in an easy smile, or the miracle of planes and angles that combined into a stunning specimen of male beauty framed by a mane of silky black hair. It wasn’t just that long, rangy build, one she knew was hard with muscle under the business elegance of the dark suit he wore.
It was all she knew of him, all she had yet to discover, that combined and blew love through her like a storm.
It was senseless and impossible. And the most true and genuine thing she knew.
“How did you plan to welcome me home?”
He held out a hand, linking his fingers with hers when she crossed the marble floor to take it. Then he leaned in, leaned down, watching her as he brushed his lips over hers, watching her still as he deepened the kiss.
“Something like that,” he murmured, with Ireland drifting through his voice. “To start.”
“Good start. What’s next?”
He laughed. “I thought a glass of wine in the parlor.”
“All by ourselves, you and me, drinking wine in the parlor.”
The glee in her voice had him lifting a brow. “Yes, I’m sure Summerset’s enjoying his holiday. How sweet of you to ask.”
“Blah blah.” She strolled into the parlor, dropped down on one of the antique sofas and deliberately planted her boots on a priceless coffee table. “See what I’m doing? Think he just felt a sharp pain in his ass?”
“That’s very childish, Lieutenant.”
“What’s your point?”
He had to laugh, and poured wine from a bottle he’d already opened. “Well then.” He gave her a glass, sat and propped his feet on the table as well. “How was your day?”
“Uh-uh, you first.”
“You want to hear about my various meetings, and the progress of plans for the acquisition of the Eton Group, the rehab of the residential complex in Frankfurt and the restructuring of the nanotech division in Chicago?”
“Okay, enough about you.” She lifted her arm to make room when Galahad, their enormous cat, landed on the cushion beside her with a thump.
“I thought so.” Roarke toyed with Eve’s hair as she stroked the cat. “How is our new detective?”
“She’s fine. She’s loaded down with paperwork yet. Clearing up old business so she can start on the new. I wanted to give her a few days as a desk jockey before she takes her shiny new detective’s badge out on the street.”
He glanced down at the bloodstain on Eve’s pants. “But you’ve caught a case.”
“Mmm.” She sipped the wine, let it smooth out the edges of the day. “I handled the on-scene solo.”
“Having a little trouble adjusting to having a partner rather than an aide, Lieutenant?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” She gave an irritable shrug. “I couldn’t just cut her loose, could I?”
He flicked a finger down the shallow dent in her chin. “You didn’t want to cut her loose.”
“Why should I? We work well together. We’ve got a rhythm. I might as well keep her around. She’s a good cop. Anyway, I didn’t tag her for this because she had this whole big night planned, and she was already gone. You get enough plans fucked in this job without me pulling her in and botching her big celebration.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Very sweet of you.”
“It was not.” Her shoulders wanted to hunch. “It was easier than hearing her bitch and moan about losing reservations and wasting some fancy dress or something. I’ll fill her in tomorrow anyway.”
“Why don’t you fill me in tonight?”
“Planned on it.” She slid her gaze in his direction, smirked. “I think you could be useful.”
“And we know I love being useful.” His fingers skimmed up her thigh.
She set down her glass, then lifted the tonnage of Galahad, who’d sprawled his girth over her lap. “Come along with me then, pal. I got a use for you.”
“That sounds . . . interesting.”
He started out with her, then cocked his head when she stopped halfway up the stairs. “Problem?”
“I had this thought. You know how Summerset took that header down the steps?”
“I could hardly forget.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sorry he busted his pin and so on, even over and above the fact that it delayed his getting the hell out of the house for several days.”
“You’re entirely too sensitive, darling Eve. It can’t be good for you to take on the weight of the world this way.”
“Ha-ha. So it’s like bad luck. The stairs, I mean. We need to fix that or one of us could be next.”