SHE’D BROKEN their rules, Brooke acknowledged the next morning as they attempted to restore the cabin to its original order. While she harbored no regrets for what she and Marc had shared in this cabin, she’d discovered that she wanted promises from Marc. But she also knew she had no right to ask for something more lasting and definite, not when he’d made his terms of this affair abundantly clear from the very beginning.
No commitments. And because she’d openly agreed to that condition, she had to respect the pact they’d made and let him go, no matter how much her heart wished otherwise.
Straightening the place mats on the table, she slanted a glance at Marc, who was folding the blankets in the living room while she cleaned up the kitchen. Outside, she could hear the snowplows clearing the roads. Within the next hour, someone from the ranger station would be there to pick them up, retrieve their snowmobile, and take them back to their place.
Their chores gave Marc the perfect excuse to avoid her. All morning, he’d kept his distance, keeping conversation to a minimum and physical contact nonexistent. It was as though he’d shut down in the hours before dawn. She’d thought, hoped, that their intimate lovemaking the night before had breached the barriers between the flirtatious, carefree man she’d always known, and the caring, complex man she’d glimpsed here in this cabin. She was wrong.
When she’d embraced the idea of an affair with Marc, she hadn’t considered anything more than the pleasure, fantasies and fun she’d requested. One wild fling to enjoy and savor before returning to her responsible job as an accountant, and her staid, predictable life. He’d given her all those thrills she’d sought, and so much more. But she’d never expected to discover herself as a woman because of Marc’s coaxing, never expected to feel so liberated and free.
And she never, ever, expected to fall in love with him.
The realization didn’t send her into a panic like it would have a week ago, just as she’d panicked the night he’d kissed her at his parents’ anniversary party. Ever since that evening, she’d been struggling against the inevitable, denying what had been so patently obvious in that magical embrace. There was a chemistry between them, an instantaneous connection that transcended sex or lust and touched on something special. She knew Marc had felt it, too, despite his current aloof attitude.
Finished wiping down the kitchen counter, she rinsed the dish rag, drew a deep, fortifying breath…and finally broke the strained silence between them. “Since we’ve made ourselves at home here, we’ll have to find out who owns this cabin so we can reimburse them for our stay, and for the damage to their front window.”
“I’m sure the ranger station can help with that information.” He rolled up a sleeping bag and secured it with the ties, keeping his gaze on the task. “I’ll take care of everything when I get back to the office later today.”
His business could have waited a day or two for his return, but she knew he was grasping any excuse to put distance between them. Clearly, he had no intention of pursuing her beyond today, and that knowledge hurt in ways she doubted would ever heal.
Struggling to keep her own emotions under wraps, she put the last of their breakfast dishes away. “I’ll split the cost with you, so be sure to let me know what I owe.”
He glanced at her, his frown fierce. “I’ll pay for it.”
His insistence on footing the bill made her curious about his reasons, and provoked her to find out. Deeming the kitchen spotless, she headed toward the couch, stopping behind it. “Are you insisting on taking care of any charges because you want to, or are you doing it to ease your conscience?”
He jerked his head back up again, and glared at her. The short, dark beard lining his jaw added to his brooding appearance and made his eyes a piercing, glittering shade of gray. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to allow his gruff tone to discourage her. “You’re feeling guilty.”
The muscles beneath his shirt tensed, and he immediately averted his gaze to the other sleeping bag, confirming that her suspicions had been accurate. Relief poured through her. His guilt, no matter how misplaced, meant that he cared about her. It wasn’t a declaration of his feelings by any stretch of her imagination, but it did give her a slim glimmer of hope.
Then he crushed her optimism with his next announcement. “I’m thinking that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
She knew without asking what “this” referred to. Them. Together. Intimately. “Kinda late for second thoughts or regrets, don’t you think?” she said, referring to the conditions he’d insisted on.
He winced, but didn’t back down from his own personal crusade to dissuade her. “Yeah, I suppose it is.” Scooping up the blankets topped with their pillows, he turned and headed up the loft stairs, effectively severing their discussion.
