Caught in the Act: A Jewel Heist Romance Anthology

by Ainslie Paton

  “What? You’re not leaving?”

  He leaned against the railing and looked at her. She really thought he’d leave her? He thought he made it clear to her every single day how much he needed her, how he was nothing without her, how much he adored her. “I’m a wanted criminal. Where would I go?”

  “No! Are you?”

  He shrugged, wanting to assure her but not wanting to lie. The “wanted” part was debatable, but the criminal part was definitely true.

  She would argue that he wasn’t the one who stole the money from Staffordshire International until she was blue in the face, but any authorities who came after him wouldn’t care. The right thing to do would’ve been to return all the money to the company. He felt absolutely no guilt for not doing that. How could he when he was in paradise with his woman and they had their whole lives in front of them. She didn’t know yet about the money he got from the necklace. Nor about the diamond.

  “I—” But he didn’t let her get any words out. He put a finger over her mouth to silence her.

  “I’ll be right back.” He ran back into the bedroom and dug through his sock drawer for the small blue box that was starting to feel like a weight he was carrying around his neck. He told himself he’d been waiting for the right time, wondering if he’d know the right time.

  He did.

  Feeling like the weight had been lifted, he tossed the ring box in the air and caught it. He grabbed a toy from the bed and headed back to his woman. The woman who would be his forever. There was a new lightness in his step when he headed back outside.

  Ana wasn’t where he’d left her.

  “Princess?”

  She’d walked down to the far corner of the balcony.

  “You don’t just get to walk away in the middle of a conversation, Jake! Sucks, doesn’t it? When you’re talking and then—poof—all of a sudden the person you’re talking to disappears.”

  He bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. He understood the point she was trying to make, but she seriously wasn’t trying to run away from him, was she? She had to know she’d get punished for that.

  He saw her gaze dart to the side, no doubt wondering if she should disappear on him again.

  “I apologize,” he said. “I was grabbing another present for you.”

  The fire in her eyes blazed. He’d seen Ana mad before, pissed off, annoyed, even furious, but this was the closest to rage he’d ever seen. She might murder him if he told her she was fucking gorgeous.

  “I will tell you exactly what you can do with the butt plug, you jackass. You can stick it so far up your—”

  He reached out and covered her mouth again, and he was momentarily afraid she was going to bite him. He held the box up so that she couldn’t miss seeing it. Her eyes went wide.

  “You ready to listen now?”

  She nodded and he took his hand from her mouth. One handed, he flipped open the box to reveal its contents.

  “Jake?” She reached out to the ring box, but hesitated. “Is it really...?”

  He maneuvered the box so he could see it, too. “The Staffordshire Diamond,” he said.

  He’d had it set in a ring. Temporarily anyway. Just like all the other jewelry, the diamond could be removed. The ring was still a thing of beauty, though, if he did say so himself. It was a thick platinum band with tropical flowers and trees etched into it. It matched their island better than he could ever have imagined.

  “Where? How?”

  He shrugged. “Like I said, I’m a criminal. I want to marry you, Princess. Spend the rest of our lives here in paradise. Raise babies. Let my parents come visit, which they are dying to do by the way. Robert Barnes, who’s the one who paid me to steal the necklace in the first place, wants to come visit, too. Also, he happily parted with the diamond once I told him what I wanted it for, so way to go with that.”

  He knew he was rambling, which was very unlike him. But silence was also unlike Ana and he found it unnerving. He was pretty sure she was happy with him here. She seemed to be, though he supposed he’d kept her naked and in bed so much it was hard to tell. The longer she was silent, the more nervous he got that maybe he’d read things wrong. Maybe she didn’t want to be with him here. Forever.

  She reached out, he thought to the ring, but then her small hand touched him. Right over his heart, right over the diamond tattoo. “I can have them both?”

  He stepped toward her so that their bodies touched. Relief coursed through him. She did want him half as much as he wanted her.

  “You can have anything you want,” he said, his voice husky.

  “I only want you. I’ve always only wanted you.”

  He pulled the ring out of its protective box and slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand. “It’s a bit much for every day, but I wanted you to have something of your own that the diamond would attach to, not just your grandmother’s collection.”

  “It’s perfect,” she said. Then she laughed. “You’re right, a bit much, but still perfect.”

  He dropped the box and jerked her toward him. She crashed into him, her hand with the ring landing right over his heart.

  “You did not just try to run away from me, did you?”

  She couldn’t have missed the warning tone in his voice.

  “I, uh, you didn’t bring any of those toys with you, did you?”

  Of course he did.

  He took her hand and led it to his pocket so she could feel the slim plug. Her eyes went wide again. This time he didn’t mind so much.

  She walked her fingers up his chest, around to play with the hair at the back of his neck. It was one of his favorite things she did. Of course, he had a lot of favorite things.

