Quinn Foxworth didn’t even blink when they came out of her bedroom together when he arrived the next morning. Oddly, he just looked at Cutter, who looked...well, smug.

“You’ll be at an even dozen before long,” Quinn said to the dog, who wagged his tail happily.

Mandy had no idea what that meant, but she was sure Quinn wasn’t surprised.

That makes one of us.

She almost smiled at her own thought, despite the throbbing in her arm. Funny to realize now it still hurt. Adam had made love to her with such exquisite care that her body had been swamped with so much pleasure she had hardly felt her arm at all.

But barely two weeks ago, she could never have imagined she could feel that way. At all, let alone about him. Or the way she felt now, with him sitting protectively beside her on her couch as they faced a grim-looking Quinn. And she knew by the look Adam had worn when they’d awakened wrapped in each other’s arms after some much-needed sleep, that he was still having trouble believing it.

She understood. She was reeling a bit herself, both with the newness of it and her own self-recriminations, and she guessed the feeling was a lot stronger for him. No wonder he’d been so doubtful.

She would just have to see to it that those doubts were wiped away. And she was wrapped up in thinking about just how many ways she could think of to do that when Quinn’s voice penetrated the pleasurable fog.

“—wanted to stay down South a bit longer,” Quinn was saying. “Something about fixing up a surprise for them for when they get back from their honeymoon. Knowing her, I can only imagine.”

She realized he was explaining where Hayley was and pulled herself back to the moment. “It must be nice for her, her brother marrying her best friend.”

Quinn nodded. “Walker’s a good man. One of the best. And I think they’ll work well together,” he said practically, making Mandy smile.

“Speaking of working,” Adam said, “you didn’t chew on Liam too hard, did you?”

Quinn lifted a brow at him. “All Foxworth ever asks is that you learn and correct.”

“It happened so fast he’d have had to be in the driveway to get to the guy before Cutter did,” Adam said.

“And before you,” Mandy said, liking the way Adam stood up for the young Foxworth operative.

“So I heard,” Quinn said, looking at Adam approvingly.

“It was Cutter’s warning,” Adam said, as if loath—or unable—to take any credit for himself. Something else to work on.

“What he’s here for,” Quinn said, reaching to scratch behind the right ear of the dog now sitting at his feet. “Among other things.” The intimidating man looked as if he were on the verge of a smile.