Easing out a taut stream of breath, she took her aggravation out on straightening the sofa cushions. Unfortunately, touching the couch only served to remind her of the passion that had consumed them last night when they’d made love, his needy response to her aggressive approach, the desperation in his touch, and the emotion in his ultimate surrender. What had transpired between them was rare and wonderful and unique, and for some people, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Having experienced a monotonous, passionless relationship with Eric, and having witnessed her own parents’ desolate marriage, she refused to settle for less than mutual desire, excitement, and soul-deep devotion.
She and Marc had experienced all three, so why couldn’t he admit that what they’d shared was worth exploring beyond today?
She watched him descend to the lower level and cross the room to the fireplace. Removing the screen, he prodded the logs with the poker, making sure that all the embers had burned out. His movements were brusque and filled with restless energy.
She resisted the urge to come up behind him and knead her fingers along the taut sinew bisecting his spine. Certain he wouldn’t welcome her touch—not when he was using that tension surrounding him as armor—she kept her hands to herself.
Dragging her fingers through her hair, she stared at his back and continued the conversation he’d tried to divert minutes ago. “Are you going to tell Eric about us being stranded together?”
He hesitated for a few heartbeats. “Yeah.” His tone was gruff, but resigned. “I’m sure he’ll find out about it one way or another, since he knows Ryan and Shane. It’s best if the news comes directly from me so he doesn’t think we’re hiding something.”
She bit her lip to keep from reminding him that they were hiding something—the fact that they’d had a wonderful, thrilling affair. “Will you tell him about us?” she asked, more pointedly this time.
He shook his head, and kept jabbing the ashes in the grate. “I don’t think our being together, or what we did in this cabin, is anyone’s business but our own.” Setting the poker back in its brass stand, he replaced the screen, giving the task way too much attention.
Resting her bottom on the couch’s armrest, she wondered if there would always be this awkward tension and unease between them now. She wanted to know what to expect from Marc in the future when they encountered one another at his mother’s house, which was bound to happen sooner or later.
She voiced her concern. “What about us seeing one another?”
Finally, he turned around and faced her, his expression a heartbreaking combination of anguish and fierce control. “I don’t do relationships, Brooke,” he said roughly. “Nothing long-term or serious. You knew that going into this affair.”
He’d misunderstood her question, but that didn’t stop her heart from giving an odd little twist. She couldn’t refute his claim. He had warned her, and she’d blindly agreed to his terms. But that had been before she knew an affair with him would alter her expectations, and make him one of the most important people in her life. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to be a part of hers.
Very calmly, she replied. “All I meant was that I’m sure we’ll run into one another at some point. Thanksgiving is coming up, and you know your mother usually invites me over since my mother lives out of the state. Is that going to be a problem for you?”
He thought about that for a quiet moment, and it was obvious to her that he hadn’t considered the possibility of the two of them being thrown together, having to make polite talk, while trying not to think of all the intimacies they’d shared. After these past two days, nothing would ever be the same between them again.
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly.
His candid response gave her an opening she hadn’t anticipated, an opportunity she wasn’t going to let slip through her grasp. Scooting off the edge of the couch, she closed the physical distance between them. Emotionally, the gap seemed to widen. He watched her approach warily, but didn’t bolt around her like she half expected him to when she stopped inches away.
Lifting her hand, she pressed her palm over his heart, absorbing the rapid pulse, and the warmth radiating off him. She inhaled his unique masculine scent, and her stomach curled with an acute desire and longing.
He stood statue still, giving her the impression that he wanted to prove that he was immune to her touch, to her. She’d give him an A for effort, but he ultimately failed to conceal his own need. She watched his pupils dilate into dark orbs, observed the slight flare of his nostrils that indicated just how aware of her he was…and just how hard he was struggling to keep that attraction and fascination confined.
Satisfied that she’d gotten to him, even just a tiny bit, she pushed her advantage, ignoring for the moment the promise she’d made—to be satisfied with nothing more than pleasure and erotic memories. “You might not know if you can handle seeing me at family gatherings, but I can tell you that after all we’ve shared, it won’t be simple or easy for me. Not when I know what we had here in this cabin is worth taking a chance on.”
Swearing viciously, he paced to the other end of the couch. “Dammit, I knew this would happen.”
