Stolen Hearts (2 page)

Chapter Two

Her
hero
?
Who the fuck was this bozo?

One look at the uniform though and Alex wanted to bolt from the store and never look back. Cops made him nervous as shit, ever since he got busted by some a couple years ago. They were so cocky, thought they were superior to everyone else when really they were usually just adrenaline junkies like the bad guys.

They just decided to work on the right side of the law instead.

“Um, I’m fine, Johnny.
Really.”
The beautiful blonde smiled at the cop, resting her tiny hands on the countertop. Her nails were painted with pale pink polish, her hands neat and elegant, fingers slim.

Hands he could imagine stroking his cock, bringing him undeniable pleasure, making him come like a geyser with just her touch.

Shaking his head, Alex stepped out of the way of the cop who now stood in front of him, sizing him up. The skinny jackass rested his hands on his hips, pointy elbows out, grim expression on his wholesome face.

“You from around here?”

“No, just visiting.” Alex didn’t plan on volunteering any more information than he had to.

Damn his luck for running into a cop the moment he stepped into a jewelry store for the first time in years. Discreetly sniffing the air, he swore he could actually smell the expensive stones. He caught a glint of something extra shiny in the center case of the counter.

The bracelet he’d come for, he’d bet his life on it. He’d always had an eye for the most expensive item in a store. It had never failed him in all his years. He didn’t doubt it now.

“Is this the guy you told me about, Celeste?” The cop cocked his bean head in Alex’s direction.

Celeste shook her head, her big blue eyes never leaving Alex’s. His groin heated, cock stirring to life and he swallowed, trying to tear his eyes away from her, focus on the cop, anything but her.

But he couldn’t. He was trapped like a fly in a spider’s web.
Unable to move, unable to look away.

She couldn’t seem to look away either.

“No,” she finally said, her sweet voice washing over Alex, sending a shiver up his spine. “That guy was shorter, with blond hair. He left. I don’t know where he went.”

“Want me to go look for him? He might be hanging around here, or maybe he’s down the street.” The cop hitched up his belt, keys clanging, gun slapping against his thigh.

Alex turned quickly, focusing on the gun. He hated guns—they made him more nervous than cops did.

Of course, that hadn’t stopped him from bringing one with him, though it was back in the motel room.

“Oh that sounds like a great idea, Johnny. Thank you.”

Johnny the cop nodded his head in Celeste’s direction and turned, squinting at Alex. “Have a good day, sir.”

“You too, officer.”
Alex gave him a mock salute and the cop was on his way out the door, searching for a phantom stranger.

Interesting.
Celeste the store owner must have called the cops on him for watching the store—yet she didn’t tell Johnny Gung-Ho that he was the very one who’d been watching. She even sent the cop on a wild goose chase.

It didn’t make much sense. But he wasn’t about to protest it.

“Why’d you send him on his way?” Alex edged closer to the door, already planning how to grab the bracelet though he knew he wasn’t going to do it today. He needed a little more time to figure this shit out.

All the jewelry sent his senses into overload. The gorgeous blonde behind the counter was fucking with his senses too, though he wasn’t protesting that either. He swore even from across the room he could smell her sweet scent, reminding him of a summer breeze and flowers.

“Why were you spying on me?”

Her question threw him for a loop, surprised at her bluntness. “I wasn’t spying. I was just…waiting for your store to open.”

“When you walked inside you said you shouldn’t have come in here. I didn’t think you were interested in my store.” A dark reddish blonde eyebrow arched, pink lips pursed with doubt.

He wanted to kiss the doubt right off those lips. Wanted to taste her, devour her,
consume
her.

Shaking his head, Alex rested his hand on the door handle, deciding to go for the poor-pitiful-me plan. “I can’t afford this place. You have beautiful jewelry but it’s a little out of my league.”

Shit, he couldn’t afford to be
inside
the
place, that
was for damn sure. His palms literally itched, whether to get his hands on some valuable pieces or the hot little piece suddenly headed his way, he wasn’t quite sure.

Okay that was a lie. He’d rather have his hands on her than some expensive, cold stones any day.

Damn it, he didn’t want her to come any closer. He needed her to stay as far away from him as possible. She was temptation personified, walking sin,
seduction
in its purest form.

Where the hell was his fried brain coming up with this stuff? This is what happened when a man went without sex for too long.

He got all dramatic and shit.

“Our jewelry comes in various price ranges. We have very reasonably priced pieces. What are you looking for?” Her smile revealed straight white teeth and she clasped her hands in front of her. The pale blue sweater set she wore emphasized the color of her eyes, and the string of lustrous pearls surrounding her slender neck showcased its elegant curve.

She was one classy broad, as his father would say. Certainly wouldn’t be interested in an ex-con like him.

