On Her Master's Secret Service (Masters and Mercenaries #4)(34)

Ian was right. He’d let her drive the boat for too long. If they were going to have any kind of shot at staying together, he had to start pushing her boundaries.

She sat up, trying to straighten her clothes. She didn’t meet his eyes. “Then don’t go.”

She was still trying to control everything, but he couldn’t let her this time. If Evans was out there, it was only a matter of time before he came after them again. “I have to, but I’ll be back.”

Her voice was shaking a little as she hopped off the desk and pulled her skirt down. He wanted to reach out to her, but she turned away. “If you go back into his world, you’re going to start another war.”

The war had never ended. It had just been put on hold. She should know that more than anyone else. “I love you, Eve.”

He turned and walked away, trying to put his mind to the task at hand.





“Eve? Do you want a glass of wine?”

Grace’s words pulled Eve out of her misery. She plastered a smile on her face and looked up. “Sure. That sounds nice.”

Why the hell had she decided to come here tonight? She should have sent a gift with Avery and locked herself in her apartment for a few days. She wasn’t exactly in the mood for a dinner party, but she’d promised Grace. It had only been a few hours since she and Alex had parted. She could still feel him inside her. There was a pleasant ache in her bones because he’d been so rough. It had been years since he’d manhandled her the way he had today, like she wasn’t made of glass, like she was a woman.

Grace sank down next to her, handing her a glass of ruby-red wine. She had the same in her hand. A little smile crossed her face and she sighed as she sipped. “God, it’s been so long since I had a glass of wine.”

Eve took a sip of the wine. It was rich with cherry overtones. “I’m not sure I could go too long without a glass.”

Serena laughed as she sat down opposite Eve. She was wearing jeans and a flouncy top that successfully hid what Eve knew was a little baby bump. Both Serena and Avery were pregnant. Grace’s daughter was only six weeks old. Everyone was having babies, moving on.

She looked out at the patio where Ian was sitting in front of the pool, talking to Simon. Everyone was making a life for themselves except her and Alex and Ian.

“She’s going to pump and dump,” Serena said with a nod. “I’m totally doing that after baby boy is born. I never realized how much of my creativity is dependent on vodka.”

Grace took a drink, her eyes closing in apparent pleasure. “Carys has plenty to eat. I froze some breast milk for just such an occasion.” Grace turned Eve’s way. “So, I heard you and Alex got busy today.”

Serena rolled her eyes, her hand fiddling with the iced tea at her side. “I thought we decided you were going to be subtle.”

Grace shrugged. “I’m not good at subtle. Ask Sean. I very subtly told him how mad I was that he was getting back in the business by screaming at him and throwing a fit. After a nice long spanking, he convinced me he was right.”

“Getting back in the business?” Eve asked. Sean was out of security. He’d finished culinary school and was working with local chefs to perfect his menu for a restaurant he was going to open next year.

Grace frowned, but there was sympathy in her gaze. “He’s going to Florida with Alex.”

She practically sighed in relief. She could trust Sean to watch his back. Then she realized why Grace would be upset. Sean had a baby to worry about. “I’ll talk to Alex. He can’t take Sean with him.”

Despite how much better she would feel, she couldn’t allow him to drag Sean and Grace into their trouble. It was bad enough that Adam was going.

Grace shook her head. “Absolutely not. Do not talk to Alex. Besides the fact that my backside is really sore because a disciplinary spanking isn’t as much fun as the erotic ones, I understand why Sean needs to go. I got scared for a minute, but I married a military man. Oh, he might be a chef now, but he’ll never not be a soldier and he’s never going to let a man he loves like a brother go into battle alone if he can help it.”

“I’m sure he can find someone else.”

“No. Sean needs to do this. Carys and I will just have to settle in and wait for him. I’ve always known that he would drift in and out of the dangerous stuff. It’s a part of who he is.” Grace certainly seemed at ease with the decision now. “Besides, he really wants to learn how to cook Cuban, so he’s going to do some research while he’s there. Now, what was this about office sex?”

This was why she didn’t come to dinner parties. This was why she didn’t hang out with other subs. Because other subs were nosy. “It was a mistake.”

Serena and Grace exchanged a long look as though they were having a silent conversation about how to proceed. If she didn’t shut this down, they would end up talking to her about her non-existent relationship.

She definitely didn’t want that. “I really don’t want to talk about it. I hope you can respect my privacy.”

“We have privacy? Why do we need privacy?” Avery sat down next to Serena, a glass of tea in her hand. She looked at all of them, her mouth open a little. “Oh, y’all started the Alex talk, didn’t you? I told you it was a bad idea.”