Stolen Hearts (3 page)

“Alex.” He extended his hand toward her. “And you’re Celeste, right?”

“Yes.” She nodded, taking his hand. Long fingers wrapped around hers, his skin hot and electrifying to the touch and the brief contact sent a frisson of excitement up her arm. Her nipples hardened instantly and she released a shuddering breath.

Never in her life had she reacted so strongly to such a simple touch. Heck, she’d never reacted so strongly to any kind of touch.

It made her crave more.

“Nice to meet you, Celeste.”
His voice was a low murmur, making her toes curl in her shoes, her nipples hardening even more beneath her sensible bra.

“You too, Alex.”
His name rolled off her tongue and she could easily imagine herself calling it out while he buried himself deep inside her, her fingers tangled in his thick, silky hair, his big, hot body pressed against hers.

Blinking, she released his hand as if burned, mortified by her train of thought.

This was not normal. She did not think this way about men, especially a complete stranger. It didn’t make any sense.

There was no denying the invisible energy buzzing around them though, filling the room, making their bodies lean toward each other. Her lips parted. She could actually imagine herself kissing this man right here, right now and the way his head cocked toward her made her think he was about to do it too—

“I didn’t find him.” The bells jangled with Johnny’s arrival and she and Alex sprang away from each other.

“You didn’t find who?” Her voice came out shaky, even a little husky and she risked a glance toward Alex, who watched her from beneath lowered lashes. The seductive expression on his face made her think of satin sheets and naked skin.

No!
She needed to stop this. It was ridiculous.

“The perpetrator you told me about. I looked up and down both sides of the street, couldn’t find anyone.” Johnny shook his head, resting his hands on his hips in that annoying wide-leg stance he had.

Annoying? When had she ever thought of Johnny as annoying before?

“Well, thank you for looking, Johnny. I appreciate it.” She smiled at him, hoping he’d get the hint and leave but he didn’t. He just stood there watching both of them with a goofy grin on his face.

Standing next to the giant Alex, Johnny looked downright puny. Like a boy compared to a big strapping man. What had she ever seen in him?

“
Wanna
grab some dinner tonight after my shift ends?” Johnny shuffled his feet, glancing down at the floor. “I thought
Luberman’s
sounded good.”

This was the moment she’d been waiting weeks for. Johnny had been coming by the shop off and on for almost two months and she’d laid it on thick, hoping he would ask her out on a date. Now that the time was here, her automatic urge was to turn him down.

All because Alex was watching her with narrowed dark brown eyes, his full lips pulled tight into a slight frown. He didn’t look pleased with Johnny’s attempt at asking her out on a date.

“What do you say, Celeste?” Johnny finally looked up, his expression hopeful though his body was tense, as if waiting for her to say no.

Her mouth opened, her gaze sliding toward Alex—but he answered for her.

“She’s going out with me.
Tonight.
For dinner.”

“Huh?” Johnny’s mouth hung open, his arms dropping to his sides. He looked from Alex to Celeste in disbelief. “Do you even know this guy’s name?”

“Well, yes, I know Alex.” She smiled, her tummy tingling at the thought of going out to dinner with him.

Funny how an hour ago she thought him to be some sort of criminal watching her store and now she was ready to go on a date with him.

It really,
really
made no sense whatsoever.

“Yes, she knows me and we’re going out tonight.” Alex smiled in Johnny’s direction but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Sorry bud, I guess I beat you to the punch.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Johnny shrugged and started for the door. “I’ll be
seein
’ you, Celeste.”

She waited until the door shut behind him before she turned toward Alex. “Why did you do that?”

“You didn’t want to go out with him.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

“Yes, I did. I’ve wanted to go out with him for weeks!” Well, that last part was true at least.

“Yeah well, you don’t want to go out with him now. You want to go out with me instead.”

“I do
not
want to go out with you.” Now it was her turn to place her hands on her hips, hoping he didn’t notice the hard points of her nipples. She was almost positive her bra was lined well enough…

Really, she didn’t want to go out with this man. He wasn’t her type, she had no idea who he was and he was awfully pushy.
Cocky.

