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He waved a hand for the sisters to follow him. “Do either of you want a drink or something to eat before we talk?”
“Uhh, you wouldn’t happen to have soda water, would you? With lime?” Rain asked.
He turned to her. “Just plain water. But we’ll get whatever you like for later. Lark?”
“On it.”
“Dove?” Just setting eyes on her was a fist to the stomach.
She really was here with him.
Now he just had to figure out how to keep her.
* * * * *
Dove reached for the chair to pull it away from the big, old dining room table, but Quaide got there first.
Holding her gaze, he slowly slid it across the scratched hardwood that had seen better days.
“Thanks,” she said quietly.
Next to her, Rain made a noise that told her that she’d seen the exchange between them and was going to ask questions later.
As Dove took her seat, she made sure her elbow jabbed Rain.
“You don’t have to be so mean!” Rain whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Was Quaide smiling? Oh god, he was. When the man smiled, he lit up entire rooms. She’d witnessed it for herself every time they shared a conference room, which she supposed they were doing now. If the old dining room could be called that.
To avoid looking at her former lover directly, she scanned the space. Faded wallpaper sported a teapot pattern with tiny sprigs of flowers on the front of each rounded belly. The wood tone of the table was outdated. The chairs were as comfortable as sitting on a slab of concrete, and only half the bulbs were lit on the tarnished brass chandelier hanging over the table.
The rest of the Sentry team filed in and took up seats.
“Uh…Quaide?” she asked before the meeting commenced.
“Yes?”
“I thought headquarters was downtown. Since when did you start meeting in your grandparents’ house?”
“You mean the Playboy mansion?” The tattooed man introduced as Julius Abel glanced around.
“Abel.” Quaide’s voice came with a warning growl that sent shivers of desire up and down Dove’s spine.
She’d missed his voicesomuch. Heard it in her dreams.
When Quaide gave her his undivided attention, he looked at her as if she were the only person in the universe.
“The building wasn’t meeting our needs, so this morning I suggested we move here. The guys moved everything while I was picking up you two. I realize the house needs updating. Lark? Maybe you wouldn’t mind finding us a better conference table and comfortable chairs.”
“Top of my to-do list.” The bubbly redhead seated near the head of the table with her laptop at the ready seemed really out of place among the hard-ass men surrounding her. Like a bright butterfly flitting around grumpy storm clouds.
The Abels looked to have stepped out of an action flick. Clay Lexis’s black Stetson only accentuated the scowl he wore—unless he was looking at Lark. And Quaide…
Dove’s stomach heated.
“Let’s get started.” He shifted his stare from her to Rain and back again. “Will you tell me what happened?”
She tangled her fingers in her lap. “Which part?”
