Chapter 1

Friday evening, Jameson’s Gym

It had been one helluva day already, and it hadn’t even reached six yet. He’d secretly called dibs on the last remaining treadmill, needing to run out some kinks.

Problem was, so had she—Pink Yoga Pants.

Gavin Donnigan locked gazes with her before eyeing the distance to the machine, then saw her doing the same. A gentleman would let her go first… While an enthralled man would stand back and watch her work those magnificent glutes, those toned hamstrings and calves.

But Gavin was no gentleman, at least, not in the gym. His domain. His jungle. His—

“Dude, you’re blocking the Nautilus.”

“Oh, sorry.” He moved out of the no-neck’s path, now no longer able to see the treadmill. When he stepped around another idiot standing in the way, he saw her smirk at him as she stepped on the machine. She kept his gaze as she slowly warmed up, making a huge production out of stretching her arms up over her head, then grinning from ear to ear.

He frowned.

She gave him a mock salute—the sexy witch—then proceeded to ignore the holy hell out of him as she tuned out the rest of the world and ran. Not jogged, ran. That made half a dozen times she’d blown him off with that same smug expression. Then she’d pretend he didn’t exist.

He’d like to throw her over his knee and spank the ever-loving—

“Gavin. Today, Bro. We have work to do before class.”

He groaned, needing the stress relief from a good run. “But Landon, I need to work out first.”

“Fine.” The dick wrapped a thick arm around Gavin’s neck and hauled him away in a headlock. “You want a workout? Let’s see if you can get out of this. Then I’ll throw you on the mat a few times and watch you flail as I beat your ass.”

Gavin sputtered, trying to breathe as his behemoth brother dragged him down the hallway toward the self-defense classroom.

Not cool to headlock a gym trainer in front of his many clients. Gavin tried not to wheeze as he fought Landon’s steel-hard muscles for breath. He glanced over and saw his pink-clad nemesis laughing at him. Crap. The damage had been done. He heard snickers, mockery, and encouragement for Landon.

Major Donnigan. What an asshole.

The former Marine choking him growled, “Now suck it up, princess, and let’s see your moves. If you can’t do it, you sure as shit can’t teach it.”

* * *

Two hours later, Gavin heard familiar chatter. “Oh my God. Did you see the size of his arms? They’re huge!”

“I swear, I would pay money for him to put me in a wristlock, headlock, body lock…”

“Hey, he can carry me over his shoulder and take me away to do bad things anytime he wants. Bring on the stranger danger, I say.”

“I’d like to get some of that strange. Talk about a nice ass…”

Chuckling, then some dirty talk ensued. Gavin would have flushed with embarrassment…if their compliments hadn’t been based on truth. And Landon said working at the gym had little in the way of perks.

Gavin cleared his throat from behind the group of early thirtysomethings still whispering things he knew they wouldn’t want him to hear. Four guilty faces swiveled in his direction, their cheeks red, their eyes wide.

“Ladies? I just wanted to make sure none of you had any questions about tonight’s instruction. We’re getting a little rougher than just escaping wristlocks.” And preventing douche bags from turning women into victims. Landon’s self-defense class had been hugely successful.

The boldest of the four managed a shaky smile. “Uh, um, no, Gavin. No questions.” She swallowed loudly, glanced at his eyes once, then lowered her gaze to his chest. “I found it really helpful.”

The others nodded like bobbleheads. “Awesome class.”

“I feel safer already.”

“I’m so glad you’re the ones teaching us.”

“Will you have a third session?”

The first had gone so well two months ago that Mac, his boss, had asked Gavin and Landon to do a second set. “I’m not sure yet. You’d have to talk to Mac. I’m glad the class is helping though. Make sure you practice at home, and see you next Friday for our last class, unless I run into you in the gym first.”

They scrambled to leave, but he overheard mention of his smoky-gray eyes and to-die-for abs between a few breathy sighs. He resisted the urge to power flex as he straightened up the large room, setting the mats to rights.

Another successful self-defense class at Jameson’s Gym, courtesy of the Donnigan brothers.

Of course, it helped when both brothers did the labor instead of the lamer one panting over a hot chick.

