Stealing His Heart

by Diane Alberts

  Maybe he was counting on her still being that little girl, and he was hoping to take advantage of her childhood crush to lure her into some scheme of his. She shook her head slightly and took a sideways step toward the entry. Time to walk away from him and all the troubles he’d brought to her door.

  “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.”

  “Wait.” With one diagonal step, he blocked her escape with his hard, lean body. God, when had he gotten so freaking big? “We need to talk, Tara.”

  She frowned at him, irritated at his insistence despite the way her pulse leaped at his proximity. “Not in here. You want to talk? Come with me. You’ll have my undivided attention outside of this house.”

  “We’ll be fine here. The owner won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” He dragged his fingers through his brown hair, making it stand on end. “We’re quite alone, and you’re not going anywhere without hearing me out first.”

  “Fine.” Her temper rose, but she forced herself to remain calm. Outwardly, at least. “What do you want?”

  He curled his hands into fists. “I need your help with a project.”

  She laughed. Did he really think she would pick up where they left off? Happily go on another mission with him, acting as his sidekick? Hell no. She wasn’t anyone’s helper anymore. She worked alone. “I’m not interested. We’re not even friends anymore, let alone thieving buddies. And I don’t work with men I don’t trust. Remember?”

  His jaw tightened. He was so uptight and wound up. When had he become so serious? “Yeah, but you have to help me anyway. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

  No one told her what to do anymore, but she’d play along to get more information out of him. She fought back the snappy remark that flew to her tongue at his condescending attitude, trying to act as if she weren’t alarmed in the slightest by his reappearance in her life. “I can’t think of a possible reason why I would want to help you.”

  He stared her down with a hard, stony glint in his stare. “Because you don’t have a choice.”

  “I always have a choice.” She took a step to the left, focusing on the door. Her heart beat a rapid staccato. “And I choose to walk away from you right now.”

  He stepped in her way. Again. “Okay, you’re right. You do have a choice.”

  “I know I do. Now if you’ll excuse me…” She scooted to his left, but he blocked her for the millionth time. Anger surged in her veins, finally killing off any lingering lust she’d been feeling earlier. She fought the urge to throat-punch him. Barely. “I’m not afraid to kick you in the nuts. Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”

  He pulled out an iPhone, not even slightly concerned about the safety of his nuts, and started punching in his pass code. “Sorry. No can do. Now…about those choices. Here are yours. While you were busy watching the people leaving the house, I was busy watching you.” He stopped with his fingers hovering over the screen and his gaze locked on her. “And you can bet your ass that I have a video feed of you breaking and entering this house. Trust me. I got a clear shot of your face.”

  No. Just…no.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  “Show me the proof,” she snapped, her stomach roiling. If he’d caught her…she was screwed. “Where’s the footage?”

  He turned the phone her way, the video of her breaking in already playing on the screen. When she looked directly at the hidden camera, giving him the perfect view of her face, her heart quickened so fast it hurt. “Seriously? You’re going to narc on me?”

  “Yes. I am. Unless…” He returned her stare, and the heat of his stare scorched into her. But on top of that, she could read a hesitance in his gaze. Maybe even a little bit of shame, too. “…you help me.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Screw you. I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

  “I don’t have a choice, unlike you. You will do exactly what I tell you to do, or go to jail for your crimes. Your choice.”

  Son of a bitch.

  Chapter Two

  Jake watched Tara’s face go from pale to dangerously red. She wasn’t the only one who had wicked observation skills. Right now, he observed she was pissed off at him. He didn’t blame her, because he’d be angry as hell, too, if someone from his past showed up and blackmailed him into submission.

  But before the fury set in, before she realized his plan…

  She’d been looking at him as if she wanted nothing more than to pick up where they’d left off all those years ago, with his fingers in between her legs. Damned if he didn’t want to, too. But he wouldn’t. There had been a reason he stopped before fucking her, and those reasons still held true.

  She deserved better.

  He wished he could go back in time and do things differently. He’d have never touched her, because all these years he’d been unable to get over her. Unable to move on. And now, he was about to fuck it up even more. She’d always been there for him, and now he was doing this. Repaying her kindness with blackmail.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, guilt choking him.

  “I’ll look at you any way I want to look at you,” she snapped. “Does your big sister know you’re playing with extortion now?”

  “I don’t normally have to,” he returned. “But with you, it’s the only way to win.”

  She cocked her head. “Sure it is. Tell me. How is Christine nowadays? I haven’t talked to her since the night we got arrested.”

  His big sister, Christine, had been so fucking pissed off at him that night. She’d been away at college, but had threatened to fly home to kick his ass. She was only a year older than him, but man, he’d felt like a small child that night on the phone. “She’s fine. Stop trying to distract me from the real topic at hand. It won’t work.”

  She crossed her arms, clearly intending to ignore his warning. “Did you ever tell her about your abusive foster father, or did you keep her in the dark about that, too?”

  He clenched his fists, his anger at her and the memories she was bringing back choking him. “No. And I never will.” He ground his teeth together so hard it hurt. “I did what it took to survive until I got caught. After that, I never stole a damn thing again.”

