by Julie Kenner
Originally published as Stolen Kisses in 2004
Melissa Tanner is just your average, everyday cat burglar, desperately trying to walk the straight and narrow path. So wouldn’t it figure that on the night she’s trying to return some jewelry, she’d find herself caught up in the arms of gorgeous Kyle Radley? The situation could have had some interesting possibilities—if Kyle hadn’t been an ex-cop!
Right or wrong, Kyle can’t help wanting Mel…and he has a feeling the sexy felon has a weakness for him, too. But Mel says she’s pulled her last heist and wants nothing to do with a man who will always see her as a criminal. Still, Kyle is determined. He’s going to catch his thief—and then spend his days convincing her that a life sentence is a very good thing….
STOLEN
JULIE KENNER
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
PROLOGUE
EMILY RADLEY SAT ramrod straight in the darkened booth, her posture unmarred despite eighty-six years of gravity taking its toll. Across the table, her longtime friend Gregory Tanner toyed with his drink, not even the slightest bit ill at ease despite the seedy bar and its leather-and-metal-clad patrons.
She’d picked the place because the odds were slim that they’d be recognized at a biker bar just outside of Santa Ana, California. In miles, they hadn’t traveled far from their homes near the Orange County beaches, but in California that wasn’t necessary to get to a completely different world. As they used to say in the commercials, they’d come a long way, baby. No one would recognize them here. No one in Emily’s social circle would come within five miles of the place, much less step inside.
Even Gregory, whose life had overflowed with, well, color, wouldn’t be recognized. This was the perfect place for their meeting.
Of course, they could have simply met at a Denny’s, but the lowbrow nature of the bar had been an additional point in its favor. They’d come here to plot and scheme, and Emily liked the added element of drama that meeting in such a place provided.
She took another sip of her gin and tonic, then clasped her hands on the table. “So we’re agreed?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” he said. Even at eighty-five, he still looked as dashing as ever. Once, years ago, Emily’d had a crush on the notorious Mr. Tanner. As a Hollywood ingenue, she’d been unable to pursue it. After all, this had been before the days when being a bad girl got a girl further in the movie business. Now she wondered what she’d missed by not returning Gregory’s interest. She’d always had his friendship, of course, but it had been little Martha Kline, God rest her soul, who’d known the secrets of Gregory’s heart.
Emily shook her head. It didn’t matter. They weren’t here about their pasts; they were here about their futures. Their heirs and their families. The two children were simply floundering around, the years ticking away with no one to love or cherish them except a small group of old people. And, as much as Emily would like to live forever, she knew that was one thing her millions could not do for her.
And so Emily and Gregory had contrived a way to bring their grandchildren together, and Emily was absolutely certain that their scheme would work.
Without a word she reached into her purse and pulled out the package. She’d wrapped the jewelry box in brown paper, then tied it with twine. At about six inches long and two inches wide, it looked completely innocuous. Certainly, no one would guess that the contents were worth over half a million dollars.
As he took the package, she noted the way his eyes sparkled. For a moment she wondered if she’d ever see the necklace again, but she quashed the thought. Perhaps foolish, perhaps naive, but she trusted Gregory.
He tucked the package into the pocket of his suit jacket. “Not that I don’t appreciate a fine plot, Emily, but maybe we’d be better off simply introducing the kids.”
She waved her hand, dismissing the idea. Perhaps they’d been foolish years ago to hide their friendship, but it had been a different era, and it had seemed the best for Martha Kline to keep their contact to a minimum. Now was hardly the time to announce a lifelong alliance, particularly when their grandchildren’s ignorance could work in their favor. And, though she’d hardly admit it to Gregory, this way was simply much more fun.
“I’ve introduced Kyle to so many women he could host a Follies,” she finally said. “No. He can smell a setup. We’ve picked the perfect solution. A situation. A way for them to fall in love without even realizing they’re doing it. The perfect script.”
“Another Academy Award for your mantel?”
She flashed a camera-ready smile. “I’ve never won a directing Oscar.”
“Well, perhaps this is your year.” His gentle smile eased into a frown, and the furrows in his brow deepened. “And Frances is really willing to go along with this charade?”
“Don’t act so surprised. We have our differences, of course, but where Kyle is concerned we see eye to eye. The boy needs to settle down.” She reached over and patted his hand. “Don’t worry, Gregory. We’re already halfway through act one, and everything is going smoothly. Kyle thinks I’ve stolen an heirloom from my sister. And I know my grandson. He’s going to try to make it right, and since he’s coming to my soiree tomorrow, I’m sure that tomorrow’s our night. Everything is falling into place, and now it’s time for you to play your part.”
“I’m a thief, not an actor.”
“Nonsense. You were the most talented and dashing bit player ever to grace the silver screen.”
He scowled, his expression turning dubious.
“Don’t you dare chicken out on me now, Gregory Tanner. We’ve concocted the perfect plan. Nothing will go wrong.”
For a moment he didn’t react. Then he nodded, one efficient motion, and put a twenty on the table to cover their drinks. “I hope you’re right. I can’t help but think that I’ve failed Melissa.”
