Thief of Hearts

by J. C. Wilder

  She was both angry and disappointed she’d been caught breaking into the safe. During her years in the profession, she’d never been caught, not once. There’d been a rare occasion in which it had been a close call. Once a homeowner had made an unscheduled return and she’d been forced to secret herself in a tiny bathroom cabinet for over an hour while the lady of the house repaired her makeup, but never had she been caught in the act.

  Then there was the sudden reappearance of Chase.

  Walking beside the man she’d once loved was a surreal experience. They followed the security guards along the main hall. After all this time, why did he have to turn up now? She’d been devastated when she left him and it had taken her a long time to even contemplate seeing another man. Chase probably had no idea how badly he’d hurt her with his infidelity. For a long time, she’d turned the incident onto herself, blaming herself for not being sexy enough, too flat-chested or just plain boring.

  Just how messed up was that? He’d screwed around on her and she’d ended up blaming herself, for a few months at least. Luckily for her, she’d managed to wake up and place the blame squarely where it belonged.

  On him.

  As if he knew she was thinking about him, he placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. In response, she dug her nails into his flesh until his muscles tensed.

  Even though she’d managed to convince herself that she hated him for what he’d done, it was obvious that her emotions were far more tangled than she’d ever imagined.

  She desired him, there was no question about that, but sex was a bad basis for a relationship. How did she really feel about him? Chase had made her laugh more than any man she’d ever met. She’d always felt physically safe with him and even though she’d had doubts about his fidelity, she’d never doubted he’d keep her confidences safe. Too bad she couldn’t have trusted him with her heart.

  They walked through a set of double doors into a brightly lit sitting room. Blackie and another man were the only ones present. Both stood near a small bar on the far side of the room, their heads together in a private conversation. Both men turned and she forced her smile wider.

  “Blackie,” she laughed and released Chase, “how lovely to see you again.”

  His tense expression smoothed and he smiled. “Harper, you look more beautiful each time I see you.”

  She forced herself to not shudder when he took her hands and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

  “Flatterer.” She flashed him a brilliant smile. “How is your wife doing? I haven’t seen her yet.”

  He made a soft tutting noise. “Well, if you’d stay out of the private rooms and join the party maybe you would have a better chance of running into her.”

  While his tone was teasing, she didn’t miss the thread of steel that ran through his words. Warning her off, was he? We’ll just see about that…

  “Now, Blackie.” Harper gave him a pat on the arm then moved past him toward the bar. “You and your wife have been together for some time now so you know what it is like to be in love.” She giggled; something she wouldn’t dream of ever doing under normal circumstances. “We just can’t keep our hands off each other, can we, darling?” She reached for a bottle of brandy and a glass.

  “That’s right, dearest.”

  “Blackie, have you met my partner…Dick?”

  In the mirror over the bar, she watched Chase’s jaw tighten. Their gazes met in the glass and she couldn’t help but smile. Score one for her.

  “No, we haven’t met.” Blackie moved forward and took Chase’s hand in a firm masculine shake. “Ross Ryan.”

  “Richard Lake,” Chase replied, his smile smooth, practiced. “You have a lovely home here.”

  “Thank you, Dick.” He looked at Harper then back to Chase. “Now tell me how you met our lovely Harper.”

  The inquisition begins…

  “We’ve known each other for years, business associates actually.” He gave her a loaded glance. “It was only recently that we found each other again.”

  “Very recently.” Harper took a slug of the brandy, enjoying the heat, which rushed down her throat. She moved toward Chase and slid her arm around his waist. “It was nothing short of…magical.”

  Blackie chuckled. “Ahh, magical. That explains how you two managed to open my locked office door.”

  Chase’s brow furrowed. “Locked?” He looked down at her. “The door wasn’t locked, was it, peach?”

  “Well, darling,” she purred, “I couldn’t tell you as my hands were full at the time.” Her voice dripped sexual innuendo. “You opened the door, my love.”

  His smile promised retribution and he chucked her on the chin with his finger. “That I did, babe.”

  She flashed an innocent look at Blackie. “I’m sure the door was unlocked otherwise how could we have gotten in?” She gave a careless shrug. “We’re hardly in the habit of breaking into locked rooms and having wild sex on couches.”

  “And yet that’s what you appeared to do—”

  “I’m sorry if we caused an uproar. I didn’t even realize that was your office.” Chase’s arm tightened around her waist. “I’m afraid I didn’t take time to look around the room as I was busy with other enticements.”

  Harper forced a laugh then leaned her cheek against his chest as if he truly were the love of her life. “Isn’t he just a living doll?”

  A rumble of laughter started in Chase’s chest, which he covered with a cough.

  “Well…” Blackie looked at his security person. “It seems my team has been lax in their assignments this evening.” He gestured toward Harper and Chase. “Shall we go downstairs and rejoin the party? Dinner will be served in just a few moments.”

  Harper wasn’t fooled by his cool smile. Blackie knew they were lying but there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it, now at least. He turned toward his security men as if to dismiss them.

  She and Chase were safe, momentarily, but who knew when the mobster would think to open the safe? Once that happened, there’d be no way to lie their way out of the situation. Their only recourse was to rejoin the party and make their escape as soon as they could.

