A Heart Decision (14 page)

“Guys, before you go, would you mind helping me out
by finishing off this lasagna?” Sabrina smiled at Luke. “Lieutenant
Marino isn’t crazy about leftovers.”

Damon’s gaze snapped to Luke’s. “Since when?”

Jamal smacked his friend on the back of the head.
“Since today, fool. Why would the Lieutenant wanna eat leftovers
when he’s got his main squeeze to cook for him?”

A deep flush spread over Luke’s face. “What makes
you think Sabrina’s my girlfriend?”

“It’s obvious.” Jamal shrugged. “You don’t look at
any other ladies the way you wuz looking at her when we got here.”
He smiled at Sabrina. “And some of the guys’ mamas are really
hot.”

“You’re busted, Lieutenant.” Damon laughed.

“I guess so.”

“I’ll get some plates.” Kevin dashed to the
cupboard.

Sabrina chuckled. “I guess you guys know your way
around here.”

“They helped me with a lot of the house
renovations,” Luke told her.

She reached for the Pyrex baking dish. “I’ll put
this in the microwave for a minute and reheat it.”

“No!” Jamal grabbed her hand as if he were afraid
she wouldn’t bring it back. “It’s great just like this. We don’t
wanna burn our mouths.”

“I promise I won’t make it that hot.”

Luke smiled and jerked his head toward the
refrigerator. “Isn’t there some salad and bread left, too?”

While the lasagna heated, Sabrina opened another bag
of greens and coated more Italian bread with olive oil and garlic
before putting it under the broiler.

The boys joined Luke at the table and discussed the
upcoming bicycle safety rally their Explorer post would be running
in two weeks.

“So Kevin,”—Luke crossed his arms over his chest and
narrowed his gaze—“Is your mom’s boyfriend responsible for that
bruise on your cheek?”

“Nah. He’s been laying off me since you had that
talk with him.”

“Good.” His eyebrows lifted when Kevin didn’t
elaborate. “Well? You haven’t been fighting, have you?”

“Yes, sir.” Kevin hung his head. “But they were
squealing at me and making Moo-Shu pork and sparerib jokes,
again.”

Evidently, being an Explorer also involved some
teasing from the kids’ peers.

“Do you know how many times a week someone calls me
a pig?” Luke snorted. “If you react with violence, it just takes
you down to their level, and then, you
are
the swine they
called you.”

Sabrina smiled at him as she placed the meal on the
table, and the three teenagers fell on the food like a pride of
lions tearing at a carcass.

“Take human bites, fellas.” Luke shook his head and
grinned at Sabrina. “Look what you’ve done. Now that they know
there’s food here, they’ll never leave.”

His easy camaraderie with the kids, and obvious
affection for them didn’t fit a man who’d done something as drastic
as having surgery to make sure he’d never become a father.

She could only think of one reason a guy, who was so
well suited to parenting and liked kids as much as Luke clearly
did, would be so determined not to reproduce.

He had to believe it would be wrong to bring a child
of his own into the world.

~*~

Luke had made the comment about feeding the boys in
jest, but unfortunately, there’d been more truth than humor in his
teasing. A package of cookies, a large carton of ice cream, and a
bag of pretzels later, the three teens were still entertaining
Sabrina with stories of his devotion to them and their friends.

He didn’t begrudge the boys the food. And it wasn’t
that he minded Sabrina hearing the kids’ hero worship of him. In
fact, he loved the way she’d looked at him when Damon told her how
Luke had helped him and a couple of other members of his previous
gang turn their lives around.

None of that mattered. He just wanted them to leave.
Tonight was supposed to be
the night,
and the longer the
kids stayed, the less it looked like it would be.

Sabrina gathered up the ice cream bowls and loaded
them in the dishwasher while Mopsy and Dusty both sniffed at the
open appliance. “I’d better take the puppies out.”

“Did you call your brother?” Luke asked Damon.

“Yeah. He’ll be here any minute.”

A few moments later, when Sabrina came back inside
with the dogs, Luke pulled her down on his lap and slid his arms
around her waist. Normally, he would avoid any physical display of
affection in front of the kids, but he hoped they’d get the message
to leave without him actually kicking them out.