  “Except my freedom. You’re stealing that now.”

  “Until now,” he agreed, his voice hard. “But if you’d stopped thieving like you promised me, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

  “Let me get this straight,” she said through clenched teeth. “You’re threatening to get me tossed behind bars, and then daring to blame me for it?”

  The way she said it, as if he’d claimed her first-born child for slavery, almost had him backing down. But he refused. He knew what he had to do. “Yep.”

  “Bullshit.” She clenched her fists. “You won’t report me to the police.”

  He cocked a brow. “I will. I might be the Jake you used to run with on the streets, but I’m not the same boy you once knew. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I am.”

  “Go ahead, then.” She tilted her head back and glared at him. “Do it. Call it in.”

  He’d known she would call his bluff. She hadn’t changed much in that aspect over the years. Back then, she would have won this little wager. He wouldn’t have turned her in. But things changed—and people did, too.

  After one long, piercing stare he lifted his phone and dialed the number for his boss, Cooper Shillings. She fidgeted, but didn’t try to run for it. Hell, she probably thought he would still cave in and show her he didn’t really intend to turn her in.

  She’d be waiting a hell of a long time.

  Cooper picked up on the first ring. “Yeah?”

  “Remember the independent contractor I mentioned bringing in on the Soltese case?”

  “Of course.” Papers shuffled. “Is she resisting?”

  “She is. What should I do with her? Bring her into the station?”

  Tara cursed under her breath and stepped closer. “Don’t even think about doing th
is to me, Jake. Not to me. You promised you’d always be there for me. That you’d always have my back.”

  The guilt almost did him in. Almost. “I still do.”

  “Prove it,” she said, not dropping his stare. “Let me go.”

  “You know what to do with her,” Cooper said from the phone, his voice low. “We already discussed this. If she won’t help, then she has to go in.”

  Jake stretched his arm high over his head, what he wanted to do warring with what he knew he had to do. His shirt rode up a little bit. Immediately, her attention dipped south, but then she forced it back to his face. She scowled at him, but he’d swear there was still a hint of desire behind the hatred. Interesting.

  “If she doesn’t help, then she has to go in?” he asked, for her benefit.

  “Yeah…I just said that. Why are you repeating everything I say?” Cooper paused. “Oh. I see what you’re doing. Dragging it out to see if she changes her mind?” Cooper chuckled. “Good luck with that. From what I read in her file, you’ll need it. Are you doing okay with the intake, even with your past?”

  “Yep. I’ve got it.” He nodded once. “I’ll cuff her and make sure she—”

  Tara threw her hands up, trembling slightly. “Fine. I’ll help you, you traitorous, arrogant, jerk of a man. God, I hate you.”

  Jake’s grip tightened on his phone. Victory was his. He’d known he would win this battle, but it didn’t make it any less sweet. Or any less hard. “Never mind. She’s agreed to help us.”

  “Good,” Cooper said, amusement in his voice. “Oh. And watch your back.”

  He cut off the line and studied her. She was breathing heavily, lids lowered into narrow slits. Did she still carry a weapon on her? Fuck, he hoped not. If so, she might stab him in the heart at the first chance she got. Maybe he should conduct a strip search, just to be safe. He ground his teeth together at the need that thought brought out in him.

  Never mind. That would be a bad idea. Anything that involved touching her would be a bad idea. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, but—”

  “Sorry?” She cocked her fist back and took a swing. He barely had enough warning to leap away. “I’ll show you sorry.”

  This time when she went after him again, he was ready. He caught her wrist and pulled her into his arms. He pressed her against the wall, much as he had before, but this time she faced him. Big. Mistake. She glowered at him and tried to squirm free. Her body writhed against every inch of his, connecting in all the right places, and he swallowed a groan.

  So much for not touching her.

  Her breasts rose and fell with each harsh breath she took, and her eyes spit fire at him. He knew if he let her go, she’d more likely punch him than kiss him.

  But he didn’t give a damn.

  He still wanted her.

  She tugged against his hold, shoving her tits against him harder. He squished her between his chest and the wall, leaving no free room between them whatsoever. “You done fighting me yet?”

  “Argh.” She flung her head back and scowled at him. “Let go of me you…you…”

  “Need some help?” He lowered his face to hers. “Asshole? Jerk? Fuckwad?”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she locked gazes with him. The air between them became charged with desire. Her pupils flared, and she bit down on her tongue. “All of those.”

  “Ah. Awesome. Glad we got that straightened out. Are you done trying to teach me a lesson yet?” he drawled.

  She tossed her head back, effectively getting her wavy brown hair out of her sparkling blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair wild. “Are you done shoving me up against walls for no apparent reason…unless you’re intending to take advantage of me? Is that what your next move is going to be? Seduce me into submission?”

  She had no idea how strong of an effect her words had on him. For a second, he had the unbearable desire to kiss her. To find out if her eyes still shone that bright when she was moaning beneath him, begging him for release. To see if she still made that little sound in the back of her throat when she came.

