Stolen Hearts Read Online Free Page B

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