“You belong with us," he said quietly. "Nothing's going to change that.”

“There's nothing worse than having someone moping around feeling sorry for themselves, is there?""A damned nuisance," he agreed lightly as he drew her into the private car. "How much did you take me for in there?"It took her a minute to realize he'd changed the subject. "Oh,I don't know-five,six hundred.""I'll put breakfast on your tab," he said as the doors opened to his and Serena's suite. Her laugh pleased him as much as the hug she gave him."Just like a man," Serena stated as she came into the room. "Waltzing in with a beautiful woman at the crack of dawn while the wife stays home and changes the baby." She held a gurgling Mac over her shoulder.Justin grinned at her. "Nothing worse than a jealous woman.”

“A pair of aces," Daniel said with a fierce look in his eye.Justin set his cards down quietly and faceup. "Two pair.Jacks and sevens." He sat back as Caine swore in disgust."You son of-" In frustration, Daniel broke off, shifting his eyes from his daughter to Shelby. "The devil take you, Justin Blade.""You're sending him off prematurely," Shelby commented, spreading her cards. "A straight,from the five to the nine."Alan walked over to look at her cards. "I'll be damned, she drew the six and seven.""No one but a bloody witch draws an inside straight," Daniel boomed, glaring at her."Or a bloody Campbell," Shelby said easily.His eyes narrowed. "Deal the cards."Justin grinned at her as Shelby scooped in chips. "Welcome aboard," he said quietly and began to shuffle.”

“It's part of us," she said jerkily. "How could I not want part of us? It's your baby.I'm carrying your baby and I love it so much already it terrifies me.""Oh,Diana." He touched her then, gently, his hands on her face. "You've let two weeks go by when we could have been terrified together.”

“I see two people in love," he said with his gaze fixed on hers in the glass. "Two very different people who look extraordinarily well together."Shelby leaned her head on his shoulder again, unsure if she was glad or annoyed that he read her so perfectly. "He would look very good, and much more suitable, with a cool blond in a very classic black dress."Alan seemed to consider for a moment. "Do you know," he said mildly. "That's the first time I've heard you sound like a complete ass."She stared back at his image,at the faintly interested, fully reasonable expression on his face. She laughed. There seemed to be nothing else for her to do. "All right,just for that,I'm going to be every bit as dignified as you are.""God forbid," Alan muttered before he pulled her out the front door.”

“It's not right," he repeated, grabbing her again and turning her to face him. "I'm not having it.""So you said, in clear terms.""I don't mean that.""Oh, well, if you've decided you'd like to have sex with me after all, I've changed my mind.""I haven't decided--" He broke off, staggered. "Changed your mind?""I have. Kissing you wasn't altogether what I thought it would be. So you were right and I was wrong." She gave him a deliberately insulting pat on the cheek." And that's the end of it.""The hell it is." He trapped her against the truck, quickly and firmly enough to have both excitement and annoyance rising inside her. "If I want you, I'll have you, and that's the end of it.”

“He turned his head, kissed the top of her head. "I love you.""It sounds lovely in bed, in the dark, when everything's quiet.""Because it's true. And it'll be true in the morning.”