The Dangerous Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 3) Read online

  She was just bracing her hands on his shoulders when he slid in with one long—emphasis on the long—stroke.

  Her free leg wrapped tightly around his hip as she adjusted to his size. She bit her bottom lip as she waited for him to move. She turned her head toward him, and her nose ran along his neck until her head touched the bed and she looked up at him. He looked down at her with so much heat and intensity that she was struck with how strange it was to have all of this man in her arms. Her feral caveman. Her emotionless robot didn’t seem so emotionless at the moment.

  She leaned forward to brush her lips ever so softly against his, and that’s when he withdrew a few inches before he slammed back in. The friction made her wince.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, mistaking the action for pain.

  She nodded in a jerky movement as she rocked her hips up, encouraging him to keep going. “Don’t stop,” she breathed.

  And he didn’t. He started to move faster and faster. Willa gripped his back, holding on tighter, but then he’d released her leg to run his hands along her upper arms, stroking out until he could hold her hands above her head. And this time when he moved, he didn’t stop.

  She let him hold her down and use her body the same way she was using his. For those few minutes, she didn’t feel as if she was heiress to a criminal empire, and the man in her arms didn’t feel like some shady figure who should terrify instead of entice her. All she felt was him.

  And when she came, he caught her scream in his kiss. He only let her hands go when his own orgasm hit. She held him tight and tucked her forehead into the crook of his shoulder as he shuddered on top of her.

  Then all that was left to do was contemplate how her life would never be the same again.

  James had never been good with regrets. Not that he didn’t make mistakes. He’d made plenty of those in his time. But when it came time to look back and think about what he wished could have been changed, not much came to mind.

  So as Willa stretched out next to him, her naked skin just touching him, it was damned hard to feel bad about what just happened, considering how much of a massive mistake it was that he was even here.

  She let out a soft moan as she adjusted herself once more and his stupid cock had to go and get hard again. He should get used to that. That was just what his life was going to be like now. Willa was nearby? Instant erection. Screw self-control. Screw discipline. From now on, this was it.

  “You’re not sleeping.” She rolled over to rest her head on her hands and look at him. It was mostly dark in her bedroom, but the lights of the city gave the room a soft glow. Even though he couldn’t make out every detail of her, he was always aware on some level of what she was doing.

  “I’m protecting you.”

  She let out a little scoff as she reached out to set a hand on his chest. “Even fearless protectors need sleep. But I guess you’re not the type to talk about problems.”

  “Talking doesn’t solve my kind of problems.”

  “I talk a lot.” She traced patterns against his skin. The touch should be annoying him, but it was strangely endearing.

  “I’ve noticed.” He adjusted his arm and opened it up for Willa to use his bicep as a pillow and he pulled her in closer.

  “My mouth just goes faster than my mind sometimes. But if I spit out enough nonsense, the brain eventually catches up. Usually.”

  He smiled as he thought of the rambling tangents Willa would go on when she was nervous. “I like your mouth.”

  She laughed. “And you haven’t even seen all it can do.”

  His cock sprang to alert. Down, boy.... “I didn’t realize that was on the table.”

  She lifted her head just an inch to get a better look at him through the dark. “Come on, James. I don’t know how to say this in a way that doesn’t sound slutty, so I’m just going to spit it out. Everything is on the table with you.”

  Wow. But as happy as he was about just all the things he could do to her, he couldn’t help thinking.... “Why?”

  “You’re not protecting me forever. Might as well take advantage while we can.”

  He would’ve expected someone like her to be clingy or needy. Not so... accepting. Which should be a good thing. This was the best possible way for this to play out. A beautiful woman who was more than willing to pass the time with him in bed and part ways once their business was done.

  Maybe he was just overthinking it. It had been a long fucking day and he couldn’t think straight when he was around her sometimes. Now that he was working her out of his system, this would all work itself out.

  “So if you like me talking, that means I can ask you questions, right?”

  Well, this was a can of worms he didn’t want to open. “What did you want to know?”

  “Umm... everything.”

  “Well, my name is James Weston.”

  “You’re hilarious. Tell me about your family. You know everything about my dysfunctions. It’s only fair.”

  “You don’t want to hear about them.” And he really didn’t want to talk about it either.

  She drummed her fingers on his chest. “Come on. Fair’s fair.”

  “It’s nothing new. Dad was a deadbeat. Mom was nice enough but could never stand up to him. I took off when I was eighteen and never looked back. I served overseas for a while. I started in the Marines and eventually was recruited into a black cell group which I’m not going to say anything else about. And I never went back home.”

  “You aren’t curious about what they’re up to?”

  “I know. My dad is six feet underground thanks to a drunk driving accident—he was the drunk. Mom remarried a meek banker and my little sister is a marketing major at a state university.”

  She stiffened in his arms and he could feel the hint of disapproval. He already knew what she wanted to say, but he didn’t need to defend himself. When he left, everything was a mess. He’d faced years of guilt for abandoning his mother and sister, but when he came back, they’d worked everything out. Everyone was better off without him.

  But Willa didn’t dig for any more personal details. Instead, she asked, “So what are you?”

  “Human.”

