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He'd fixed her the drink she asked for—and two more after that She reh to say, "You're straight? You mean that?"

Later, he had escaped with her into her bedroo, after Marti had announced that she'd drop Stella off and it was okay if Eve and David wanted to party it up by themselves

Throwing her head back, trying to concentrate on her breathing, Eve caught her bottom lip in her teeth Go back, Peter had said If only she could!

That first night—why had she forgotten to be ith David as she ith the other men she'd started to date after Mark? He'd asked her questions about herself, her job He'd caught a couple of the news progranized her when she walked in But she came on too early or too late—he was usually on his way to the office by eight o'clock He was an attorney

They'd both known at that stage that he would end up spending as left of the night with her But he'd taken his ti to know the real person under the getting-to-be-well-known face and

figure of Eve Mason, KNXT neoman

And otten to her, that very first time he'd penetrated the shell of reserve she'd learned to erect around herself Or had it been later, when they'd gone to bed? There his concentration had shifted from her mind to her body, and the contrast between his detached, friendly manner of moments before and the uninhibited lover he showed hiiving, doing freely and naturally with his she hadn't done before with any man, not even Mark

"Eve—Eve! You're like your name Woman I like the way you don't hold back"

"Do you always talk while you'relove?"

"I don't make love often Mostly I just screw around You're different"

Nothing unique about that, but it was the way he said it, the sincerity in his voice that ht then he'd told her he wanted to go on seeing her They o down to Albany during the weekend when she was free, to meet his family

Who could resist a

His parents had died together in an auto David responsible for his three younger brothers and sisters Francie, as seventeen, pretty, and knew e baseball-crazy boy And Lisa, as only seven, and silent Silent since the death of their parents It wasn't that Lisa was retarded, David had been quick to point out Just that their parents' death had co her to a speech therapist, who said she was ress

What Lisa needed ht and read her bedtime stories Once, Eve had tried to tell David so, and he'd laughed at her

"Is that why you give her all the attention? You're just a born irl surface!" He hadn't said anything about ht that the time would come When they were both ready Stupid of herl That time would never come now

The hell with David—so quick to juht she alun to open up to her, more than shewhen Eve left ho roith Pop Like Eve herself at seven years old, all skinny legs and hair

"All that hair!" herwith it? Braid it or tie it back or so in your eyes and hiding your pretty little face"

Her hair hid her frorow until they alres of her childhood Especially her father, with his heavy hand and loud, shouting voice

He'd raised Cain when Eve had announced, after the years of parochial school that she was going to college Even her mother hadn't understood

"But darling, you don't need college! Allen Harvey has such a good job, and he's going to take over his father's store—"

"Mother, I' to marry Allen! For heaven's sake, just because I dated him—"