Gavin sighed, wishing he could be more annoyed with his older brother, now laughing at something Ava—his fiancée—said. Trust Landon to find happiness and laziness at the same time. The guy who would throw a shit fit if Gavin forgot to put the toilet seat down or wipe up a water mark on the kitchen counter now saw nothing wrong with mats askew and a few plastic water bottles lying around.

He gave his brother a look, but Landon pretended to ignore him. “Dick,” Gavin muttered loud enough for Landon to hear him, despite there still being a few stragglers gathering up their things before leaving.

The jackass continued to dismiss him in favor of Ava’s sexy grin. Though the finger he stuck up behind his back hinted he might not be as focused as he pretended. Good to know Major OCD still understood when he was getting insulted. Gavin straightened after tossing another bottle into a bin and nearly tripped over the finest ass to grace the gym since he’d started working at the place.

Well, well. The treadmill thief hadn’t darted out of the class the moment it ended. There was a God after all. He gave her a thorough once-over. Mostly because she was hot as hell, and yeah, it bugged the crap out of her. But something had to get her to notice him as more than a rival for the gym equipment.

“Well, hel-lo, Pink Yoga Pants. Hope you enjoyed the class as much as you enjoyed your run earlier.”

She stood, gave him a baleful stare, then sighed. “It’s Wonder Boy, in the flesh. Or should I call you Smoky?”

He frowned, then smiled at the earlier reference to his eyes. “Did you hear the part about my rockin’ biceps and bitable abs too? And don’t forget these glutes.” He turned around, presenting for her, and looked down at said ass. “Rumor has it, there’s no sight finer in all of Seattle.” He squeezed his cheeks together—looking impressive, if he did say so himself.

“This has been such a long day.”

He’d swear the corner of her lip curled in the hint of a smile before she glanced down and fiddled with her shirt. He turned back around to fully face her. “Hey, if you’d rather, I can put you in a headlock so you can be up and close with the Guns of Steel.” He flexed his biceps. “I call this one Sexy and this one As hell.”

She sighed even louder. “A long, never-ending day.”

But so worth it, if only because he got to see her again—Zoe York. The woman was as obsessive about her workouts as he was. Tall, athletic, gorgeous. Now if only she’d stop saying no to a date with the magnetic Donnigan everyone wanted but couldn’t have. Well, not counting Michelle. Amy. Megan. Maybe Brenda, now that he thought about it…

Gavin poured on the charm. “You looked great tonight. Terrific form.” He tried not to laugh at her scowl. “How about going out for a drin—”

She hefted her bag over her shoulder, and he had to step back to keep from getting smacked in the face. “Have a great weekend, Romeo. I have more important things to do tonight than date your guns of tinfoil.”

“Like?”

“Like wash my hair, clean lint from my dryer. Oh, and breathe. I have to do that too.”

And like that, she was gone.

Behind him, he heard a whistle, then his brother’s loud clapping. “Strike three. He’s out, ladies and gentlemen.”

Well, crap. “Gentlemen?” Gavin snorted, trying to ignore the fact that he’d failed. Again. “Please. It’s just us, Landon.”

“He’s got a point,” Ava agreed. “You’re no gentleman.”

Gavin turned to see her smirking at his brother.

“Shut it, Doc.” Landon frowned, then winked at her. “I’m only trying to encourage my poor, battered baby brother to—”

“First of all, I’m only younger than you by two years, asswipe.” Gavin hated it when Landon lorded those two frickin’ years over him. “Second, Theo’s the baby. Not me. And third, I was just kidding around with her.” Joking, until the stubborn woman said yes.

Landon, the bastard, knew it. “Yeah, right. Nice crash and burn. But hey, if you need help finding a date tonight, Ava has a few mental patients who don’t much care who they go out with.”

Dr. Ava Rosenthal, clinical psychologist and the love of Landon’s life, scowled. “What have I told you about not maligning my patients?”

“Maligning means talking bad about,” Gavin added helpfully.

Landon shot him the finger. Again. Talk about a one-trick pony. “Not your patients, baby. I was talking about your cousins.”

Ava blinked. “Oh. Well then. That’s true. They’re not too particular. Gavin? Would you like me to call Sadie for you? Or Elliot, since he and Jason broke up again?”

Gavin snorted. “That makes what, fourteen times in the past two months?”

“More like five times, but yes.” She shrugged. “What can you do? Elliot’s got issues.”