  “Smart ass. But seriously, what is your job title? Fixer? Mercenary? Assassin?”

  “There isn’t really a name for what I am.”

  “But in your head you call yourself something, right?”

  “I think mercenary is the most accurate term.”

  “And have you killed people for money?”

  “Willa,” he said in a warning tone.

  “I won’t judge you. I’ve already seen you kill someone.”

  That was definitely something he didn’t want coming up in conversation. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “James, I want you to know that—”

  James got up and in one quick motion covered her mouth with his. He couldn’t give Willa answers right now, but he could give her one hell of a distraction. “You remember when you said I could do whatever I wanted with your mouth?” he asked between kisses down her neck and in the valley between her breasts.

  She curled her fingers in his hair as she rubbed herself against him. “Umm hmm,” she murmured.

  “It’s about time I show you what I can do with mine.”

  Willa looked around her kitchen. Cinnamon. She knew there was cinnamon in there somewhere. She had been through the entire pantry and she’d found about three containers of whole cinnamon sticks, but not one thing of ground cinnamon. What the hell did she need that many containers of whole cinnamon sticks for?

  She tugged the barstool to the other cabinet and climbed up as she dug deeper into the pantry, looking for any sign of the little metal container.

  “Anything I can help with?”

  She jumped at the sudden question from James. She narrowly avoided hitting her head on the top of the pantry and looked down at where he stood beneath her. His hair was still damp from his shower and there were a few little dr
oplets of water on his shoulders. She had to bite back the urge to lick them off. “I’m good,” she said with false enthusiasm.

  James looked decidedly unconvinced. “Want to tell me what you’re doing up there?”

  “Trying to find the cinnamon.”

  “Cinnamon? Why?”

  She let out a sigh as she went back to digging in the cabinet. “I’m making my super-secret French toast recipe.”

  “Super-secret?”

  “Orange zest and orange-flavored liqueur. Your tongue will never know what hit it.”

  “So it’s not so secret.”

  “I just assumed I could trust you.” She poked her head out of the cabinet. “I can trust you with my super-secret French toast recipe, can’t I?”

  He held up his hands. “Hey. Your secret is safe with me. Is this a family recipe?”

  “No. Martha Stewart. I might be exaggerating when I call it a secret recipe.” She was just going back into the cabinet when she saw the bright red cap. Boom! Success! She pulled out the cinnamon victoriously before she hopped off the stool and went back to where she was prepping everything. The eggs, bread, and other various ingredients were all set out.

  “You don’t have to do anything fancy. I’m good with just eggs.” James leaned on the island.

  “It’s only polite that after a night of good sex, the hostess provides an amazing breakfast. That’s common knowledge.”

  “You do this for all the guys who stay over?”

  She looked at him from narrowed eyes. “Is that your way of asking if I sleep around a lot?”

  A muscle in the back of his jaw ticked. “Not exactly. But since you brought it up....”

  She raised a brow. James, asking personal information about her? Things really had changed in such a short period of time. “Well, the number is small enough that I haven’t lost track and big enough that I’m not telling you after our first date.” She frowned. “After no dates? Does having sex one time count as a date?”

  “Multiple times,” pointed out James.

  “Multiple times then. Either way, there are some things about me that will just have to remain mysterious, Mr. Badass Mercenary.”

  He didn’t seem amused, but she swore the corner of his mouth almost tugged into a smile.

  Before she could give him any more crap, the elevator doors opened and Willa stiffened. She knew that Toni had access to her apartment, but she was so used to living alone that people coming and going was unsettling.

  She went to go see who it was, but James held up a hand to signal her to stay where she was as he moved silently toward the entryway. A few seconds later, she heard his annoyed voice saying, “A phone call wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Did I interrupt you two, Casanova?” Willa recognized Toni’s voice. Willa wore some loose blue-striped pajama pants and a tight tank top. She would prefer to have a sweater on if she was having company, but considering Toni didn’t announce herself, she’d just have to deal with Willa’s braless self. She left the kitchen to say hello and froze when she realized Toni wasn’t alone. She was with an uptight-looking man—Scott Hart, she assumed—and two new people.

  Willa froze and wrapped her arms over her chest. She could go out in the skimpiest of skimpy dresses and feel utterly confident, but somehow the fact that she’d had a night full of sex made even this simple outfit seem dirty.

  It didn’t help that the way Toni was looking between her and James, the woman knew exactly what had happened.

  The two new people were both tall, dark, and beautiful. The woman had long, black hair that was neatly trimmed and hit her back in a ponytail. The man had a lean strength that wasn’t hidden by his clothes. He was just about as tall as James, with silky black hair. Although the girl probably dyed hers, his jet black was probably due to some Italian heritage. From the way they stood next to each other and the man hovered over her ever so subtly, Willa was guessing they were a couple. It was a noticeable difference from the way Scott and Toni seemed to keep as much distance between them as possible.

  Willa couldn’t help but look out of the corner of her eye to see where James stood a few feet away from her. Somewhere in the middle between the two other couples in the room, she supposed.

  “Is everything okay?” Willa glanced at the newcomers and waited for an introduction.

