Portrait in Death

I was just wishing for you," he said. "And here you are." "Must be your lucky day, Ace." "Eve." He lifted a hand, not quite steady, skimmed his fingers along her jaw. "Eve," he said again, and his arms were around her, banded like steel as he lifted her off her feet. "Oh God. Eve." She felt the shudder run through him as he buried his face in her hair, against the curve of her neck. And knew she'd been right to come. Whatever else there was, she'd been right to come. "Everything's okay now." To soothe, she ran her hands over his back. "It's okay." "You landed in a field of cows, in a jet-copter." "You're telling me?" He rubbed his hands up and down her arms before linking them with hers and easing back to look at her face. "You must love me madly." "I must." His eyes were wild and beautiful, his lips warm and tender as he pressed them to her cheeks. "Thank you." "You're welcome, but you missed a spot." She found his mouth with hers and let him sink in. When she felt the heat, the punch, her lips curved against his. "That's better.

The man is a genius, and geniuses don’t have to abide by the same rules as the rest of the world.

He needed to call Eve. He looked across the field, across the silvered mists and gentle rise of aching green. Rather than pull out his pocket-link he continued to toy with the button. He didn't want to call her. He wanted to touch her. To hold her, just hold her and anchor himself again. "Why did I come without you?" he murmured, "when I need you so bloody much?

You're certainly chipper this morning." "Damn straight. Chipper's my middle name. I'm going out to spread joy and laughter to all of mankind." "What a nice change of pace." There was amusement riding along with the Irish in his voice. "Perhaps you'll start now by going down with me to see Summerset off." She grimaced. "That might spoil my appetite." Testing, she polished off the pancakes. "No, no, it doesn't. I can do that. I can go down and wave bye-bye." Brow lifted, he gave her hair a quick tug. "Nicely." "I won't do the happy dance until he's out of sight. Three weeks.

Practice this first." He laid his hands on her shoulders. "Have a good trip. Enjoy your vacation." "You didn't say I had to speak to him." She blew out a breath at Roarke's calm stare. "All right, all right, it's worth it. Have a good trip." She stretched her lips into a smile. "Enjoy your vacation. Asshole. I'll leave off the asshole, I just wanted to say it now." "Understood.

Listen, if I can manage it, I'll try to swing home this afternoon for a bit. To—I don't know—help you out or something." His smile was warm and gorgeous. "See there. You're acting like a wife." "Shut up." "I like it," he said, backing her against the door. "Quite a bit. Next thing I know you'll be down in the kitchen, baking." "Next thing you know I'll be kicking your ass, and you'll be the one who needs round-the-clock care." "Can we play doctor?

Too revved to sleep." "Is that so?" Some of the light she loved was back in his eyes. "Well, what can we do to pass the time, help you relax? Cribbage, perhaps?" Her eyes narrowed. "Cribbage? Is that some perverted sexual activity?" He laughed, and grabbing her, tossed her onto the bed. "Why not?

You seem to have found a stored pocket of energy." "I am reborn!" Cackling, she whirled around, pushed off with her toes and leaped on him. "Let's have monkey sex," she said as she wrapped her legs around Roarke's waist. "Well, if you insist. It so happens I have a pint of very nice chocolate sauce in the parlor." "You're kidding." "One never kids about monkey sex with chocolate sauce.

Okay.” Mavis nodded decisively. “Then you tear it down. You don’t take no for an answer. You nag and you pick and you stick until it pops out of him. Whatever it is. Girls are good at this, Dallas.” “I’m not good at being a girl.” “Sure you are. You’re your own kind of girl. Think of it as kicking his ass until he cracks.

Eve sucked air through her nose. "The next person, the very next person, who says that is going to know my wrath." "I'm on a first-name basis with your wrath, sir. I guess this isn't the best time to tell you that McNab and I are thinking of cohabitating." "Oh my God. My eye." Desperate, Eve pressed her fist to the twitch. "Not while I'm driving.

I couldn’t find my balance until I stood out there in the mist of the morning and saw you. Simple as that for me, it seems. There she is, so my life’s where it should be, whatever’s going on around it.

Peabody pursed her lips. "You're really mean today." "Yes. Yes, I am." Eve took a deep gulp of hideous air, and smiled. "I feel good about that.

And how does my aide come by this information before I do?" "Well, you know . . . pillow talk. See, sex—in this case—is an advantage to you. McNab said they'd get through faster, but at data clubs like that, the units are totally clogged. But he's on it and it's his top priority." She cleared her throat when Eve made no comment. "Should I still contact Captain Feeney?" "Oh, Feeney and I appear to be superfluous at this point. You and McPecker can fill us in whenever you feel it's appropriate." "McPecker." Peabody snorted. "That's a good one. I'm going to use it on him." "Happy to help." She shot Peabody a deceptively friendly look. "Perhaps I'm wasting my time going to the lab. Have you and Dickie also had a liaison?" " Eeeuw." "My faith in you is, at least, partially restored.

Hastings hunched at the rickety table in Interview Room C, doing a pretty good job of looking bored. The dribbles of sweat along his temples were the only sign he was feeling the heat. Eve dropped into the chair across from him, flashed a big, friendly smile. "Hey. Thanks for dropping by." "Kiss my white, dimpled ass." "As tempting as that is, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to make such personal contact." "You kicked my balls, you oughta be able to kiss my ass." "Rules are rules.

(Roarke) "Those who can't, teach. Isn't there some saying along those lines?" (Eve) She gave him a blank look. "If you can't do something, how the hell can you teach somebody else to do it?

And there was nothing in his life he could remember fearing as much as he feared knocking on the bright blue door of that old stone house.