Stolen

by Julie Kenner

  “The necklace. Why we’re here. Returning it, remember?”

  “Well, yeah. I thought you were returning it.”

  He scowled. He had no idea what the combination was to Frances’s safe. “Can’t you just open it?”

  She crossed her arms and tilted her head. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I don’t have supersonic hearing and I didn’t bring my stuff.”

  “You had it earlier.”

  “Yeah. It’s in your car. I didn’t realize I was on call. We can go get it if you want, but Frances is going to wonder what’s going on.”

  “Fine. Okay.” Actually, he didn’t remember Emily taking the necklace out of the safe anyway. “We just need to leave it someplace where she’ll notice it, but not realize that it just magically appeared.”

  “Like in a vanity drawer?” Grace crossed to the antique vanity and pulled out one of the tiny drawers. Even from across the room, he could see that it was crammed full of cosmetics, hairbrushes, and various other girly things.

  “Perfect.” He pulled the box out of his jacket and opened it, then passed the necklace to her. “Just put it under a scarf or something. Not too hidden. We want her to find it.”

  “What if she doesn’t?” Grace asked. “What if she just calls the cops and says it’s been stolen?”

  “I’ll hear about it,” Kyle said. “She’ll either tell me, or I’ll hear about it from my cop friends. I’ll come over to have a look and—what do you know?—I’ll accidentally run across it.”

  “That works,” she said. She started to slide it into the drawer, but then she straightened, her perfectly white teeth worrying her lower lip.

  “What?” His senses immediately went on alert. “Do you hear something?”

  “No, no. It’s just…” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry. I’m just being silly.”

  Her cheeks bloomed pink, and he thought she looked completely adorable. He was also totally intrigued. “What?”

  The color in her cheeks increased, and she spoke to her shoes when she answered. “It’s just that my grandfather wanted me to have this necklace. Not that he had any right,” she rushed to add. “But I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. And…” She gave a shrug. And when she looked up and met his eyes, he couldn’t help but smile.

  “Go ahead,” he said. “Try it on.”

  “You’re sure?” She licked her lips and made a face. “It sounds like such a girly-girl thing to want to do.”

  “It is.”

  At that, she rolled her eyes.

  He just laughed. “I’m serious,” he said. “If you want to play the princess, I’m all for it.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” He moved up behind her and plucked the necklace from her fingers. She was facing the mirror, and their eyes met in the reflection. Without a word she reached back and pulled up her hair.

  He draped the necklace into place, then fastened the clasp, his fingers brushing her neck as he maneuvered the complicated clasp. She shivered slightly, and he fought the urge to bend down and kiss her, ever so softly, right at her hairline. He was being sentimental and foolish, and those were instincts best left unexplored.

  She let her hair fall free and then turned to face him. The necklace sparkled and shimmered in the overhead lighting. She’d changed out of her black turtleneck that morning, and now she wore one of his white button-downs. The top two buttons were unfastened, and the necklace filled the breach, fire and ice resting on a perfectly elegant Hepburnesque neck.

  He wanted to run his finger over the fine bones there. To lean in and kiss the tiny indentations and smooth shadows. He stifled the urge, though, and instead simply told her that she looked absolutely beautiful.

  * * *

  MEL COULDN’T HELP the wide smile that crossed her face as his words still hung in the air. You look absolutely beautiful. “Any girl looks great in this many diamonds,” she said.

  “Maybe. But you look beyond great. You look on fire. And you definitely deserved to try them on.”

  She couldn’t meet his eyes any longer. “Thanks. I really wasn’t fishing for compliments. I just…” She shrugged. She couldn’t explain it. And the truth was, she had a feeling he already understood. Heck, he seemed to be able to read her mind about everything else.

  The truth was, the necklace seemed to call to her. She’d seen some amazing jewelry during her career, but this necklace took the cake. Warm and inviting, it had begged for her touch. And while she knew she couldn’t keep it, that she had to give it up, she wanted just one moment. Just one tiny chance to play the princess.