  “And now you’re trying to distract me?”

  “I—”

  He didn’t let her speak. Instead, he kissed her. Hard and punishing, he demanded entrance to her mouth. She didn’t fight him at all. He knew she wouldn’t. She’d give him anything he asked for.

  They fumbled with their clothing as they made their way back to the bedroom. They reached the king-sized bed and Jake moved away from her only long enough to kick the box of toys to the floor. He heard things roll under the bed, but he didn’t care. Later he could ask Ana to dig them out for him. He loved when she was on her hands and knees.

  Jake tossed the plug onto the bed when she tried to toss his pants out the door. They tumbled onto the bed, arms and limbs tangling, both desperate to touch as much of the other one as possible. He gently removed the nipple clamps while there was still rational thought left in his brain.

  Usually Jake would make sure she had several orgasms before he’d even think of thrusting inside her, but right now he needed to claim his woman. He perched over her, kneed her thighs wide and entered her slowly.

  “Oh yes,” she moaned.

  “Forever, Princess. It’s going to be like this forever.”

  He was ravenous for her. She was his and he had a primal urge to make sure she knew it. But there was also more he needed to do. He couldn’t let her think she could go running away from him without there being any consequences.

  “More,” she demanded. Reluctantly, he pulled away. “Jake?”

  He knew she was nervous, but he also knew that she was curious.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “With everything.”

  Her faith in him never ceased to humble him and for a moment he considered saying to hell with the plug and making love to his woman. But when he thought about how hard he knew she’d come, well, he smiled and showed her the pink object.

  He moved his other hand to her pussy, gathering her moisture and moving it around. He took a moment to open the lube on the bedside table and thoroughly coated the plug.

  “I’m scared.”

 
He leaned down and kissed her at the same time he slid the plug between the cheeks of her ass, though not yet broaching her entrance.

  “I’d never do anything to hurt you,” he said. “You’re my everything.”

  Her body relaxed at his words and he knew she was ready to welcome the plug. But he didn’t want her to just be okay, he wanted her begging, if not with words, then with her body. He slid down, kissing every square inch of her skin that was now nice and tanned and always tasted like coconut because of the sunscreen she wore.

  He pressed her legs wide, loving the way her natural scent mixed with the tropical air. It had become his favorite thing in the world.

  She was already wet for him. He knew that. He’d already been inside of her. The plug still resting against her hole, he pressed slightly at the same time he bent his head to lick her clit. She was so primed that her orgasm crashed through her almost instantly, surprising even him.

  “Please. More.”

  Finally, he slid the plug inside of her. It was small, barely larger than his finger. But his finger didn’t vibrate. He kissed his way back up her body and pushed the button on the end of the plug at the same time he slid back inside her. She was even tighter now, and with the added sensation of the vibrations, he knew he wasn’t going to last very long. He fucked her hard, nipping and biting and kissing every inch of her body that he could reach with his mouth. He’d never come this fast in his life, but since he knew Ana was right there with him, he didn’t slow.

  “Come for me, love,” he demanded.

  Her orgasm was a beautiful thing. The look of pleasure on her face was that final kick he needed to throw him over the edge.

  He came harder than he’d ever imagined. She wrapped her arms and legs around him. He rolled them so they lay on their sides facing each other, still as connected as two people could be. He reached around and removed the plug, tossing it off the bed with a thump.

  “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you never gave me an answer,” he said when she brushed her fingers over his tattoo.

  “I don’t remember hearing a question.”

  Oh hell, he’d really fucked this up.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Mushy stuff wasn’t his strong suit. At all. But for Ana, well, he’d try anything.

  He hoped he could come up with a proposal worthy of her. When he opened his eyes and looked in her baby blues, he knew he’d do just fine.

  “Anastasia Staffordshire, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I never for a million years thought you’d look at me with half the love I feel for you. I’m a seriously bad catch considering I’m an unemployed jewel thief, but I promise to spend every day for the rest of my life making sure you’re happy. I love you. Will you marry me?”

  By the time he finished speaking, her eyes were filled with tears, and he felt an uncharacteristic moisture in his own eyes.

  “Robert Barnes paid you to steal the necklace?”

  What. The. Fuck.

  That was so not even close to the words he was expecting to come out of her mouth.

  “Yeah. He apparently had a thing for your grandmother and didn’t want the necklace falling into ‘enemy hands,’ his words. I have no idea what that means. But I’m pretty sure I asked you a question.”

  It was only then that he noticed her eyes sparkling, and damned if they didn’t look like the eyes of her grandmother.

  “I love you. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her. Slowly, this time. Gently. Promising her everything he couldn’t say out loud. He was getting better, he said the L word, but there was still so much more he could say to her. He’d never be poetic, but he’d try to let her know just how much she meant to him.

