by Marinelli, Carol; Hayward, Jennifer; Stephens, Susan; Anderson, Natalie
Phase three: complete.
Satisfied, she turned, ready to leave.
That was when she saw it—the man’s silhouette looming in the doorway. She froze. With the lack of light she couldn’t see his face, but she could see he held a phone in his hand. And she could see how tall he was. How broad. How impossible to slip past.
‘Hello?’ She wished she didn’t sound so scared.
She wished he’d answer.
Her heart took two seconds to start pumping again and when it did her pulse thumped loudly in her ears. She hadn’t heard him arrive. The floor in the library was wooden and she’d been certain she’d have heard approaching footsteps. But apparently this guy could enable stealth mode. Was he Security? How long had he been watching her? Had he seen what she’d done?
Apprehension fluttered in her belly.
‘She wasn’t wearing a necklace when she arrived,’ he slowly mused. Softly. Dangerously. ‘Yet she wears one now.’
She froze at that accented English, at that tone. She was definitely in trouble.
‘If you’d get your boss for me, I can explain,’ she bluffed haughtily.
‘My name is Alejandro Martinez,’ he replied, still in those soft, dangerous tones that made her skin prickle. ‘I am the boss.’
It was the devil himself. Of course. Kitty’s heart thundered.
He reached out a hand, casually closing the door. There was a split second of total darkness before he unerringly turned on the light.
Kitty rapidly blinked at the brightness. By the time the dancing spots cleared from her vision, he was less than a foot from her, his phone gone and his hands free.
She swallowed.
He was very close and very tall. She wasn’t short yet she had to tip her chin to look into his face. His hair was dark brown and thick and he was so good-looking, he ought to have been outlawed as hazardous to any woman’s attention span. Yes, Alejandro Martinez was fiendishly handsome with that olive skin, those chiselled features and those serious, assessing eyes.
Nervously, she flicked her hair in the hopes it would curl around her throat. She wasn’t getting past him in a hurry; there was only one exit out of this library and he’d closed the door.
‘No, there’s no point trying to hide it now,’ he mocked softly, but his eyes glittered like polished onyx. He slowly lifted a lock of her hair back with a lazy, arrogant finger. His penetrating gaze lingered on her neck, then raked down her body—her breasts, her waist, her legs. Every inch of her felt grazed.
‘A diamond collar for a lithe little cat burglar,’ he said. ‘How appropriate.’
To her horror, her body reacted to his unabashed sensual assessment of her and to his low accented tone. Her skin tightened. Heat flooded her cheeks, her lower belly and she fought the instinct to take a squirming step back.
Alejandro Martinez was so not her cup of tea. Too obvious. Too forceful. Too…everything.
‘A ginger she-cat,’ he added thoughtfully, his focus lifting to her face. ‘Rather rare.’
She bristled. She’d always hated her hair. She’d gone through a phase when she’d dyed it darker, only that had made her almost see-through skin and squillions of freckles look worse. In the end she’d given up and gone back to natural and faced the fact she was never going to be a ‘beauty’.
‘You know about the bookcase?’ she asked, trying to take control of the situation—of herself—and draw attention away from this awareness. But her voice sounded husky and uncertain. She had to get herself and the necklace out of here as fast as possible.
‘I do now. What other secrets do you know about this house?’ His gaze seemed to penetrate right through her. ‘What else are you planning to steal?’
A hot streak of stubbornness shot through her. She wasn’t going to tell him anything—not about the house, not about herself, not about the necklace.
So she just stared up at him silently, waiting for him to make his next move.
His expression hardened. ‘Give me the necklace,’ he said firmly.
She shook her head. ‘Possession is nine-tenths of the law,’ she muttered.
‘Possession?’ He suddenly looked even more intent, even more predatory as his jaw sharpened and his eyes gleamed as they locked on hers.
Heat unfurled low in her belly. Shocking, utterly unwanted, destructive heat.
‘It is very valuable,’ he noted, continuing to watch her way too closely for her comfort. Standing too close too. When had he moved closer?
Kitty struggled to keep her brain working. The necklace was valuable, but not only in the way he meant. It was all heart and memory to her.
‘You know it’s not yours,’ she said, determinedly meeting his gaze and refusing to step back and show his intimidation was working.
‘I am also willing to bet it’s not yours.’ His return gaze was ruthless. His stance was implacable.
But all that did was fire Kitty’s desire to defy him. This man had taken ownership of everything she loved. He wasn’t having this too. But she couldn’t halt the telltale guilty heat building in her cheeks.
The diamonds might not belong to her legally, but they were hers in her heart. Damn Teddy’s uselessness. ‘It’s mine to retrieve.’
And hers by love. No one loved this necklace more than her—more than that, she’d loved the woman who’d once owned it.
Alejandro shook his head slowly. ‘This building and everything in it belongs to me now.’ A small smile hovered at his mouth. ‘Seeing as you are so insistent to stay, I guess that includes you too.’
Oh, she did not belong to anyone—and most certainly not him. This display of ownership was outrageous and beyond arrogant. ‘Actually, I was just leaving,’ she snapped coldly.
