J.D. Robb

Say what you said before again. The Irish thing. I want to say it back to you."He smiled. Took her hand. "You'll never pronounce it.""Yes, I will."Still smiling, he said it slowly, waited for her to fumble through. But her eyes stayed steady and serious as she brought his hand to her heart, laid hers on his, and repeated the words.She saw emotion move over his face. His heart leaped hard against her hand. "You undo me, Eve."He sat up, dropped his brow against hers. "Thank God for you," he murmured in a voice gone raw. "Thank God for you.

People have been sleeping and/or marrying their way to the top since the first cavewoman said: __gh, that one__ the strongest and has the biggest club. I__l shake my mastodon-skin-covered ass at him.____gh?___r whatever cave people said. And it__ not just women who do it. Cave guy goes: __gh, that one catches the most fish, I__l be dragging her off to my cave now._ Ava sees Tommy and____ays ugh.___r today__ equivalent thereof._-Eve & Roarke. .

You__e all right, Blue Eyes._ She lifted her head to look into them. __ou__e all right, down the line. You ever want a free bang, you got one coming.___t would, no doubt be a memorable bang. But my wife is fiercely jealous and territorial._ He grinned over at a very cold-eyed Eve.__er? You? That__ a kick in the ass.___very damn day,_ Eve muttered, and strode out.She kept striding, out of the club, back into the comparatively fresh air of the city street. And fisted her hands on her hips as she spun to him. __id you have to do the __y wife_ crap?__is grin remained, and only widened. __ did, yes. I felt a desperate need for your protection. I believe that woman had designs on me._____l put a design on you that won__ come off in the shower.___ee, now I__ excited._ Reaching out, he toyed with the lapel of her coat."What have you got in mind ?

She broke off a piece of bacon and offered it to the cat who sat staring holes through her.__or him, this is makeup sex. That__ all you get,_ she said when Galahad inhaled the bacon then affectionately butted his head against her calf.__ust FYI, if you let another man rub up against you, and I sniff it out, you won__ be able to buy me off with bacon._ He handed her the syrup pitcher so she could drown her French toast.__o noted.

The wife__ gotta know. You can__ hook up like that for what looks like about six or seven years without the wife figuring it out. Unless she__ another idiot.____ not an idiot.__miling, Roarke continued to stroke. ____l keep that in mind when I decide to have a long-term affair.___eah, you do that. They__l never find your body,_ she murmured, then dropped into sleep.His smiled warmed, and feeling well loved, he dropped off with her.

The man loves you with everything he has, everything he is. Eve, that means you can hurt him.

Marriage isn't for the weak or lazy. It's work, and it should be. What would be the point otherwise?

I had that hole in me, that empty space. I could have lived my life with it, content enough. I wasn__ an unhappy man._.....................The tears came now. He watched them drip down her cheeks, wondered if she were even aware they leaked out of her. __he was part of my life. You are my life. If I have a regret, it__ that even for an instant you could think otherwise. Or that I allowed you to._-Roarke

Eve: __f you ended up naked and dead with another woman, I'd do the Rumba on your corpse.__oarke: __ou can't do the Rumba.__ve: __'d take lessons first.__oarke: __ou might very well. Not that you'll ever get the chance, but you'd also grieve._ Eve: __ouldn't give you the satisfaction. You cheating f-wit putz. "Roarke: __ou'd weep in the dark and call my name.__ve: __all your name alright. How are things in hell? You dickless bastard. And I'd laugh and laugh, that's how I''d call your name.__oarke: __hrist Jesus Eve, I love you._--Eve, Roarke

I hate patience. Slows everything down.

Do little pink fairies sing and dance in your world, Peabody?""Sometimes, when it's very quiet and no one else can see.

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.

I'm going to see if Morris has a spare spine lying around you can borrow if you're scared to speak to that high-heeled, smug-ass bitch, Peabody.

Have I missed a national holiday? There must be celebrations in the streets for you to be home at this hour of the day.""I'm calling it Summerset Goes Mute Day. The city's gone mad with joy.

If you tell me I'm sensible in addition to normal and wise, I'm going to punch you in the stomach.

You've got no sense of humor.""I'm going to laugh really hard after I kick your ass.

There it was, Eve supposed. There was the answer to why people got tangled up with people. Because when you were down, when you were wallowing, someone you mattered to would ask if you were okay.

Roarke didn't quite make it to Eve's office. He found her down the corridor, in front of one of the vending machines. She and the machine appeared to be in the middle of a vicious argument."I put the proper credits in, you blood-sucking, money-grubbing son of a bitch." Eve punctuated this by slamming her fist where the machine's heart would be, if it had one.ANY ATTEMPT TO VANDALIZE, DEFACE, OR DAMAGE THIS UNIT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.The machine spoke in a prissy, singsong voice Roarke was certain was sending his wife's blood pressure through the roof.THIS UNIT IS EQUIPPED WITH SCANEYE, AND HAS RECORDED YOUR BADGE NUMBER. DALLAS, LIEUTENANT EVE. PLEASE INSERT PROPER CREDIT, IN COIN OR CREDIT CODE, FOR YOUR SELECTION. AND REFRAIN FROM ATTEMPTING TO VANDALIZE, DEFACE, OR DAMAGE THIS UNIT."Okay, I'll stop attempting to vandalize, deface, or damage you, you electronic street thief. I'll just do it."She swung back her right foot, which Roarke had cause to know could deliver a paralyzing kick from a standing position. But before she could follow through he stepped up and nudged her off balance."Please, allow me, Lieutenant.""Don't put any more credits in that thieving bastard," she began, then hissed when Roarke did just that."Candy bar, I assume. Did you have any lunch?""Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know it's just going to keep stealing if people like you pander to it.""Eve, darling, it's a machine. It does not think.""Ever hear of artificial intelligence, ace?""Not in a vending machine that dispenses chocolate bars.