Mastered (The Enforcers 1)

The very qualities that put her miles above any other woman Drake had ever taken could well be what made him lose her. But then, Drake’s track record suggested Evangeline wouldn’t be around that long. Longer than the others, Justice was confident of that. But likely not long enough to ever have a clue about the things Drake—and the rest of them—dealt in. And she certainly wouldn’t condone their brand of justice. Hell, if she knew her ex-boyfriend was even now recovering from a well-deserved ass kicking, she’d be horrified, no matter how much she hated the bastard.

Justice sighed. Drake had stepped in it this time. Evangeline just wasn’t like the other women, and that was going to cause Drake a lot of trouble. Provided he kept her long enough for it to become an issue.

Evangeline kept casting furtive looks in Justice’s direction. He didn’t turn to face her, not wanting to cause awkwardness. Instead he continued to study her from his periphery. Several times, she inhaled and opened her mouth only to promptly shut it and turn back to the window.

She obviously wanted to ask or say something but was too shy to do so. Why he found that so charming, he had no idea, but at the same time, the thought of her being afraid of him didn’t sit well at all. And that thought was even more ludicrous because he, like his brothers, cultivated healthy fear and respect from others. But the idea of Drake’s woman being afraid to say something to him? It turned his stomach.

“Evangeline?”

She whirled her head around guiltily and met his gaze a split second before lowering her lashes and nervously fixing her stare on the space between them on the seat.

Impulsively, he reached over and covered her hand with his, feeling her jump beneath his touch. Controlling his frown, he squeezed comfortingly.

“Look at me, Evangeline.”

Though it was a command, his voice was soft and encouraging.

Cautiously she raised her chin so that her deep blue eyes fringed in dark eyelashes met his.

“There something you want to ask me? I don’t bite. Well, unless you ask me politely,” he finished with a grin.

She blinked, startled by the teasing remark, and then to his surprise she burst out laughing.

Dear God, in that moment he was so fucking envious of Drake that he was tempted to instruct the driver to take them to his place, and he’d do his best to make her forget all about Drake Donovan. He’d just tell Drake that the lady changed her mind. He mentally smacked himself on the head and shut down that train of thought. Drake was his brother, as were all the men closest to him. But . . . If Drake stayed true to form and this was a short-lived affair, then Justice would be waiting. Although something told him Evangeline was going to be a game changer for Drake. Whether he knew it or not.

“Evangeline?” he prompted when she remained quiet, though her eyes still sparkled with mirth.

“Uh, Mr. . . .”

She looked to him in sudden confusion.

“Justice,” he said gently. “My name is Justice. No Mister. I imagine we’ll be seeing one another frequently, so there’s no need for formality.”

She seemed to ponder his statement, the laughter fading from her eyes, replaced by unease and confusion. This was a woman who had no idea of her place in Drake’s life. Drake had better rectify that soon or she’d be gone in a flash.

“Um, Justice, then, what time will Mr. Donovan, I mean Drake, be home, I mean back to his apartment?”

Her uncertainty was killing him. Damn, but he wanted to hug her just to comfort and reassure her, but if he did that, there was no guarantee she’d ever get to Drake’s apartment and then Drake would kill him. Or try.

He’d always adhered to the creed of a woman never coming between brothers, but at the moment he considered that some women might just be worth it. He mentally shook his head at the rueful thought and promptly stopped dwelling on what would never happen.

“Drake will be home at six and he doesn’t want you to worry about dressing for dinner. He plans for the two of you to eat in tonight.”

Panic flared in her eyes and she yanked her hand from him, putting it with her other one, squeezing in agitation. She bit into her bottom lip, her mind obviously going a mile a minute.

“I need to stop at the nearest market,” she blurted. “Please?”

He stared at her, perplexed by the unexpected request and the fact that she was obviously upset about something. He shrugged. His orders had been to make Evangeline happy and allow her what she wanted as long as it was safe and Justice never left her side. He pressed the button to the intercom and instructed the driver to stop at the nearest grocery, and took in Evangeline’s relief from the corner of his eye. Who knew what had set her off.