Taken by the Pirate Billionaire (7 page)

The pulse in her neck quickened, and her pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips. There was blatant indecision in her eyes. Clearly, the urge to pull from his arms and run like hell. And then there was the dilation of her pupils, the sensual awareness of him. He was most intrigued by the flicker of calculation in her eyes.
 

      She watched him from beneath her lashes. “Are you inviting me back to your place, Mr. Murray?”

      “I am. How about dinner tonight?”

      “I suppose I could arrange my schedule.”

      His lips twitched with amusement. “I suppose you’d better.”

      Before she could reply, he pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. She made a startled sound of protest, before she leaned into him and parted her lips.

      He delved his tongue inside, telling himself she couldn’t possibly be as sweet as he’d remembered. She was. And more so.

      Gripping his shirt in his hands, she kissed him back, her tongue sparring with his in a slow, seductive dance. She moaned softly, and the weight of her body fell against him as her knees seemed to weaken.

      When his cock began to stir and his pulse quickened, he lifted his head.

      “See you in a few hours, sweetheart.”

      Pleased with her swollen mouth and the glaze of arousal in her eyes, he gave her ass a light smack and then turned and left.

Chapter Nine

Renee peeked out the blinds of her apartment and watched Devon cross the street and climb into the back of the black Lincoln Town Car.
 

He fit in with this neighborhood about as well as fleas on a white cat.

She didn’t let the blinds fall back into place until he’d driven away.

With a sigh, she lifted shaky hands to her mouth and closed her eyes. He’d shown up on her doorstep. He’d literally shown up at her place not even two hours after having breakfast with Lucy.

Even with her friend’s warning in her head, nothing had prepared her for opening that door and finding him there.

When she had, she’d realized her mistake last night. Mixing business with pleasure. Finding the brooch was business, and sleeping with Devon was a conflict of interest that boiled right down to pleasure.

Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed Lucy again. “So he just showed up.”

“Seriously? That fast? Wow.”

“I know.”

“I had a feeling he would.”

Renee frowned, remembering something else Devon had said. “He also mentioned that he knew you were the one who got me into the party. Did he say anything to you?”
 

A heavy silence met her reply.

“Luce?”

“No. Devon didn’t say anything. Eric did. But it’s over and done with, and really, I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

Whoa. That door had been shut and rather firmly.

“Okay.” Renee kept her tone light. “No problem.”

“Thanks. So why did he come over? What did he say?”

“He invited me back to his house for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, well, hey that’s perfect, right?”
 

“He wants more than just dinner.”

“Well of course he does.” Lucy gave a soft laugh, as if the tension a minute ago had never even happened. “You’re going?”

“Yes. And actually, I think I’m going to need some sleeping pills and handcuffs.”

Renee had no trouble imagining the alarmed expression on her best friend’s face. The silence seemed a decent confirmation.

“Umm...Renee, what do you intend to
do
with these things?” 

“If you don’t know, then you can’t be an accomplice.” 

Lucy laughed. “You’re right. Unfortunately I can’t help you with either of those.”

“I might have some left over prescription meds,” Renee mused. “But as for handcuffs, I’ve got nothing.”

“Maybe get some scarves from a thrift shop. They’re cheap and get the job done. Just wash them first. Are you restraining for pleasure, or...?”

“The less you know.”

“Right.” Lucy paused. “You realize Devon’s going to know you were the one who took the brooch. He’ll probably call the police and, even if he doesn’t, I’m sure he’ll come after you.”

“Maybe not. The guy’s loaded. He probably wouldn’t blink over a missing brooch.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Me too,
she thought as she hung up the phone. Her glance landed on the coffee table.

She picked up the diary, careful as she did so. It was two centuries old and more than a little delicate. She was damn lucky Devon hadn’t spotted it, actually.

The name inside the cover read Anne Stoddard, and she was Renee’s ancestor. The pages were yellowed and the handwriting nearly illegible. Inside, there was a sketch of a ruby brooch, with the words
Darren Murray the pirate
next to it.

Darren Murray. The pirate rumored to have been Devon’s ancestor. The more she knew about Devon, the more she believed it.

Some of the diary was unreadable, but she’d deciphered enough to learn one certain truth. Darren had stolen the brooch from Anne.
 

And if it was out there, she intended to get it back. Devon wouldn’t know the story of Anne and Darren. Would never know Renee’s motivation for seeking out the brooch.
 

“Last night I totally blew it.” Renee traced a finger across the sketch of the brooch. “But I won’t mess up tonight. If at all possible, I’m going to make sure this gets back in Hawkins hands again.”

Renee showed up at Devon’s in a low cut dress the same shade as her pale blue eyes. Her heels were high, she’d dabbed her perfume in the erogenous zones, and had put on some makeup again. Though the makeup was nowhere near as dramatic as last night’s. Tonight she planned to be the one in charge. Devon had no idea what he was about to get himself into.
 

She rang the bell and a moment later Kurt opened the door.
 

“Good evening, Renee. Please, come inside.” 

“Good evening.” She stepped into the foyer, avoiding eye contact.
 

How did he feel about her return? When he so clearly knew she hadn’t been invited here the first time?

The inside of Devon’s house looked so normal when it wasn’t lit by candlelight and hosting a kinky sex party. It really was a beautiful home.
 

