Fool for Love Read Free Page A

fists. Oh, how he'd love five
minutes alone with David Lawrence! However, while one part of him wanted to
pound the cheating dog into the ground, another part wanted to send him an
engraved thank-you note.
    Maybe now… Maybe after she recovered from
the blow and got back on her feet… Maybe there'd be a chance for them. He let
the idea run around in his mind for a good five minutes, the fantasies coming
to vivid life before reality came crashing back to remind him it was hopeless.
Who did he think he was kidding? She saw him as an extra older brother, no
different than the four others her parents had provided. Never would she see
him as anything other than what he'd always been—a close friend of Mac's and,
by extension, a friend of hers, too. Despondency crept over him like a heavy,
wet blanket.
    Damn it! Why'd she have to call him of all people? Why couldn't he have gone on with his evening, none the wiser to
the drama unfolding in Boston? Of course he would have found out eventually, but
he wouldn't have had to witness her devastation firsthand.
    Most of the time, he dealt just fine with
his unrequited love for her. Sure, there were times—like earlier today as she'd
boarded the ferry on her way to surprise David—when it was agonizing to love a
woman who loved someone else. But most of the time, it was something that was
just there , as much a part of him as the birthmark on his thigh or the
funky pinky toe on his left foot that curled inward.
    He'd long ago accepted that she was a part
of his DNA. She owned his heart, even if she didn't know it. That didn't mean
his life was meaningless. Quite the opposite. He had great friends, owned a
thriving, successful business that he loved and had no shortage of women
willing to warm his bed on cold New England nights.
    No, loving Janey McCarthy hadn't ruined
his life. At least not yet. But now… Now that she'd been here, in the house
he'd built with his own hands… Joe rested an arm over his eyes, wishing he
could hide from the myriad emotions storming around inside him. Everything he'd
ever wanted was asleep in his bed. And he was out here, one room away but light
years from what he most desired.
    Against all odds, Joe dozed off and woke
much later to the sound of wrenching sobs. He was up and off the sofa before he
was fully awake. In the bedroom, he found her curled into the fetal position,
crying her heart out.
    If he'd taken the time to shake off the
sleep stupor, he might've contemplated the implications of crawling into bed
with her wearing only thin boxers. He might've stopped himself from easing her
into his embrace and cushioning her head on his chest. He probably would've
seen the error of his ways before she curled around him and held on for dear
life. In his right mind, he would've examined the consequences in time to stop
himself from acting so impulsively. But by the time he finally got a clue, it
was far, far too late.
    Janey McCarthy was in his bed and in his
arms, and Joe Cantrell was ruined. Completely and utterly ruined.
    Janey couldn't remember a time when she needed anything more than the sweet
comfort of Joe's love wrapped tight around her. Somewhere deep down inside, in
a place she rarely ventured, she had suspected he cared for her as more than
his best friend's bratty little sister.
    When she'd been blissfully happy as
David's girlfriend and then fiancée, it hadn't occurred to her to delve too
deeply into the heated looks she sometimes received from Joe or the odd vibe
she'd experienced whenever they were together over the last few years.
    In fact, more than once she'd been almost
frightened by the intensity of what she felt coming from him, so she'd done
what any loyal, faithful fiancée would do and acted like it didn't exist. Just
yesterday, when she'd thought her life was set and her future secure, she
wouldn't have dreamed of entertaining thoughts about her brother's sexy best
friend.
    But as he held her close to him, she was
suddenly and