“Nonsense. You raised her. Took care of her—”
“Taught her a trade.”
Emily sniffed. “How the girl chose to make her living was hardly your doing. The point is that she wishes to be respectable now and you are supporting her wholeheartedly.” She stood and he followed suit, then helped her into her coat, a light jacket to ward off the chill from the ocean breeze.
“Still,” he said, as she took his arm, “I’m surprised that you consider Melissa suitable for your grandson. Under the circumstances, I mean.”
At that, Emily eased closer to his side and tightened her grip on his arm. Then, with impeccable timing, she tilted her head just so, met his eyes, and allowed a mere wisp of a smile to grace her lips. “Of course I have no objections,” she said. “I’d be quite a hypocrite if I did.”
He studied her face, the lines etched at his eyes finally crinkling into a smile of his own. And right then she knew that he’d seen the hint of desire peeking out from her own countenance, just as she wanted him to. After all, she had two Oscars and three Emmys on her mantel. If she’d wanted to hide her emotions, she was more than capable.
But now, at the twilight of her life and while the two of them were playing with fate…well, this was hardly the time to play the coy shrinking violet. No, this required a much brasher role. And that was a role that Emily Radley had been born to play.
CHAPTER 1
A SHAFT OF SUNLIGHT wriggled its way through the east-facing window of Melissa Tanner’s bedroom and tickled her eyelashes. She twisted under the sheets, trying to eek out a few more minutes of glorious sleep. One minute, two, she didn’t care. She just wanted to f
loat in that wonderful haze between sleep and dreams, that shadowy world where dreams dashed in and out, and where a few more minutes of bliss could be had with just a tap on the snooze button.
“Melissa?” Footsteps sounded on the stairs leading up to her room. “Melissa, you’re not going to sleep away the entire day, are you?”
She groaned, pulling the covers up over her head and wishing that one thin quilt could drown out her grandfather’s voice. She knew he didn’t mean any harm, but was it really necessary to remind her yet again that she was utterly and completely jobless?
His sharp rap on her bedroom door echoed through the room, the sound harmonizing with the sudden high-pitched squeal of her alarm clock. Another seven-minute snooze cycle had passed. Might as well bite the bullet and get up.
“Coming.” She tossed the word out in the general vicinity of the door, then sat up, managing in the same motion to swing her feet to the ground.
In the two months since she’d been laid off, she’d crisscrossed Orange County, submitting dozens of résumés and suffering through almost twenty job interviews. She’d had five call-back interviews, but in the end the job always went to someone else. Debts were piling up, property taxes were looming, and her checking account was nearing the two-digit mark.
Not good.
The economy was terrible, and her degree in history wasn’t exactly opening doors all over corporate America. If she didn’t get a job soon, she was going to be in big trouble. Not only were her savings almost completely gone, she had nothing to fall back on. Not money. Not job skills. Because when push came to shove, except for the one management trainee job she’d so recently lost, she really had no experience that could earn her a living.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She did have one incredibly lucrative set of skills. But cat burglary wasn’t a solid career option, and she was determined to be a solid citizen from here on out. Her life so far had been all about secrets, and she was tired of it. Tired of not having any good friends, tired of breaking off relationships after only four dates because she was afraid of getting close. Tired of worrying about getting caught.
Just plain tired. She needed respectability. A real life. A real job.
But unless something changed pretty darn soon, she was going to end up flipping burgers at Mc-Donald’s and washing the smell of French fries out of her hair every night.
Not exactly what she’d hoped to be doing at the ripe old age of twenty-four.
No, she corrected herself. Twenty-five. Happy birthday to me. With a scowl, she pushed herself off the bed and headed toward the door.
She’d grown up with a grandfather who’d been a living, breathing Robie “The Cat.” In To Catch A Thief, Cary Grant had ended up with Princess Grace. Well, Mel wanted her own prince, a decent job…the whole fairy-tale life. Was that too much to ask?
“Melissa Jane Tanner, if you don’t open this door right now, I’m going to keep your birthday present for myself.”
That got her moving. She grabbed the knob and threw open the door. Gramps stood there, looking dapper as always in a linen suit and holding two martini glasses. “A toast,” he said, handing one to her as he stepped into the room. “To my favorite granddaughter.”
She grinned. “I’m your only granddaughter.”
“Then my fondness for you worked out quite well.”
With a little shake of her head, she followed as he headed over to perch on the edge of her bed. She took the single wooden folding chair, the only other seating in her tiny bedroom.
She held up the martini. “Let me guess, today you’re William Powell from The Thin Man.”
His face, still ruggedly handsome despite years of wear and tear, lit up. “You always were better at my games than your grandmother or your father.”
“The props helped,” she said, lifting the martini glass.
“I’ll have you know that’s a genuine film artifact. I was an extra in After the Thin Man. Even met Jimmy Stewart. He was just starting out, you know.” She did know, actually. She’d been weaned on classic movies and loved them as much as Gramps did. “My scenes may have ended up on the cutting room floor,” he continued. “But at least I got to keep the glasses.”