A pang of envy struck her as she compared it to her apartment. Where was karma for God’s sake? His ancestor had been a pirate.
 

“Mr. Murray has asked that you join him in his room upstairs.”

Renee glanced up at him, startled, but didn’t comment. What if Devon wanted to jump right into the sex? That could pose to be a problem. She’d have to convince him for some wine at least. She needed a vessel for the sleeping pills.

Guilt pricked lightly, but she ignored it.

She climbed the stairs, waiting to see if Devon would appear at the railing near the top. There was no sign of him, so she continued down the hall until she reached his room.
 

Ah, this was familiar. Being early fall, it was already dark outside, but candles provided the lighting. She couldn’t immediately see Devon, but then noticed the balcony door was open—the gauzy white curtain swayed inward with a breeze.

Outside maybe?

Renee took a deep breath and continued to walk through the room to the balcony. She lifted aside the curtain and stepped outside. The breeze that greeted her was warm as it drifted across her face.

Her attention slid to the table that had more candles on it and a rose—red this time—in the middle.

Devon was facing away from her, leaning against the iron railing and looking out over a river running through his property.

Her heart tripped and she swallowed against the sudden rush of nerves.
 

You’re in charge. Fake it if you have to.

She lifted her chin and approached him from behind, slipping her arms around his waist.
 

“What an amazing view, Devon.”

His hands covered hers. “You came.” 

“I said I would. Was there any doubt?” 

He turned to face her. “Actually, no.”
 

The predatory smile and cool gaze had her pulse racing. “And don’t you look damn sexy, sweetheart.”
 

He drew a finger down her top and into her cleavage and her breath caught.

“You did this all for me?”

This? Dress up? It was hard to think when his finger caught her nipple and stroked it lightly.

“I’m tempted to eat you before the dinner.”

His shocking, erotic words had her legs going weak and for a moment she nearly forgot what her purpose was. Not to be seduced, but to do the seducing.

“But I’m going to attempt self-restraint,” he murmured reluctantly. “My chef put a lot of time and effort into our dinner by my request.”

She forced a light, sexy laugh. “Mmm. I suppose I can wait.”
 

Waiting was good. It gave her the opportunity to slip the pills into his wine.

“It won’t be long. I promise.” He stroked his finger over her nipple one last time, before releasing it and moving to the table. “Our food will be here momentarily. Would you like some wine?”
 

“Please.” Her throat felt suddenly dry.

Devon removed the cork from the wine bottle and poured a good amount into the waiting glasses.

Renee sank down into a chair and drew a slow breath in.
 

Now she just had to figure out how to get the sleeping pills into Devon’s drink. She slid her hand into her purse and managed to grab them out of the bottle and tuck them in the palm of her hand.
 

She just needed the perfect opportunity.

Devon settled himself into the chair across from her. She seemed nervous. Were his instincts right?
Did she have something up her sleeve?

He’d invited her to dinner tonight because he hadn’t yet figured out why she’d snuck into his house in the first place. He wasn’t buying her sexually curious bullshit excuse. Not even a little bit.

Despite all the information Kurt had given him, Devon couldn’t pinpoint why Renee seemed so familiar, and had from the start.

He knew who she was now. Knew what she did for a living—ran a doggy daycare, which was pretty damn interesting.
 

But why had she snuck in last night? What had she been searching for when he’d caught her red-handed? And, more so, would she try anything again?

He suspected she would. Which, if she had any sense, she wouldn’t dare.
 

But that wasn’t his only motive for inviting her to dinner. There was also the very simple fact that he wanted her in his bed again.
 

He’d assumed that his desire for Renee would have diminished some, especially after last night’s escapade. But his desire to possess her again was just as strong, if not more so.

He continued watching her sip at her wine. Her hands trembled. Her lashes swept up and she met his gaze. With a smile, she got up from her seat and came around the table to where he was sitting and eased onto his lap.

He wondered just what she was up to, and then her mouth closed over his. He gripped her waist, letting her tongue stroke deep into his mouth.
 

His cock started to do the thinking, but instinct warned him not to let his guard down. That’s when he noticed her hand reaching over his wine glass and returning a moment later. She kissed him, touched him, for what must’ve been several minutes, before she lifted her head and licked her lips.

“You didn’t kiss me when I arrived,” she said softly, “and I wanted to remedy that.”

The hell she did.

He didn’t stop her as she sat back down in her own chair. Devon’s anger reached a slow simmer inside him, but he was careful to show no outward reaction.

The wine glasses were black, which made it damn impossible for him to see what she’d put in there. He lifted his glass and made the appearance of drinking, but simply whet his lips.

A moment later his chef arrived with their dinners.

“I hope you enjoy salmon,” Devon said, once his chef had left again.

“I love salmon.” She smiled, although it seemed a little bright and forced looking. “Actually, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to use the bathroom before we eat.”

“Of course.”
 

He watched her disappear through the French doors leading to his master bath, as if she couldn’t wait to escape his scrutiny. Then, after she’d disappeared from view, he turned to contemplate his glass of wine once more.

Chapter Ten

Renee glanced in the mirror and shook her head. She was a bad, bad person. What kind of woman would drug someone?