his knees. "Do you know when you fight again?"
"Not for a while. I took a smal leave."
Faces fel . "You aren't going to be in the bout with Canada?"
"No. Maybe not the one after that, either."
"I told you," Eve said. "He's here to get acquainted with Cam and Jacki. They haven't seen each other for years."
Dean slipped his arm around Eve's bare shoulders. Even in the cool interior of the house, her skin
felt like warmed silk. "Actual y it has nothing to do with them. I'd already decided to take a little time away."
"Why?" As Eve turned slightly toward him, her breast pressed into his ribs.
Dean forgot what he wanted to say. He stared at her. "Why what?"
Her smile flickered, then warmed. "Never mind."
"To think Cam had a famous brother and I never knew it." Ted shook his head. "She's practical y part of the family. The girls have been friends for years."
"Since grade school," Eve admitted.
"But Cam's never mentioned you." Ted sounded very confused about that.
Dean went stil , but only for a moment, then he forced a smile. "No, I don't suppose she did." He took a swig off his beer and tried to ignore that niggling of unease roiling in his guts again. Cam hadn't
know of him, so how could she have mentioned him—or missed him?
"If I start dating Jacki," Mark asked, breaking the tension, "can I get free tickets to the fights?"
Eve tossed a round decorative pil ow at her brother's head.
"It can't hurt to ask." Mark threw the pil ow right back, nearly causing Eve to spil her drink on Dean.
Unused to sibling antics, Dean snatched the pil ow away. "Sorry, Mark, but I'm not that type of
brother."
Mark settled back with a grin. "Then I think I'l keep a safe distance. Truth is, Jacki scares me
anyway."
"Mark."
"Stop squawking, Eve." Her father frowned at her. "I'm sure Dean knows he's kidding."
Actual y Dean didn't know what to think. At Mark's words, some strange disquiet squirreled through
him. Mark was a decent-looking kid, tal and lean. Young and goofy. So why did Dean suddenly want
to smack him upside his head? "What's scary about her?"
"She's outspoken," Mark explained. "You never know what she's going to do or when she's going to do it. She used to be different—wel , she was never like Cam."
Dean knew he shouldn't ask, but what better opportunity would he get to find out more about his
sisters? Cam and Jacki weren't here to mistake his curiosity for caring.
And he was curious—nothing unnatural in that. It didn't mean anything. "Like Cam how?"
"You know, private and quiet. Real... contained."
Using her fingertip, Eve traced a smal circle on Dean's jean-covered thigh. "Cam's always been that
way." She looked up at him, and he noted the darkness of her blue eyes, the thickness of her lashes.
"I'm not sure why, but even back in high school, she always seemed more mature, more responsible
and aware of things."
Beautiful eyes, Dean thought, ful of emotion and, when she looked at him, ful of attraction. He
couldn't wait to see her lazy and sexual y satisfied—thanks to him.
He cleared his throat, put his hand over hers to flatten her palm to his thigh, and said, "She's a
mother hen." It hadn't taken him long to see the signs in his sister's behavior. Cam was maternal in
ways Lorna could never be. "She probably feels responsible for Jacki."
"True enough," Eve agreed. She pul ed her hand away from him, but rested her head back against
his shoulder. "Cam was never young, ya know? I mean, for as long as I can remember, she's worried
about things. The house, bil s, Jacki, and even Lorna."
Dean didn't like to think of Cam with the weight of the world on her narrow shoulders. "Why Lorna?"
At first, no one answered. Then Eve shrugged. "She grew up with the realization that she and Jacki
had been forced on Lorna, that her aunt had never planned to have children of her own."
"That's a tough pil for a young girl to swal ow." Ted sounded as disgusted as Dean felt. "It left her guarded. Probably
"Not for a while. I took a smal leave."
Faces fel . "You aren't going to be in the bout with Canada?"
"No. Maybe not the one after that, either."
"I told you," Eve said. "He's here to get acquainted with Cam and Jacki. They haven't seen each other for years."
Dean slipped his arm around Eve's bare shoulders. Even in the cool interior of the house, her skin
felt like warmed silk. "Actual y it has nothing to do with them. I'd already decided to take a little time away."
"Why?" As Eve turned slightly toward him, her breast pressed into his ribs.
Dean forgot what he wanted to say. He stared at her. "Why what?"
Her smile flickered, then warmed. "Never mind."
"To think Cam had a famous brother and I never knew it." Ted shook his head. "She's practical y part of the family. The girls have been friends for years."
"Since grade school," Eve admitted.
"But Cam's never mentioned you." Ted sounded very confused about that.
Dean went stil , but only for a moment, then he forced a smile. "No, I don't suppose she did." He took a swig off his beer and tried to ignore that niggling of unease roiling in his guts again. Cam hadn't
know of him, so how could she have mentioned him—or missed him?
"If I start dating Jacki," Mark asked, breaking the tension, "can I get free tickets to the fights?"
Eve tossed a round decorative pil ow at her brother's head.
"It can't hurt to ask." Mark threw the pil ow right back, nearly causing Eve to spil her drink on Dean.
Unused to sibling antics, Dean snatched the pil ow away. "Sorry, Mark, but I'm not that type of
brother."
Mark settled back with a grin. "Then I think I'l keep a safe distance. Truth is, Jacki scares me
anyway."
"Mark."
"Stop squawking, Eve." Her father frowned at her. "I'm sure Dean knows he's kidding."
Actual y Dean didn't know what to think. At Mark's words, some strange disquiet squirreled through
him. Mark was a decent-looking kid, tal and lean. Young and goofy. So why did Dean suddenly want
to smack him upside his head? "What's scary about her?"
"She's outspoken," Mark explained. "You never know what she's going to do or when she's going to do it. She used to be different—wel , she was never like Cam."
Dean knew he shouldn't ask, but what better opportunity would he get to find out more about his
sisters? Cam and Jacki weren't here to mistake his curiosity for caring.
And he was curious—nothing unnatural in that. It didn't mean anything. "Like Cam how?"
"You know, private and quiet. Real... contained."
Using her fingertip, Eve traced a smal circle on Dean's jean-covered thigh. "Cam's always been that
way." She looked up at him, and he noted the darkness of her blue eyes, the thickness of her lashes.
"I'm not sure why, but even back in high school, she always seemed more mature, more responsible
and aware of things."
Beautiful eyes, Dean thought, ful of emotion and, when she looked at him, ful of attraction. He
couldn't wait to see her lazy and sexual y satisfied—thanks to him.
He cleared his throat, put his hand over hers to flatten her palm to his thigh, and said, "She's a
mother hen." It hadn't taken him long to see the signs in his sister's behavior. Cam was maternal in
ways Lorna could never be. "She probably feels responsible for Jacki."
"True enough," Eve agreed. She pul ed her hand away from him, but rested her head back against
his shoulder. "Cam was never young, ya know? I mean, for as long as I can remember, she's worried
about things. The house, bil s, Jacki, and even Lorna."
Dean didn't like to think of Cam with the weight of the world on her narrow shoulders. "Why Lorna?"
At first, no one answered. Then Eve shrugged. "She grew up with the realization that she and Jacki
had been forced on Lorna, that her aunt had never planned to have children of her own."
"That's a tough pil for a young girl to swal ow." Ted sounded as disgusted as Dean felt. "It left her guarded. Probably
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