She tipped her head and regarded him cautiously. “You knew what would happen?”
His accusatory eyes burned like hot coals. “That you’d confuse lust with other sentimental emotions and want more from me than I can give you.”
His anger and denials inflamed her own ire. All her life she’d been a mediator, rushing to diffuse angry flare-ups instead of dealing with whatever conflict or problem she encountered. It started with her parents, and gradually shaped her personality as she was growing up. She’d always been the one to soothe upsetting situations, restore peace and avoid opposition.
Being passive no longer held any appeal for her. Nor was she going to let Marc blame her for his own insecurities. He was battling his own fears and personal demons—she couldn’t fight them, too, not unless she knew what they were.
Her chin lifted a determined notch. “If I learned one thing in this cabin with you, I now know the difference between satiating lust and making love. We did both, and I’m not confused about which took place when.” She softened her tone, but not her candid words. “I’m not asking you for anything, but after our time together, and what we shared, I think I have the right to tell you how I feel.”
“I do care for you, Brooke. And these past two days with you have been incredible, beyond anything I’ve ever experienced with any other woman.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, looking torn. “As for taking a chance and pursuing this relationship any further than this cabin, I can’t.”
She hadn’t outright asked him to take that chance. She’d promised herself, and him, she wouldn’t. But she couldn’t suppress her curiosity. “Why not?” she countered. “And this time, give me a good, solid reason why.”
His brows snapped together, and his features swirled with dark, dangerous hostility. Unease slithered through Brooke. She’d never seen him this way before, never knew he possessed such depth and multi-faceted layers…and a secret he was very reluctant to share.
But then she’d never provoked him before. “Why not?” she asked again, forcing him to acknowledge her and the question.
His mouth flattened into a grim line. The emotions in his eyes were raw and frayed. “You want a good solid reason why? How about the fact that I’m just like my father, and Eric?”
The pit of her stomach clenched at his insinuation, but she refused to believe the worst, not after glimpsing shadows of old pain and regret in his eyes. “What, that you enjoy flattering women?”
“I wish it were as simple as that.” Marc’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He’d never meant for their special time together in this cabin to end on such a dreadful note, but she was leaving him little choice except to be brutally honest with her. “How about the fact that I have a problem remaining faithful?”
Her eyes widened and her hand fluttered to the collar of her sweater. “What?” she whispered, her soft voice colored with incredulity.
“It’s true,” he confirmed, and watched as a mixture of horror and disbelief creased her features. God, he hated hurting her. Hated that he was about to shatter the chivalrous image of him she’d believed in.
The fantasy was definitely over. They’d gone from friends, to lovers, and would quickly revert to polite acquaintances when she discovered he was too much like his brother.
Ignoring the growing pressure in his chest, he said, “Just like my father, and Eric, I’ve been unfaithful to someone I was seeing.”
Slowly, she sank onto a sofa cushion. Her deep blue gaze, so filled with confusion, searched his expression, seemingly wanting to know more.
“That one indiscretion is enough to convince me that I’m not cut out for a monogamous, committed relationship, Brooke. Not long-term, anyway. Not when I take into consideration my father and brother’s track record and what Eric put you through. I won’t take that risk with any woman again. Especially you.”
End of discussion for him, he stalked toward the front windows, searching for signs of the ranger’s vehicle coming up the drive. No such luck. After two days of seclusion, he was feeling boxed in, edgy, and restless for wide open spaces. Though cabin fever would have been a logical excuse for his anxiety, he knew this unwanted conversation with Brooke was the real culprit.
“What happened?” she asked after long minutes passed.
Hanging his head, he shut his eyes, reaching deep for calm and patience. “You don’t need to hear the sordid details.” And he sure as hell didn’t want to relive that awful night he’d spent the past eight years trying to forget.
“I want to know what happened,” she persisted. “We’ve been nothing but honest with one another in this cabin. Before we leave, make me understand why these two days together are all we can have. I think you owe me that.”
Yeah, he owed her an explanation for the brusque ending to their affair. And by the time he was done recounting his appalling tale, not only would she understand his reasons, she’d definitely keep her distance. Bracing his arm on the frame above his head, he kept his gaze trained on a snow-covered tree outside, unable to look at Brooke, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes when he revealed the whole truth.