He glanced pointedly at his watch. “It’s almost
nine-thirty, guys. Aren’t your mothers gonna wonder what happened
to you?”

Kevin waved his hand. “As long as I’m home before
eleven, she’s happy.”

Luke rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath,
“Great.”

“Almost nine-thirty?” Jamal frowned at Kevin.
“Wasn’t the
Gladiator
supposed to be on TV tonight?”

“Yeah.” Kevin smiled at Luke, his dark eyebrows
drawn into a pleading arch. “Can Jamal and I stay and watch it
here?
Puleeeeze
?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request. The kids
frequently hung out at his house to watch ballgames and videos. It
was part of the reason he’d invested in the huge home theater
system for his living room—to keep them off the street.

Sabrina’s mouth drew into an amused pucker as she
squirmed against his swollen fly. “Yumm. Now that’s my kind of
movie. Two and a half hours of Russell Crowe in a toga.”

“Don’t encourage them,” he muttered in her ear.

Jamal shoved Kevin. “Do you two got eyes? The
Lieutenant wants to be alone with his lady.”

Thank you, Jamal
.

“Plus the movie won’t be over in time for you to
make your curfew,” Luke reminded them.

“Uhhh....sorry.” Kevin lifted one shoulder in an
abashed shrug.

A horn honked out in the driveway. “That’s my
brother.” Damon waved as he opened the back door. “Thanks for the
eats, Miss Sabrina.”

“Yeah.” Kevin nodded. “Thanks. It was great.”

As Sabrina attempted to stand, Luke yanked her back
into his lap and whispered, “Stay right where you are,
Princess.”

Once Kevin followed Damon out the door, Luke gave
Jamal a high-five and held him back. “Buddy, your astute power of
observation and natural leadership ability suggests you’re ready
for a promotion.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Just as soon as you stop smacking your pals
around. You need to command their respect without bullying
them.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And I meant it about you taking only one passenger
in your car. You’re the driver, so it’s up to you to say no. If you
lose your license, how will you get to work to help your mom with
the grocery bills?”

“You’re right. I won’t let you down.”

“Okay, drive safely.”

The moment the boy closed the door and sprinted
after his friends, Luke turned Sabrina in his arms and lowered his
lips to hers, murmuring, “I thought they’d never leave.”

He slid his tongue into her mouth while his hand
slipped under her knit top and cupped her breast. She arched her
back and plowed her fingers through his hair, moaning into his
mouth.

“If you’d gotten up a minute ago, those guys
would’ve seen why it’s a good thing I don’t wear a toga,” he
murmured as he drew back.

A flash of movement at the corner of his eye jerked
his gaze to the back door where Jamal stood, watching them, his jaw
hanging. Luke yanked his hand out of Sabrina’s shirt.

The teen opened the door and stepped inside. “Uhhh,
sorry. I forgot my hat.”

“And you couldn’t knock to let me know you were
there?”

“I was....umm....waitin’ for you to come up for
air.”

The kid could’ve had a long wait and gotten a real
eyeful if Luke hadn’t noticed him when he did.

“It won’t happen again. Sorry.” Jamal snatched his
cap off the counter and dashed out of the house.

Luke flashed an apologetic smile at Sabrina. “First
thing tomorrow, we’re buying a curtain for that door.”

“He was just trying to pick up some pointers from
his hero.”

He pushed the electric control on the arm of the
chair and steered it over to the door to lock it. “I have a tiny
problem.”

Wiggling her bottom, she smiled. “Yes, I feel your
problem, and it’s in no way tiny.”

“I’m being serious.” He flipped off the lights. “If
my ankle weren’t broken, I’d carry you upstairs to bed. But it’s a
little hard to—”

“No, I don’t think so.” She chuckled and traced his
ear with her tongue as she ground her fanny on his erection.
“That’s like saying titanium is a little hard.”

He tangled his fingers in her hair and turned her
head to look at him. “Keep sassing me, woman, and I’ll dump you on
your fanny and give you a taste of wild monkey sex right here on
the kitchen floor.”

“Mmm....that sounds pretty good except for the lack
of privacy.”

If she didn’t stop wiggling on him, in thirty
seconds, he wouldn’t care if the whole damn neighborhood
watched.

