“He’s your twin down to the glasses… well, not exactly like your glasses. Yours are sexy.”
“They don’t give me too much of a schoolboy vibe?” he teased.
“More like the professor…” she trailed off with a mischievous smirk. “Sir.”
Cash almost choked on his food, his grip tightening around her ankle as he stared at her. This woman. Could she be any more perfect?
“Right… so, she showed up with this infant, told me he was mine, and then left him. I chased her down. I was wildly unprepared to become an instant father. Plus, I wanted an explanation, but when I caught up with her, I realized I didn’t need an answer. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. It was her expression. She’d never cared for me. I think she’d been using me. For what? I don’t know, but my usefulness had run its course. Her stare was so cold and calculated that I turned around and walked back to my son. He had no name, no mother, and no home, but he had me, and I vowed to make sure Clover never felt abandoned. He might not have his mom, but he has a dad who would die for him.”
“I’m so sorry you went through that, but I hope you know how sexy it is to hear you’re a good dad,” Sable said. “Almost as sexy as the serious professor look, sir.”
Cash rolled his eyes and pulled her foot further into his lap, enjoying the little gasp that escaped her lips.
“What about you?” He asked. “Any boyfriends I should be worried about?”
“Nope,” Sable said. “Not at all.”
“I would question how a beauty like you is single, but I’m not trying to jinx my chances. Clover would be so disappointed.”
“Clover would be?” Sable wiggled her foot, and he had to tighten his grip to stop her from teasing him below the tablecloth.
“I don’t know if you caught on, but this date was Clover’s idea… well, not his idea. That makes it sound like I didn’t want to come. I’ve been dying to take you out since I laid eyes on you, but it’s tough when you’re a parent. I’ve been single for the past ten years. Clover always comes first, but it seems he’s upset that I don’t have someone. He wants me to date, and he really likes you.”
“Well, I’m honored, but what about his dad?” Sable asked. “Does he like me?”
“His dad?” Cash leaned forward and lowered his deep voice to a seductive growl. “He wants to know when he can take you out on a second date… a third… and a fourth, and while you’re at it, cross off your entire calendar because I want all your future dates to be mine.”
“Here, take my jacket.” Cash peeled his suit jacket off and draped it around Sable’s shoulders. Her independent personality urgedher to protest, but she couldn’t hide the shivers. The spring air was mild during the day, but walking through the beautiful town square under the starlit sky was a different story. Her dress offered little warmth, and it had been Cash’s idea to go for a walk after dinner, so she didn’t feel guilty about stealing his clothes.
“How late can you stay out?” Sable asked, slipping her arm through his so she could lean against his biceps as they strolled along the vibrant street. Live music drifted out from the bars and restaurants, and strolling through the other couples had her clinging to her date. Their romantic evening had been comfortable, as if their souls had always known each other, and it was hard not to cling to the man her soul recognized.
“How late can I stay out? You make it sound like I have a curfew,” Cash chuckled as he slipped his palm over her knuckles. “Although, I guess I kind of do. Clover and his classmates are going for pizza after bowling, and the parents are supposed to pick them up at 9 p.m., so regretfully, we should turn around and get the car. I’d love to stop in one of these bars for a nightcap, but we may have to save that for next time.”
“That’s okay.” Sable tightened her grip on his arm. “The more we miss out on tonight, the more we’ll have to make up later, which means you have to take me out again.”
“Is it too soon to plan another date?” Cash asked. “Our weekly schedules are posted on Sundays. With the egg at the museum, we change things frequently. Guards, schedules, protocols, passcodes. Makes it harder on thieves when their marks don’t have predictable patterns.”
“Smart,” Sable said, her insides clenching at his words. Too smart. That reality made her work from the past week useless. All the information she’d gathered would be irrelevant in two days, and she would have to start all over.
“On Sunday, we’ll finalize the new schedule, but can I take this moment to unofficially ask you out again?”
Sable’s stomach clenched harder. She’d almost forgotten about the heist during their dinner. After hearing of Clover’s mother and spending the entire time laughing, she forgot she was a thief. She was merely a woman on a date, but his words were an ugly reminder. They were on opposite sides of this competition, and if she succeeded in her quest, Cash would pay the price.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to pressure you,” Cash said, mistaking her silence for refusal. “You can think about it.”
Sable pulled him to a halt and twisted to look him in the eyes. She wanted to drown in those eyes, to live eternally in his irises. How could she say no when she saw her future in his gaze?
“I don’t need to think about it.” She raised onto her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. She lingered against his skin, inhaling the clean scent of his sandalwood soap. His scent was a strange sort of magic, pulling her in and wrapping her in its warmth, but before she could step away, Cash slid his hand up her back and tangled it in her hair. Beneath the stars and the fairy lights of the picturesque street, he twisted against her kiss until his lips met hers. He kissed her slowly, savoring every second of their bodies pressed together, and after a delicious moment, Sable cupped his jaw in her hands. His mouth on hers ruined her for every kiss that would come after she left town. No one had ever kissed her like Cash, and she knew no one ever would again. It felt like two puzzle pieces snapping into place to complete the artwork.
She lost track of how long they remained locked together below the moon to the soundtrack of live music serenading them, but when Cash finally pulled back and captured her hand to walk her home, Sable had the urge to cry. Was it possible to fall in love with a man after only one kiss? Was it crazy to care so deeply for someone who embodied everything she wasn’t? Who would destroy her if he learned the truth? She knew the answerwas yes, but somehow, it felt like no because nothing in her life had ever been so right.
Sable floated into her apartment, high on endorphins and the touch of fate, but her bliss lasted only as far as her threshold. An alarm was sounding from the computers in the spare bedroom she’d converted into an office, and with a curse, she scrambled out of her heels and raced for the faint noise. She already knew what it was, though. The thieves. They were making their move… and she wasn’t ready. Why? Because she had spent the last ten minutes kissing the security guard in his truck after an entire evening ignoring her mission to be with him.
“Shit.” She slid into the chair and logged onto her system. Cash was making her careless, and now this team was making their move. Would they be successful? She wanted to say no, but she couldn’t be sure. What she was certain of, though, was she wasn’t prepared to chase them down and steal the egg from them if they succeeded. This was her competition to win, her prize money to earn. She couldn’t let these four take this from her, and the rules said there were no rules. This team had been sloppy enough to get caught by her. Perhaps it was time they got caught by someone else.
Sable logged into the security systems surrounding the museum. Not even Peter had been able to hack the La Merveille De L’art, but she’d managed to tap into the street cameras outside. It took her a few minutes to locate the team, but with a yelp of triumph, she finally located their signal. It was coming from a truck, but she didn’t need to see what they were doing inside the vehicle to know their plan. She’d memorized the street’s layout, and the truck was currently parked over a seweraccess. The first team had failed miserably when they climbed over the wall. These thieves apparently believed they would have success going under. Sable doubted it, though. Cash was too smart to leave the basements and sewers undefended, but still. She wasn’t taking any chances.
Pulling open the desk drawer, she grabbed one of her many burner phones and opened a voice-transforming app. Peter had helped her design it so she could speak into a microphone connecting to her computer, and the app would distort her voice before feeding it into the phone’s speakers. She could program her voice to sound like anyone she wanted, but for this call, she preferred not to stand out. She merely was a concerned citizen doing their civic duty, so she selected an elderly southern woman’s accent as she dialed.
