Thief of Hearts

by J. C. Wilder

  “Come here.” Chase took her hand and led her to a chaise lounge near the terrace doors, their escape route.

  He kissed her as if he would never let go and together they sank onto the lounge. Her head swirled as he possessed her mouth, taking her to heights she’d only found only with him. Their tongues tangled as their hands stroked and explored each other. Hers ventured across his broad chest while his slid under her skirt.

  “Mmmm.” She purred when he stroked her inner thighs. She grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it to her waist. “Touch me, Chase. I need you inside me.”

  “With pleasure.” He ripped open his jeans before he seized her knees. Pulling her thighs apart, he insinuated his slim hips between them.

  She arched her back and a loud moan escaped her when his cock brushed against the core of her desire. She felt weak, feverish all over. Reaching for him, she moved her hands over his thick erection. Stroking the broad head, she loved the way his eyes narrowed and his breathing deepened. The sense of power was heady. He gave an involuntary thrust against her hand.

  “Stop, Harper. I want to be inside you when I lose my mind,” he hissed.

  At that erotic image, she went breathless, unable to speak. With his cock in her hand, she guided him to her pussy before she released him. He pressed forth, the blunt tip of his erection against her dampened folds and she moaned.

  Moving his hand between her thighs, he caressed her flesh with long slow strokes until she was crying, her hips moving in a sensual dance. He slipped a finger in, sinking deep into her vagina. Harper shuddered at his touch, instinctively drawing her knees up to take more of what he offered.

  A sigh escaped her when his thumb brushed her clit. She wound her arms around his neck and drew him close as the world tilted wildly beneath his knowledgeable hands. His slow strokes grew more rhythmic and her hips rocked in response, her inner muscles subtly clasping his finger as she answered his mating call.

  Impatient now, Chase removed his fingers and replaced them with the broad head of his cock. Harper moaned, straining against him as he entered her, stretching her, filling her. He barely gave her time to appreciate the feel of him inside her before he began to thrust. He coaxed soft moans from her as he moved and her hips joined his in the ancient dance.

  Fire rippled through her body to gather between her legs. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sensations that rocketed through her blood, bone and every fiber of her body. Strong hands held her steady as he hammered into her, each thrust taking her higher than the last. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he forced her body into accepting his domination.

  She screamed with the force of her release, her thighs high and tight around his waist. He continued to move, slow rippling movements that caused her release to roll over her in long, slow waves. She never wanted this feeling to end.

  She’d barely caught her breath when he began thrusting again. Within seconds, another cry was wrenched from her lips as a harsh groan exploded from him. With his head thrown back and his face contorted, he came deep within her.

  When Chase gave a particularly earthy groan, Harper had to slap her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. She stood in the open doorway while he was nearer the inside door performing his vocal gymnastics. Through the narrow crack under the door there were several dark shadows breaking the light. The security guards were standing in front of the door, listening to the sounds of their supposed lovemaking.

  Chase’s voice reached a sharp crescendo that sent her scampering across the room toward him to add a scream or two of her own. The sounds of their faux lovemaking were pretty authentic in her opinion. Their voices mingled when they reached their staged orgasms. With a few final sighs, they joined hands and tiptoed toward the open door.

  Harper shot a look over her shoulder. The shadows visible though the crack were still in place. Mission accomplished. They slipped outside.

  “This way,” Chase hissed. “My car is in the north parking lot with the rest of the hired help.”

  “Gotcha.”

  The clouds had parted and the moon was full as they made their way along the side of the house. The ballroom was on the other side of the house and the gardens were located in the rear. No doubt there would be a few guests outside sneaking a smoke but that was no problem. Having a few guests witness their escape wasn’t what Harper was worried about, it was the armed security that concerned her the most.

  “Showtime,” he murmured.

  With her heart in her throat, Harper slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and they stepped onto the gravel path. A few other couples were walking through the gardens and techno-dance music poured through the open windows

  “So close and yet so far.” Harper’s gaze was fixed on the slope that separated the parking area from the gardens.

  “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

  She flashed him a brilliant smile. “I’m not worried.”

  “Liar.”

  “I keep forgetting, we’re being truthful this evening. I didn’t know your kind was familiar with that trait.”

  He shook his head. “Are you ever going to let it go?”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, you broke my heart so you’ll have to excuse me if I seem a little bitter.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t break your knees jumping to conclusions,” he shot back.

  “Jumping to conclusions? What do you mean?”

  “You never gave me a chance to explain—”

  “What was there to explain? I walked in and found you half-naked—”

  “I’d just gotten out of the shower—”

  “And your face just happened to fall into Sharon’s massive bosom? I’m so glad you had a soft place to land.”

  “Harper, I know you won’t believe me but I loved you so much—”

  She gave a choked laugh. “That is not the way to prove you love someone.”

  “I spent years looking for you but it was as if you’d vanished off the face of the earth. I knew your name but nothing about where you were from or where your family lived. I had no idea where to look and anyone I asked either knew nothing or was very tight-lipped about you.”