So why did she find that just the slightest bit irresistible?

“You’re saying that what happened between us earlier didn’t actually happen then?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Of course she knew what he was talking about. And secretly, she couldn’t deny the sexual tension that had crackled around them. There was something between them—but people just didn’t react based on instant attraction.

Did they?

Well, people like
her
didn’t. She knew that.

He smiled and actually brushed the tip of her nose with a calloused fingertip. Just that little touch sent a zing straight to her pussy, making her panties dampen in an embarrassingly quick manner.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ll meet you here at six-thirty, when you’re done closing the shop. How does that sound?”

“I can’t even go home and change my clothes?” She didn’t deny his suggestion or protest his arrogance in assuming she’d be waiting for him.

“I like that sweater on you. It does amazing things for your eyes.” His gaze was nowhere near her eyes, though. No, more like he’d taken up a complex study of her breasts.

She didn’t know it was possible but her nipples actually ached, they were so hard.

“My eyes are up here,” she protested weakly.

“Yeah, I know.” He met her gaze, a smile on his face, dimples winking at her.

And then he was gone,
the swoosh
of the door closing and the gentle tinkling of the bells the only evidence that he’d been there.

Slumping against the counter, she rested her hand against her chest, her wildly beating heart threatening to burst out of her skin. If she could barely survive that encounter with the mysterious, sexy Alex, how was she going to survive dinner with him?

She had no clue. But she was dying to find out.

Chapter Three

“Tell me you have it now. It’s the least you could do for your old man.”

“Look, Dad, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of complications I have to deal with. Give me
time,
let me finesse the owner before I swipe the bracelet from her display case.” Alex turned the key in his motel door and walked inside the tiny room.

“Finesse the owner my ass. I heard she’s a pretty little thing. Stop wasting your time trying to get in her panties and bring home that bracelet now, Alex.”

Alex sat heavily on the edge of the bed, the cheap mattress groaning from his weight. “I’m not trying to get into her panties. That’s your method, not mine.”

“Ha.
Smartass.
Listen—you get that necklace back to me within the next seventy-two hours and I’ll make it worth your while.”

“What are you talking about?” He perked to attention at the words “worth your while”, he couldn’t help it. It was part of his nature, the greed, the lure of the money. Yeah, his father had given him a couple grand to make it through his time in Santa
Augustina
but he hadn’t talked actual payment for the return of the bracelet.

His father was so eager to have that bracelet he figured the payoff on delivery would be well worth it. Give him enough money to get back on his feet, establish himself so he wouldn’t have to resort to working for his dad on a permanent basis.

He loved dear old Dad, worried about him and all that but he’d be damned if he was
gonna
fall back into this life all over again. He needed to start over, start fresh…redeem himself, damn it.

Problem was
,
the easy money was hard to stay away from.

“Ten K for you, but you need to bring it to me in three days’ time.” Alex Sr. paused, his breathing ragged over the phone line. His father wasn’t in the best of health but damn if he didn’t sound outright awful today, worse than usual. Yet another reason to make his dad proud—he wanted to do this before he lost him for good. “Are you up to the challenge, boy?”

“I’ll try,” he said with a sigh.

His father grunted. “You’d better do more than try, you’d better get it. And fast.”

Yet again his father hung up the phone before Alex could get another word in. Frustrated, he tossed the phone on the bedside table and stretched out across the mattress, folding his arms beneath his head.

Dumb move he’d made, telling Celeste he was taking her out to dinner in front of the cop. He didn’t know what had possessed him. What he should’ve done was turn tail, bolt out of that store and never look back. Forget about
her,
forget her beautiful face, the sound of her voice, the scent of her skin.

Ah fuck all that. He needed to think up a plan to sneak back into that old store with the flimsy security system and snag the bracelet. He knew it went into a safe at night but he’d cracked enough of those in his lifetime to not let that little detail worry him. He’d scoped out what little security she had while in the store and realized it wasn’t worth much.

