His gaze shifted to the broach and the earrings. “There were so many items worth more in the gallery.”
“Um.” As if she was not aware of that fact.
“Yet you took the broach and earrings. Only these two items.”
“How incredibly observant of you.”
“And you are determined to keep them.”
“And you seem determined not to put them in my outstretched hand.” Once more, she wiggled her fingers. “I don’t know if anyone has told you this before, but it is incredibly rude to fuck a woman and then steal from her immediately afterwards. That’s down right villainous behavior, FYI.”
He put the broach and earrings in her palm. His fingers lingered against her hand. “I’m not stealing from you.” His gaze swept over her face. “I’m not going to be a villain in your world.”
“That remains to be seen,” she muttered. She pulled her hand away from his and immediately curled her fingers over her prize.
“You were hired to steal those, weren’t you?”
What was this? A post-sex interrogation? “I was not stealing.” Her chin notched up. She’d backed away from him, and the sheet trailed over the floor. “I was retrieving items that Frederick had taken illegally. In case you missed it, Frederick is a bit of an asshole. That whole gallery of his? Plenty of stuff inside was stolen art work and jewelry.”
“Like the Claudel.”
“Right. Yes. Like the Claudel. Sticky Fingers Frederick had that piece taken when a certain Italian businessman refused to back a project of his last year. You refuse Frederick, and he finds a way to get revenge on you. He’s rather petty and vindictive like that.”
Ryan sucked in the side of his cheek, as if thinking, then said, “Frederick screwed over your real employer. You’re retrieving the property that was taken, aren’t you? Taken in one of Frederick’s ‘petty and vindictive’ retaliations?”
Close. Though this heist was purely pro bono because she owed the person who would be getting the broach and earrings. “I’m not turning these items over to the CIA. I’m keeping the broach and earrings. Consider it payment for my cooperation with you and your spy friends.”
“I have no intention of taking them away from you.” His hands went to his hips.
The move made his muscles flex. The dragon on his forearm rippled. The dragon’s claws stretched.
Do not look there. He’s trying to distract you with his tats.
Her breath whispered out. “Great to know.”
“Who is your employer?”
“I have no employer.” She turned away from him.
“Dammit, don’t lie to me!”
Oh, he did not want to go there with her right now. “I have no employer,” Simone repeated as she looked back at him. “Sometimes, I do things out of the goodness of my heart.” Call her a giver. “Ready for a shocker? I have a heart. I care about people.” Not a lot of people, granted, but certainly some.
“Well, of course, you fucking care. Your soft heart is why you told me to run when you should have been yelling for me to kill your enemies.”
Her whole body turned toward him, slowly.
“When you were being shoved toward the van, you told me to run.”
“Did I?” Careful words.
“Yeah, you did.”
“You didn’t run.”
“Fuck, no. I will never leave you behind.” He closed in. His hand lifted and skimmed over her cheek. “Baby…”
His voice had gone extra deep and rough and the endearment just seemed to pierce her.