  Her friends still in the business would’ve reacted that way. Most were closed-mouthed about their personal lives as it enabled them to live a somewhat normal family life. It was all a part of the job.

  But could she ever trust Chase again?

  His arm tightened and he shot a glance over his shoulder. “We need to keep moving, love. The lights are on in the office we just burglarized. ”

  Harper’s heart quickened and she lengthened her gait to match his. Just as they passed a fountain, one of several in the gardens, she heard a whistling noise then the head of the statue exploded into pieces.

  She screamed and ducked.

  “Run!” Chase took off in a sprint, her hand now secured in his. “They’re shooting at us.”

  “No kidding.”

  They ran down the path and Harper regretted her sexy, stylish shoes. She wished she were wearing tennis shoes but she didn’t have a pair made for evening wear.

  They zigged and zagged among the fountains and garish statues in an attempt to make themselves a harder target to hit. Dirt and gravel were being kicked up on the path by shots that missed their mark and several pieces struck Harper’s bare legs.

  They ran up the slope next to the parking lot, the only part of the journey completely bare of cover, and Chase ducked behind her when her shoes tripped her up. She hit the grass face first and swore loudly.

  Scrambling to her knees, Harper grabbed handfuls of his shirt when Chase scooped her up with ease. She heard a faint whistling sound then felt Chase jerk. His curse was as lusty and heartfelt as hers had been.

  “What’s wrong? Are you hit?” She tried to get a good look at him and he shoved her forward, almost knocking her over. “Keep moving, babe, they’re still firing. It’s the black Zephyr on the end.”

  With her heart in her
throat, she ran toward the sleek car. He unlocked it with the remote and she dove into the passenger seat while he took the driver’s side. The engine sprang to life with a throaty purr then he threw it into gear, backing out so fast the tires kicked up gravel onto the gleaming paint.

  They moved forward and she screamed when the back window exploded inward. Men in suits swarmed over the slope and spilled into the gravel lot. Several held guns pointed at them and judging from the muzzle flashes, they were definitely firing.

  “Get down, you fool.” Chase grabbed her head and shoved her into the footwell out of harm’s way.

  Metallic pings exploded against the sides of the car and he gunned the engine. She clung to his muscular thigh as they sailed over bumps and it felt as if they were off road. The car fishtailed just before the squeal of rubber against asphalt sounded. She released her breath.

  “Are we safe yet?” she hissed.

  “Barely.”

  Harper sat up and pushed the hair from her eyes. The powerful engine purred as they flew down the road toward town, only minutes from the dubious safety of normal society.

  “You realize they will follow us,” he said.

  “I’d be surprised if they didn’t.” She twisted around in her seat to look out the non-existent back window. The road was empty. “But we’re safe for now.”

  “And that’s all we can hope for.”

  Relaxing into the seat, she had to giggle. “That was the worst getaway in the history of second-story work.”

  “Definitely not our best.”

  “Not even close, it was awful.” She rubbed a shaky hand over her forehead. In the faint lights of the console, Chase’s face looked as hard as a rock, his jaw was set and his eyes were narrowed. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m going to head for Avon Lake and then we can switch. I’ll need you to drive into town.”

  Harper frowned and looked behind them again. “Okay, why?”

  “I’ve been shot.”

  Chapter Five

  Chase slept like a stone, silent and unmoving. Harper sat by his side, both exhausted and numb. Her eyes burned from the multitude of tears she’d shed while he’d slept. She barely remembered their nightmarish drive into town. After forcing him to pull over at the first opportunity, she took over the wheel, knowing if she’d taken him to a hospital there would have been a lot of unwanted questions from the police. Lucky for her, the years of second-story work granted her nerves of steel. Pushing all personal feelings aside, she’d taken the back way into town and contacted a specialist for Chase’s injuries.

  Dr. Owen Short was no longer a doctor thanks to a massive malpractice lawsuit but that didn’t stop him from practicing. Most people still called him Dr. O and now he made his living tending to the illnesses and accidents of a select few who would require his services without the interference of law enforcement.

  Chase could have died tonight. They both could’ve, and for what? Slowly her gaze shifted from his pale face to the blood-stained envelopes on the bedside table. To keep three amoral people from being publicly humiliated by Blackie? What was a little humiliation in comparison to a human life?

  Nothing.

  Her tired gaze moved back to his sleeping face.

  Never in her life had she been quite so terrified as when she realized Chase was hurt.

  She loved him.

  Even before he’d bled all over her dress or he’d put himself in harm’s way and had taken a bullet for her, she’d realized she was still in love with him. In retrospect, hearing his voice behind her in Blackie’s office should’ve been a given. Now she knew it had only been a matter of time before they’d stumbled across one another again. It was as inevitable as the sunrise.

  Her eyes stung.

  Sometimes knowledge could be a terrible thing.

  Exhausted, she turned to the side in an attempt to relieve her numb buttocks. It didn’t help. Blindly, she stared out the window. The rising sun was just beginning to pinken the sky and it was past time for her to leave. Chase was safe here with Dr. O and she needed to get back to her life—

  “I fell in love with you the first time I laid eyes on you.”

