by Leslie North
“We tracked the crates through Venice. Last stop was Graz. Looks like he’s moving east,” she informed him.
“Austria. You think he’s looking for a buyer?”
“Anton is a thief, but he doesn’t need the money,” she murmured. “He’s planning on keeping the crown. For him, it’s more about possessing it. He needs the satisfaction to know that he has something that no one else has.” She opened her computer and pulled up her files. “If Anton is wanted by Interpol, he can’t fly. Border checks are one thing, but his picture would be plastered all over the cities.”
“That doesn’t mean the crown isn’t going to leave,” Adil pointed out.
“Anton won’t want to be that far from the crown. Until he finds something else to steal, it’ll be his baby,” Samine muttered. She was looking for something, but she just couldn’t find it.
Adil glanced over at her quickly. “Are you a psychologist now?”
“I told you. I’ve done extensive research on your family,” she murmured. “I wanted the crown, and Anton Negatin was a major concern. I was keeping tabs on him when your family hired Fleur. I knew that Fleur’s stepbrother worked with Anton. Masoud getting him arrested made my day.”
“So what else do you know about my family?” His tone was light, but held an underlying edge.
“Maybe it’s better if we don’t talk about this,” Samine said softly.
“I didn’t think we had any more secrets between us. I know you’re a thief. You know I’m a playboy. So tell me what you think you know about my family.”
“Fine. If you want to play this game, I’ll play. Your father has been the crowned sheikh for twenty years. He’s well loved by his people, and well-respected by his sons. Your mother, Nabila, is suffering from early-onset dementia. She believes she’s a child.”
“Samine,” Adil growled.
“Too personal? Fine. Let’s talk about your older brother. Jaymin is the next to be crowned. He worships his father, and he feels like he’ll never be able to follow in his footsteps.”
Adil snorted. “How can you possibly know that?”
“Doesn’t everybody? Jaymin has focused his entire adult life on running your country. If he thought it was going to be easy, he’d slack off. He’s put himself under a lot of pressure, and he does it because he’s afraid of what will happen if he doesn’t live up to his expected potential.”
He was quiet for a minute. “And me? What do you think about me?”
Samine looked down at her computer and began scrolling through her files. “You want to know what I thought before I started doing this or after I got to know you?”
“Is there a difference?”
Samine gasped. “That’s it! I found it!”
The car swerved, and Samine shrieked as she clutched at her laptop.
“What the hell, Adil? Are you trying to get us killed?”
“You’re the one who yelled first,” he yelled back. “What did you find that made you so excited?”
“Anton has property outside Budapest. He doesn’t need to fly anywhere.”
“What? No way. Interpol will be all over that property.”
Samine smiled. “I should clarify. Anton has secret property in Hungary. It’s purchased under an alias.”
Adil snorted. “Wow. You really did research him. You thought he would get to the crown before you?”
“He did,” Samine pointed out. And maybe, if she played her cards right, she could steal it out from under him.
11
This time Samine didn’t let Adil get the upper hand. They had cash, and she made sure they put it to good use.
“Really? Separate rooms?” Adil asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” she said as she stood outside her door. “We are here to get your collection back. There will be no seductive dinners. No letting off some steam. We get in, we get what we want, and we get out.”
He gave her a cocky grin. “So you need a wall between us to make sure that you keep your hands to yourself?”
“I need a wall to make sure you keep your hands to yourself,” she snapped. “There should be a connecting door. Shower. Rest. I’m going to figure out the best way to get into Anton’s.”
“A connecting door. That’ll do,” he said with a smile as he opened his door and slipped in.
Samine muttered to herself as she entered the room, but there was no heat behind her words. The one thing she’d learned about Adil was that he wasn’t the man she expected him to be.
Every time she looked at him, she realized how in over her head she’d gotten. Not just the family. Not just the crown. Him. When she looked at him, she felt something she’d never felt before. She’d spent her entire life wanting to be alone, but when Adil looked at her, she suddenly realized that she didn’t want to be alone anymore. Or rather, she wanted to be with him.
Resolving herself, she pushed off the door where she had been leaning and put her bag down on the bed. Pulling her computer out, she sat down at the desk. The only thing that mattered was Bathsheba’s Crown.
“You’re causing quite a few problems for me, and you’ve been dead for thousands of years,” Samine grumbled. She checked her email to see if her contacts had gotten back to her. Grumbling, she closed out of her email and dug in a little deeper into her internet research.
She knew from her contacts that Anton Negatin was going by the name Tommy Grey in Budapest.
Samine was no whiz at hacking into accounts, and while Anton enjoyed his security, it didn’t take any illegal moves to find out that Tommy Grey was throwing a party tonight. It was all over the local Twitter feeds, as excited attendees tweeted about his previous parties and hopes that this one would be just as exciting.
“You want to celebrate your new babies,” she muttered to herself, as she stared at the computer screen. “And that’s good news for us.”
Shutting the computer, she crossed the room and banged on the adjoining door. “Adil! Adil!”
