The Sapphire Affair (Jewel #1)

Once inside the car, he smiled at her like a cat who’d caught the tastiest mouse in the universe.

“What?” She held her arms out wide. “What’s the smile for? The velvet pouch? The boob stare?”

“Just wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

His grin spread across his whole handsome face. It lit up his eyes. They twinkled with mischief. “The diamonds aren’t in the house. We don’t have to go back.”

She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“You did an excellent job.”

“At what?” The hair on her arms stood on end.

“At getting info about the first floor of the house.”

“Jake, what are you getting at? Just say it,” she said. “What do you mean about the first floor?”

He shrugged happily. “I took care of the second floor.”

Her eyes popped, her jaw dropped, and her brain went haywire. “What?”

“I climbed in through the second-story window and checked out his office. Want to know what he keeps in his safe?”

Equal parts surprise and curiosity ripped through her. “You were in there the whole time I was there, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I wanted you to be able to act natural and not worry about my poking around upstairs and trying to break into a safe.”

“You tricked me again!” she shouted, grateful they were in her car, parked at the end of the block.

“That’s one way to look at it. But I like to think I was protecting you.”

“From what?” She crossed her arms.

“From you inadvertently letting on that the guy you’re teamed up with was sneaking around upstairs and cracking your stepdad’s safe.”

She shook her head and breathed out hard. She couldn’t believe that’s what he had been up to while she was parked in the midst of the sex-toy ladies. But yet, she couldn’t deny his plan was brilliant. Nor could she deny her curiosity any longer.

“What did you find?”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. The wrapper said it was from Ecuador. “He has a few dozen of these in his safe, along with his passport. I grabbed one from the top. Didn’t want him to notice they were gone and start worrying.”

She studied the chocolate, tapping the bar. “That’s the chocolate he invested in that went belly-up, right?”

“Guess he likes it, and held onto a few for himself,” Jake said with a shrug.

She laughed. “He always did like his sweets.”

“Can’t blame him on that account.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE


Steph sucked on a cherry Popsicle.

Steph sucked on a cherry Popsicle.

Steph sucked on a cherry Popsicle.

Try as he might, his brain was stuck on repeat. His eyeballs were glued to the scene in front of him. Steph, licking the Popsicle. Her tongue swirling along the length of the cherry ice. He shifted on the picnic table bench, trying to adjust his shorts.

Futile effort.

It was fucking tight in there. He’d been hard since he first saw her tonight, then again when she waved her hands in front of her fantastic breasts, and now ever since she’d started licking the frozen treat.

Then she emitted a moan of culinary delight. And rolled her eyes.

Rock. Hard.

Not. Fair.

He did not know why he’d suggested they focus on just work. She was all he could focus on right now. He could barely remember why getting involved on a job was a bad idea. Couldn’t possibly be a bad idea. His body thought it was a very good idea.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked as he finished his mint chocolate chip ice cream.

“This is heavenly. You really should have one.”

“Yeah, I should. But one of us needs to drive,” he said, taking the final bite of his cone. “Besides, this mint chip rocks my world.”

“Told you so,” she said, waggling her eyebrows. “I can’t believe you’re not going to try a Popsicle, though. What if you had one, and then we talked about our plans for an hour, and then you could drive?”

“Nah. Can’t take a chance. But by all means, continue fellating the Popsicle.”

“I do believe I will.” She drew the Popsicle in deep and sucked long and hard.

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Killing me,” he muttered.

She cocked her head to the side. Affixed a quizzical look. “How am I killing you, Jake? I thought you wanted to go back to just work?”

“I said that. I meant it. I also find you insanely attractive. Therefore, the conundrum.”

“A conundrum indeed,” she said, flicking her tongue across the ice.

A night breeze blew by, and strands of her hair danced lazily around her shoulders. He supposed he could have looked away. He could have gazed contemplatively at the crescent moon and its sickles of light spotlighting the vast waters at night. Or at the vacationers strolling by along the beach. Even at the tiki torches that flickered at the edge of the bar that sat perched on the sugary white sand.