  The sound that had haunted him for years.

  The hardest thing he’d ever done was walk away from her, but it had been for the best. She hadn’t known what she was getting herself into when she’d kissed him back. She deserved so much more than he could give her. She should be with a prince—not a guy like him.

  He forced a snort. “I have no intention of taking advantage of you…in that way. I’m only interested in your brain, and how you can help me get my job done.”

  Fucking liar.

  “It’s all you’ve ever been interested in, it seems,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Excuse me?” he asked, amusement creeping into him for the first time in…Christ. He didn’t know how long. “I didn’t quite get that.”

  “I asked you if you ever do anything for fun? Or are you too busy bribing women, and protecting assholes all the time, to do something that’s not one hundred percent for work?”

  “I don’t know what fun is anymore.” He cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze when she stared at him without speaking. Damn, he hadn’t meant to be so honest with her. “Are you going to behave or what?”

  A hint of sympathy flashed across her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. “Jake,” she said, her voice slightly softer than it had been before.

  Something inside him twisted at the way she said his name. It reminded him of long days in the sun with her at his side, and even longer nights spent planning a heist. But the feelings she was bringing out in him now? They were far from what he’d felt for her back then. And having her under his control, pinned down beneath him, was bringing way too many of his adult fantasies to life. She shifted in his arms, her breasts rubbing against his chest with painful clarity.

  “Stop moving around so damn much,” he mumbled.

  The slight softness in her tone went away. “Let go of me, and I will.”

  “So you can take another swing at me?” He snorted and tightened his grip on her. “I don’t think so. I’m not letting you go until I’m damn good and ready.”

  Which might be never.

  “God, you’re such an ass now.” She dropped her head back against the wall, her gaze still full of anger and maybe even hatred.

  He readjusted his grip, and his chest moved against hers. Her hard nipples rubbed against him through their clothing. When she hissed at the contact, he froze. “You only think that because I’m winning.”

  Her generous mouth pressed into a tight line. “I’m going to kill you.”

  “Good luck. Lots have tried. None have succeeded.”

  She paled, but then seemed to shake off whatever had affected her. “You’ve never dealt with me once I’ve been wronged.”

  “You’ll get over it,” he said. “You always do.”

  “That’s what you think.”

  He pressed closer, letting his erection just barely touch her. Though he shouldn’t tempt himself, he couldn’t resist. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since that night when they’d almost fucked, but hadn’t. She’d been so sweet. So soft. So perfect.

  Too good for a guy like him.

  If she struggled against him, or acted as if his holding her was truly unwelcome, he’d let go instantly. Instead, she arched her hips experimentally, biting down on her lower lip. Well, shit.

  She clamped her mouth shut. “You’d be safer overseas with the insurgents than trying to start anything handsy with me right now.”

  Oh, she had no clue what she was talking about. He’d nearly gotten his damned leg blown off over there. Surely she would be more receptive than the insurgents. But judging from the anger blazing in those baby blues, maybe not.

  “Hm.” He shifted her in his arms. All he could think about was fucking her against this wall. Hard. Fast. Rough. He needed to release her now, before it was too late. Before he started something he shouldn’t. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  When he pr
essed even closer to her soft belly, she tossed her head back, her arched neck showing him more than any other action could. She practically begged him to kiss her there. To take her. He didn’t move a muscle. Not yet.

  “Jake…”

  “I’m sorry I left you that night.” He lowered his face to her neck, but didn’t touch. “Sorry I didn’t finish what I started.”

  She shook her head frantically, but her hips moved restlessly against him. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I don’t remember—”

  “Bullshit.” His grip on her tightened. “You know what I’m talking about, so don’t act as if you don’t. You’re not fooling either of us with that act.”

  She exhaled. “It doesn’t matter. You obviously weren’t interested in finishing. You made that quite clear. There’s no need for explanations years after the fact.”

  Not interested, his ass. “I was interested.” He hesitated, not sure how much to say. Not sure how to explain himself. “I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone before.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Then why did you stop?”

  “I wasn’t good enough for you. The things I did…the things I liked…you deserved better. You needed better. Still do.” He shook his head, pressing his mouth into a tight line. “We wouldn’t work together, let’s just put it that way.”

  “I’ll let you believe that if it makes you feel better,” she said, her brows gathered close. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, man.”

  “Being alone helps me sleep at night.” He pulled back without tasting her. It was a hell of a lot harder than he’d thought it would be. “It’s safer that way for everyone.”

  When he started to pull away, she wrapped her leg around his, opening herself to him. “Wait. Why do you think you need to be alone?”

  He could feel her heat begging for his cock. He rolled his hips, making sure to rub against her clit through her jeans. It felt good. Too good.

  Time to end these games.

  “I didn’t tell you to move,” he said, his voice harder than necessary. He needed to show her how he rolled in bed. Needed to scare her off so she’d stop pushing him. If she pushed too hard, he might snap. “Don’t move without asking me first. Understood?”