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“You wanted Lucian?”
    Tally grimaced lightly at her own admission. “Terribly, I’m afraid,” she said. “But
    the problem is, Terrie, I know that once I’ve been with him and Devril, I won’t want to
    let either of them go. I’m a greedy person, I’ve told you this before. They can hurt me,”
    she said simply.
    “Oh. Dear.” Terrie was staring at her in amazement. “Uhh, Tally, are you in love
    with Lucian and Devril?”
    Tally moved to the chair beside the window and sat down heavily. “Perhaps.” She
    shrugged. “So you see, it’s becoming rather complicated.”
    “Pretty surprising to me,” Terrie admitted as she pulled one of the plump pillows
    from the head of the bed and wrapped her arms around it. “What are you going to do?”
    Tally smoothed the skirt of her dress slowly, watching as her fingers adjusted the
    hemline as though being certain she did it right. When she finally raised her gaze to
    Terrie she had managed to get a handle on her emotions.
    “I have several applications in at a firm in New York,” Tally finally admitted. “If
    things work out, I’ll be leaving soon.”
    “You’re running?” Terrie asked incredulously. “Tally, you never run.”
    Tally leaned back in her chair, assuming a careless pose of negligent indulgence.
    “Well, it appears I do after all,” she finally said with a self-deprecating smile. “A very
    odd feeling, I must admit. But, I’ve found no other answer.”
    Terrie shook her head in protest. “Why fight them? If you want it, why not go for it?
    Holding back doesn’t sound like something you do, Tally.”
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    Normally, it wouldn’t be, Tally admitted silently. She had never conceded defeat in
    her life. It rankled that she would now.
    “In this case, holding back is the only answer,” Tally said softly. “Trust me, Terrie,
    it would never work, and I don’t want the heartache when it doesn’t. It’s best that I
    leave as soon as possible.” Better for her heart definitely. As well as Lucian’s safety, if
    he ever decided he was tired of her. She feared she might kill him if he took another
    woman after her.
    Terrie watched her closely for long minutes as the silence deepened around them.
    “I love how you lie to yourself, Tally,” she finally said gently, rising from the bed as
    Tally watched her in surprise.
    “I never lie to myself,” she snapped in defense.
    Terrie shook her head slowly. “I love you like I love my own sisters.” She sighed.
    “So I can tell you, you are lying to yourself. It’s losing all that hard won control that
    you’re terrified of, not any heartache you might suffer. Lucian threatens that. You can’t
    push him away, you can’t intimidate him, so instead you’re going to run.” She
    grimaced mockingly. “Lucian won by default because you’re not brave enough to see
    which of you is the strongest. You’re afraid you’ll lose, so you’re giving up.”
    “I don’t think so,” Tally snapped, uncomfortably aware of the fact that often her
    friend saw too much. “Lucian has nothing to do with my control.”
    “Of course he does.” Terrie laughed gaily. “He shakes it every time he looks at you.
    And don’t even try to tell me he didn’t almost have you out in the garden. I heard those
    moans. You’re losing your edge, Tally, and you can’t handle it.”
    Tally came to her feet slowly, her eyes narrowing on the other woman. “Not in this
    lifetime.” She managed cool humor but she could feel the anger whipping in her mind.
    “Really?” Terrie crossed her arms over her breasts, her expression mocking. “Prove
    it.”
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    “Prove it?” Tally felt like snarling. “And how do you expect me to do that? There’s
    nothing to prove.”
    “Isn’t there, Tally?” Terrie was serious now. That was always a bad sign. “What
    about proving to yourself that you’re worthy of love? But beyond that, there’s proving
    that you aren’t a coward. We both know how