  Now that she had it on, she understood all the fuss about ostentatious jewelry. It weighed a ton, yes, but at the same time it seemed to hold her up higher.

  She reached up, touching the stones at her neck. “They’re so beautiful.”

  “Yes,” he said from behind her. “You are.”

  She turned around, taking her eyes from her reflection to look at this man. The diamonds must be affecting more than her reflection, she thought, because right then all she wanted was to feel the touch of his hands on her body, the press of his lips against hers. She knew she was lost in the fantasy, but she didn’t care. If she was playing the princess, then he was playing the prince, and she really and truly wanted to be swept away.

  She took a step forward, her lips parted just slightly, her eyes never leaving his. His blue eyes darkened, like the sea at night, and he brushed her cheek, then traced his fingertip over the swell of her lower lip.

  Her pulse increased, her whole body alive with anticipation. She wanted his touch, wanted his kiss, and she leaned in, ready to simply take what she hoped he would willingly give.

  Their lips met, and his fingers twined through her hair. Her knees went weak, her legs unable to support her, and she was grateful for his other arm tight around her waist.

  His mouth pressed hot against her, and he explored her thoroughly. Filling her and tormenting her. She wanted more but knew she couldn’t have it. Not then. Likely not ever.

  His hand stroked her hair, then caressed her neck, her back, before sliding down to cup her rear. He pulled her closer, pressing her tight to him, until his thigh was right between her legs and she could feel the hard length of him against her. The pressure of his body next to hers drove her wild, but she concentrated only on the kiss. On the way he tasted. On his masculine scent that overwhelmed her senses.

  Dear Lord, he was driving her crazy.

  He shifted then, and she realized he was leading her to the bed. Her head told her to protest. The rest of her followed willingly and begged for his touch. He eased her down, then straddled her, his knees on either side of her hips as he started to unfasten the buttons of her shirt. One button, two…

  She drew a shaky breath, her stomach quivering as his fingers grazed her skin. He bent over, pressed a kiss just below her bra, and Mel was certain that she was going to come right then.

  She tangled her fingers in his hair, wanting more. Wanting—

  Below them the doorbell chimed, the sound echoing through the house and jolting Mel back to reality. She sat up, fastening her shirt as Kyle backed away.

  She drew in a breath but couldn’t meet his eyes. What the hell had they been thinking?

  “Saved by the bell,” he said, a slight tease in his voice.

  She licked her lips. “Let’s just get the necklace back in the vanity and get out of here before we—” She cut herself off. “Well, before we get sidetracked again.”

  “Good idea.”

  She stood up and readjusted her clothes, trying to ignore the lingering heat his touch had generated. She still wanted more, but she knew that was ridiculous. He didn’t even know her real name, and as soon as this was over, she was heading back to her house and never looking back. That was the way it had to be. There might be some serious attraction brewing here, but she wasn’t about to get involved with a guy who knew she’d been a thief. He’d never be able to respe
ct her, and she didn’t want to have to spend every day wondering if he trusted her.

  She blinked, realizing she was getting way, way ahead of herself. They’d had only one kiss. He didn’t even know her real name, he wasn’t asking her out and she certainly didn’t think he was making relationship plans.

  Quit borrowing problems and get the hell out of there.

  Right. Good plan.

  She reached back and fumbled with the clasp. No luck. She tried again. Nothing. “It’s stuck.”

  “Let me.”

  She turned and held up her hair so he could see the clasp. His fingers grazed her skin and she swallowed a moan.

  “Sorry,” he said, his voice low.

  She bit her lower lip, not realizing she’d actually made a sound. “It’s okay. I…um…laughed. Ticklish.”

  “Oh.” He struggled with the clasp some more, his fingers doing a number on the back of her neck. Damn the man. Didn’t he know the effect he had on her?

  “Hold still.”