He inhaled a ragged breath, exhaled slowly. “Remember that survey question about one-night stands?”
“Yes,” came her quiet reply from behind him.
“Well, that incident was it. One sexual encounter with a faceless stranger when I was still seeing another woman.” He shook his head in disgust over his actions, and how that event had changed his entire view on serious relationships, as well as served to shore up the belief that short-term affairs were more his style.
He continued. “I was twenty-two at the time, and a senior in college. I’d been dating Dana Ramsey for about three months. She was ten years older than me, very experienced, and we spent most of our time together in bed. At first, I thought it was great. I mean, what healthy, hormonal twenty-two-year-old wouldn’t?”
Brooke didn’t answer him, but he wasn’t expecting a reply to his rhetorical question. “Dana came on strong, was very possessive, clingy even, and I started feeling stifled. I told her I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but that didn’t seem to make a difference to her. If anything, my attempts to back out of the relationship intensified her demands.”
He paused, remembering the panic he’d first experienced at Dana’s pressure tactics, then the defiance that had settled in. “When she started dropping hints about us getting married, I just lost it and completely rebelled. I was at a frat party one night drowning my anxiety in beer. When some coed I didn’t even know came on to me, I followed along and slept with her.”
Silence settled over the room for several heartbeats, then Brooke spoke. “I take it that ended your relationship with Dana?”
He jerked his head around, unable to believe that she could be so apathetic about his infidelity. “Good God, Brooke, I felt like crap the next morning, knowing that I cheated on her. She didn’t deserve that, no matter how uptight I was about her demands about marriage.”
“True,” she conceded, “but at least you experienced guilt and remorse after the fact.”
He frowned. “What difference does that make?”
“You were young, you weren’t ready to settle down, and you tried to tell Dana that, but she wouldn’t listen,” she said. “You made a mistake, Marc. One you obviously regret and haven’t repeated.”
How could she sit there and be so reasonable when he despised himself for what he’d done? “That doesn’t excuse what I did.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she agreed, but there was no condemnation in her expression.
“It’s no better than what Eric did to you,” he persisted.
“Don’t compare yourself to your brother.” Her gaze held his, filled with steely conviction. “You’re two very different men, and the circumstances are completely different.”
He gaped at her. “How can I not compare myself to Eric when I’m guilty of the same thing he did to you?”
“We were married, which makes a big difference. He vowed to be faithful to me.” She stood, but didn’t close the distance between them, opting instead to remain by the coffee table. “You were dating Dana, and she ignored your attempts to keep your relationship from getting too serious. And Eric cheated more than once, whereas this is your one and only indiscretion, an error of judgment that I’m guessing has been eating you up inside since it happened.”
She knew him well. Too well.
Drawing a deep breath, she slid her fingers into the back pocket of her jeans. “And the biggest difference between you two? Eric and I never had the kind of openness and honesty and trust that you and I have shared in just two days.”
And he’d never had that with any other woman, either, because he’d never let himself get close enough to establish those emotional bonds. Yet with Brooke, those intimacies had come naturally, and had felt incredibly right and good.
Turning back to the window, he pressed his fingertips to the cold pane. “I watched Eric get married to you, and I prayed that you’d be the one to keep him monogamous. And when it didn’t happen, I lost all hope for myself.” He swallowed the tight knot gathering in his throat. “I don’t want to offer you false promises when I don’t know if I can make that kind of commitment.” But how he wished he could give her something more lasting and permanent.
“I’m not asking for a commitment, Marc,” she said.
He laughed, but the harsh sound grated along his sensitive nerve endings. “Right at this moment, maybe not, but you will eventually. That’s the kind of woman you are, and it’s what you deserve.” Pushing away from the window, he moved across the room toward her, prepared to issue more blunt and irrefutable honesty if that’s what it took to make her understand, and leave this cabin with her own pride intact. “The sex between us was spectacular, but it won’t be enough for you months down the road. You’ll want more, and my biggest fear is that I’ll panic again when things get too intense.”