Pot, say hello to kettle, because I can outdo Elliot any day of the week. “First, Sadie scares me, so no. Second, I’m not gay. I don’t want to date Elliot. Besides, he’d end up leaving me after taking advantage of my fine body.”

Ava perused him. “Well, that’s true. But I didn’t mean you should date him. Just that you could hang out together.” She continued to stare at him.

“Hey,” Landon growled. “Eyes over here.” Landon pointed to his own behemoth frame. He and Gavin shared the same height, but Landon had a linebacker’s build whereas Gavin was more quarterback, all lean lines and sinewy strength. “Remember, Doc. You belong to me.”

“To you? You mean with you, don’t you?” Oh boy. She was using the tone.

Landon blinked. “Ah, right. With me, of course. Come on, I was just kidding.”

Gavin got a kick out of seeing Ava take his domineering brother down a notch.

“Oh?” She raised a brow at the Neanderthal.

The twinkle in his brother’s eyes skeeved Gavin out.

He’d seen this play out at home. Their version of kinked-up psychological foreplay, in Gavin’s opinion. Ava pretended to shrink his brother. Landon got riled up, faked being pissed off, then swept her into his bedroom for a few frenzied hours.

Gavin started for the door, leaving the rest of the room for Landon to clean. “I’m out of here before you start doing it on the mats.”

“Gavin.” Ava sounded scandalized, but a glance at her cheery grin and blush said otherwise.

“Gavin,” Landon mocked. “I would never…”

“At least lock the door,” he mumbled and left to the sound of their laughter.

A happy couple. Two people in love who’d deserved to find that special someone. About time Landon got his head out of his ass and found a woman who could handle him. Not some casual fling, but a real woman who had opinions and wasn’t afraid to share them.

As if thinking of opinionated women had conjured her, he saw Zoe by the water fountain near the exit.

She stared at two women chatting and laughing on treadmills, and her face lost all expression. That sadness he’d seen in her eyes on previous occasions showed itself, making her bright-blue gaze muddy with emotion. But Zoe didn’t linger. She saw him watching her, scowled, then turned and left.

What would make a vibrant woman like Zoe so sad? Had she lost someone, like he’d lost so many? At the thought, it was as if she’d passed him the baton, letting him take the grief she’d worn so briefly.

The gym started to fade as memory overtook him. The slam of weights like car parts raining down after an explosion. The garble of low voices, the sound of insurgents around a rickety table, plotting, while he stared through his scope and—

No. He didn’t need that. Not here. Not in his safe zone.

He refused to let the anger and pain get a toehold. Instead, calling on the exercises Lee, his new therapist, had shown him, he concentrated his energy elsewhere, on what he was good at. Gavin sought one of the unoccupied treadmills in the corner, the one facing the wall-mounted TV showing a stupid sitcom. He hopped onto the thing and ran. Faster and faster, until his lungs burned and his legs strained. The pain cleansed, allowing him to wheeze in laughter at the televised antics of some brainy scientist-types trying to hit on girls. Much better than raging at all he’d lost.

Balance, he kept telling himself. It’s all about balance.

With that in mind, he once again donned a mantle of false cheer and willed himself to believe life was good. Visualize, and it will come, Lee liked to tell him. Gavin needed to have a discussion with the shrink, because he’d been visualizing Zoe York in nothing more than a smile, but that sure the hell hadn’t happened. Thoughts of her turned his fake cheer into a real grin. He slowed down and let himself enjoy the TV show. But once it ended, he needed something more.

With the help of a spotter, he used a nearby weight bench and lifted until muscle exhaustion. Finally ready to go home and hit the rack. Where he could dream of a stubborn, sexy woman with long, wavy black hair…and sad blue eyes.

* * *

Zoe drove home, annoyed with herself for getting overemotional. Treadmill girl’s pink laces on her silly, adorable if useless fashion sneakers had been all too familiar. Just the kind of impractical crap Aubrey used to wear.

She sniffled, then blinked rapidly to still the tears. Pink laces? Really? But that pink led her to recall something else. “Hel-lo, Pink Yoga Pants.”

Without meaning to, she felt her mood lift, and she chuckled. Had Gavin Donnigan actually flexed his ass at her?

Yes, he had.