  “That’s a complex question,” said Toni. “But for now everything’s fine. Willa, I want you to meet my sister, Jennifer, and her boyfriend, Austin Miles, er, Austin Benedict now?”

  He nodded. “Austin Benedict now.”

  “I should know that,” said Toni. “I’m the one who made the docs for you.”

  Willa frowned. “Why the name change?”

  “Austin Miles is dead,” said apparently not Austin Miles. “It was a tragedy. Lots of tears.”

  “Lots of celebrations,” said Jennifer with a sideways grin.

  “It’s relative,” he said.

  Jennifer giggled and Willa felt suddenly uncomfortable. She usually didn’t mind being around couples, but it felt distinctly more strange to be around two people who seemed so happy while standing just a few feet away from her... what? Fuck buddy? That seemed too graphic. Booty call? Too casual. Leave it to James Weston to defy labels. No job title. No relationship title. She sighed and tried to chase those thoughts out of her head. “Come on in. I was just about to make breakfast.”

  “You don’t have to cook for us.” Scott led the way to the living room. “Since Jennifer and Austin are here, we thought it would be good to regroup and figure out our game plan.”

  Willa followed him into the living room. She moved the barstool from where she’d been standing on it to dig through the cabinets so she could sit in front of the island while she let Jennifer, Austin, and Toni have the couch. Scott remained standing and James was.... Where was James? As soon as she realized he was gone, he came back. He’d put a shirt on and he handed her a zip-up gray sweatshirt with coral flowers. He’d noticed that she was uncomfortable?

  He leaned on the island next to her and she forced herself not to stare at him and instead put her attention to Toni. “What have you found? Did the hack thing I did on Jadon’s phone work? What about the laptop? You’ve had that for a week now, right? Can we just take that to the cops and be done with it? Do we still have to look into this at all or can we just push this off to the authorities? And....” She noticed that Jennifer and Austin were giving her a questioning look.

  She was blabbering on again. She shut up and waited for Toni to start in.

  Toni didn’t look annoyed, though. She simply smiled and leaned forward. “All good questions,” she assured her. “Cloning his phone worked out great. From the hidden files that app put onto his phone, we are getting copies of every text he sends and receives and we can listen to all of his calls. Even cooler, I can turn on his mic at any given time and listen in on him. So we effectively have a bug on Jadon Belli now.”

  Jennifer’s gaze hit Willa once more and Willa averted her gaze. She couldn’t tell what this new woman thought of her. Willa had connected the dots, though. Toni’s mother had been murdered by someone who worked with Jadon, and Jennifer and Toni were sisters. So they were both trying to get revenge for their mother’s murder. She didn’t seem to be vibrating anger or anything, but Willa knew she was just a way to get that revenge faster.

  “What about the laptop?” asked Jennifer. “When I talked to Melody, she said she really thought that would be the key to finding Sterling.”

  “Where is Melody?” Willa’d feel a tad more comfortable if there were more people here who she knew.

  “Melody is being punished for having her face plastered over every TV in the country by being sent to exile in Hawaii with her new boyfriend,” said Toni. “Remind me to do something to get in trouble. I need a Hawaiian exile with a hottie too.”

  Willa noticed that Toni’s eyes cut to Scott as she said it, but she’d looked away before Scott noticed.

  “Tell them what you found o
n the laptop,” said Scott, obviously less interested in the gossip of the family.

  Willa could understand why Toni would be so interested in Scott Hart. The former cop was sexy in the exceptionally broody, angry sort of way. She wouldn’t have thought he was the quirky and stubborn Toni’s type, but what did she know? Either way, he didn’t seem all that interested in Toni.

  Toni ran a hand through her dyed blonde hair. “I found a lot. And Willa, I totally understand why you didn’t go to the cops after the murder. It looks like he’s got people on his payroll from all corners of government. Pentagon guys, White House staff, FBI, street cops. I think your dad is singlehandedly funding the black market economy right now.”

  Willa opened her mouth and closed it. That wasn’t surprising to her. Even when she thought her father was mostly legit, she assumed that he had people on the payroll. But what she wanted to know was so basic, she felt foolish for not knowing already. “Can you, um.... Can you tell me what he does? How he makes money?”

  There was a hush over the room. Apparently no one wanted to answer the question. “Just tell us, Toni.” James’s voice was low, but the tone was just menacing enough that Scott and Austin both narrowed their eyes.

  Scott spoke first. “Jadon Belli positions himself as an investor. Publicly, and according to the IRS, he made his money through stocks, real estate, and pretty much anything else you can park money in and wait for it to grow. Privately, he’s been doing the same thing. He is the broker between rich people and people who want to hide their money. We dealt with a guy a few months back, Greg Stranger, who would hide the money. Jadon makes it. He had his fingers in weapon sales, human trafficking, drug running, everything. Toni found documents on his laptop that details it in some way or another.”

  Willa could tell from his dejected tone that there was a “but” coming.

  “But,” he continued, “because of his connections, there’s not a lot we can do about it. If we bring the laptop to a police department or the FBI, it’s going to accidentally get lost or wiped before charges can ever be brought against Jadon.”