Stolen Hearts

by Karen Erickson

  Alex withdrew his fingers and she cried out in protest. Then they moved up her crack, one finger teasing at her hole, his tongue still searching, licking.

  “Yes, yes,” she murmured, wanting him to sink his fingers inside her there. She was shocked at herself, surprised at her words of encouragement, though she wasn’t about to take them back.

  Celeste didn’t want this man to stop. She wanted him to do things to her no other man had ever done before. She wanted to give all of herself to Alex.

  “Gotta do it slow,” he whispered, his breathing ragged. “You’re so nice and tight.”

  His finger played with her anus, testing her, slicked with the cream of her pussy. He thrust slowly, working the very tip of his finger inside.

  “Oooh!” She bucked against him, causing his finger to slip a little farther and she cried out. It stretched and burned, felt so full and his finger was barely inside.

  She wanted more.

  “Spread your legs wider baby,” he encouraged gruffly, his finger turning, slipping even deeper, pushing against the ring of muscles.

  Doing as he bade, Celeste wanted to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. Two days ago she would’ve never dreamed of standing in her shower with a virtual stranger, his finger up her ass and her begging for more.

  Now, though, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. A moment in time she would never, ever forget.

  Alex licked around his finger, his other hand going to her pussy, fingers pushing roughly inside her. Her inner walls clenched around them, keeping them there, and he began to pump again slowly, his other finger working its way deeper inside her ass.

  Oh God, she’d never felt so full! His mouth doing wondrous things to her ass, his finger sliding slowly in and out of her, the fingers of his other hand busy within her pussy—it all felt so unbelievably dirty.

  In a fabulous, sexy way.

  “Faster,” she encouraged, her body moving against his hands, wanting more, her orgasm so close. Usually she needed clitoral stimulation to come but not with Alex. His finger moving within her ass, other fingers pumping deep inside her pussy was all it took.

  She shattered all over him, her hands pressing hard against the wall, her ass and pussy clenching rhythmically around his working fingers. She shouted his name, the word echoing against the confines of the shower walls and she wanted to collapse from the power of it all.

  He held her though, his fingers withdrawing from her body, big hands cradling her tenderly. Pressing her forehead against the cold and wet wall, she panted from the aftermath, her body still racked with little tremors, the cooling water battering her skin.

  Alex stood, moving her wet hair away from her neck to press a kiss to the back of it. She could only smile, couldn’t even find her voice to speak.

  “Next time,” he murmured against her sensitive skin, his tongue swiping against her ear, “it’ll be my cock inside your ass.”

  Oh God, she didn’t know what to say in response. Though she wanted to laugh at what crossed her mind.

  I can’t wait.

  Chapter Six

  Celeste couldn’t help but look at the clock again. Approximately three minutes had passed since the last time she’d looked at it and she growled in frustration.

  This was ridiculous. A man promised to stop by the store to talk to her and she was behaving like a teenage girl waiting for her crush to visit. There was always something to do in the store, but here she stood, leaning against the counter. Hoping beyond hope that Alex would walk through that door any second.

  She had thought he’d show up sooner. It was already past four and she closed at six. Where could he be? And what the hell did he want to talk to her about? It was all so strange, so mysterious.

  With a sigh, Celeste glanced down at the diamond bracelet, the stones winking up at her in the soft light. Maybe she needed to write up a special ad featuring the bracelet, along with a few other items and run it in the local paper. Yes, that was a great idea. She could eke out some extra money from the advertising budget to help sell the bracelet, she was sure.

  Heading toward the back room to grab her notepad to jot down ad ideas, she stopped in her tracks when she heard the bells tinkling over the door. She whipped around to face the entry, fully expecting to find Alex standing before her with a smile on his face.

  Disappointment filled her when she saw who’d entered the store instead—an older man, a little on the short side with a definite paunch, salt and pepper curling hair and a giant gold chain encircling his chubby neck. He was the perfect image of a mobster on TV.

  “May I help you?” She went to stand behind the counter, resting her hands on top of the glass. The man gave her an uneasy feeling though she couldn’t decide why. She just felt it was best to put as much space as possible between them.

  “How are you, little lady? I’m looking for something in a bracelet. The more expensive the better.” His voice was gruff, like he’d smoked a million cigarettes in his lifetime, and he came closer to her, a leer on his face.

  Her heart rate increased but not from fear. Maybe this man was just the customer she was looking for. “I have a lovely diamond bracelet, thirteen carats, round cut, high-quality stones. Would you care to see it?”

  “I most definitely would.” The man chortled, the sound almost a wheeze coming from his chest and she unlocked the glass case, pulling the dark blue velvet panel and the bracelet out at once. She set it on top of the counter with a tiny flourish.

  “It’s vintage of course, created sometime in the 1950s for a society bride over on the East Coast.” She watched as the man’s meaty fingers grasped at the bracelet, holding it high in front of him.

  He squinted, staring at the bracelet and flipping it this way and that, treating it like a thrift store trinket. Celeste frowned in distaste. “Very nice. It looks very expensive.”