‘No.’ That tantalising smile vanished and he firmly grasped her wrist.
Kitty couldn’t hide the tremble that rippled through her as she fisted her hand and tried to pull free from him.
‘I think that both the necklace and you will remain in my possession until we find the rightful owner.’ His eyes glinted. ‘Of both.’
Defiance burned, sharpening her senses. Surely he was just being provocative, except she had the feeling he meant it. He was clearly used to being in control and having all the power. She didn’t want to tell him the truth about the diamonds. She wouldn’t try to appeal to his sensitive side—it was all too obvious he didn’t have one. Arrogant jerk.
The pressure on her wrist grew—inexorably he drew her closer.
‘What are you doing?’ she gasped when he firmly ran his other hand across her stomach.
Alejandro didn’t answer as he swept his palm further around her waist. She was a slim thing and had little in the way of curves, most unlike the women he usually spent time with. And yet there was something undeniably attractive about her. Undeniably different. She was clad entirely in black—slim three-quarter-length trousers and a fitted black sweater that emphasised her tall but slender frame. Her eyes screamed outrage and he suppressed a smile at the stiffness of her body as he continued his search. Maybe that was it—she presented resistance, challenge. And for him that was novel.
‘You’re assaulting me?’ she snarled venomously.
‘Checking for a concealed weapon,’ he answered smoothly, but a grim defensiveness rose within at her accusation. Alejandro Martinez would never assault any woman. He was not like—no.
He forced his attention to his pretty prisoner, not his past. Her eyes were the weapons here and now, striking like twin daggers and making him smile, a respite from the memory that had flickered. Pleased, he removed the phone from where she’d tucked it into the waistband of her trousers.
He released her to study his prize. The phone wasn’t the latest model and had one of those covers that had a pocket for a couple of cards—a bank card an
d driver’s licence tucked inside. Perfect.
‘Catriona Parkes-Wilson.’ He read the name aloud, glancing to watch her reaction to the identification.
Soft colour bloomed in her pale cheeks again, and her emerald eyes flashed. She really was striking.
‘Kitty,’ she corrected him quickly.
Catriona—Kitty—Parkes-Wilson was the daughter of the man who’d sold him this house.
Alejandro would have guessed that the diamonds—undoubtedly real—would be hers, but she’d looked so guilty when he’d stopped her that he now wondered. He had to be certain of their provenance before relinquishing them to her just like that.
But finally he understood her presence here tonight. She was on a retrieval mission.
She was also the ultimate in spoilt heiresses—so headstrong and so used to getting her way that she thought she could strut straight into any room and take what she wanted. Why not do the normal polite thing and ask? The sleek Catriona seemed only able to take. And no doubt she was used to causing trouble with every step.
He dampened down the rising attraction and told himself it would be fun to teach her a lesson in politeness, and then possession.
‘Catriona…’ he repeated her full name, deliberately ignoring her preference, and couldn’t stop his smile when she looked more annoyed ‘…I’m delighted to have you back in your former residence. Welcome.’
His security detail had informed him of her unorthodox arrival via text but Alejandro had already spotted her from his hidden vantage point upstairs where he’d been having a moment away from his guests. She’d climbed the stairs as though she thought she was invisible. As if hair the sparkling colours of an autumnal bonfire could ever blend into the background. Even when it had been tied in that pile on her head it had caught his attention. Now that it hung loose in a tumble of crazy curls, he was tempted to tangle his fingers into it and draw her close for a kiss…
But he wasn’t about to give in to this unexpected burst of desire.
Alejandro enjoyed sex and had no shortage of it, but it had been a while since he’d felt such an instant surge of lust for a woman. It was mildly irritating—he had better control than this and, to prove that to himself, he wasn’t about to explore the sexual electricity arcing between them right now. Not yet. It would be more amusing to put this petulant princess in her place. He’d met too many spoilt people who’d never had to do a real day’s work in their lives and who had no idea what hardship really was. Catriona Parkes-Wilson needed to learn some genuine manners.
An idea came instantly, as they generally did, but this one made his muscles tighten in a searing burst of anticipation.
‘Remain here this evening as my date,’ he said bluntly. ‘Or I call the police. The choice is yours.’
‘Your date?’ Her eyes widened in surprise.
He knew she felt the sensual awareness the way he did. It seemed she didn’t like it all that much either. Inexplicably, that improved his mood. He’d have her apology. And then, if it was good, maybe he’d have her.
‘The police?’ she suddenly added quickly, almost hopefully.
That threat was the lesser of the two evils to her? He needed to make that option more alarming. ‘Your fingerprints are all over—’
‘They would be anyway,’ she interrupted scornfully. ‘I lived here, remember?’
‘And I have security camera footage.’ He smiled.
That silenced her.
‘I can’t ignore my guests for hours while I iron out this interruption of yours,’ he said. ‘So you will remain with me until I have the time to deal with you.’
Her eyes didn’t waver from his as he stipulated his rules.
‘I don’t intend to leave your side even for a second,’ he informed her quietly, failing to suppress the satisfaction that rose at the thought. ‘Slinky cats can be clever escape artists. I’m not having you slip out when I look away for a second.’ He read the fire in her gaze and his blood heated. ‘And I do expect you to behave.’
