The Cunning Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 5)

by Mallory Crowe

  She turned and for the first time got a good look at the man. Immediately, she felt she was thrown back in the closet and the stranger was next to her, promising that he would be right back. Shae blinked the image away and tried to bring herself back to the present. No, that man was long gone. John, or whatever his name had been, wasn’t really showing up at her doorstep.

  Besides, she’d never even seen him. His entire body had been silhouetted when the door had been open, and then the room had plunged into utter darkness. Her mind was playing tricks on her.

  She tried to get her social face on. She probably looked a mess considering she hadn’t gotten home until well past two in the morning, and after that little mini kidnapping, sleep had been evasive. She tried to ignore her makeup-less face and the circles under her eyes as she plastered on a smile for the approaching neighbor. “Hey there,” she said in the most charming tone she could muster. “I hope I wasn’t too loud for you this morning. I didn’t realize there was anyone staying at McCormick Place.”

  As she looked up at the man, she became suddenly so much more embarrassed that she wasn’t wearing any makeup. This guy did not belong in the sweet little seaside community. He belonged on the sexy beach scene of Miami. He belonged in the streets of New York City. He belonged on a movie screen in LA. He was tall and lean, with gorgeous black hair that was pushed back carelessly. She didn’t even think he had gel in it. It just happened to lie perfectly.

  His cheekbones were model perfect, and the little bit of stubble along his jawline somehow only made him look more charming. He wore a pair of dark-wash jeans that looked as though they’d never seen a day of work in their life and a black T-shirt. Not exactly the shorts and sandals beach look she was used to seeing, but damn if he didn’t wear it well. Shae knew she could clean up okay when she wanted to, but she wasn’t anywhere close to being cleaned up right now.

  She kind of wasn’t even on the same planet as this gorgeous man in front of her. Which made her all the more curious about why he was in front of her right now. He held out a hand, and she cautiously met it in a handshake. Still waiting for the other ball to drop.

  “I wanted to introduce myself,” the man said.

  Even though she already ruled him out as the man she’d been trapped in the closet with last night, she still listened closely to his voice. The man from last night had had a deep, confident voice. This seemed... happy-go-lucky? Dammit, why couldn’t she think straight? It could’ve been the same one. Everything from last night happened so fast. It never occurred to her that she’d have to memorize what his voice sounded like. She’d been scared and jumpy. To be honest, she still was. For all she knew, this was one of Damask’s men sent to spy on her. The suddenly paranoid thought had her straightening and looking at this man with newly critical eyes. That’s why some super-hot man would be talking to her. For all she knew, this was the same guy who threw the brick into her window. It wouldn’t be hard for Damask’s men to rent the house next door. In fact, it would be a smart way to keep tabs on her. A way to get rid of her....

  “Are you okay?” the man asked with a puzzled expression.

  Shae blinked and tried to swallow down her fear. She wasn’t convinced her paranoia was unjustified, but he didn’t need to know everything she was thinking. “I’m okay. It’s still early for me.”

  The man looked at his watch. “Twelve o’clock?”

  “It was a late night,” she said without offering any other explanation. “Can I help you?”

  He let out a laugh. “Sorry. I came over to introduce myself and haven’t even told you my name yet. I’m Tristan.”

  Tristan, not John. Not that it would be hard to say a fake name. But if he were the guy in the closet with her, why would he lie about it? The whole thing was too off to her. She missed her vinyl flooring. The flooring didn’t make her paranoid. Vinyl flooring made sense.

  She needed to get out of this conversation as soon as possible so she could get back to her vinyl flooring. “It’s great to meet you, Tristan. My name is Shae. I’d love to talk, but I really have a full day in front of me.”

  She started to back away, but he started to walk with her. She was torn between admiring his balls and telling him to leave her the fuck alone.

  “You know, I’ve never really been to St. Pete Beach for pleasure. The McCormicks said you might know some nice places for the younger crowd to go to.”

  Which McCormick said that? Shae was about twenty years younger than the median age here, sure, but she wasn’t exactly known for her partying. “I don’t think I can help you,” she said honestly. “I work a lot.”

  “Oh really? What do you do?”

  This guy really couldn’t take a hint. But she had brought up the subject of work, so she felt the need to answer. “I work on houses. I bought this one a few months ago, and I’m working on fixing it up and getting it back on the market before the spring sales start.”

  “Damn. That’s impressive. I’ve never even owned a house before, let alone flipped one.”

  Okay, she was slightly impressed now. Ninety-five percent of the time when she told people she flipped houses for a living, they made a comment about her being a woman or how small she was. So she gave him points for at least not mentioning that. “It’s definitely an interesting career.” She wanted to tell him to leave but couldn’t think of a good way to do it. So she went ahead and asked him the questions she truly had. “So are you here alone? Or did you come with friends?”

  “Alone.”

  She didn’t know whether she imagined it or not, but she could’ve sworn his eyes went up and down her body in a quick scan after he said alone. As though letting her know he was alone and interested. A blush crept up her cheeks at the thought. Her imagination really was on overdrive today. Before she could get too embarrassed by her reaction, he was going on.