She squinted at the glass, examining it from all sides. “Amazing artisanship,” she teased. “But a martini for breakfast? Blech.”
“It’s your birthday. Anything goes.”
Her smile broadened. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He waggled a finger in mock warning, but she only laughed. She adored her grandfather and would do just about anything for him.
He was, in fact, the reason that she’d kept doing the cat burglary gig for as long as she had. He’d taken care of her after her parents had died, and as he’d gotten older, it had been her turn to take care of him. The only job she’d known was what he’d taught her, and she’d used those skills to pay the bills, buy the groceries and generally keep them off the streets.
She’d been willing to use those same skills to help fund her college education—a slow process when you had to keep scrambling over rooftops for tuition money. She’d made it, though, and she’d kept the thieving to a minimum. And now that she was legit with her shiny bachelor’s degree on her wall, she didn’t intend to return to a life of crime.
But unless she could figure out a way to pay those property taxes, she might have no choice. Because the one thing she wanted even less than returning to that life was seeing the house sold out from under them. Not only was this house all she had left of her parents, but it was the home she shared with Gramps. She wasn’t giving it up. No matter what.
She knew a lot of girls her age might balk at living under the same roof as their grandfather, but Mel had lost her parents in the blink of an eye. One of these days Gramps would go, too, and she wanted to have shared as much as possible with him before then.
“And one more toast,” he said, lifting his glass. “To new beginnings and bright futures.”
“I’ll drink to that,” she said, “especially if by ‘bright’ you don’t mean under the fluorescent lights of some fast-food restaurant.”
“I don’t, indeed.” He took a sip of his drink, and she did the same, then immediately spit it out, unable to swallow through the burst of laughter.
“Gramps! This is water.”
“Well, of course, Melissa. I’m certainly not going to imbibe before the cocktail hour.”
She rolled her eyes, and then, just to show him, she slammed back the rest of her drink, then fixed him with her best stare. “Personally, I like my mineral water shaken, not stirred.”
He shook his head. “James Bond. Really, Melissa, you’re not even challenging me. Can’t you come up with a more obscure film?”
“Not in my jammies, I can’t.” Besides, at the moment she wasn’t feeling particularly sharp. For that matter, lately she’d been feeling like quite a loser. After all, how hard could it be, really, to find a job?
Apparently, it was pretty damn hard.
“What?”
She scowled. The man knew her too well. “I’m just wondering what I bothered with all that school for. I mean, it took me forever to finish my bachelor’s, and for what? So I can pound the pavement looking for a job that’s not there?”
“You’ll find one,” he said. “You already did. You had a perfectly fine position at that rental agency.”
“Perfectly fine until I got laid off.” Budget cuts, and she’d been the first to go. The downside of being low on the totem pole.
The sad truth, though, was that she’d secretly rejoiced the day she’d gotten her pink slip. The job had been duller than dull, and she’d taken Gramps all the way into Los Angeles for a fabulous dinner, just to celebrate her freedom.
At the time, she’d assumed the job would be easily replaceable. Little did she know.
What she did know was that she couldn’t continue as a cat burglar. It was too risky. Too illegal. It simply wasn’t right. Even more, she hated living a co
nstant lie.
But could she help the fact that no other job offered the thrill she got from inching her way into someone’s locked room? Pathetic, she knew, and she’d turned over a new leaf. Melissa Tanner had gone straight as an arrow. If she got the urge, she’d take up bungee jumping. But cat burglary was off-limits. Totally and completely.
Gramps stood and crossed the room to her desk. He put his glass down and turned to face her, his gaze serious.
“Grandpa?”
“Maybe it’s time for you to give up the pretense.”
She swallowed, afraid he was going to call her out, accuse her of wanting to be a thief. “The pretense?” she repeated, hoping she sounded innocent.
“The job situation,” he said. “Why don’t you simply take some time off while you evaluate your options and figure out what you need to do?”
A lovely idea, but hardly practical unless he was going to suggest thieving as a way to pay her bills. And she knew he wouldn’t do that in a million years. Gramps knew better than anyone the perils and pitfalls of a life of crime, and he’d pushed her out of the profession with all the force he could muster. The only other time he’d shown such determination had been when he’d taught her the skills that had kept her from ever getting caught.
“Gramps, I appreciate the thought, but even if I could convince the county that they don’t need those silly old taxes, we still have food and a car payment and other expenses.”
She hated laying it out like that, especially when she knew that Gramps had no money to help her out with. He’d long ago run through his savings, and social security didn’t make payments to retired thieves.
She sighed. “I just need to find a job. Since I’ve already run through all the usual channels, I’m thinking I’ll try to find something that has a little kick to it. Maybe the Parks Service. I mean, that has to be interesting. Or maybe at one of the amusement parks. Adventure. Excitement. My cup of tea, right?”
“I’m sure you would get immense job satisfaction out of running a cotton candy machine, but before you make a new career plan, at least take a look at my birthday present to you.”