For months, she’d been coming to the gym. For months, he’d said silly things to her to get her to smile and go out with him. No way, no how. He was so not her type. Ripped with muscle. Sexy. Doable, sure. He’d already proven that by hooking up with a half dozen—that she knew about—women at the gym. Dark hair, smoky-gray eyes, a firm yet sensual mouth. And yeah, okay, he had an amazing ass, overly amazing thighs, topped off with an amazing torso.

So annoying that he was charming too. Few people had been able to make her even want to smile since the accident. But Gavin had been obnoxious, obvious, and somehow charming all at the same time. He made her smile despite herself. Just what the doctor ordered.

Or doctors, she thought as she turned down her street in Fremont. The people she worked with had been supportive. Sensitive yet not intrusive, they’d tried to give her space while still treating her with a gentleness that showed a familiarity with life-and-death situations.

Hell, even one of the more aggressive clinic managers had been a treasure, keeping his dictatorial comments to a minimum while still grilling her about feature benefits of the software. No give in that man, which she appreciated.

She parked in her driveway and sat for a moment. The small bungalow she called home felt empty now that it was just her residing there. Aunt Piper had bought the place years ago, a sound investment that had more than doubled in value, thanks to her aunt’s keen sense of renovation. All in all, Zoe didn’t pay much to live in a great area, close to restaurants and shopping. But she’d been sharing the space with Aubrey when her vagabond sister had been home. Aubrey’s last creative foray outside the States had gone well, and she’d taken some amazing photographs. Her trip had, for the most part, been uneventful. Until a vacation in the freezing mountain passes back at home, in Washington, had given her a few bumps…

God, a few.

Zoe stared at the house, now all hers.

For a second, she thought about calling her friend Cleo, needing a shoulder to cry on. But she’d put the nonstop tears to rest two months ago, determined to grow. Aubrey was dead. There was no taking that back. No way to replay the event to a different outcome. Time to look to the future and learn to live without her twin—the other half of herself.

She sighed, annoyed at sinking back into that familiar bog of despair. She’d always been levelheaded, leaving the raging artistic temperament to her twin. But lately, no matter how she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from seeing her sister in everything around her. From pink shoelaces to an oddly turned phrase to a vibrant orange poppy. Everything spoke to her of Aubrey.

“Get a grip, Zoe. Buck up, lame-o. And quit being so dramatic.”

Words to live by.

After locking the car behind her, she let herself into the lovely space she called home and dropped her workout bag by the entrance. She secured the door before settling down for a leftover salad, water, and mindless television. But this time, instead of dwelling on her sister, she saw Gavin Donnigan in her mind’s eye.

He really flexed his ass at me. Why that continued to amuse her she couldn’t say, but she had to hand it to the guy. He sure knew how to command attention.

Between him, his hunky blond brother, and Mac, the gym’s drool-worthy owner, Jameson’s Gym had turned into the hot spot for eye candy in Green Lake. Hell, make that the whole of Seattle. All the ladies at the gym, her office, the grocery store talked about it. She wasn’t immune either. Zoe used the gym to work out, but seeing so much muscle didn’t hurt.

She’d been on board for the first self-defense class the gym had offered, free of charge, back in late February. It had been well done, and she’d been impressed that Gavin and Landon, two ex-Marines, had never talked down to the women taking the class. They had treated everyone with respect and seemed serious about helping everyone learn to protect themselves.

The demand had been fierce for a follow-up session. Much as she hated to admit it, Mr. Guns of Steel had a gift for teaching the unteachable. He’d actually gotten through to the hardheads in the room, herself included.

Despite not wanting to give him the wrong idea—because she had no room in her life for charming men with nice glutes and sexy smiles—she’d signed up for the second round of classes.

Part of her knew she should steer clear of the roaming Romeo. But another part liked the way he made her feel—wanted, attractive, womanly.

She finished her salad and water while she watched reruns of an old show she’d seen a dozen times before. Cracking her jaw on a yawn, she forced herself to turn off the boob tube and went to bed grungy from her sweaty workout. In the morning she’d start on her weekly chores and launder the sheets.

With any luck, she wouldn’t dream of Gavin tonight, as she’d been doing following her daily workouts. Lately, he figured prominently in her fantasies of shirtless men pumping iron. Go figure.

She woke the next morning refreshed, unable to remember what she’d dreamed about, and okay with that. After cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and taking care of the bills, Zoe stepped outside to do some weeding, appreciating the warming late-April temperatures.