She wound her arms around his neck and cuddled
against his chest while he steered them down the hallway and
through the living room to the steps. The two puppies danced around
the wheels, daring him to run them over.

“Didn’t you hear the lady, Dusty? She wants privacy.
You have Mopsy to keep you warm. Go sleep with her.”

“Afraid he’ll steal your sheet again?”

“No. I just don’t want our canine audience to
witness me giving in to your begging. They’ll think I’m a soft
touch.”

“Begging?” She sputtered. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, no? We’ll just see about that.” He brushed his
lips over hers. “I would’ve liked to sweep you off your feet, but
that’s slightly difficult, confined to this chair.”

“You’re doing just fine.” She slid off his lap and
helped him stand.

“Wait. Before we go upstairs, I need to do
something.” He wiggled her engagement ring off her finger and stuck
it in the pocket of her shorts. “That’s better. Tonight, you’re all
mine.”

“I’d be yours every night if you—”

He pressed two fingers over her lips. “Please, don’t
ruin this, Princess.”

Once he parked his butt on the second step, he
grabbed her wrist as she tried to squeeze past him to go up before
him. “Forget it. I’m taking you up.”

After scooting up to the next step, he twisted her
to face him and pulled her onto his lap, straddling his hips. She
rested her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck, her lips as
soft as flower petals. “I love you, Luke.”

“Brina.” His throat tightened as she nestled her
crotch over the throbbing ridge straining his zipper. Gritting his
teeth, he winced at the incredible pressure in his groin.

Whose bright idea was this? At the rate they were
going, if anyone ended up begging, it would be him. As he pushed
himself up to the next step with his good foot, Sabrina rocked on
his hard-on like a kid on a hobbyhorse.

“I think I like this.” She giggled as she stripped
her shirt over her head, revealing a filmy peach bra.

He glanced over his shoulder at the ten stairs still
behind him and groaned. Control and stamina in the bedroom had
never been a problem for him. But Sabrina was different. She made
him ache for her—not just his lower half, but his whole body....and
soul. No other woman had ever affected him that way.

As he raised himself to the next step, he
concentrated on unclasping her bra to distract himself from the
mind-boggling sensation of her body rubbing against his. He pulled
the nearly transparent scrap off and grabbed her hips to stop her
gyrating. “Princess, if you want me to make love to you when we get
to the top, you have to sit still and let me run this show.”

“Party-pooper.” She stuck her lip out in a sexy
pout. “The least you can do is take off your shirt so I’m not the
only one who’s half undressed.” She yanked on the threadbare
T-shirt. It tore like tissue paper in her hand. “I’m sorry.” She
laughed. “How many times have you washed this thing?”

“Too many, obviously.” He let her rip the rest of
the shirt away and immediately regretted it. Her bare breasts
pressed against his naked chest as he pulled her up another
step.

Only eight more to go.

Biting his lip, he took the next three steps as fast
as he could. She ignored his warning and rocked frantically on him,
her rosy nipples bobbing in his face, driving him closer to the
edge every time he lifted his hips.

Finally, he couldn’t resist her bouncing breasts a
moment longer. He stopped and covered one of her luscious peaks
with his mouth. Damn, she tasted incredible. Her gasps and whimpers
said she was as close to the edge as he was.

The smell of dish detergent and lasagna mingled with
her sweet powdery scent, giving birth to thoughts of home cooked
meals and babies.

Dear God, what he wouldn’t give to make her his wife
and keep her forever. To see her belly swell with his child. To
hold her at night while she nursed their ba—

Damn it. He shook off his senseless regret. No way
would he ruin this night by mourning what he could never have. At
least, for right now, Sabrina was all his.

Her heart beat so fast, she feared it might explode.
Could too much pleasure be fatal?

Sabrina writhed in Luke’s arms as he laved her
nipple and ground his hard shaft between her legs while he scooted
up three more steps.

Nearly at the top, she climbed off his lap to help
him into his waiting wheelchair.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” He clutched her ankle and
dragged her down to the floor of the upper hallway. Kneeling two
steps below her, he shoved her back on the plush carpet and tore
open her zipper. “I’m sorry, Princess, but, at the moment, the
bedroom seems a thousand miles away.”

To her, too. “So will this be the wild monkey sex
you were threatening me with downstairs?”