Dazzled, she parked her car and jogged up the steps. Heading straight for the parlor, she stopped under the archway and stared. The tree had to be twenty feet high, at least four feet across. Miles of silver garland were artfully draped to set off the hundreds of colored balls. Atop, nearly brushing the ceiling, was a crystal star, each point pulsing with light. Beneath was a blanket of white that stood in for snow. She couldn't begin to count the elegantly wrapped gifts stacked there.
"Jesus, Roarke."
"Pretty, isn't it?"
He came in silently behind her, made her jolt before she turned to shake her head at him. "Where the hell did you get it?"
"Oregon. It has a treated root ball. We'll donate it to a park after the New Year." He slipped an arm around her waist. "Them, I should say."
"Them? You have more of these?"
"There's one a bit bigger than this in the ballroom."
"Bigger?" she managed.
"Another in Summerset's quarters, and the one in our bedroom. I thought we'd trim that one tonight."
"It'll take days to trim one of these.
"
"It only took the crew I hired four hours to do this one." And he laughed. "Ours is more manageable." He turned his head to brush his lips over her forehead. "I need to share this with you."
"I don't know how to do any of this."
"We'll figure it out."
She looked back at the tree and couldn't for the life of her determine why it made her nervous. "I've got work," she began, and would have stepped away. But he shifted, laid his hands on her shoulders, and waited for her eyes to meet his.
"I don't intend to interfere with your work, Eve, but we're entitled to a life. Our life. I want an evening with my wife."
Her brows came together. "You know I hate it when you say 'my wife' in that tone."
"Why do you think I do it?" He laughed when she tried to shrug his hands away. "I've got you, Lieutenant, and I'm keeping you." Knowing how quickly she could counter a move, he scooped her off her feet. "Get used to it," he advised.
"You're going to piss me off."
"Good, then we'll have sex first. It's such an adventure to make love with you when you're annoyed with me."
"I don't want to have sex." She might have, she thought irritably, if he wasn't so damn smug about it.
"Ah, a challenge and an adventure. It just gets better."
"Put me down, you jackass, or I'll have to hurt you."
"And now threats. I'm definitely getting excited."
She refused to laugh. And when he stepped into the bedroom, she was braced and ready for a bout. Later, she would think Roarke knew her thought process entirely too well.
He dropped her on the bed, then dived onto her before she could shift into offensive mode. With one hand he handcuffed her wrists and drew her hands over her head.
She shot him one hot, narrow-eyed look. "I won't go down easy, pal."
"God, I hope not."
She scissored her legs, clamped them around his waist, and managed to buck until they rolled. Galahad, who'd been enjoying a nap on the pillow, gave one ferocious hiss and leaped off.
"Now you've done it." Eve grunted as he rolled on top of her again. "You annoyed the cat."