“Um, something for my mother.”
The words came quickly, easily, and disgust filled him. His mother had died when he was five yet he had no problem lying.

Once a liar, always a liar, his father always told him.
He said the same thing about being a thief too.

Shit.

“Ah, that’s nice.” Celeste’s smile grew and Alex felt a tightening in his groin at the sight of it. “Does she like anything in particular?”

“Diamonds.”

Damn, he could swear his forehead just broke out into a cold sweat. Why the hell did he say that?

Her eyes lit and she waggled a finger at him, turning to walk straight toward the center of the glass counter. “I know you said we’re too expensive but let me show you this, just to show you. It’s beautiful. Maybe your father could buy it for her. Is it her birthday?”

“Yes. It is.” Alex followed her, admiring the shift of her ass beneath the tight black skirt as she walked.

She leaned against the edge of the counter, tapping her fingernail on the glass, exactly at the spot where a diamond bracelet rested. “Isn’t it gorgeous? I just obtained it from an estate sale, I couldn’t resist it.”

“It’s beautiful.” His breath lodged in his throat, his heart rate increasing triple time. The bracelet sparkled up at him in all its brilliance, thirteen carats of pure perfection. The woman had no idea just
how
valuable this bracelet was—or to whom.

The old lady who’d had it in her possession when she passed was none other than the mother of the man who founded the gang his own father now ran.

His father had explained the entire story. When old lady
Annabella
Rizzo up and died, no one from her family had been able to claim any of her possessions. The son who’d once headed his dad’s gang was already long gone, her various grandsons either locked away in prison or hiding out in other countries. The only one available had been her great-granddaughter, who was unable to make it to the estate before it had been sold off, per
Annabella’s
will. Apparently the great-granddaughter had no idea the bracelet was so valuable either. She was so happy to be presented with the check after the auction that there’d been no protesting or questions on her part.

But Alex Sr. had found out about that bracelet—had even seen it once, briefly, many years ago. Once word of
Annabella’s
death reached him, he’d tracked down the buyer and then sent his son to this quaint little coastal town to steal it and bring it back to him. Just so he could boast about the great lift he’d made, brag about possessing the Rizzo family’s greatest heirloom.

Now Alex stood right where his father wanted him, the bracelet teasing him with flashing winks of icy blue fire. His palms were clammy and he rubbed them on his jeans, anxiety filling him.

He couldn’t do this today, the timing was all wrong. He should’ve planned this better, should’ve brought the gun his father gave him. He would’ve held the beautiful Celeste at gunpoint and snatched that bracelet from its place beneath the glass in a matter of seconds.

Instead, he stood before her pretending to be looking for a gift for his dead mother, feeling like the biggest jackass in the entire damn world.

“It’s expensive, though.” Celeste leaned toward him, her whispered words making the moment intimate somehow. There was a glint in her eyes that made him yearn to reach for her, haul her against him and kiss her senseless. Let her feel exactly how much she excited him before taking her right on the goddamn floor of her store.

“Yeah, I can’t afford this though my mother certainly deserves it. Maybe I
will
send my dad in.”

Ah hell, he wished.

* * * * *

He looked nervous, her big handsome stranger. Why Celeste had covered for him and sent Johnny on his way, she had no idea. There was something about him, though. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

He was definitely handsome, carried himself well and had manners, all pluses. But his clothes looked old and worn, his shirt almost threadbare in some places. He needed a haircut, though the rakish wavy lock of hair that fell over his forehead was rather sexy.

She crinkled her nose, tearing her gaze away from him.
Sexy
.
She’d never thought of any man as sexy. When her friends
oohed
and
ahhed
over a Hollywood celebrity or some random handsome man at a restaurant, she always played along but she never really found them that special.

This man, though, was sexy. Her body seemed to react to him without any help from her brain. She didn’t understand it.

Then again, she couldn’t fight it either.

“Maybe you’d like to look at something else?
Aquamarines?”
She had to break the silence, had to keep things normal, keep the conversation moving. If she didn’t, something else might happen.
Something weird.
Like maybe she’d reach out and touch him, test those arms to see if they were as big and hard as they appeared.

Breathing deeply, she allowed her gaze to travel over his form once more, lingering on his arms held akimbo, fists resting on his hips. His biceps bulged against the worn fabric of his shirt. Goodness, when he stood like that the buttons on the front of his shirt actually strained, he was so broad.

Celeste wondered what he would look like without the shirt on. Her mouth literally watered at the thought.

“Nah.”
He shook his head, a faint smile curving his sensuous lips. “I appreciate you taking the time though, and keeping your cop friend from frisking me.”

She laughed, couldn’t seem to help herself, which caused his smile to widen, revealing dimples that bracketed either side of his mouth.

Oh my.

“Oh no problem, really.
And your name is?” She had to ask, had to know what this man’s name was. She might never see him again.