He sighed. He was tempted, but no way could he get involved with the very woman who was in possession of the item he needed to steal. Not even a quick fuck, much to his disappointment. How long had it been anyway since he’d actually enjoyed a woman? Six months?
Yeah, at least six months.
A man shouldn’t go that long without sex. It made him think crazy things, maybe even
do
crazy things.

She was so beautiful though, in a classy, prim yet sexy way. He had a feeling she would be a wildcat once he stripped those proper clothes off her. Peel away what could only be a cashmere twinset, unhook the sensible pearls,
tug
the modest skirt off her hips to reveal her body to his gaze. Stroke her soft skin, taste it, taste the very essence of her. She’d writhe and moan beneath him, trying to restrain herself but unable to.
Too consumed with lust for him, just as he would be for her.

Fuck.
He leapt from the bed, trying to ignore the raging hard-on straining against his boxer briefs. He’d be better off buying a porn movie off the motel cable versus dreaming about the very pretty, very unattainable Celeste.

What a damn shame.

Gazing at the open door of the tiny closet, he saw the white dress shirt and black pants hanging from wire hangers. When he unpacked, he hadn’t known what possessed him to bring the dressier clothes. Not like he had any semiformal events to attend while stealing a bracelet.

Now he was glad he’d brought them, though they could be newer. Plucking at the pants waistband, he realized they were a little faded, the shirt not necessarily stylish, rather basic and boring. But they were all he had, and they would have to do.

He shook his head. He still couldn’t believe the complete transformation from his previous life. A life filled with designer clothes, expensive cars and lavish homes.
Big parties with plenty of booze flowing and gorgeous women attending.
He’d had it all.

Lost it all too.

After the first few bitter months behind bars, he’d realized he didn’t miss any of it, didn’t need all that shit. That’s why he hadn’t run to dear old Daddy the minute he’d been sprung. He’d missed him, though.
Even missed his old way of life though he hated to admit that.
He’d been happy to hear from his father. Had leapt at the chance to come to this shitty tourist town and steal a bracelet his father so desperately wanted.

Now the idea of an easy ten thousand dollars made the deal even sweeter.

Celeste’s image flashed in his memory and he closed his eyes. The way she leaned toward him just before Johnny Jackass Cop burst through the door. The hungry look in her eyes as she’d watched him, the breathless sound of her voice when she’d caught him blatantly checking out her rack.

His eyes popped open. Crap.
That
ten thousand dollars didn’t sound so easy anymore.

Deciding to hell with it, Alex went into the bathroom to take a shower and beat off. Get rid of the frustrating erection he’d had since leaving Anderson’s Fine Vintage Jewels.

He had a feeling it was going to be a long shower.

* * * * *

Alex was
prompt,
Celeste had to give him that. As he walked through the front door at six-thirty on the dot, she couldn’t help the giddy bubble of excitement that bounced in her already nervous stomach. The smile he shot her way when he spotted her caused that excitement to bloom throughout her body, making her warm all over.

Pressing her fingers to her lips, she assessed him as discreetly as possible. Unbearably handsome in a white button-up shirt and black trousers, she couldn’t help but sigh with approval. At least he didn’t look like a lumberjack, which his outfit from earlier in the day had reminded her of. A sexy lumberjack nevertheless, all rough and rugged and sexy. A look that was a little uncouth for a nice night out for dinner.

Hmm, who knew rough and rugged was so tempting, though?

He cleaned up nicely. His hair was raked back from his forehead, so dark it almost seemed to glisten beneath the spotlights scattered throughout the store. A spicy, purely masculine scent wafted in the air and she breathed deeply, unsure if she’d be able to survive the night smelling him. Intoxicating is what he was. Intoxicating to look at, intoxicating to smell and most likely intoxicating to touch.

Her hands itched to touch him. She clenched them into fists, physically restraining herself from doing so.