The Taming of the Thief (32 page)

 
   
 
Sophie's brows lifted at the last. She didn't
hear Walter respond and Pietr didn't wait for one as he snapped the phone
closed.

 
   
 
“I
just started this job, you know.”

 
   
 
“I
know. But I just got here and I am not sharing you with Walter or anyone else.”
He paused, a pained look flickering across his face. “Unless - unless that is
what you want.”

 
   
 
“Oh,
so you ask me this time.” One by one, the stones weighing her down rolled away.
She rolled her hips against his lap and felt as well as heard the groan the act
pulled from his throat.

 
   
 
“
Oui,
I am asking this time.”

 
   
 
Sophie shifted again, twisting to straddle his
lap, uncaring that the rain on his pants was soaking her pajama bottoms. She
dabbed a hand at her nose and looked at him, expectantly, waiting.

 
   
 
“Sophie, would you come away with me?”

 
   
 
She
sniffled, canting her head to the side.
“Where?”

 
   
 
“Verona.” He answered it without hesitation.

 
   
 
“Your parents' villa?”

 
   
 
“Yes.”

 
   
 
“Pietr, I'm not an affair kind of girl.”

 
   
 
“I am
not asking for an affair.”

 
   
 
“What
are you asking for?”

 
   
 
“The
rest of your life, but I will settle for all of your time right now.”

 
   
 
“Settle?” Sophie's heart did a little
somersault in her chest. She dropped her head, looking down at her fingers
splayed against his shirt.

 
   
 
“I
don't have the right to ask you for more, no matter how much I love you.” There
it was again. Happiness ballooned dangerously in her chest.

 
   
 
Her
gaze flicked up to his. “Say it again.”

 
   
 
“I
don't---”

 
   
 
“Not
that part.
The last three words.”

 
   
 
“I
love you.” He smiled, the depth of his conviction echoing in each word. “I
think I fell in love with you that night in your apartment, when you threw me
out. I fell more in love with you every minute we spent together.”

 
   
 
Breath
shuddering, Sophie gripped his shirt front and
dropped her face down to his, nose to nose, eye to eye. “Then why did you leave
me?”

 
   
 
“Because I hurt you.
You found the case file, you thought
the absolute worst of me and then I didn't keep you safe from Callum's men when
they came to the hotel. You deserved so much more than an itinerant rogue who
likes to buy his way out of trouble.”

 
   
 
Sophie leaned back and smacked his chest,
hard. Her hand stung with the action and Pietr winced, but he didn't look away.

 
   
 
“I
wouldn't let anyone else talk about the man I love that way, what makes you
think you have the right?”

 
   
 
Pietr's expression froze and Sophie smiled. It
was upside down how he'd come into her life, left it and returned. But she
didn't care.

 
   
 
“
Sophie-bien aimee
, if you are just
saying that…”

 
   
 
“No.”
Sophie covered his mouth with her hand. “Shh, it's my turn.” She waited for his
slow nod and the tingling caress of his lips kissing her palm before she
dropped her hand back to his chest. She undid his shirt, one button at a time
and then pulled it open, pressing the fabric back to reveal the still puckered
scar from where the bullet had gone through his shoulder.

 
   
 
“A
bullet misses you by that
much,
you get a really good
look inside your head. I've been inside my head for the last two months and I
know what I want. Maybe two days wasn't a lot of time to get to know someone,
but love is like art…you know value when you see it.” Embolded, she dropped her
head down to kiss the scar, gently, whispering. “And in case you haven't heard,
I'm something of an art expert now.”

 
   
 
Pietr's throaty laugh sent shivers running up
and down her spine. “I had heard something to that effect.”

 
   
 
She
nuzzled the scar, gently laving it with kisses, desperately wishing she could
smooth away the pain that radiated out from that morning and all the mornings
since.

 
   
 
“So
you will have to accept it on my authority that I am more than willing to
commit to loving you, so much so that I am willing to spend the rest of my life
substantiating that.”

 
   
 
“Yeah?”
The low-growling note in his voice pulled her gaze
upwards and she saw the tempered joy shining in his eyes.

 
   
 
“Yes.”