Her mouth quirked with the barest of smiles. “Things are already intense.”
“And I’m panicking!” He felt himself physically trembling, and he pushed his unsteady hands through his disheveled hair. “I’m afraid of disappointing you, Brooke.”
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes shining with a wealth of vulnerabilities. “And that’s my same fear, that I’ll disappoint you, too. That maybe I won’t keep you satisfied in the long run. You don’t own the market on insecurities.”
He remained mute, stunned by her admission. Tenderness swelled within him, but before he could reassure her that she’d keep any man well gratified, she stepped toward him and pressed her palm to his bearded cheek, her touch, her eyes, unbearably gentle.
“But I’m most afraid of giving you up, of letting you go, of feeling empty and alone when you’re gone.” Her fingers grazed his jaw as if memorizing his features. “All my life I’ve done for everyone else. Now, I want to please me. There’s more between us than incredible, mind-blowing sex. We both know it, feel it, even if you won’t admit it out loud. I saw it in your eyes last night when we were making love. I see it in your eyes now.”
Instinctively, he tried to turn his head away so she couldn’t see straight to his soul, but she framed his face between both hands, not allowing him the luxury of that escape.
She stared deep into his eyes. “You want more than just an affair, I know you do. And I know you’re afraid to take that risk, so I won’t ask for more than you’re willing to give. Making a relationship work isn’t easy, but you have to want to try and make it happen. We could start out slow and simple, by seeing one another, and dating, and spending quality time together.”
Overwhelming frustration gripped him. “To see if I’m capable of remaining committed in a relationship? To make sure I don’t screw up again and hurt someone I—” He sucked in a swift breath, catching himself before the word love slipped past his lips and he gave her the leverage she needed to sustain her argument. His heart thudded in his chest, and he quickly amended his remark. “I don’t want to risk hurting you.”
“You make it sound like some kind of lab test,” she quipped lightly.
“In a way, it would be a test. What if I discover that I can’t handle being in a serious relationship? That I find I’m too restricted and I just can’t commit? Where does that leave you?”
Instead of backing down, retreating or giving up on him like she should have done, she continued to fight. “I don’t believe you’d deliberately hurt me. I don’t believe you’d deliberately seek out another woman in an act of rebellion. Maybe when you were a young man of twenty-two who just wanted to have a good time in college and didn’t want the responsibility of a relationship, but not now.”
She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. Then she shared them. “I’ll admit that I once believed you were like Eric, too, but that was before I really took the time to get to know you. I’ve discovered that you’re a man who has patience and likes to be around children. You’re warm, and caring, and you don’t try to hide who you are or try to be something you’re not. The Marc I know would cherish a wife and kids and work through problems rather than shirk them.”
Wife and kids. The very things he hadn’t allowed himself to think about, but had always wanted. “You don’t know that.”
“I believe it,” she said with so much faith he almost believed it, too. “The Marc I’ve learned about these past two days isn’t selfish. The Marc I’ve discovered would put his family first, just as you’re thinking of me now, trying to protect me from something that may never happen.” She smiled, though the sentiment held a tinge of sadness. “If your brother was half the man you are, maybe Eric and I would still be married. And maybe if I was the woman I am now, Eric never would have felt the need to cheat.”
“Eric was a damn fool,” he said, meaning it.
A delicate brow lifted. “Then what does that make you?”
An even bigger fool. “It would destroy me if I hurt you, and I’m not willing to take that risk. For both our sakes. If anything, I’ve learned from my father and brother, and my own mistake.” He headed over to the front door, where they’d left their gear.
She trailed behind, more slowly. “Your father is still married to your mother, and they’re happy together. They worked through whatever problems they had.”
He slanted her a cynical look. “As you know from your own parents’ situation, it doesn’t always end happily.”
She stopped behind him, and crossed her arms over her chest. “What I do know, what I’ve learned, is that there’s no guarantees in love and marriage. But if two people care enough to compromise and communicate, then love and a good, strong marriage can work.”
The sound of a vehicle pulling into the drive echoed in the quiet cabin, followed by two short honks to announce the ranger’s arrival.