  Harper blinked. Her mind was so numb that it didn’t register it was Chase’s voice she heard. Slowly she turned toward him and their gazes met. He looked tired and his face was so incredibly dear to her that she never wanted him to get away, at least not without hearing the truth. She licked her lips as a soft warmth bloomed in her chest.

  Damn, how she loved him.

  “You don’t say.” Her voice was wobbly.

  “Do you remember when we met? We were in Prague at the reception for the President of the United States. I was there to scope out the building and you were there to liberate the Comtesse de Longue’s family jewels.”

  Harper smiled even as a single tear ran down her cheek. “I made almost a half million dollars in one fell swoop that night. Served the harpy right as she should have never swiped them from her twin sister.”

  “You wore a red dress with a slit on the side that showed off your spectacular legs.”

  “And you wore a tuxedo that stopped every woman’s heart in the ballroom.” She sniffed.

  “I was never unfaithful to you, Harper. Susan came over in tears because her boyfriend had broken up with her. She was in pain, distraught and she’d grabbed my face for a kiss and you just happened to walk in at exactly the wrong moment.”

  “The story of my life.”

  Chase watched her closely. Dark circles marred her eyes and her mouth was drawn with exhaustion. Never had she looked so beautiful to him. Would she give him a second chance?

  Harper sighed and rubbed her cheek. “Maybe I was being irrational,” she said. “But when I saw you in that woman’s arms, I just went crazy.”

  “You were waiting on me to cheat on you,” he said.

  “Yes, I think I was.”

  “I’m not surprised. The men in your life haven’t been exactly trustworthy individuals.” He took her hand. “But I am. When I give my love, it is for always and forever, Harper.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I really blew it, didn’t I?”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “So where do we go from here, Chase? Do you think we start over again?”

  He released the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. “I think we’d be stupid not to.”

  Her gaze met his and in the depths he saw relief and love there—love for him. He was one lucky man.

  “I love you, Chase.” Her voice was wobbly.

  “I love you, too, Harper.” He caught her arm and hauled her into the bed with him. She curled into his side as if she’d been born to assume that very spot. “We need some one-on-one time together. How do you feel about going to Europe? Italy, maybe?”

  “Tuscany.”

  “That sounds like a plan. I hope you don’t mind a slight detour to Paris.”

  “Why Paris?”

  “Well, I have this job lined up and I could use a good locksmith…”

  About the Author

  To learn more about J.C. Wilder, please visit www.jcwilder.com. Send an email to J.C. at wilder@jcwilder.com or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as J.C. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderside.

  Look for these titles by J.C. Wilder

  Now Available:

  Paradox I

  Paradox II

  Paradox III

  Only the brave will answer the Call…

  The Heron’s Call

  © 2007 Isabo Kelly

  Kael Zyhn is a Heron sword mage and the first of his kind to forge a mage sword in more than a generation. But the trance that took him just before forging the sword disrupted Kael’s first meeting with his raynia, his soul twin. Twelve years later, he’s recovered from his ordeal and ready to claim his mate. Only to discover she wants nothing to do with him.

  Rowena, an Aleanian sword sworn, can’t forgive her long absent raynei fo
r deserting her all those years ago. But she admits that she needs him to survive her latest mission. Unfortunately, the longer she’s in Kael’s presence, the more she wants him, despite the protests of her damaged heart.

  To succeed in her quest, Rowena must learn to trust Kael. But can she dare trust him with her heart again? And will she risk his life by giving in to her desires?

  Enjoy the following excerpt for The Heron’s Call.

  Rowena twisted in her bedroll, restless and uncomfortable on the hard-packed earth. Frustration gnawed at her. It was that blasted dream again. The dark bulk of him rising above her, the scrape of callused fingers over her nipples, the feel of his hard cock thrusting into her. She rolled her eyes at the memory and a groan escaped between her clenched teeth. She hated the dream. Especially when she had no chance of experiencing those sensations in real life. Thanks to him.

  She’d been having the same dream nearly every night for the last week. Him kissing her mouth, her breasts, her pussy. Him fucking her while keeping her gaze locked to his. His tongue, his teeth, his fingers, his cum spurting hot inside her. She’d barely been able to sleep since she set out on this mission three days ago. And when she had slept, her dreams had been so erotic and so…demanding she woke up as exhausted as when she’d stretched out on her pallet the night before.

  She turned again and the bedroll bunched beneath her. In a fit of irritation, she finally threw the blanket off and sat up. And saw the shadows closing in around her.

  She surged to her feet, sword in hand, with a speed and grace she hoped the robbers would recognize. She hated to kill people just for being stupid enough to attack someone like her.

  As the shadows stepped into the faint light from the crescent moon, she realized they weren’t ordinary robbers. Their linen shirts were too clean, their leather trousers and bracers too well-repaired, their weapons and steel breastplates too well-made and maintained. Seven of them in all. Mercenaries, she guessed, noting the rough look of them despite the high-grade of their gear. She turned in a small circle as they surrounded her, gauging their movements.