The phone rang.

She picked it up while she did a survey of the back garden. “Hello?”

“Zoe, it’s Piper. How are you?”

Zoe perked up. “Great, Aunt Piper. Just getting ready to clear out the flower beds.”

“Nice. Want some company?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll weed for tea and sweets. Cookies, cinnamon rolls, something good. Not that crappy vegan stuff you buy. I want real sugar and butter.”

“It’s not vegan.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “It’s organic, and I—”

“Yeah, yeah. I want the good stuff.”

Zoe stifled a laugh. “Your stash of processed sugar and trans fats will be here waiting on you.”

“Great. See you soon.”

Hard to believe Piper and Zoe’s mother, Nola, were twins. Physically alike, yet different. Aubrey took after their mother, while Zoe and Piper shared many similarities.

One of those was a love of planting. Zoe had a green thumb. Aubrey seemed to kill plants just by glancing in their direction. A sad smile creased Zoe’s face, but the memory didn’t hurt this time. It was a wistful wish for what had been.

Piper arrived to find Zoe bent over the back row of lavender.

“Couldn’t wait for me, could you?” her aunt griped.

Zoe straightened and placed a hand on her hip. “Seriously? This from the woman who once replanted all my daylilies because I’d dared sleep past six on a Saturday?”

“Try seven thirty, missy.” Piper gave a mock glare. “You know I don’t have time to waste.”

True. The woman Zoe aspired to be ran the shoe purchasing line for several upscale retailers downtown. Talk about busy. Between flying to Italy and New York, Piper had little time to garden in her own space.

“Now, what do we have here?”

After showing her aunt the troubled area in the back, Zoe left to bring out the tray she’d prepared. She dragged a towel off the warm plate. “Ta-da. Freshly baked cinnamon rolls, courtesy of Pillsbury. Some hot Earl Grey tea, with honey and a dash of milk, and some processed fake meat sausages for protein—I think. Just in time to clog your arteries before heart health month starts at work, am I right?”

Piper beamed. Long, black hair with one fashionably thin streak of white, worn up in her traditional French braid, and a clear, rosy complexion made the woman look a decade younger.

After taking a big bite of a sweet roll, Piper shook a finger at her. “It’s a wonder your mother tolerates that smart mouth for long.”

“Yeah, I know.” Zoe grinned, then sobered, recalling her last conversation with her mother. “She’s on me big time lately. With Aubrey…gone…Mom is desperate to have me settled and partnered up. Man or woman doesn’t matter so long as I’m thinking about getting married and having a family.”

“That’s my sister. Open to any sexuality, race, or religion…as long as you say ‘I do’ at the end.” Piper chuckled.

Zoe groaned. “She just wants to make sure I’m ‘not alone.’” She ended with air quotes, tired of her mother’s constant prodding.

Piper shook her head in sympathy. “I feel for you, sweetie. Nola always has been more of a maternal figure. She would have had a whole brood of kids if she hadn’t suffered complications after you two fought to come out.”

“I keep telling her she should thank me,” Zoe teased, focusing on the positive. “Kids are expensive.”

“Exactly. Why do you think I choose to remain single and rich?”

“Because you’re a woman of loose morals who’d rather bang her way through Seattle than commit to a loving man or woman?”

Piper nodded. “That’s verbatim what your mother said to me last month. Good recall, Zoe. You even got her inflections down pat.”

“Thanks. I aim to please.” She watched Piper scarf down bad carbs like a pothead downing Doritos. “So I’m taking that self-defense class at the gym.”

Totally not what she’d planned to talk about with her aunt, but God knew she couldn’t mention Gavin to her mother without Nola shoving her into a wedding gown.

“Oh?” Piper perked up, her blue eyes sparkling. “So was Hunky Marine trying to show you how to ‘manhandle’ the enemy again? Did you take my advice and volunteer to be his victim?”

Zoe fought a grin. “Yes and no. Gavin’s good at teaching. He’s got quick reflexes.” She couldn’t help a smile, remembering how he’d ducked out of the way of her bag. “He’s also funny. He named his muscles.”

“His what?”

“His huge biceps or, as he likes to brag, his Guns of Steel.”

Piper laughed. “I like this guy.”

“So after he introduced me to his biceps, he flexed his butt at me. Some kind of primitive way of showing off, I think.”

