Stolen Heart

chapter 3





Kieran hated New York City. It was loud, bright and it smelled. There were too many people and the sky was blocked by the tall buildings. He rarely came here, unless it was to buy clothes. Again, no apologies for his desire to always look fashionable.

Ava had indeed known a contact for Annika. Word had been passed back and forth to set up a meeting and Annika was supposed to meet him at a nightclub called Itch in downtown Manhattan. Why in the world someone would name a club Itch was beyond him. He supposed people went there to do some scratching.

And here he now sat, at Itch, waiting for Annika to arrive.

He decided to dress in understated elegance. He was wearing flat waisted, black dress pants and a lightweight charcoal gray sweater that molded to his frame. Black Ferragamos and a platinum watch were his only other accessories.

Sitting at the bar, nursing a beer, he watched the people bumping and grinding on the dance floor under swirling electric lights. He’d been waiting for Annika for half an hour and had already been propositioned a half dozen times by women asking him to dance. He politely declined all of them but made mental note of a gorgeous blonde he wanted to hook up with later. He bought her a drink so she would know he was interested. She sat a few tables away and kept batting her eyelashes at him.

Kieran glanced at his watch. He would give Annika another five minutes then he was heading out. Hopefully with the blonde on his arm.

Taking another sip of beer, Kieran watched in the mirror behind the bar as a huge man approached him from the rear. The guy was monstrously packed with muscle and was easily Kieran’s height, although he couldn’t be sure since he was sitting on a barstool. His skin was black as ebony and his head was bald. He sported a ring pierced through his upper lip and as he got closer, Kieran noticed his eyes were light green. Interesting but weird. Kieran tensed slightly, not knowing the man’s intent. His eyes were bland and revealed no clue as to what he might want.

He came to stand beside Kieran, who turned his head casually to face him. The man reached his hand out and said, “I’m Marcus.”

Kieran accepted the handshake. “Nice to meet you, Marcus. I hope you’re not gay. I don’t swing that way. But I have all the respect in the world if you do.”

Marcus gave an amused smile, flashing straight white teeth. His grip was firm and Kieran had no doubt this guy could crush his bones if he wanted to.

“I’m here on behalf of Annika. She sends her apologies but she can’t make it tonight.”

Kieran cursed under his breath. “Did she say when she might be able to meet with me?” His words were said through clenched teeth. Inconsiderate brat.

Marcus nodded. “She said she’ll meet you at your hotel bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“That’s it? Just ‘bright and early’?”

Marcus shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Women!”

Kieran sighed. “Thanks, Marcus. Can I buy you a drink?”

“No thanks, dude. I’m on duty. Have a good one.”

Kieran watched Marcus walk across the dance floor then he was lost in the sea of dancers. Kieran glanced at his watch again. Time to go find the blonde and see if they could make an early getaway. Tipping his beer back, he finished it in a few swallows. As he set it down, he glanced again in the mirror behind the bar and noticed a stunning red-head walking up behind him. The blonde could wait.

Kieran watched as the woman approached. Her hair was a burnished red and hung in loose waves past her shoulders. She had bangs cut straight and severe across her forehead, which lead him to look at her eyes. Crystal green and popping in the electric light display from the dance floor.

She was sinfully dressed in a tight, black mini-dress that showcased miles of leg. Kieran noticed she wasn’t walking toward him but rather to the empty stool to his right. As she sat down, Kieran dragged his gaze from the mirror and turned his head to look at her. He flashed a mega wattage smile at her and she returned it. Yes, the blonde was forgotten.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Kieran asked. He watched as she crossed her long legs, appraising him with those glowing green eyes.

“I would love it. I’ll have a dirty martini.”

Kieran signaled to the bartender and ordered up the martini and another beer for himself.

“I’m Kieran,” he said, holding his hand out to her.

She placed her hand in his to shake it, but he brought her hand up for a light kiss across her knuckles.

“I’m Ashley,” she stammered, clearly caught off guard by the kiss. Her cheeks flushed and Kieran thought it was adorable.

“Well Ashley, tonight is my lucky night. I seem to be talking to the loveliest lady in here.”

Ashley blushed again but seemed to find some of her wit. “I seriously doubt that, but if you want to tell me that again anytime soon, I’ll be more than happy to listen.”

Kieran chuckled. He loved a woman with humor. It would be a good night. The bartender brought their drinks and Kieran watched as Ashley took a dainty sip. Her lips were pouty and smooth. What those things could do to him he could only imagine.

“Thank you for the drink.”

“My pleasure.”

“So, Kieran, what do you do?”

“I work for the government. Acquisitions.” True enough.

“Sounds interesting. So what do you acquire?”

“Whatever the government tells me,” he returned evasively. Then he leaned in toward her and said in a low, warning voice, “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Ashley laughed. She had a full throated laugh that was sexy as hell. “Yeah, I’ve never heard that line before.”

“Well, please don’t tell me I’ve bombed out with you over that one lame line. I swear I have better material.”