  “It’s worth every penny, trust me.” She nibbled on her lower lip, hating the way he was treating the bracelet. Why couldn’t people respect things a little more? He didn’t even own it. Yet.

  Hopefully. She tightly crossed her fingers beneath the counter.

  “And how many pennies is this little beauty going for?”

  “Sixty-seven, five.”

  A low whistled emitted from his fleshy lips. “That’s quite a few pennies, if you ask me.”

  “It’s made of some of the finest quality diamonds you could find, sir. An E-plus color grade, VVS2 quality grade and the stones are cut differently from what you see now, making the piece rather unique in today’s market. You’ll find nothing else like it, I assure you.”

  “Oh I bet.” He dropped the bracelet onto the velvet panel. It hit the cloth with a thwack, making her wince. She didn’t like the way this man spoke to her, looked at her, handled the bracelet…everything. He made her uncomfortable.

  But she’d do just about anything to sell the bracelet, including dealing with a creep.

  “Are you buying this for someone in particular? A special woman in your life?”

  The man guffawed. “Yeah, she’s special all right. Just don’t tell my wife about her.”

  He winked and she crinkled her nose, thoroughly disgusted. Great, not only was he a creep but he was also a cheating creep. Maybe she didn’t want to make the sale after all.

  She was lying. Of course she wanted to make the sale.

  “Well, I’m sure whoever you buy this for, she’ll love it. It’s such a special piece, something a woman should hold on to forever.”

  “Women are greedy. The minute I piss the broad off, she’ll hock this thing and make a quick ten grand just to get back at my ass.” He shook his head, didn’t even notice her shocked expression at his use of such crude language.

  The man was a complete pig.

  “Um, well sir, I would love to wrap this up for you if you’re interested.” Take it or leave it, let’s just get you out of the store.

  “Nah, I can’t buy this today, I’m afraid. I think I need t
o sit on it, make sure this is what she really wants. I might even bring her in and let her try it on.” He winked at her. “We’re on a little getaway right now. Wife is with the kids visiting her parents so we took advantage.”

  “I see.” She yanked the velvet panel and bracelet away from him, shoving it back into the case and twisting the lock shut with a firm snap of her wrist. Could the man be any ruder?

  Probably, but she didn’t want to bear witness to it.

  “Sorry to waste your time, young lady.” He nodded his head toward her, a slight smile on his face. “I’ll be seeing you around again sometime soon, I’m sure.”

  “Thank you for coming in.” She watched him head toward the door, noticing how he walked slowly, glancing about the room as if trying to capture every single detail. His hand rested on the door handle, fingers curling around the bar and he stared at the lock just above it.

  Her breath lodged in her throat, heart beating double time. Was he actually thinking of robbing her store? Did he purposely ask her for the most expensive item so he could steal it from the store in the middle of the night?

  No, no, she had to be overreacting. He didn’t look like a thief. He was just some chubby middle-aged man juggling a mistress and a wife. Creepy and lacking morals, yes. A criminal? No way.

  Right?

  Goodness, she was becoming paranoid with the bracelet in the store. Maybe she should bring it home with her. She had a safe in her bedroom closet as well. She could slip it inside her purse and take it home with her every night until she sold the darned thing.

  Yes, that was the perfect solution to curb her paranoia. It was too nerve-racking having something of such value in the store, even though she could stash it in the safe every night. She’d never had a problem with break-ins before, not even attempted ones, but she didn’t want to risk it.

  Now that she actually had something of substantial value, maybe she should look into getting a better security system. One of the local companies had put in her current alarm when she took over the store but it was rather pitiful, really. She should give Hal a call and have him check out the store, see what he could do for her.

  Heading toward her desk in the back room, she went to get her notepad. She had a lot of things to do. Good. Something to take her mind off waiting for Alex.

  * * * * *

  Alex walked down the sidewalk toward the jewelry store, jingling the change in his jeans pocket and whistling a nameless tune. Catching a glimpse of himself as he passed by a window, he shook his head. He looked like a lovesick fool. All over a woman he didn’t really know. Hell, he was whistling for Christ’s sake, something he never did.

  He couldn’t help it though. He liked her. Wanted to spend more time with her, get to know her better. The more he thought about her, the more he realized he couldn’t steal that fucking bracelet for his father. Had never really wanted to in the first place, truly—he’d come here out of a sense of obligation. All his life he’d wanted to please his father yet he’d been nothing but a disappointment.

  So why not stay consistent? Really disappoint his ass, make his old man angry with him all over a woman he didn’t really know.

  When he thought about it in those terms, it was ridiculous. Yet he couldn’t deny the hold this woman had on him, the way she made him feel just by looking at him. There was a connection between them and he wanted to explore it further. He could only hope she was willing to do the same.

  Top on his list though was to keep her safe, get her and that bracelet out of town and somewhere safe, at least for a few days. How he was going to approach her about this, he still didn’t know. He was going to play it by ear.

  Stopping short when he saw the fat man waddle out the front door of the shop, he jumped and hid within the open doorway of the store next to Celeste’s.