 
   
 
His
mouth closed over hers and she reveled in the kiss. His hands were everywhere,
stroking, teasing, caressing and when he deposited her on the bed, she was
startled to find them both naked.

 
   
 
“Wow.”

 
   
 
“Indeed.” His mouth dropped back to the swell
of her breast and Sophie fisted her fingers into his hair.

 
   
 
“Pietr,” she tugged gently. “There's something
else you should know…”

 
   
 
“…about that Tommy you were expecting?” The
possessive growl in his voice sent another thrill rippling through her middle.
Humble Pietr was sweet, sexy Pietr was fun, but possessive Pietr touched her
deep inside her soul.

 
   
 
“Not exactly.”
Sophie winced and Pietr lifted himself up, a
dark god gazing down at her with a curious expression.

 
   
 
“You
love me. You've forgiven me. There's no Tommy for me to dispose of. I'm not
seeing a concern here.”

 
   
 
“It's
not exactly a concern,
so
much as do you remember our
last night together in New York? Before it all went to hell?”

 
   
 
“Oh
yes,” Pietr's sensuous lips curved into a slow, deep smile. “
Oui,
cheri
, I remember. I am
attempting to remind you of just how much I remember right now.” He nestled his
body more intimately against hers and Sophie bit her lip at the teasing ache
curling up between her thighs.

 
   
 
“Wait.” She breathed out the word, as much an
order to herself as to him and flattened her hand over his chest. “We forgot
something that night.”

 
   
 
Pietr
paused, cocking his head to the side quizzically. “I'm fairly certain we
covered everything,” his hand sliding up over her breast to tease the nipple
threatened to derail her completely. “But I promise to be extra thorough.”

 
   
 
“No,”
Sophie laughed. “We weren't exactly practicing safe sex…”

 
   
 
“
Non
, but I promise
you, I am completely healthy.”

 
   
 
“Oh,
I am aware of just how healthy you are.” She didn't know where the sass was
coming from, but she enjoyed watching the puzzlement on Pietr's face give away
to slow shock and held her breath as that shock turned into the smallest of
hopeful smiles.

 
   
 
He
lifted his weight, arms going to the bed on either side of her to brace
himself
. He glanced down the length of her to the flat plane
of her tummy and then back up, silent question burning in his gaze.

 
   
 
“
Oui.
”
She took
pity on him, sliding her hands up to cup his face and gaze into his eyes.

 
   
 
His
low whoop of laughter shook the bed, only to be cut off abruptly. He rolled
onto his side and pulled her to him. “You are well?
Healthy?
Hungry?”
 
“
I'm fine.” She laughed. “I still
need to see the doctor, but…Pietr…where are you going?” He was striding, naked
across the room to grab his pants.

 
   
 
“To call a doctor.
I want to make sure you are both well.”

 
   
 
“Pietr.”

 
   
 
“One
moment,
bien-aimee
,” his gaze ate her
up from across the room, but Sophie wasn't interested in the distance. She
swung her legs off the bed and laughed when he rushed back to her.

 
   
 
“You
should lay down, put up your feet. I will get your tea.”

 
   
 
“Pietr!”

 
   
 
He
paused, pants over his arm, phone in his hand.

 
   
 
“Come
back to bed.
Now.”

 
   
 
“But
the doctor…”

 
   
 
“…will be there.
I can't be more than two months along and I
just took the one test. It could be nothing.”

 
   
 
“It
could be everything.”

 
   
 
Sophie laughed. “But if you come back to bed,
we can definitely make sure it's something.”

 
   
 
She
wasn't sure who laughed more when his pants hit the floor, but the moment his
lips closed over hers she knew that she'd found the true gift of
The Fortunate Buddha
and she hoped that
wherever the little statue was, he knew how much she appreciated it.

 
   
 
“I
love you, Pietr.” She whispered against his mouth.

 
   
 
“I
love you.”

~*~

Read an excerpt from:

By Melissa Schroeder

Discover other titles
by Melissa Schroeder at http://melissaschroeder.net/

 
   
A man with a secret
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Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and
worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire
to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no
choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a rogue vampire—one who is
making his own army of blood thirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not
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A woman on a mission.