Causing Havoc (43 page)

Perching on the edge of his seat, Mark said, "You dodged every punch that maniac threw and then

dril ed him with a jab each time. How the hel did you do that?"

"The other fighter telegraphed his moves," Eve said, remembering what Dean had told her. "He loaded up before every punch, putting al his weight on one leg. If he hadn't kept trying for a knockout

blow each time, he'd have been more successful."

Dean grinned with pride. "That's right."

She held up the flowers. "I'l go put these in water."

More questions rang out, but as soon as Eve returned, Dean reached out a hand to her. When she

took it, he pul ed her onto his lap.

To Eve's mother, he said, "I'm sorry, Crystal."

She tucked in her chin. "For what?"

Anticipating Eve's reaction. Dean tightened his hold. "For not going through you when I bought my

house here in Harmony."

Surprise widened Crystal's eyes. "You bought a house?"

"Only a few blocks away, actual y."

"A fixer-upper?" Eve wanted to know.

"No." Dean looked at her and had to kiss her. But with her family al watching, he kept it brief. "It's practical y new, actual y. Maybe twice the size of yours, with an acre lot. It's nice."

Eve blinked in surprise and bemusement. Final y she shook her head as if to clear it. "So you plan to stay around?"

Aware of her brother grinning, her father smiling, Dean kissed Eve again, lingering a little more this

time. "I'm staying."

Crystal asked, "Have you furnished it yet?"

He shook his head. "If Eve marries me, then it'l be up to her if we live here or move to my place.

And if we move to my place, she might want to help me pick out the furnishings."

Eve went mute.

"If you're marrying Eve," Mark asked, "why would you want another house?"

"So Eve would know she had choices." Dean touched her lips with his thumb. "And that I had

choices, too."

Smile quivering, Eve asked, "But you chose me?"

"Yes. And I hope you choose me, too."

Ted cleared his throat. "I suppose we should give you some privacy."

"I don't mind," Dean told him, and he meant it. Because Eve had gone quiet, he chucked her under the chin. "Did you know that Jacki is leaving Harmony?"

She shook her head.

"She and Gregor are moving in together. Gregor swears they'l get married just as soon as Jacki

agrees, but Jacki doesn't want to get in the way of him fighting."

"Would she be in his way?"

"Of course not. Gregor wil convince her of that soon enough."

"Cam and Roger plan to stay here," Eve told him. "But they'l take a long honeymoon once things are settled with Lorna."

It was an unfortunate situation, but Lorna hadn't spoken since the day of her arrest. She ate very

little and spent most her time staring into space. It seemed she would just waste away.

Officials thought she might be too incompetent to stand trial. Dean stil considered her a danger, not

just to herself, but to others as wel . It relieved him that Lorna stayed in an institute, constantly

monitored.

Thinking of how close he'd come to losing Eve, he lifted her arm and kissed it. "You're okay now?"

Her voice as low and soft as his, she said, "Not even a faint scar."

Crystal turned al business. "Okay, time for us to go."

Mark and Ted had a mil ion questions, but Crystal was a formidable woman and had them out the

door in less than two minutes.

Standing at the closed door, Eve said, "You've run off my family again."

Dean took her hand and led her back to the couch. "I like your family."

"They like you."

Smiling, Dean pul ed Eve down onto the couch with him. Moving over her, he took her mouth in a

long, leisurely kiss that left her clinging to him and breathing fast. He almost got distracted enough

with that to put off other, more important things.

But he knew he couldn't.

Stretched out over Eve, he said, "My khakis are getting wrinkled."

Eyes dreamy, she licked her lips and stared at his mouth. "I noticed the clothes."

"Did you now? And do you like them?"

She ran her fingers over his shoulders while pretending to think about it. "I told you once that you

look good, no matter what. You don't have to change how you dress to suit me."

"Are you sure about that? Because I wil if it matters. That is, if it matters a lot."

She grinned. "It doesn't. Not at al ."

Letting out his breath, Dean said, "Good, because I only bought one pair."

She tried to kiss him again, but Dean dodged her. "I did buy one other thing though."

"What's that?"

"Not a ring, if that's what you're thinking. You have great taste, and I thought you might want to pick that out yourself."

She looked a little disappointed, but said, "We'l be picking out a ring?"

"Definitely." Dean sat them both back up. He rol ed his sleeve up above his biceps and showed Eve the enhancement to his tattoo.

Her lips parted.

Added to the vines was a single three-dimensional daisy, shadowed to look as if it grew in the

sunshine.

Dean tipped up her chin. "You said you wanted daisies at your wedding, so I thought—"

She threw herself against him, knocking him back down on the couch. "I missed you so much."

Dean held her, but he had to finish. "I wanted you to know that I'm here for you, Eve. I love my

sisters, and I want them in my life. You're a part of them, a part of Harmony." He tried to sort his

thoughts, to make it clear for her. "But even if you weren't, I'd stil want to marry you. If I'd met you in the audience, I think I'd have wanted you. If I stil didn't know my sisters, I'd want you. Even if—"

She put her fingers over his mouth. "Al you have to say is that you love me."

"I love you."

She settled against him. "I love you, too, and that's al that real y matters."

Dean relaxed. "What would you think of me opening a gym here?"

Stiffening her arms, Eve raised herself above him. "Here? In Harmony?"

"To be near you."

"But..." She couldn't seem to grasp the concept. "You're not going to continue fighting?"

"I don't think so. At least not for a while."

"But you're so good at it."

He cupped her behind and grinned. "I'm good at loving you, too."

"Oh, Dean." She kissed him sil y. "I don't want you to give up fighting for me."

"Don't think that, okay? I'm redirecting myself, which is something I've been considering for awhile. I love the sport too much to leave it completely, and if I got a real y good chal enge, I might be lured out of retirement. It happens. But for now I want to teach. I'm even better at teaching than I am at fighting, and I know I'l make one hel of a coach." Half under his breath, he said, "God knows, Gregor needs work."

Eve suddenly laughed.

Enjoying the sound, Dean turned her beneath him, got comfortable, and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking. ..." She wrapped her arms around him, the picture of a happy woman. "It sure wil make things interesting, having Havoc in Harmony."

"I hope so," he told her. "Because with you here, I don't plan on leaving again any time soon."