Finally (Mature Men, #3) by Marilyn Lee Page B

ending up in his bedroom only to find yourself staring at a picture of another woman. It doesn’t matter if she's dead or alive. Imagine having to look at her every time you're in his bedroom. Think about that and then tell me it wouldn't bother you and you don't understand how he must have felt."
    I shook my head. "You're making me sound unreasonable."
    "That's because that's how you're acting. You know how you'd feel if the circumstances were reversed. Yet you pretend it shouldn't have bothered him having to look at Don's picture when he knew how much you loved him. How do you think he felt?"
    "Why didn't he say something if it bothered him?"
    "If it didn't bother him, he wouldn't have tossed it across the room, Sher! Take off your blinders where he's concerned and think rationally. And stop being so damned hard on him."
    "Why should I?"
    She sighed. "Michael thinks he's in love with you."
    Lord, didn't I wish? I shook my head. "Trust me, he's not. He's probably just one of those men who doesn’t want a woman but doesn't want anyone else to have her either."
    "You know better than that, Sher."
    "What I know, Am, is that he always manages to hurt me. Always!" I sucked in a breath and shook my head. "I'm sorry. You have enough on your plate without me dumping on you. I'll talk to you later."
    "Don't hang up just yet, Sher. Not before I remind you that we're best friends. Yes, I have a lot going on at the moment, but nothing so pressing I can't lend an ear when you need me to. I know it pisses you off when I defend him, but he's a good man. You know that. And he's my brother and I love him."
    "I know. I know." I sucked in a breath. "I'll talk to you later."
    "I'll come over and—"
    "No. Don't. I need to be alone for a while. I'll call you tomorrow. Good night."
    "I'm coming over."
    "Please don't, Am. Let's have lunch or dinner tomorrow. Tonight, I just need to be alone. Okay?"
    She sighed. "Okay. Love you."
    "Love you too." I hung up and laid back on my bed as tears streamed down my cheeks.
    * * *
    S hane
    Sitting in a well-lit restaurant listening to Sherlyn's friend rattle on about God only knew what irritated the hell out of me. I had no interest in her and even less in her conversation. Small wonder she couldn't get a date on her own. Granted she was pretty and extremely well-shaped, but she lacked the warmth, sensuality, and excitement that Sherlyn projected so effortlessly.
    "Would you like anything else?" I asked when she finally fell silent after what seemed an endless age.
    She shook her head, smiling at me. "What I'd like is to know something about you. All I know is your name and that you're John's brother."
    It was finally time to tell her what she should already have known. But given the fact that both Sherlyn and Amber would be pissed if I hurt her, I knew I had to choose my words carefully. "There's not much to tell beyond that except that I've been divorced twice and that I'm currently not interested in anything beyond a casual relationship."
    "Oh."
    She seemed so disappointed that I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. "How long have you known Sherlyn?"
    She frowned. "You're doing it again."
    I arched a brow. "Doing what?"
    "Finding an excuse to mention Sher."
    Her response surprised me. "What?"
    "You've been doing it all night. Almost every time I say something or ask a question, you find an excuse to mention her."
    "Have I?"
    "Yes."
    I leaned forward. "Since you've noticed something I wasn't even aware that I was doing, now is probably a good time to tell you that I like her."
    "What do you mean you like her?"
    I hesitated before responding. "I'm sure you know that you're a very pretty woman."
    "But?"
    I shrugged. "But I married two very pretty women, both of whom left me emotionally cold. Although I'm sure you're a wonderful woman with a lot to offer the right man, I'm currently not in the market to date another pretty woman."
    She shook her head. "Are you implying you're not interested in dating me because