A Heart Decision by Laurie Kellogg

princess. Did
you know that?”
    “Why’d you think I chose it?”
    “I had no idea. All I know is it made me feel
special. Maybe it’s why I fell so hard for you.”
    She laid her head on his shoulder and combed her
fingers through the raven curls on his chest. After several
moments, he pressed his left hand over hers and held it still, his
heart thudding like a tom-tom under her palm.
    “I love you,” she whispered.
    His chest expanded as the cadence of his heart
picked up. “I love you, too.”
    It should be enough, but it wasn’t. She wanted him
to be in love with her.
    Dusty whimpered from the floor next to the bed.
    “I think he misses Mopsy.”
    “He’s not getting in bed with us. He should be
locked in his crate.”
    “Just for tonigh—”
    “An hour ago, you were calling him an ungrateful
little mongrel.”
    “I know.” She pouted. “But he’s sorry for what he
did. I won’t let him on your side of—”
    “No. Now go to sleep.”
    “I’ll fix you lasagna for dinner tomorrow,” she
offered in an enticing tone.
    “With your homemade sauce and extra cheese?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Mmmm....that sounds good.” He held her closer and
sighed. “I can’t wait.”
    She smacked his rock-hard abdomen. “That was
supposed to be a bribe.”
    “I’m an honest cop, Brina. I can’t be bought—and
even if I could, it would certainly take a lot more than a lousy
plate of pasta and cheese.”
    “My lasagna is not lousy.”
    “Sorry. I stand corrected. Your lasagna is as good
as my mom’s.”
    It should be. Teresa Marino had taught Sabrina
everything she knew about cooking. She drew a circle around his
navel with her fingernail. “How about if I offer you sexual
favors?”
    “Nope.” He grabbed her hand and moved it back to his
chest. “Just last week, a hooker offered me a freebie when I busted
her for possession. I turned her down, too.” He pushed Sabrina’s
head back down on his shoulder. “Now go to sleep, or I’ll have to
arrest you for attempting to bribe an officer.”
    “Oh, goody. Do you promise to use your big
nightstick to subdue me?”
    “All right, this conversation has regressed far
enough.” He flipped off the TV and plumped his pillow. “If you
won’t go to sleep, I will.”
    Silence reigned over the dark room for several
minutes. Being in bed with him this way made her yearn to be his
wife more than ever. But even if he was emotionally able to make a
commitment to her, his viewpoint on cops and marriage would hold
him back. She rubbed her cheek against his muscular bicep. “Luke?
Can I ask you a question?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “When we were kids, you always said you wanted to
teach high school social studies and coach football. What made you
decide to major in law enforcement instead of teaching?” When he
didn’t answer, she shook him. “Well?”
    “I said you could ask. I never said I’d answer.”
    “You can be such a jerk sometimes.” Particularly
whenever she tried to get inside his head. “Did it have anything to
do with losing Nicco to drugs?”
    During Luke’s sophomore year in college, his brother
had died from his second overdose in less than two years.
    “Yeah,” he rasped. “It had a lot to do with it. As
well as finding out my dad—”
    When he clammed up, she leaned over him. “What about
your father?”
    “Nothing. Forget I mentioned it. It’s late.”
    “No, I won’t forget it. What did you find out about
your father?”
    Luke heaved a tortured sigh. “When my dad’s car ran
off the highway the night he died, it wasn’t an accident.”
    “He didn’t fall asleep at the wheel?”
    “No. He committed suicide.”
    She gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh, God, no. How
can you be sure? Didn’t the police rule it accidental?”
    “Yeah, but two days later, my brother got a letter
from my father, explaining why he’d done what he had. He’d made it
look like an accident so my mom would get the life insurance from
his job. After Nicco