Page 39 (1/2)

She breathed an audible sigh of relief when he rejoined her, sliding into bed next to her and arranging the covers around theled into his side and pillowed her head on his shoulder

He kissed the top of her head, an affectionate kiss that iddy They just feltcomfortable Like they’d been lovers for years Theyfit They just fit

She yawned broadly and let her eyelids flutter closed as he stroked his hand up and down her arm

"Go to sleep, honey," he said "Here in ht, dreaht in htmares There, in Donovan’s ars

Love

CHAPTER 27

DONOVAN hadn’t slept the night before despite the fact that he was exceedingly sated and content Making love to Eve was satisfying on an emotional level he’d never experienced before And yet he’d remained awake, worried and pensive In the predawn hours, just before finally sliding into sleep, with her curled into his arms, he’d come up with a plan

Now all he had to do was act on it And to do so required the presence of his brothers Nathan and Joe’s tea up Steele and his teah to worry over with a neife and child Besides, it had already been decided that Nathan and Joe’s teaularly draw missions now Perhaps even work as the front line with Rio and Steele’s tea in more of a support role

Neither team leader would likely be happy with that assessue because they had wives and children to focus on now The rest of their teams? Likely not as content as their team leaders to sit back and allow another team to take up their slack

There was also the fact that it would take longer to pull the other teams in, and Donovan didn’t have the luxury of time Not when Eve’s stepfather was already close He trusted Nathan and Joe’s team and he trusted his brothers They wereoff what Donovan had into disturb Eve He made his phone calls in the kitchen, quiet so the others wouldn’t hear And then he made yet another call The most important He’d set the bait Now all he had to do ait for the target to fall into his lap

CHAPTER 28

WHEN Eve awoke, Donovan was already gone, but then she’d expected as much He was an early riser and he didn’t seeht was very appealing to her Ain his arht twinge of discomfort that made itself known in her body They’d made love twice, the second very much at her initiation Well, but also the first She’d been i to let him torture her slowly as he’d planned The second hadn’t been anythe effects thisto him If she so much as hinted that she was tender, as he’d put it, he’d likely not touch her tonight and she was having none of that

She yawned broadly and lay there aherself out of bed and toward the shower She glanced at the bedside clock and moved more quickly toward the bathrooo over to the sisters-in-laws’ today to shop

A perfectly ordinary occurrence Certainly nothing to get worked up over, but she found herself looking forward to it It signaled freedos above all else She also wanted a place within the ranks of the Kelly family She envied the wives with her every breath for what they had What she herself wanted

Hoonderful ht-knit Everyone seeht? Squabble? Get pissy and mad in the heat of the moment?

She shook her head as she stepped into the shower and let the water work its h her wet hair and dressed She had no makeup and she’d never lamented that fact Until now She wanted to look her best for the other wo No one liked to be compared to a much prettier wo ht loss She couldn’t conjure the memory of whether Shea and Rachel had worn hed at the sheer ridiculousness of her pondering whether Donovan’s sisters-in-law had worn makeup to meet her

Ah well, perhaps she could order what she needed today She hated the thought that she was relying on Donovan to supply her and Cah to know that she had no way of paying for anything Donovan had insisted that she use his credit card for whatever she wanted She wouldn’t buy much Just the necessities There would be plenty of tirasp of just what their relationship was and would be

For now? She was happy And that was enough Cammie and Travis were happy Safe Protected Shielded It was all she’d ever ask for It was enough

She padded down the hallway, peeking into the room where Cammie and Travis had slept only to find the bed e Everyone else was up and likely in the kitchen

She went in search of the others and indeed found the at the table laughing Broad s with happiness It was a sight that took Eve’s breath away

Donovan was in the kitchen He’d donned an apron and looked frighteningly domestic for a man as built the way he was The apron was coruous hat Eve knew hi Beauty awakens," Donovan said, s in the doorway

Eve smiled back and then was distracted by Cammie’s squeal of "Evie!"

She walked to where her sister sat at the table, nearly bouncing in her excitement What a difference a few days had er carried the strain of illness Her eyes were not as haunted She looked and acted just as a four-year-old should Happy and carefree

Tears burned the edges of Eve’s eyes and she hastily blinked the to upset Ca Indeed, everything was exactlyright

She glanced up to see Donovan discreetlya kiss over Ca Travis’s hair on her way by, she went into the kitchen, where Donovan was plating pancakes and bacon

"You’re going to have them spoiled," Eve said in amusement