  “Oh lovely, I’m starved.” Harper put her glass on a table and linked her arm through Chase’s. “And I’m to be escorted to dinner by two handsome men; what could be better than that?” She held out her arm toward Blackie.

  He looked down at her, his expression momentarily irritated before he smoothed it over with a slight smile and a nod.

  “Of course, Harper. It would be my pleasure.”

  I’ll just bet…

  They were being watched.

  Chase’s gaze moved around the dining room, picking out the security guards with ease. Even dressed in tuxedos, their military haircuts and the radios they wore in their ears caused them to stick out in a crowd.

  Amateurs.

  With so many eyes upon them, getting out of here would be tricky. So far Blackie hadn’t left his sight so Chase was pretty sure the theft was undetected. Ever the considerate host, Blackie had moved through the room with his wife by his side. They shook hands, smiled and made small talk with their guests until the dinner bell had rung and the party had shifted to the buffet table. The dining room was packed and the noise was tremendous. A legion of black-clad servers moved between the tables refilling wine glasses and clearing away used dishes.

  For now they were safe, but the situation was tenuous at best. Their lives were on the line, the clock was ticking and here he was eating grilled tuna steaks and drinking champagne with his woman by his side.

  It just didn’t get much better than this.

  “What are you thinking about?” Harper asked.

  He speared a bite of fish. “How does it feel to have your personal and professional lives collide?”

  She shrugged, her face averted. “I’m retired, this is my life, my real life now.”

  “If you’re retired then what were you doing upstairs? Revisiting your p
revious life?”

  “Just taking care of a friend.”

  “But you miss the rush of a job well done.”

  She shrugged, her attention focused on her plate. “Not really—”

  “Don’t lie to me. You forget that I know you, the real Harper Wilde. Who in this room knows who you really are? Or what you are?”

  “What I was.” Her tone was brittle. “Only two people in this room know who I was, you and Blackie.”

  “Blackie? How did that happen?”

  “Hell if I know. I suspect he stumbled over Ramon Garcia, the man who makes the custom alarm deactivators in Brazil, and he spilled his guts. Blackie suspects but he’s never broken me and he’s never had any hard proof.” She smiled. “And I don’t see that situation changing any time soon.” Her smile faded. “Sometimes it’s hard to live with so many secrets.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “We all have our secrets, Harper.”

  “Some more than others.” She nodded in the direction of the exit nearest to them. “We have four guards here in the dining room and one stationed at the main doors. The best way out of the house is through the music room on the north side. It has an open terrace and we should be able to slip out then make our way through the gardens and into the parking area.”

  “Sounds like a plan. We can make our escape after dinner. According to the wait staff, they will be presenting the cake in the ballroom following dinner. That should be enough to keep everyone busy for a few minutes.”

  “And when do I get my envelope back?” she asked.

  “When we get out of here. I told you that I cannot take a chance on you abandoning me.”

  She poked at her fish. “As if you would ever be helpless.”

  He leaned over and whispered in her ear, soft strands of her hair tickling his mouth. “I liked it much better when you were helpless.”

  “When was I ever helpless with you—”

  “Remember that night I had you tied to my bed? I was inside you and you were screaming my name over and over again.” He brushed his fingertip along the outside of her little finger and he felt her tremble. “When I had my mouth on you and your taste was on my tongue—”

  “Chase—”

  “Dick.”

  He scooted his chair as close to hers as possible and draped an arm around her shoulders. With his free hand, he reached for her knee. Her flesh was firm, warm beneath the silk of her stockings. “I want to touch you. I’m going to slide my fingers against your clit—”

  “Not here.” Arousal had caused her voice to drop.

  “Yes, here. Now.”

  The clinking of a knife against crystal brought his attention to the front of the room near the dais.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” A tall man stood at the podium near the head table. “My name is Jerry Fontaine and I will be your host for this portion of the evening.”

  His voice faded for Chase when he skimmed his fingers up the inside of her thigh. She’d always had the best legs and he couldn’t wait to get her into bed where he could properly appreciate them. He wanted to lick every inch of her body and worship her as only he could do.

  She was aroused, her breathing had deepened though she held herself ramrod straight. They’d been lucky to secure a small table at the back of the room and while they were sharing with two other people, who had finished their dinner then ducked outside for a smoke, leaving Chase and Harper in relative privacy.

  He leaned toward her, his mouth brushed her ear. “Open for me, babe. Let me inside.”

  She made a noise in the back of her throat and her thighs relaxed. He nudged them apart and parted her slick folds. His fingers found her clit with ease and he was pleased with how wet she was. Stroking the hard bead, Chase enjoyed the desperate strangled sound she made. Her hand landed over his and she sought to stop him.

  As if.

  She was close to coming. Harper had always had a thing for public sex and she possessed a hair-trigger that never failed to amaze him.

  “Chase—” Her voice was a mere whisper.

  “Come for me, Harper. Let me feel your release.”

