Looking for Love by Kathy Bosman Page A

she got deeply disappointed? Again.
She’d had so many nasty relationships with guys, and her job hadn’t
been the nicest place for her all the time, plus she’d had some
fallouts with her friends. Thankfully, the three close friends
seemed to stick with her no matter what. Sometimes, he got jealous
of how religiously she made time for them while he seemed to be the one making time for Ross
and Ella. Not that she saw it that way.
    And his plans to spill the beans today had
gone horribly wrong when that funny book had lit up like a
Christmas tree and shaken the desk like some weird machine from an
H.G. Wells story. What was she playing with? Would it bite her back
if she didn’t do it right?
    He buried his pounding temples into his
palms. And suddenly, she didn’t take his advice anymore as if she’d
come into her own and didn’t need him. It made her incredibly
attractive to him when she showed some spunk, but it didn’t help
their relationship status. What if she became too independent and
she didn’t need him around anymore? Would their friendship be
strong enough to hold then?
    When had it all changed? They’d
been friends for years. He’d even confided all his relationship
woes to her since high school. Sometimes, they’d gone for months
without seeing one another, but whenever she ’d needed help with maintenance in
her home, or advice, she’d called. Or when he’d just suffered a
complex break-up. None of his girlfriends had ever been threatened
by her—they’d somehow known the relationship had stood at
rock-solid friendship.
    Until two months ago when she’d come over
to his place one night, bored out of her mind and missing her
friends who were too busy for girl’s night. She’d worn short shorts
that barely covered her thighs and he’d teased her about something.
She’d tickled him so he’d tickled her back. Then he’d held her
hands in a one-handed firm grasp and tickled her legs with the
other hand. The soft skin on her thighs had sent a swirl of erotic
sensations through him that he’d never have expected to have with
Ella. Why, they’d decided years ago they were too familiar with one
another to pursue romance. They would probably either kill each
other or get bored sick. Romance had to be exciting, thrilling,
mysterious. It would feel like she was romancing her older brother,
Ella had said.
    And he’d
agreed with her then because he’d been deeply infatuated with
Celine Morse at the time.
    He’d pulled her close and nearly kissed
her, but the disgusted look on her face had made him drop all
contact with her. She’d run through to the kitchen to get some
space, but the rest of the night, he’d fantasized about kissing her
and doing a whole lot more.
    Then it had occurred to him, slowly at
first, but then in a whirlwind of frantic thoughts—he loved her.
Had actually loved her for years but had been too much of a dimwit
to realise it. He’d gone out with all the other women as a way to
distract himself from the attraction he felt for Ella. He’d put it
down to friendship feelings, although contact with her had always
put him in a strange mood.
    Now, she consumed his thoughts. He wanted
to spend every spare moment with her, but until he could tell her,
he had to pretend they still had the same comfortable friendship as
before.
    He’d nearly decided to ignore
his feelings and leave ‘well enough’ alone, but he’d thought long and
hard about the woman he loved. He could be there for her forever,
keep her safe from dysfunctional relationships, be the guy she’d
wanted all these years. It was a good thing. He just needed to
convince her of the fact.
    Easier said
than done.
    Something held
him back. Maybe he feared she’d push him away totally.
    Could he hope that her feelings would grow
over time? He did, but his patience was wearing thin. He couldn’t
bear to be close to her much longer without touching her, kissing
her, and taking her into his arms.
    But even
worse, he