The Love Laws by Tamara Larson

were
drawn thin in disapproval. She looked old, tired and more than a little
unpleasant.
    When
had she turned into a shrew exactly? But that’s exactly what she was. Why else
would she be so rude to Kevin? He was a complete horn dog, but she had loads of
experience dealing with drunks on the make. She could have rejected him
politely and avoided the whole Duncan dragging him out by the scruff of the
neck scene. But no, she had to over react, causing her brother-in-law’s
protective instincts to kick in and create a completely awkward rift in the two
men’s friendship. Not cool. Not cool at all.
    The
worst part was that she had no idea why she hadn’t stepped in and prevented
Duncan from treating Kevin like a puppy who’d piddled on the rug. She could
have easily intervened and smoothed things over between the two men, but she
had just sat there, mesmerized by the sight of Kevin being thrown out of the
pub by his best friend. 
    The
truth was that a very small, petty part of her was glad Duncan had taken Kevin
to task for his behavior. She’d liked that the gorgeous blonde stud had been
humiliated just a little bit. Not because he was too arrogant by half or
thought he could seduce anyone with breasts. No. It was more personal than
that. She had sat there and watched Kevin’s humiliation with a cruel little
smile on her lips because he had dared to touch her after kissing another
woman. She was jealous. Pure and simple.
    That’s
why she was here in the bathroom trying to figure out how to put her green-eyed
monster back in its cage and rectify the situation between the two men. She’d
been here for a good ten minutes and knew that her sister would be in to check
on her if she didn’t get back to their booth soon. But she couldn’t quite leave
yet. She had some other ugly issues to deal with first.
    Her
sister. Pregnant. It was hard to believe. Before meeting Duncan it had looked
like Jessica was going to take her virginity to her grave, but now she was
married to one of the hottest, kindest, most virile men either Martin sister
had ever had the pleasure to encounter. And now a perfect little baby was on
the way to complete Jessica’s perfect little life. 
    The
last thing Jamie wanted at this point in her life was a living, breathing,
poop-machine totally dependent on her for every single little thing. She
couldn’t even handle her own life, so wasn’t close to being prepared to take on
a baby. But she could admit to herself that her sister’s news had revved up the
volume on her biological clock by a couple of decibels.
    A
baby. Yes. She wanted that. Someday. When her life was settled and she was no
longer struggling to keep her business alive. Her imaginary future baby
deserved a mother who wasn’t so stressed out all the time.
    Not
that she wasn’t happy for Jess and Duncan. She was totally overjoyed for them,
but it still stung.  Everything seemed to work out for Jessica, but her own
life, by comparison, seemed like an endless battle for survival. She couldn’t
even keep her business afloat and yet the good news just kept rolling in for
her twin.
    What
was wrong with her exactly? Jamie wondered. Was she an awful person? Was
this Karma at work? Was she being punished for not being a saint like Jessica? It almost seemed like her wild past would haunt her forever.
    She
reveled in her own selfish bitterness for a few more moments. Then she mentally
gave herself a shake. She would not be the type of person who begrudged her
sister’s happiness. And she refused to cause a permanent rift between Duncan
and Kevin even though she would be thrilled to never see Kevin’s incredible
shoulders and dazzling smile ever again.
     Despite
the undeniable tension that existed between her and her brother-in-law she liked
and respected Duncan and knew how much he valued his friendship with Kevin. She
personally couldn’t see why the two men were such buddies. Duncan was a total
boy scout while Kevin probably would have