  She turned her face into his shoulder and he tipped his head to shield her flushed cheeks. Her breath was hot against his throat and he was more turned on than he’d ever been in the past. She made a silky noise and he caught her mouth with his own. Her fingers clawed at his and he swallowed her whimpers of release, his tongue savoring the heat and taste that was uniquely hers. He gentled the kiss along with the movements of his fingers.

  Her eyes were luminous and her lips were reddened from their kiss. Heat seared his flesh, his cock hard beneath the zipper of his jeans. As he removed his hand from between her thighs, the crowd burst into applause.

  Chapter Four

  Harper walked beside Chase. Her grip on his arm was strong because she feared if she released him her wobbly knees would betray her. Her cheeks colored when she thought of what had just occurred in the dining room surrounded by a hundred strangers.

  It was…arousing.

  Shocking.

  Chase had always had that effect on her. He turned her on and made her more aware of her body than anyone else. She’d dated and had sex with numerous men since leaving Chase but never had she found anything that came close to what they’d had together.

  You’re still in love with him…

  The thought almost jolted her off her feet and she stumbled on her slim heels. Chase’s grip tightened.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded, not sure she’d ever be okay again. How could she still be in love with a man who’d betrayed her in the most intimate way a man could betray a woman?

  You never gave him a chance to explain…

  She looked up at his handsome face and her stomach clenched. She wouldn’t survive another broken heart from this man. Not that he’d indicated a future relationship was what he wanted from her. So far he’d only shown an interest in sex and finding a route out of the house.

  “Now where?” he asked.

  His voice jolted her back to reality. They walked along the main hall back toward the ballroom. Judging from the roar, most of the attendees were already partaking of the bar as they awaited the cake presentation.

  “The music room is the second door on the left. It’s the only room where the exit is shrouded by shrubs on the outside.” She nodded toward the left. “Start making your way over there.”

  “Act as if you’re hot to jump my bones, babe.”

  “That won’t be hard since you just had your fingers in my crotch,” she muttered.

  He laughed and hugged her closer to his side. She enjoyed the warmth and strength of his big body. Oh, how she’d missed it, the simple things like walking side by side. Just breathing the same air was a sensual experience with this man. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him as if she’d had a little too much to drink.

  “Come over here, baby.” He spoke loud enough that those closest could hear him. He gently steered her toward the music room doors. “I think I need a kiss.”

  Harper gave a throaty chuckle. “You need more than that, big boy.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two guards who had been trailing them since they’d returned to the party. Chase braced her against the broad door then leaned down to nuzzle her throat.

  “How are we doing?” he whispered.

  “Fine, they’re by the dining room doors.”

  His mouth caressed her throat and she tried to ignore the sensations he’d ignited in her blood. Sheesh! She’d already had two mind-blowing orgasms and it hadn’t dulled her need for him one bit. Was she sex-starved?

  Yes!

  His teeth nipped her earlobe and she shuddered. “I’m going to open the door. I can guarantee they will come over here and stand by the doors so we’ll have to make it good. If they think we’re going at it then it will buy us more time.”

  Harper snorted. “I’ll handle my end of the bargain, y
ou just see if you can keep up with me, big man.” She leapt into his arms and twined her legs around his waist. Her bare crotch caressed his jean-clad erection and her eyes threatened to roll back in her head at the delicious sensation.

  “I see I have a tough job ahead of me.” His eyes gleamed with amusement.

  “You have no idea…”

  The door swung open and Chase stumbled through it. Their lips met and Harper sank deep into the sensual darkness created by his mouth, his tongue. He turned and braced her back against the wide oak door to slam it shut. Pressing her mound against the ridge of his arousal, she felt his shudder. Dear God but she wanted this man with a fever that made her dizzy. With every fiber of her being she hungered for him and that hunger demanded to be appeased.

  His fingers tangled in her hair and within seconds he’d freed it from the confines of her French twist. He angled her head back to accept the purposeful sweep of his tongue against hers and she moaned into his mouth. His big hand cupped her buttock and gave it a firm squeeze.

  She whimpered against the onslaught of need and rubbed against him in a vain effort to pacify the growing heat between her thighs. Her body wept for his and she ached for him to fill the emptiness inside her, to feel his cock against her flesh as he slowly fucked her into release.

  Her nimble fingers grabbed his turtleneck and wrenched it upward to reveal his muscular chest. She kneaded and stroked the thick pads of muscle that comprised his impressive six-pack. Her fingers sought out his flat nipples and she gave them a tweak to elicit a groan from him. She sucked on his tongue, swallowing his cry.

  She didn’t want to break the kiss but she burned to feel more of him. She pulled away then relaxed her legs, sliding down his body until she stood on the floor. His big arms were braced on the door and his breath was hot against her temple as he struggled to regain control.

  “I need to feel you inside me.” She reached for him, her fingers on his belt.

  “Wait.” His hands covered hers. “Do you really want this? Here?”

  “Yes.”

  His handsome face was a blur in the dim room. She needed to be close to this man. For this one moment in time, he was hers and hers alone and she knew she had to grab this opportunity or risk losing it forever. Their lives were in danger but for some reason she wasn’t terribly worried, she knew it would work out somehow. On the other hand, regret was a terrible thing to live with and she had no intentions of doing so ever again.