency and hiring a home health aide.”
    “Ahhh....now I get it,” Ben said tersely. “You can’t
keep your hands off her, can you?”
    “Not when she climbs half naked into my bed after I
fall asleep. And then the freaking dog and the ice bag....” Luke
huffed. “Damn it, Ben, I ended up with my nose practically in
her—”
    “Stop!” Ben cut him off, pain infusing his voice.
“This is tough enough for me without hearing all the sordid
details.”
    “Then why on earth did you leave her with me?”
    “Because I saw the gut-punched look on your face
yesterday after I kissed her. I suddenly realized you love her. I
just want you to admit it.”
    “Then you wasted your time. I’ve never denied loving
Sabrina. I’ve known her since she sucked her thumb.”
    “Don’t play word games with me, jackass,” Ben
warned. “You’re not some hard-up, pimple-faced adolescent who can’t
get laid.”
    “What does that have to do with anything?”
    “If you don’t feel it’s right to sleep with her, just say NO. That’s what you tell all the kids in your
D.A.R.E. program.”
    “Give me a break,” Luke snorted. “It’s not the
same.”
    “Sure it is. If you can’t resist Sabrina long enough
to find some other woman to take care of your needs, you must
either be a dishonorable piece of scum— which we both know you’re
not —or you’re in love with her.”
    “So what if I am.”
    “Then you have as much right to marry her as I do.
And please, don’t tell me you’re denying her and yourself the
chance to be happy over some misguided sense of loyalty to