  “You’re…still…tickling…me,” she said, figuring a half-truth wasn’t the same as a lie. His touch did tickle, but that wasn’t the reason for her goose bumps and shivers. Holding her breath, she tried to take her mind off his fingers. Didn’t work. All she could think about was turning around and losing herself in his arms again.

  Bad plan. Very bad plan.

  He’d cast a spell over her, some magic designed to fizzle away her common sense. She needed to get free, and so she jerked to the side, twisting away from him so that she could think clearly.

  “Wait! It’s—”

  Too late she realized that the clasp had finally opened. She lost her balance and tumbled sideways, pulling him down until he landed with a thud on top of her.

  Her first thought was that she’d like to stay right there on the floor forever. Her second, that she needed to get the heck out of there before proximity to Kyle fried her brain even more.

  But then he shifted his weight, and her heart picked up tempo again, all rational thought evaporating. One of his hands pressed against her ribs, the edge of his finger grazing her breast.

  Dear Lord, she was going to melt.

  His breathing was as ragged as her own, and she could see heat in his eyes. He leaned forward, his lips parted, and she shivered, wanting him again, right then, right there, despite common sense and reason.

  He paused, his mouth only inches from hers, and she could see the tension in his jaw, practically feel how tightly wound he was. “Shit.” He ground out the curse, then rolled off her, using the vanity to pull himself up.

  She stayed on the floor, not sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

  He reached down and offered her his hand. “We need to get out of here,” he said.

  She nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. They slipped the necklace under one of Frances’s scarves, then closed the vanity drawer.

  She followed him out of the room and down the stairs. They would say their goodbyes to Frances and then head outside. The brisk sea air would restore her senses, and by the time Kyle dropped her at the bus stop near Miss Emily’s house, she’d be her perfectly practical self again.

  She told herself she couldn’t wait.

  But that, of course, was a big fat lie.

  CHAPTER 5

  “DID YOU HEAR a word I said?”

  Kyle forced his thoughts away from Grace and looked up at Brent Connors. His chief technician and right-hand man, Brent, was pacing in front of Kyle’s desk. “What did you say?”

  “I said money’s tight enough as it is. We don’t need a new assistant.”

  “It’s not a point of discussion, Brent. If we want to keep this business growing, we need help.”

  Brent collapsed into the chair opposite Kyle’s desk, then leaned back and put up his feet.

  Kyle waved an irritated hand at the soles of Brent’s loafers. “Do you mind?”

  “Help? What are you talking about?”

  “Running a business, Brent.” His partner might own thirty percent of the business, but Kyle did one hundred percent of the day-to-day crap that kept the operation running. On top of that, he was the face man—the ex-cop who could get the clients, liaison with the community, and generally do the whole PR schtick while Brent designed and installed the systems. Having grown up at the edge of Emily’s spotlight, Kyle was used to being on display. Brent, however, was a science nerd and was happy to be ensconced behind the scenes.

  So far, the system had worked out great. And Kyle could see hefty profits in their future. But those profits hinged on getting out from under the Driskell mess.

  Three days had passed since he’d dropped Grace off at the Laguna Beach bus stop, and, except for the occasional foray into fantasy, he’d spent the past thirty-six hours focusing on his business. But even that wasn’t enough. Bills had been left by the wayside and calls gone unreturned. If he didn’t want the business to go under even while he was trying to save it, he was simply going to have to buckle down and hire someone to help around the office. Because right then Kyle’s priority was not only finding the flaw in Driskell’s system but fixing it, as well. And for that he needed all of his resources—time, money and Brent.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Brent said. His partner had a way of reading his mind that was both disconcerting and comforting. Brent had designed Driskell’s system and done the installation personally. He was a total geek who took his job seriously, and he’d sworn to Kyle that the system was impenetrable. After the robbery, Brent had had to admit something had gone wrong.

  “How?” Kyle asked. “How are we supposed to figure it out if we don’t have any time to devote to the problem?” He picked up a pile of résumés the placement agency had sent over that morning. “No, I made up my mind last night. I’m hiring an office assistant. That’s it. End of story.”