  “Jake?”

  “Hmm?”

  He’d only been up for a couple of hours, it couldn’t have been lunchtime yet, but with Ana in his arms, after an incredible orgasm, he could fall asleep at any time of the day or night.

  “Can I finish exploring the box?”

  He thought of all the fun they could have with the stuff in the box. He knew he’d gone overboard, but every single one of the toys turned him on when he thought about using it with Ana.

  “Fuck, yeah.”

  He grabbed her by the hand and didn’t bother with clothes. It was the best part of living on a private island. He was trying to figure out a way to get her on her knees when she bent over to look at whatever remained in the box.

  “You know, the diamond isn’t the only thing you stole. And I insist on hearing that whole story, by the way.” She looked at him over her shoulder and he had trouble comprehending her words given the view he had of her.

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  She couldn’t keep a straight face when she spoke. “You stole my heart.” She stood as she said it and started backing away from him, a sly smile on her face. He knew she was going to try to make a run for it again, this time for no other reason than because she knew he’d chase her. She knew he’d do anything for her.

  “That was...”

  “Sweet?”

  He shook his head.

  “That was awful,” he said. “You’re going to get punished for that.”

  Her eyes went wide, but she smiled that smile that practically brought him to his knees.

  “Only if you catch me.”

  She took off running. How could he not be in love with the woman?

  “I’ll always catch you, Princess,” he said, taking off after her. He didn’t have to waste his stamina running. He knew she’d end up right back in their bedroom. “You’re mine.”

  * * * * *

  Acknowledgments

  They say it takes a village to raise a child, and creating a book can seem as painful as childbirth sometimes. So it makes sense that it takes a village to create a book. Thank you to the amazing Carina Press team.

  About the Author

  Emma Sinclair’s first foray into writing was in middle school when she wrote and illustrated The Blue Bowl Bunch, a story about a bunch of grapes and their pun-filled adventures. That was followed in high school by an epic gothic tome of a whopping ten pages in which the “ghost” turned out to be a mischievous hedgehog and the main character’s name changed spelling on every other page.

  She’s grown a lot since those early days and finally realized she prefers to write supersexy stories with a happily-ever-after. Emma is a single mom who lives on Long Island and spends her free time watching cartoons, playing with LEGO sets and writing about herself in the third person.

  Emma loves to hear from readers. You can find her at her website, www.emmasinclair.com, Twitter, @EmmaSinWrites, or Facebook, www.Facebook.com/emmasinwrites.

  Strange Tango

  By Michelle Dayton

  Diamonds are a thief’s best friend

  Adam Patrick Henry, professional jewel thief, knows an amateur—and a cheap wig—when he sees one. The mysterious woman across the room is far from a pro, but her good instincts might come in handy on his next job. He could use a partner, and if that partner happens to be irresistible, all the better.

  Jessica Hughes has a long way to climb—and a whole lot to prove—before she’s back where she belongs. A cruel setup cost Jessica her job and her reputation, and she’s not opposed to a disguise and some underhanded tactics if it means getting her life back. But she’s no thief, not really, and teaming up with a gorgeous stranger who’s clearly up to no good might prove more dangerous than it’s worth.

  Working a job this big could give Adam and Jessica everything they’ve ever wanted—if their rocky partnership lasts long enough to carry it off.

  This book is approximately 37,000 words

  Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Lauren Plude Editorial
Services, LLC

  Dedication

  For my family, who never minded my extreme fondness for nonsense...

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  He noticed her legs first and the wig second.

  Playing his part, Adam had wandered into the elegant ballroom, tuxedo-clad and with a champagne flute in hand. Tickets to the Ignatius University annual ball cost a pretty penny, but at least part of the proceeds would go to charity. He’d scanned the room with lazy eyes, identifying his quarry at a table in the northeast corner of the room almost immediately.

  Then he spotted the blonde.

  She stood facing the arched windows that overlooked the lights of Michigan Avenue, wearing a sleeveless gown made entirely of white sequins. A gown so short that its hem rested only about two inches south of her rear. Her limbs were golden, like she’d just returned from a month in the Caribbean. An active month, if the long, lean muscles on her arms and legs were any indication.

  Probably a rich socialite who spent her days playing tennis, he decided, already bored. She might have had the best pins he’d ever seen, but he had only one use for self-involved members of the one percent, and he had a different target tonight.

  He’d been about to turn away when she swiveled to face the ballroom and he noticed her hair. It was blown out in smooth butter-colored waves that framed her face and had wispy ends that curled just under her breasts. Long, sleek bangs brushed the tops of her thick black eyelashes. He recognized the manufactured perfection instantly—he’d bought the exact same wig for an accomplice in a New Orleans job last year.