The door opened, and Samine inhaled sharply. He was naked with a towel slung around his waist, and her mouth dried when she saw the water dripping from his toned body. “Samine, what is it?”
She didn’t say anything, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Samine. Did you need something?”
“Right. Anton is having a party tonight. I think we should be able to get in as part of the catering staff. It shouldn’t be hard to swipe the uniforms, and most of the catering staff are called in from big companies. Chances are good that they won’t know each other.”
Adil snorted. “I’m not going in as the wait staff. You have to know that.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is not the time for your issues. I can’t think of any other way for us to get in, so you can swallow your pride.”
“I don’t have to swallow my pride. Dressing as wait staff might get us in, but it won’t get us anywhere near the collection. We need to be someone impressive but not too impressive. Guests aren’t watched as closely.”
“Guests? Adil, we’re not invited. You do realize that. You may be a sheikh in your country, but we’re not in your country. You can’t just waltz into a party.”
“We could,” Adil said with a smile. “And we are. Do you have anything nice to wear?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Just the black dress.”
“From Paris?” he murmured softly. The air immediately changed around them.
“Yeah,” she admitted.
“That will be perfect. What time is the party?”
Samine glanced at the clock. “Three hours from now.”
“Perfect, we have just enough time.”
“Time for what?” Before she could say anything else, Adil grabbed her hand and yanked her toward him. With a yelp, she tumbled against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “Adil, now is not the time.”
“On the contrary, now is an excellent time.”
God. She was in so much trouble.
Adil had
been thinking about Samine while he was in the shower. If they did succeed in getting Bathsheba’s Crown back, this might be his last chance to be with her.
His lips came crashing down on hers, and she kissed him back, just as aggressively. Grabbing her hips, he lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around him. Turning, he stumbled toward the bed, his towel dropping at his feet as he walked. Tossing her down, he pulled her shirt off. His eyes darkened appreciatively when she tugged her bra loose, sending it sailing off the bed on top of her shirt.
She smiled at him seductively as she reached for the button on her pants. Popping it open, she slid the zipper down before shimmying out of her pants and panties at the same time. Grabbing her pants, he tugged them off her feet, stopping to kiss her insteps.
Settling between her legs, Adil slowly worked his way up her body, kissing her as he went. He could feel her skin heating up beneath him as she writhed in response to his touch. When he kissed her stomach, she gasped loudly, her fingers clutching at the blanket on the bed, as her body bowed.
Chuckling, he continued to work his way up her body, his fingers and lips blazing a fiery path. He groaned when his lips brushed across her taut nipples, as Samine took short, panting breaths. When his hot mouth settled on one nipple, his fingers continued to play with the other, not leaving either alone for a moment as he alternated back and forth.
Samine’s panting grew louder, as her fingers dug into the back of his head. Sliding up her body, he kissed his way up to her shoulder, as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access. She moaned loudly when his free hand slid down between her legs to find her soaked and ready for him. Her muscles greedily grasped the two fingers he easily slid into her, as he pumped them in and out.
“Adil,” she moaned, as she thrust her hips up. “Enough with the foreplay. I want you now.”
Pulling his fingers free, he rested them against her lips and watched as she sucked them into her mouth, cleaning them before nibbling on the tips.
Releasing his fingers, she leaned up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she draped one leg over his hip. He groaned into her mouth, enjoying her taste.
Reaching down, he placed the head of his erection against her wet folds as she tightened her leg around him, pressing against him with her heel. He meant to push his way in slowly, but Samine had other ideas, as she thrust up suddenly, seating him firmly inside her as they both moaned loudly.
“Samine, what you do to me,” he murmured against her lips.
Tightening her hold around his neck, she looked up at him. “Show me.”
Shifting his body, he leaned on his arms as he began to thrust in and out of her. Samine wrapped her other leg around him and arched up, meeting each downward thrust with a moan. He wanted to continue to take his time with her, but the woman was resilient and wore him down in a way no other woman ever had.
Sliding his hands under her, he pulled her closer to him as he worked his hips, giving her everything he had, taking everything she offered.
He knew it wouldn’t last. That she would be back to her old self when they were done, but he needed this and he planned to enjoy every moment of it.
Adil could feel Samine’s orgasm approach as her body began to quiver beneath him. Adjusting his angle, he shortened his thrusts, alternating them as his shaft bumped and rubbed against her clit.
With a cry, she tightened her hold on him, her body shaking in release as her muscles convulsed around him, making it difficult for him to keep going. His thrusts became erratic and with a groan, he came hard.
Still holding her, he kissed her face as she lightly rubbed her cheek against him.
12
Adil smiled at Samine as she stepped into his room. “You look beautiful,” he whispered when he saw her. It was the same dress, but now he looked at her differently. She wasn’t just sex in a hot dress. She was beautiful. She was soft. She was real.
And he didn’t just want her. He wanted to be with her.
“You’ve seen me in this dress before,” she whispered as she tugged at her hair.