Ashley took another sip from her drink and appraised him over her glass. “I tell you what… how about we dance and I’ll see if your moves on the floor are any better than at the bar.”

She set her glass down and grabbed his hand, leading him to the dance floor. Kieran couldn’t help but admire the way her black dress molded to her ass. Looking down her legs, he noticed she was wearing black stiletto heels with huge buckled leather straps wrapped around her ankles. Damn that was sexy.

Turning to Kieran once they made it through the throng of dancers, Ashley wrapped her arms around Kieran’s neck and molded her body to his. Those kick-ass stilettos brought her head to the top of his shoulders. Luckily, there was a slow techno beat playing that allowed Kieran and Ashley to need to do nothing more than seductively sway back and forth. Kieran brought his arms around Ashley, one hand resting on the middle of her back and the other on her lower back. His thumbs brushed back and forth.

“So, what do you do for a living, Ashley?”

“I’m a prostitute.”

Kieran actually released Ashley in shock and took a small step back, but then saw that her face was covered with a big grin. He grabbed back hold of her and brought her in close.

“Little liar,” he whispered playfully against her ear.

Chuckling now, Ashley turned her face up to his. “No, seriously, I’m about as far from a prostitute as you can get. I’m a librarian.”

“Really?” Kieran was clearly surprised.

“Shocking, right? But yes, I am a high school librarian, and proud of it.”

Kieran leaned down, putting his lips against her ear again and murmured, “Well, you’re a very sexy librarian. Throw a pair of horned rimmed glasses on right now and I would be completely at your mercy.”

Kieran felt Ashley shudder against him and pulled her a little tighter. Looking down at her, he found her returning his stare. His gaze skimmed down to her mouth. It was parted and moist. He couldn’t resist. He leaned in for a soft kiss and found her mouth accommodating. Pressing in further, he slid his tongue into her mouth and felt a moan vibrate in her throat. He leisurely explored her mouth while caressing her back with his hands. He felt her hands reach up and fist in his hair. Damn, but she was responsive which was causing him to be responsive. It wouldn’t be long before he was sporting a raging hard-on.

As much as he was enjoying the dance, it was time to blow this joint. He needed to broach this right with her. First Dimension women had more hang-ups when it came to casual sex. She was sexy as hell but hey, she was a librarian. A very confusing combination indeed. Before Kieran could think of what to say, he felt Ashley pull back from their kiss and lean her mouth up to his ear.

“Let’s blow this joint and go back to your place.”

Woman. Of. My. Dreams. Kieran couldn’t believe how quickly they seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. And she used the same exact words he was thinking. There was definitely a connection there.

Kieran gave Ashley a huge smile and pressed a small kiss to her lips. Releasing her, he grabbed her hand and led her off the dance floor, through the crowd. He noted the blonde he had bought the drink for shooting daggers at Ashley with her eyes. Oh well.

Exiting the nightclub, Kieran was able to quickly hail a cab. He opened the door for Ashley and climbed into the backseat beside her. He told the cabbie he was staying at the Mandarin Oriental and settled back for the ride. He turned to look at Ashley and picked up her hand. Casually stroking the back of it with this thumb, he found he wanted to know more about her.

“What was a beautiful, smart and sexy librarian doing in a nightclub by herself?”

“Just blowing off a little steam. Believe it or not,” she looked at him with seriousness all over her face, “library work is full of stress.”

“Really? I never would have guessed.” Kieran gave her a mock look of surprise.

“I know, right? People always underestimate the perils of being a book monitor. But making sure that books are checked out properly and late fees collected can really raise the blood pressure.”

Kieran gave a chuckle. This Ashley was really a delight. He was sure he’d remember her name in the morning. Kieran may enjoy the beds of many women, but he truly treasured a lady that was smart and witty. Too bad he wouldn’t be hanging out in New York very long. She was definitely proving to be someone he could see himself dating more than a few times. Plus, she was smoking hot.

They made small talk for the rest of the ride. Well, he mostly made her talk. She was originally from New York and loved the city life. She actually had not intended to be a high school librarian, but having a bachelor’s degree in English didn’t leave her with a lot of job options. She was planning to pursue her master’s degree in the Fall. Before he knew it, they had arrived at Kieran’s hotel.

After paying the cabbie, Kieran exited the cab and helped Ashley out. He couldn’t help but admire those lovely legs as she gracefully stepped out of the cab.

“Nice hotel,” Ashley commented. “Government acquisitions must pay well.”

“I do alright for myself,” Kieran replied smoothly.

They walked hand in hand up to his suite. Kieran was hoping that there would be no sense of awkwardness, seeing as how they really had met just a little over an hour ago. But Ashley seemed confident and sure of herself.

Opening the door, Kieran stepped in and turned on the lights. He turned to Ashley to offer her a drink but found her right behind him. She reached up with both hands and brought his face down to his. She laid a scorching kiss on him and his arms wrapped around her waist of their own volition, pulling her body tight to his. Kieran was surprised. He figured he would need to continue his seduction over drinks and more talk. He was not prepared for Ashley to take the lead. But he was not one to argue either.