  “I had some business in the area and now I have about a week between that and my next trip. I figured I would take in the beach. I heard St. Pete is one of the best beaches in the country.”

  “You’re here for a week?”

  He nodded. “Is that so surprising?”

  It wasn’t really that surprising, but she couldn’t imagine what would keep him busy for a whole week. St. Pete was for relaxation. It was for sitting back with a beer or cocktail and listening to the waves. She knew almost nothing about this man, but she could tell by the energy vibrating off him that he was an active one. He was going to get bored within twenty-four hours. As long as he didn’t bother me when he was bored....

  “It is one of the best beaches,” she admitted. Her personal favorite, but for some reason she didn’t want to give him any personal information yet, no matter how unimportant. “What kind of work do you do?” Once again she’d asked a question instead of dismissing him. She really needed to get out more. It was all well and good that she could install vinyl flooring in a huge beach house, but unless she could actually hold a normal human conversation, she wouldn’t be good for much.

  “I work in advertising. The spin business kind of thing. I can sell anyone anything, anytime.”

  She scoffed at the audacity of that statement. “That’s big talk.”

  “I can back it up. Want to test me?”

  She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “No. I really do not want to test you.”

  “Ah, I was really hoping for a yes. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  Okay, it was official. He was definitely flirting with her. She couldn’t deny that some part of her was flattered by it. Something about the stress and danger of the last few days had this pleasant conversation stroking just the right fire in her. Who didn’t enjoy a good flirtation with a super-hot guy? She once again remembered that this might not be innocent flirtation. He could very well be working with Damask. The smile on her face faltered and she could tell that he noticed because he also appeared a tad more serious and a concerned line furrowed his brow.

  “Is everything okay?
” he asked.

  “Yeah... I just... I have to get to work. It was nice meeting you, Tristan.” She quickly hurried away. It was only when she reached the house that she realized he hadn’t moved. He was just watching her retreat. She turned her gaze away from him and went inside. She didn’t have time in her life right now for handsome strangers.

  Tristan watched Shae leave. He didn’t think she knew who he was, but she was definitely on edge. He couldn’t blame her, considering he knew exactly what had put her on that edge. She hadn’t responded to him at first, but he could tell he’d been getting somewhere before he spooked her at the end. That was good. That meant he might be able to use charm to get the information he needed from her.

  He looked back out at the beach and remembered that he was playing tourist. He had a feeling she’d be watching him from inside the house, so he played the part by walking toward the water and looking at the beach.

  He been all over the world and seen pretty much every beach there was to see. He’d been to St. Pete a few times before. Where there were beaches, there were generally rich people, and where there were rich people, he’d normally be around somewhere. It was nice, even if a tad too crowded in some places. He enjoyed it here because the private residences gave the illusion of privacy. He stood beyond the reach of the water, not wanting to get his Italian leather shoes wet. He didn’t even have a swimsuit with him. He doubted he’d have time to actually go swimming during this job. Too many things to do.

  As a matter of fact, he rarely ever went swimming. He seemed to always be working a job. Even when he tried to take vacations, he’d always stumble on to some mark or some game he could win. That’s why he didn’t want to be benched. The idea that he’d fucked up and Toni and Hart could kick him out so easily was terrifying. In fact, it made him rethink this entire arrangement. He liked them all enough, and the pay was good, but he didn’t need that kind of stress. He could get jobs on his own. He didn’t need a boss. He didn’t need to be taking orders. So what if Blackthorne was screwing over hundreds of people with their reckless developments and halfhearted buyouts of low-income communities? Hart would deal with it. Toni would deal with it. This didn’t have to be his problem.

  Even so, after his screw-up last night, he felt double pressure to prove himself. Which meant gaining Shae’s trust. He knew that she had good reason to be reluctant, which didn’t bode well for him. If she’d been more naïve, he could’ve probably already had her driving up for a date right now. But as it was, he’d have to find some other way to embed himself into her life for the moment. If he came over to ask her out later today, it would surely just get her more suspicious. He’d have to make her think it was her idea.

  It was time to bring out the big guns. He smiled at the thought as he walked back to the house. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw a dart of movement in one of the windows of Shae’s house and he realized she’d been watching this whole time. This might be easier than he thought.

  Vinyl was the best. Shae knew she was crazy to have so much love for an inanimate object, but it was true. After working for nine straight hours on the floors, she’d got a room and a half done. It might not be amazing progress, but considering she was working alone, she was damn impressed with herself. She sat back, her well-worn knee pads saving her legs from strenuous damage, and surveyed the beautiful floors. Sure, it wasn’t hardwood, but the overall effect was amazing. She’d bet a good eighty percent of people who looked at the home wouldn’t realize it wasn’t hardwood until they really got down and tapped on it. She would buy the place if she had the money....

  She stood up and only then realized exactly how much the nine hours straight of labor had hurt her body. She stretched her arms up and leaned to each side, giving her spine a much-needed break. She really needed to get that new bathtub installed sooner rather than later. What she wouldn’t give to drop her body into a steaming-hot bath filled with Epsom salts.