  Brent didn’t respond. Instead he took a silver dollar out of his shirt pocket and started twirling it between his fingers.

  Kyle shook his head, exasperated. Brent didn’t want to deal with the situation, didn’t want to admit his system was buggy, didn’t want to admit that anything needed fixing. But it did, and Kyle needed his partner to focus. But focusing wasn’t Brent’s strong suit.

  Brent tossed the coin into the air, and Kyle gave up and took the not-so-subtle hint. “Okay, okay. So tell me how you did at the tables.”

  “Up three grand. Not bad, eh?”

  “Not bad,” Kyle agreed. Too bad the money was in Brent’s pocket and not the company’s bank account. “So you’re staying put for a while?”

  Brent pocketed the coin and sat up straight. “Actually, I’m going back tomorrow.”

  Kyle closed his eyes and sighed. “Shit, Brent. What have I just been saying? You know I need you here.”

  “You just need me to figure out the problem. And I think better in Vegas.” He shrugged, and although it might have been a trick of the light, Kyle thought Brent actually blushed. “And, uh, well, I met a girl.”

  “The girl can wait, man. This is our livelihood I’m talking about.”

  “Come on, Kyle. You know I do my best work in the casinos. The noise inspires me.”

  “Forget it, Brent.”

  Brent scowled. “Can I at least work at home, or are you going to chain me to the office?”

  Kyle held up his hands. “I gave up handcuffs when I quit the force. Home is fine. Just come in once or twice a day so we can touch base. See what kind of progress we’re making.”

  “Fine. Whatever.”

  Kyle ran his fingers through his hair once again, thinking about his to-do list that just kept growing and growing. “And just so you know, this is exactly why I’m hiring an assistant. If I’m going to run this place solo, I need someone who can do the grunt work. So if you so much as hint that you’re against hiring someone, I swear your slot machine arm will be in traction for months.”

  “Big talk,” Brent said, his grin wide.

  “Maybe,” Kyle conceded. “But
the sentiment’s real.”

  Brent chuckled as he shifted in the chair. “So you were deep in thought when I got here. Thinking about anything in particular? Or anyone?”

  Kyle looked up sharply. “Excuse me?”

  “Ha!” Brent barked out a laugh and slapped his thigh. “I knew it. It’s true.” He webbed his hands behind his neck and leaned back. “So, what? How come I never heard of this gal? Did she get under your skin or what?”

  Did she ever. “Yeah, she—” He stopped, stared at Brent. “How’d you hear?”

  “Usual channels. My great-aunt’s sister was at Miss Emily’s party. And since she knows we work together, she asked me who your new girlfriend was. Imagine my embarrassment when I, your best friend and partner, couldn’t give her any dirt.”

  “A tragedy, I know. But I don’t have any dirt to give.”

  “No?”

  “Sorry.”

  Brent unpeeled a stick of gum, popped it in his mouth, then leaned back again. “Well, at least give me something to work with. Who is she? Is she hot?”

  “Yes, she’s hot, and she’s just a girl I met. She needed help with her tire.” Kyle had no idea why he was keeping the full story from Brent. Maybe because he figured Grace’s secrets belonged to her and her alone. Or maybe he was just embarrassed that despite actually cruising by the bus stop on his way to the office every day, he’d been unable to find her again. He couldn’t tell Brent who she was because he didn’t know himself.

  That little fact had been keeping him from sleep as much as his business worries had.

  The electronic buzzer over the front door chimed, and Kyle stood up. “My first interview.”

  Brent rolled his eyes. “Have fun. I’m out of here.”

  But instead of a twenty-something looking for a job opportunity, Miss Emily swept in, passing Brent on his way out. She gave Kyle a quick kiss on the cheek and then took the seat Brent had just vacated.

  He abandoned his desk for the seat next to her. She never ventured to his office—the traffic drove her crazy—and he couldn’t help but be concerned. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, no.” She patted his hand, a little too casually, he thought. “Everything’s fine. I was just at the bank and thought I’d stop in.”