Finally, Marc thought, welcoming the interruption, which saved him from issuing more arguments. “Sounds like our ride is here.” He turned away, but she grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.
“What if…” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed to ease her throat. “What if I tell you that I’ve fallen in love with you?”
He stared at her, seeing the devotion and hope shimmering in her eyes. Her sweet declaration nearly sent him to his knees with his own avowal, but he kept his emotions and his expression firmly battened down, even though he was dying inside. Anxiety banded his chest, but this time the pressure wasn’t a result of feeling stifled, but because he dreaded the thought of spurning that love he ached for so badly.
He dredged up the words he knew he had to speak. “All the more reason to end this now.” Scooping up her snowsuit and helmet from the floor, he handed them to her, then busied himself collecting his own gear.
Unable to look her in the eyes, he added, “I know this is difficult now, but in the long run, you’ll thank me, Brooke.”
Brooke was thanking Marc, all right, for leaving her with a heartache she was certain would never ease. Two days, and she loved the man. Two days, and she was back to being alone again.
The emptiness and loss that consumed her was unlike anything she’d ever encountered. Her divorce from Eric had been inevitable. Losing Marc had been a one-sided choice she’d had little say in. He’d thwarted every argument, and ultimately rejected her, her love, and her belief in him—as if he knew what was best for her, all because he couldn’t forgive himself for a past mistake.
Her gratitude was overwhelming.
When they’d returned to their cabin, he’d wasted no time in informing Shane and Ryan that they needed to hit the road so he could get back to his office since they were a day behind in returning. Within an hour, the men had vacated the place. Within five minutes of their departure Brooke knew her life would never be the same, not without Marc to complete it.
He’d taught her all about love and passion and embracing the woman inside her. And that woman wanted him, with the very depths of her heart and soul. She no longer wanted to live her life conservatively, and dreaded the boring, practical and predictable life-style awaiting her at home. Not when she’d tasted something far more exciting and thrilling with Marc.
She berated herself for her naiveté, for thinking she was capable of enjoying a fling with Marc and chalking the incident up as an unforgettable affair. She did crave more, more than he was willing to give.
“Come on, fess up, Brooke,” Stacey cajoled. “We want all the steamy details.”
Taking a deep breath and shaking off the desolate feeling swirling within her, Brooke sank down on the living room couch across from her friend and Jessica. “There’s not much to tell,” she hedged, not willing to divulge intimate details and sully what she’d shared with Marc. “Like I said, we got lost coming home from the lodge, ran out of gas, and had to break into someone’s cabin for the duration of the storm.”
“Sounds…adventurous.”
Her friend’s meaning was clear, but Brooke chose to ignore the underlying question in her comment. “We were lucky we found shelter, considering how brutal the blizzard turned out to be.”
“And?” Stacey persisted.
Brooke affected nonchalance. “And what?”
Stacey blew out an exasperated stream of breath. “Well, did you two take advantage of the situation?”
In erotic, provocative ways she’d never imagined possible or would ever forget. Feeling Jessica’s inquisitive gaze on her, as well, she laughed lightly to diffuse the anticipation seemingly quivering in the air. “Marc was a perfect gentleman.” It wasn’t a lie. He’d been generous with her pleasure, and entirely too noble about protecting her from himself.
Jessica didn’t look completely convinced, and Brooke quickly averted her gaze from her sister’s knowing one.
Stacey groaned in disappointment. “I can’t believe you let a perfect opportunity like that go to waste!”
She shrugged as though to say “oh well” and quickly changed the subject. “What about you and Shane?”
A dreamy expression softened Stacey’s features. “Oh, we definitely took advantage of the situation.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “The two of them only came out of the downstairs bedroom to go to the bathroom or to the kitchen to get something to eat.”
“Well, we certainly know who had the most fun on this trip.” A grin lifted the corners of Stacey’s mouth. “And I have a date with Shane when we return to Denver on Sunday.”
Shaking her head in amusement, Brooke stood, ready to move past this conversation. “I think I’ll make myself a sandwich. Anyone else?” The thought of food hitting her stomach made her queasy, but it worked as an excuse.
“None for me, thanks,” Stacey said, reclining languorously on the couch. “I’m discovering that love has a way of eclipsing hunger.”
