I had that hole in me, that empty space. I could have lived my life with it, content enough. I wasn’t 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. “She was part of my life. You are my life. If I have a regret, it’s that even for an instant you could think otherwise. Or that I allowed you to.”-Roarke

The wife’s gotta know. You can’t hook up like that for what looks like about six or seven years without the wife figuring it out. Unless she’s another idiot.“I’m not an idiot.”Smiling, Roarke continued to stroke. “I’ll keep that in mind when I decide to have a long-term affair.”“Yeah, you do that. They’ll never find your body,” she murmured, then dropped into sleep.His smiled warmed, and feeling well loved, he dropped off with her.

Roarke: "I'll drop you."Eve: "No, better I catch a cab or take the underground. This guy sees me show up in a hot car with a fancy piece behind the wheel, he's not going to like me."Roarke: "You know how I love being referred. to as your fancy piece."Eve: "Sometimes you're my love muffin.He managed a strangled laugh.She could, at the oddest times, surprise him.

That did eat up considerable time and effort. But I carved out a little time between bloodbaths.I’ve just put it together for you this morning, while you were getting a little more beauty sleep.”“Is that a dig?”“Darling, how is telling you you’re beautiful a dig?”Her answer was a snort as she strapped on her weapon.

She broke off a piece of bacon and offered it to the cat who sat staring holes through her.“For him, this is makeup sex. That’s all you get,” she said when Galahad inhaled the bacon then affectionately butted his head against her calf.“Just FYI, if you let another man rub up against you, and I sniff it out, you won’t be able to buy me off with bacon.” He handed her the syrup pitcher so she could drown her French toast.“So noted.

Darling? Spare a minute?” She came back, her ’link pressed, screen down, to her chest. And hissed, “Don’t call me darling when I’m talking to cops.”“Sorry, Lieutenant Darling.” She rolled her eyes. “What?