“Like a baboon, hmm?”

The image that conjured made Zoe choke on her tea.

“Now I’m seeing a red, puffy ass shaking at you.”

Zoe had just managed to swallow, when tea once more went down the wrong pipe.

Piper gave her a sly grin. “Interesting you’re mentioning Gavin again.”

“Again?” she rasped.

“Yep. You don’t remember all that bitching you did about some arrogant Marine at the gym who thinks he’s God’s gift to women? A few weeks ago, a few months ago. Hmm, the last time I was here? You do a lot of ranting about this guy. But you seem to have changed your tune.” Piper smirked and ate a second sweet roll. “Sounds like you’re going soft on me. Maybe up for a relationship after all?”

Piper was teasing, Zoe knew, but she took the words to heart. “No. Not me. I’m focused on my career. Don’t worry.”

Her aunt didn’t smile back. “But I do worry. Just because I chose not to marry doesn’t mean marriage is wrong. Holding hands with a man won’t turn you into your mother. We both know you go right anytime your mother goes left. But just because marriage agreed with her doesn’t mean it’s wrong for you. Heck, it might yet agree with me if I ever meet the right guy.”

“Really?” Zoe hadn’t expected to ever hear that.

Piper sighed. “Aubrey’s passing has affected us all. It made me look more closely at my life and what I want out of it. I’m at that point where my career is amazing. I travel, I have family I love, girls—a girl—I think of as my own.” Crap. Piper’s eyes were shiny. She cleared her throat. “Dating is nice and all, but a man to call mine sounds good about now. Something more permanent than Tom for breakfast and Nick for lunch.”

“No one for dinner?” Zoe tried to make sense of her aunt’s turnaround.

“Not lately. I’m on a diet.” Piper gave a half laugh. “I’m kidding, obviously, but we’ve all taken a good, hard look at life since losing Aubrey. My life isn’t perfect, kiddo, not by a long shot. But I’ve accepted the choices I’ve made. You’re at the point in your life where marriage and babies make sense.”

“Really? You’re talking to me about marriage?”

“Okay, maybe nothing so conventional as marriage. But how about dating a guy for more than a few months? Maybe finding someone to spend time with on your days off? There’s more to life than teaching medical software to doctors and nurses, honey.”

Zoe didn’t know how to take her aunt’s new stance on relationships. For so long, Piper had been her hero. A woman not afraid to defy convention, to be all about career at the accepted cost of family. And she’d succeeded.

Now to hear her talking about men and connections and home and hearth? “Are you sure you don’t need someone to help you with your multiple personalities?”

“Make fun. But I’m not the one panting after my self-defense teacher.”

“I am not.”

“Are too.” Piper raised a brow.

“So he’s good-looking.” Zoe shrugged, needing to be at least a little bit honest. “Nothing wrong with me liking the scenery while I work out.”

“And?”

“And nothing. He’s a good teacher. I like the gym. It de-stresses me.” She thought about Gavin and found herself smiling. “He’s annoying. But he makes me laugh.”

“That’s magic right there.” Piper nodded. “Why not see what a date might do? Aubrey used to tell me you needed to get out more.”

“She nagged me about it too.” Incessantly.

“Well, she knew you best. Maybe you ought to think about it.”

“Fine. Okay.” Anything to stop this conversation. Piper believed in handling grief head-on. She talked about Aubrey as if mention of the girl didn’t still tear a huge hole in Zoe’s heart. Treating the loss in a healthy, verbal way. So Zoe did the same, to prove she was dealing with losing her twin—her best friend, confidante, and the only person who could consistently win an argument against her.

Zoe gradually changed the topic to the English lavender, lupines, and overgrown daylilies in the far corner of her small backyard. Fortunately, Piper latched on to talk of gardening. She didn’t have outdoor space in her condo by the water and was eager to dirty her manicured hands.

Doing her best to appear relaxed and not tense at thoughts of her sister or Gavin, Zoe laughed and joked about anything and everything, ignoring her aunt’s sly suggestion that she too join Jameson’s Gym. That had disaster written all over it. Especially because Zoe had decided to wear those same pink yoga pants to work out on Monday, just to poke the sleeping bear and see what he’d do and say.

Guns of Steel? More like Buns of Steel, she thought, remembering his finer-than-fine flexing, and chuckled despite herself.