  Shit. It was Vinnie. He was already here! He couldn’t believe it. His father had already sent the jackass to follow up on him.

  Anger boiled deep within him. If that fat fucker did anything to hurt Celeste, he would tear him apart with his bare hands.

  Lurking behind the wall, he pressed himself against it, hoping against hope Vinnie wasn’t headed his way. His heart raced, sweat popping out on his forehead. This was the last thing he needed. He’d thought they’d at least have a day or two to get the hell out of here. Looked like that wasn’t the case.

  It looked like he’d have to get her out of Santa Augustina tonight. He only hoped Vinnie didn’t already have the bracelet.

  Of course, if Vinnie did steal the bracelet then that would leave him completely off the hook. He’d never have to tell Celeste a thing, could be there to comfort her and he’d be free and clear.

  He stilled, working his jaw, heard it pop like it sometimes did when he was tense or anxious. That could work. Hell, he could end up looking like a hero. Nice turnaround, no one would get hurt. He’d come out of it all smelling like a rose.

  No. He couldn’t do that to her. He had to come clean. What if she found out later about his true intent, realized he’d been lying to her all along? She’d never forgive him. Hell, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

  But how would she ever find out? Not like anyone would tell her.

  Deciding it might be safe, he peeked around the side of the brick wall and saw the coast was clear. He headed toward the front door of Celeste’s store with hurried steps, throwing open the door so hard the bells jangled wildly.

  Celeste ran out of the back office looking so beautiful his chest actually ached. She wore some sort of black fitted dress with dark tights and black knee-high boots, every inch of her covered except her face and hands but damn she was sexy.

  “Are you all right? I thought you were breaking my door off the hinges.” She pressed a pale hand against her chest, causing his gaze to zero in on the luscious curve of her breasts and he mentally slapped himself.

  He should be freaked out and ready to get the hell out of Dodge but all he could think about was Celeste’s breasts. And her beautiful body, naked beneath his hands. He needed to get a serious grip on his priorities.

  “Sorry, I guess I don’t realize my own strength.” Alex went to her, slipping his arms around her waist, hands resting on her ass. The dress material felt like a sweater, soft and warm to the touch. He smoothed his hands up and down over her lower cheeks, making her purr with excitement. She was so responsive, always seemingly as aroused as he was. “What do you think about going out of town with me for the next few days?”

  Celeste blinked once, twice, her eyelashes moving rapidly. “Are you serious? I have no one to help me run the store if I’m gone. My sister used to work with me but she’s with her fiancé now and my mother has zero interest in coming back here, even for a couple days.”

  He shrugged, trying to ignore the way her flowery scent made his cock hard. “Who says you can’t close the place down for a couple days, take a little vacation?”

  “Well, no one I guess but I, uh, was just getting ready to put an important sales ad in the local paper.” She nibbled on her lower lip, her small white teeth working the full pink flesh, making him crazy with need.

  “Place the ad, have the sale when we get back.” His voice was strained, his entire body taut from wanting to pounce on her.

  “I really need to have it now.” Her gaze lifted, clear blue eyes meeting his. “I’m really anxious to get rid of that diamond bracelet I showed you yesterday.”

  His heart lurched. “Come on, Celeste, let’s get out of here. When was the last time you took some time for yourself?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she stepped out of his embrace. “I don’t know, Alex. This is all happening so fast. We only just met yesterday.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, unsure of what to say next. How to convince her to go with him.

  Come on, man, get real. You were one of the biggest cons back in the day—but those days are gone.

  Alex heaved a big sigh. “What if I told you that you’r
e in danger if you stay here?”

  Celeste’s eyes widened and her hand went to her chest once again. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m telling you that if you don’t get out of this town with that bracelet, you could be putting yourself and your store at risk.” He kept his expression grim, wanting her to get the seriousness of the situation. He wasn’t lying—but he wasn’t going to tell her the whole truth either.

  He couldn’t. If he did, then he’d have to admit he was a thief. And he didn’t want her to judge him.

  Really didn’t want her to cast him aside either.

  Her hand fluttered up to her mouth, trembling fingers touching her lips. “Are you serious?” Then her eyes widened, and Alex could practically see the gears turning in her mind. “Does this have anything to do with the man who just came in here?”

  She was smart, he had to give her that. “He’s part of a jewel thief syndicate based in L.A.”

  “And how do you know this? How do you know that man? What exactly do you do for a living anyway, Alex? I don’t think you ever told me.” Celeste crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for his answer. Already judging him, suspecting him…

  He could feel it radiate toward him…her doubt, mixed with anger and the tiniest hint of fear. He hated the fact that she was angry with him but more than anything, he didn’t like that he scared her.

  Heart pounding in his chest, he realized he didn’t know what to say, how to explain. How could he tell Celeste—a jewelry store owner!—that he’d been in jail for jewelry theft? That he was a lonely drifter with no real career goals whose father had recruited him to steal again? Starting with the very bracelet in her possession?

  He knew if he mentioned any of that, she would freak the fuck out. Not that he would blame her.