  There was the option to take a dip in the ocean, but she hated the idea of swimming alone at night. Something about the water became more menacing in the dark. Not to mention she watched a tad too many nature documentaries, so she knew exactly what was floating on the water at night.

  She decided some fresh air would be good. She pulled off the mask that helped keep her from breathing in all the vinyl dust and turned the fan on higher as she opened all the windows. This would help clear out the space, but she’d still probably have a headache in the morning.

  A small price to pay for how good it looked right now. With the fans working overtime, she walked gingerly downstairs and out the back door. It was too dark to really see the water, but she could hear the waves even over the sound of the fans blowing. She smiled at the relaxing sound and collapsed into one of the rocking chairs. She’d bought these chairs for about ten bucks a pop at the local hardware store. They were hard plastic, and any other day they’d be so uncomfortable she could barely sit in them. Right now, it felt like heaven. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes. As the relaxation finally settled into her bones, the loud blaring of the fire alarm had her eyes snapping open. She jumped up and turned around, looking at Seaside Escape to see what was happening. But then she realized the sound wasn’t coming from her house. It was coming from McCormick Place. She cursed under her breath as she started for her neighbor’s house. She was half expecting that the new neighbor had accidentally burned something, setting off the fire alarm by accident, but then she saw the orange flames dancing in the windows. “Shit.” Shae went running for the house. The back door was open, and she came inside right as she saw Tristan pour water onto the fire. The flames burst up, reaching as high as the ceiling but luckily staying confined to the pan it was coming from. Shae ran forward and pushed him away before he could cause any more damage as she found the lid that fit the pan and threw it on the fire. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she screamed.

  Tristan held his hands up innocently, seeming not to understand what just happened. “I threw water on the fire. Water puts out fires. Even, like, three-year-old kids know that.”

  “Not on a grease fire,” she said, unable to keep irritation out of her voice. She couldn’t believe he almost burned down McCormick Place. It would kill property values if she had to sell Seaside Escape next to a burned-out husk of a home.

  Sure, it was a selfish way to think about it, but Shae wasn’t exactly in a giving mood right now. She grabbed an oven mitt, picked up the offending pan, and started for the back door. She’d apparently left the door open, so it was easy for her to get out onto the sandy beach. Once in the safety of the sand, she lifted the lid off. A billow of smoke rose out, but it appeared the flames had mostly died. Not wanting to take any chances, she put the pan on the ground, kicking the sand inside to make sure no more oxygen reached any of the embers. “You have no idea how dangerous that was,” she said, unable to hide her annoyance with him.

  “I just can’t believe how lucky I am,” he said.

  She frowned and glared at him. “Lucky? You almost burned down the place you’re renting, and you think you’re lucky?”

  “What’s pretty damn lucky is that you were there. What would I do without you to save my ass?”

  Shae just glared at him wordlessly, unable to find an adequate way to express how stupid he’d been. He had a good attitude, though. Maybe she should look on the bright side too. It had been lucky that she’d been around. It had been lucky that she knew exactly what to do to save the McCormicks’ house. She might’ve had a shitty couple of days, but at least she’d been able to do this one good deed. Maybe she should consider herself lucky too.

  “I tell you though, that was a damn nice steak.”

  Nope. She wasn’t looking on the bright side of things. He deserved to go to hell. In a rush, the nine hours of work caught up to her, and she was suddenly starving. The idea that he had destroyed such a good dinner affected her more than it should’ve.

  As though he read her mind, he said, “You know, you sav
ed my ass. The least I can do is buy you dinner.”

  She blinked a few times, not sure she heard him right. “You want to buy me dinner?” she asked skeptically.

  “I say you deserve a damn nice dinner too. And, in the spirit of things, I think it should be steak.”

  Her mouth watered at the thought of a steak dinner. She probably smelled like smoke and vinyl glue, and she had no idea how she looked, but she didn’t care at this moment. She’d been on such a tight shoestring budget with this house project that she hadn’t had anything more expensive than Taco Bell the past three months. Quite frankly, even if the super-hot guy did work for Damask, she didn’t care. “I can’t go like this...” she said, to herself more than to him.

  “Well, considering you saved my life, I can wait for a while. How long do you need?”

  All the nice steak houses would be closing by eleven. She mentally calculated the time she had to get ready and drive and get there without being a complete jerk to waitstaff. “Give me ten minutes.”

  He looked at her skeptically. “Just ten minutes?”

  She wasn’t sure whether she should be offended by his opinion of her time to get ready. But she’d always been efficient in everything she did, and makeup wasn’t any different. “Eleven minutes,” she said. This gave her buffer time to reach her bathroom. Without waiting, she took off running back to the house, calculating all the things she needed to do to be presentable. Not just presentable, but so she didn’t look completely out of place on the arm of someone as handsome as Tristan.

  She ran to the small bedroom she was using as her own on the first floor. Her hair was a mess, so she just pulled the curly mess back into a simple twist. As for makeup, she did a quick brush of foundation, which did wonders to even her skin, threw on loads of mascara, blush, and then found her bright-red lipstick. No matter how plain her makeup was, Shae found that when she put on bright-red lipstick, she would immediately look so much more put together.