By His Desire by Kate Grey Page A

who had decided he was the husband of their dreams. It was a relief to know there was at least one woman in his life without romantic designs on him. All he had to deal with from her was an annoying tendency to fuss over him like an overprotective sister.
    As he stared at the portrait in front of him, he wondered what Valerie would say if he told her that once upon a time, he’d actually known what would make him absolutely, ecstatically happy.
    Sarah Harper.
    The portrait had been painted by her father, the famous artist, and he had captured his subject perfectly. Sarah had looked exactly like this in high school. Beautiful and intelligent, with a face like eager flame behind a veneer of shyness.
    He’d never been able to break through that shyness. All his life, his money and good looks had been enough to charm everyone he’d ever met…except for Sarah. She was the only girl who’d ever haunted his dreams, and he’d never made a dent in her reserve. During the four years they’d gone to high school together he could hardly get her to talk to him, much less go out with him.
    They’d graduated and gone on to different colleges, and for the most part Keith had forgotten about her. But every so often she’d pop into his head, always with a hot surge of remembered lust. Something about Sarah had just…done it for him, and even years later the memory of her could still affect him. So when Julian Harper passed away and a few of his unsold paintings showed up in art auction catalogues, Keith paid attention. His own father had died six years ago, leaving him an enormous fortune, and now, for the first time, he was actually glad he had nearly unlimited funds at his disposal. They enabled him to buy the portrait he was looking at right now.
    Sarah was sitting on an overstuffed sofa with her feet tucked up under her. She was wearing a green dress exactly the color of her eyes, and her long mahogany hair was loose around her shoulders.
    He wished he could have brought the painting home right away, but the auction house’s arrangement with the Harper estate included a month-long showing at the museum before the purchaser could take possession. He still had one week to go before the portrait would be his.
    “The museum will close in fifteen minutes,” the p.a. system announced.
    Keith checked his watch. Considering how much money he’d donated to this place over the years, the staff probably wouldn’t kick him out at closing time if he wanted to stay. But he’d been here for more than an hour already. It was time to go home.
    He turned to do just that, and froze.
    Sarah Harper was standing in the middle of the gallery, looking right at him.
    * * *
    Sarah’s body flushed hot, as though she’d stepped under a heat lamp. Keith Logan was standing just a few yards away. She recognized him immediately, even though it had been ten years since she last saw him.
    Her first instinct was to run and hide, as if she were a little girl instead of a grown woman. Her eyes actually went to the exits, as if she were planning her getaway.
    Then she took a deep breath. What was she thinking? She needed to pull herself together and go say hello.
    And she would. Any second now.
    Move, feet. Move.
    If she’d been prepared to see him, she would have taken the time to put on emotional layers of protection—enough to cultivate a polite, relaxed demeanor and a friendly smile. But as it was, she felt awkward and exposed, as if she were back in high school again with a secret crush on the most unattainable guy on the planet.
    Her palms were actually sweating.
    Okay, enough. She managed to put some kind of smile on her face as she forced her legs to carry her forward.
    “Keith. Wow. It’s been a while, huh?”
    His face was completely blank, which was a little disconcerting. “Sarah. Hi.”
    When he held out his hand she would have killed for the chance to wipe hers on her jeans before she took it.
    But Keith didn’t seem to notice that her palm