“Love?” Brooke stared incredulously at her friend, who’d always avoided serious relationships in lieu of just having a good time. “You’re in love with Shane?”
“Don’t look so surprised. I know I come across as this wild, single woman, but when the right guy comes along there’s no mistaking when it’s the real thing.”
Brooke felt a knot form in her chest, wishing that Marc could have had faith in the real thing. In her. “I’m happy for you.”
Stacey’s adoration for Shane shone in her eyes. “Thanks. I’m hoping it’ll work out between us.”
Heading into the kitchen, Brooke retrieved the lunch meat, cheese, bread and mayonnaise from the refrigerator and started making herself a sandwich. Admittedly, she wasn’t really hungry, but starving herself over Marc wasn’t something she’d allow herself to do.
“I’ll take one,” Jessica said from behind her as she entered the kitchen. “My hunger is still intact.”
Brooke managed a smile at her sister’s meaningful comment. She obviously hadn’t fallen for Ryan Matthews’s charm while she and Marc had been stranded. “How were things between you and Ryan during the blizzard?”
Jessica propped her hip against the counter next to Brooke. “Interesting, considering he didn’t take much offense to my lawyer jokes.” She sounded disappointed.
Slathering a piece of bread with spread, Brooke slanted her sister a sly look. “Hmm, smart guy.” She gave Ryan credit, for seeing past Jessica’s sassy mouth and attitude that kept men at arm’s length.
Jessica reached for a slice of cheese and peeled off the plastic wrapper, her brows pulled into a troubled frown. “He asked me out,” she said quietly.
Her confession took Brooke by surprise. “And?”
“I said no, of course,” her sister replied quickly, layering slices of meat on their bread.
“Aw, Jess, you like him, don’t you?” She’d always been able to read Jessica’s moods and thoughts and felt pretty certain she’d accurately assessed her sister’s problem.
“Maybe,” she said nebulously. “I mean, he is a—”
“Lawyer,” they finished at the same time.
“End of story,” Jessica said succinctly. “I’m particular about who I date, and lawyers top the list of automatic no-gos.”
Arguing Jessica’s reasons was futile, Brooke knew. “That’s really too bad, because he seems like a nice guy.”
She shrugged noncommittally as she finished stacking their sandwiches with ham.
Brooke brought down two small plates from the cupboard and Jessica set their lunch on them. “You know, you really shouldn’t hold the guy’s occupation against him.”
“No matter how gorgeous, sexy or amusing I find Ryan, I don’t like what he does for a living.” A deep hurt shimmered in Jessica’s eyes, brought on by old memories. “Why let myself get attached to him when it’ll never work out?”
Just as Brooke had with Marc. She was attached…by the heart. “You’d be amazed at the things you’d be willing to compromise on if you fell for the right guy.” Suddenly unable to eat even a bite of her sandwich, she pushed her plate away.
Jessica took a bite of her lunch, scrutinizing Brooke as she chewed. “Ohmigod,” she said, her voice infused with a startling revelation. “Something did happen between you and Marc at that cabin. I knew it!”
She’d never lied to her sister, and she wouldn’t do so now. “Yeah, something happened, but it’s over before it’s even had a chance to begin.”
Jessica’s brows rose in astonishment. “Did you two, um, you know?”
Brooke found the blush staining her sister’s cheeks endearing. They’d talked about guys and sex, and from what Brooke knew, Jessica’s experience was limited. “Yes, we made love, and it was the most incredible, intimate experience of my life.” No doubt, no other man would ever compare to Marc.
“Wow,” she murmured, envy tingeing her voice.
Brooke drew a deep breath, along with a healthy dose of fortitude. “And I love him.”
“Oh, wow,” Jessica said again, this time her eyes wide with concern. “What are you going to do?”
“There’s nothing I can do. Marc knows how I feel about him, and he’s decided that we’re better off, that he’s better off, not pursuing our relationship.”
The compassion Brooke had offered Jessica so many times over the years was now returned by her sister. “I’m sorry, sis.”
A bottomless sadness engulfed Brooke, tightening her vocal cords. “Yeah, me, too,” she whispered.