Kitty glared at him. The thought of staying as his date should appal her. But what really shocked her was the delicious anticipation that shivered down her spine at the thought of such relentless attentiveness from him. What was wrong with her?
He bent closer, those full lips twisted ever so slightly into that tantalising smile. Dear Lord, he was too handsome.
‘Catriona,’ he said softly.
Now he loomed over her. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the bottomless depths of his black eyes. Her mouth parted as she struggled to breathe because her heart was thundering. Anticipation spiralled through every cell. Was he going to kiss her? Was she going to let him? Where had her will gone?
He was so close now she could feel his breath on her skin and his eyes were mesmerising and she simply couldn’t seem to move. Then she felt the warmth of his fingers as he brushed the skin at the nape of her neck. She shivered, drawing in a shocked breath, but it was too late. He’d undone the clasp of the necklace before she’d registered his true intention. Now she could only stare as he stepped back and poured the glittering chain into his inside top pocket—right over the spot where his heart should be. Not that he had one of those.
He’d taken the diamond choker from her and she’d just let him.
She’d stood there like a vacant fool and let him reclaim the necklace. She’d let his good looks and his sexual magnetism render her brainless. How stupid could she get?
‘I can’t be your date,’ she snapped, furious with herself.
‘Why not?’
‘You have a girlfriend already.’
‘I do?’ He sent her a penetrating look.
‘Saskia something.’ She straightened and snarled, venting her annoyance on him, ‘I’m not helping you cheat on another woman.’ She knew how much that sucked. ‘Not even pretend cheating. So go ahead and call the police.’
She didn’t think for a second he would but, to her apprehension, he pulled his mobile from his pocket again.
Had she misread him? Did he want the police here, interrupting his terribly exclusive party? She’d have to explain all and wear yet more mortification, but that was better than letting this man win. Surely the police would let her off with a warning—as a first time offender, distraught by the loss of her family home and all that… She might even be able to keep Teddy’s name out of it.
She watched, breathing rapidly and still feeling too hot, as he held the phone up to his ear.
‘Saskia, darling. I wanted to be honest with you and let you know before you heard it from anyone else.’ He didn’t hesitate. ‘I’ve met someone else.’
Kitty’s jaw dropped. He’d phoned the latest model girlfriend? She stared at him in frozen fascination as he kept talking.
‘I know it seems sudden, but sometimes that’s how life works.’
Had he just broken up with the woman?
OMG. The phone call was swift and to the point and the arrogant bastard smiled at her the entire way through.
‘You just ended your relationship?’ she all but gasped as he ended the call. ‘Over the phone?’
‘Four dates doesn’t really constitute a relationship.’ He shrugged and pocketed his mobile.
‘And you never go much beyond five dates anyway.’ Teddy had told her that. Apparently, Alejandro’s appetite for a rapid succession of beauties caused frequent comment—celebration by some, such as Teddy, and derision from others. Kitty was firmly in the second camp.
His eyebrows flickered. ‘Don’t I? I don’t tend to keep count.’
Of dates or women? ‘You can’t just do that.’
‘I just did.’
‘You don’t care?’ Was it all that meaningless for him? His callousness was repellent, yet there was still that fickle, stupid part of her that was attracted to him.<
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‘No. I don’t.’ He laughed at her expression. ‘She doesn’t either. We both knew what we were in for.’
And what was that—a few meaningless hours in bed together? Kitty whipped up her anger on behalf of the woman. ‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Utterly.’ He looked bored as he glanced at his watch. ‘Now you needn’t have any scruples about being my date for the night.’
‘No way.’ She shook her head, still shocked at his callous phone call. As if she’d ever date someone so ruthless. ‘You’re heartless.’
‘If that’s the case—’ he reached for his pocket again ‘—then I will have to phone the police. Naturally, I will push for charges to be laid.’ He sent her a mock-apologetic glance. ‘It’s unacceptable for people to unlawfully enter houses and take whatever they find lying around.’
She narrowed her eyes. He was playing a game. He’d have called the police already if that was what he’d really meant to do. ‘You’ll do whatever necessary to get what you want, won’t you?’
He smiled as if that wasn’t something to be ashamed of. ‘Always.’
No doubt he’d blackmail, coerce, fight dirty and think nothing of it.
She gazed at him. He was hideously self-assured. Going through women like normal people went through pints of milk—on an almost daily basis and simply discarding the bottle when done. But that someone so shallow could be so attractive-looking? It was so wrong—the guy needed a warning label stamped on his forehead. Yet there was a whole roomful downstairs waiting to step up and be the next one. His looks and charisma had made things—women—far too easy for him.
He sent her that soft, suave smile, totally in control and at ease. ‘What’s it going to be, Catriona?’ he prompted her gently. ‘A night with me at your side, or a night in the cells?’
Her body recognised his beauty; her brain recognised he was a calculating bastard. She’d ensure her brain won this battle. She was certain he was not interested in her; he just wanted to teach her a lesson. That was obvious.