“You left it down,” he said as he reached his fingers out to touch the dark, silky strands. It made her look more vulnerable, like he had a chance.
“Okay, go over the plan with me,” she interrupted, seeming uncomfortable despite what happened a couple hours ago.
“It’s easy enough. I’m Kazeem, a star soccer player, and you are my wife.”
“Your wife? Really?”
He reached down and took her hand. “Samine, I know you want to keep your distance. But even you can’t deny that we have something here. The more you pull away, the more I’m going to push.”
“Adil, we decided that we were just relieving tension,” she said, as she tried to move past him. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“And I think we both know that we were lying. But I’ll let it go for now,” he whispered in her ear. She shuddered under his touch, and he knew he was right. She did feel something. And when this was over, he was going to push her until she admitted it.
They went over the plan in the car. She kept nodding, but he saw the fear on her face. He didn’t know if it was because she was scared of Anton or if she was scared of what she knew was coming afterward.
“Anton, as Tommy, is pretty secluded for obvious reasons. He can’t catch too much attention, especially with Interpol looking for him. He may not even be at this party,” Samine said as they gazed at the house. “On the plus side, he can’t call the police on an item that doesn’t belong to him.”
“Anton wouldn’t call the police. He was all set to kill Bruce, Fleur, and my brother over Solomon’s Diamond,” Adil said gravely. “He’s dangerous, Samine. And you need to keep that in mind.”
He stopped the car and passed the key to the valet after they exited the car. As they walked toward the house, he couldn’t help but feel the swell of satisfaction. Everyone at this party would think that she belonged to him.
And for tonight, she would belong to him.
She looked around nervously as everyone at the party turned to look at them. “So much for not getting noticed,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Relax,” he said as he put his arm around her. “You’re a beautiful woman. You could turn heads wearing a burlap bag. Just smile and go with it. Surely you turn heads in New York.”
She blew out her breath. “No. I don’t really date.”
He led her around the room and smiled and nodded at people. “What do you mean, you don’t date? How does a beautiful woman like you not date?”
“I’m busy,” she hissed. “I have a job and a family and family obligations. I don’t have time for men.”
Letting go of a small sigh of relief, he pulled her closer, but she stiffened against his arm.
“Adil, we’re supposed to be working here. The collection room is probably going to be behind a false wall on the second or third level. It’s meant to be hidden, but we’ll probably notice some extra security around it. Cameras. Sensors. That kind of thing.”
“Work now, but when we’re done with this, we’re going to talk, Samine. You can’t just walk away from me. You can’t just walk away from this.” He tightened his fingers, and for a moment, he felt her lean against him.
“Look. There’s a second set of stairs to the left, and that man has been leaning against the wall nearby since we walked in. He’s probably a guard. I bet that’s the only set of stairs that lead to the collection, which means we have to get by him.”
Adil stared down at her. “Well, I’m sure you had a plan for getting past our guards. Care to share?”
She turned and reached up to stroke his cheek. He captured her hand and pressed it to his lips. “Sweetheart,” she said in an exaggerated tone. “I’ve wanted to do this ever since I met you.”
She drew her hand back and gave him a hard slap. “How dare you stare at another woman!”
Spinning on her heels, she stalked away. Adil r
ubbed his cheek and stared at her. What the hell was that all about?
But then he saw what was happening. Everyone’s eyes were on her. As she walked by the stairwell, she suddenly stumbled and fell. The guard immediately went to her side, and Adil saw his opportunity. He quickly slipped up the stairs.
The hall wrapped around to a second set of stairs, but it was roped off. Moving carefully along the wall, he kept his eyes peeled for cameras. Just like Samine said, there was one blinking in the corner and pointing to the small table under the painting. He recognized the sensor panel on the wall because it was just like the one they had at home.
“Give me a boost.”
He turned to see Samine leaning against the wall watching him. “How did you get up here?” he asked softly.
“I could always get up. I just had to get you up as well. Now give me a boost so I can take care of the camera.”
“With pleasure.” He stepped up next to her and leaned down on one knee. “This could be romantic.”
She snorted and stepped on his knee. “Please. You’d never propose to a woman on one knee. You’d drag your feet until you didn’t have a choice and then you’d probably order her to marry you. I very much doubt there would be any romance involved.”
Curious, he watched as she pulled some putty from her purse and spread it over the lens. “Is that really what you think of me?” he asked mildly. He stared at her shapely calves. She really was perfect in every way.
“Am I wrong?” she asked with a cocky smile when she jumped down. “Camera taken care of.”
“Where exactly did you learn how to do all this?”
Snorting, “Where some kids liked to spend time at the mall and go to movies, I hung out with ones who thought it was more fun to learn how to pick locks and get past security systems.”
“You’re so handy. Got any idea about the sensors?”
“Unfortunately, I had planned to flirt my way past it.” She frowned. “You?”
“Time for you to see how handy I am.” He gave her a wink before sauntering over to the sensor control. Removing the cover off the box, he looked at the wires before pulling a couple of them. “There you go.”
