Thief (9 page)

“Sparrow.”

“Oak.” I nod to him as he lets me pass, leaving my car exactly where I parked it. He and I go way back, and if I’m pulling up outside this club, it’s for a good goddamn reason. I don’t hang at places like this unless I have to, usually if I’m working a job or con.

Just as I reach the door, it’s pulled open for me and I walk straight into the club. Oak is by my side now, and I tell him what I need.

“I’m looking for my girl. Redhead, curvy, name’s Tessa. She’s here with a regular, her name’s Harper.” He looks around for a second and then points across the dance floor. I spot her in half a second, something pulling me to her. Moving towards Tessa, I toss a thanks over my shoulder to Oak and make my way around to her table on the other side of the club.

There’s a sea of people here, and it’s loud as fuck, but I don’t take my eyes off my girl.

She’s leaning back in the booth, the small table in front of her littered with empty glasses. Her head is resting on the back of the bench, her dark auburn hair piled up, revealing her neck. Even from across the room, I can see she’s got a ton of make-up on. Jesus, has she been crying? It looks like the dark black around her eyes has run down her cheeks a little. As I get closer, I can see she’s wearing something strapless, but her lower half is covered by the table. I grit my jaw tighter when I see the amount of cleavage she’s showing. No one should get to see that but me. I’m ready to stab out every eye that so much as looks her way. That is only for me to see, and I know who came up with the outfit.

As I get even closer, I look around her table and see Nick is there. Clenching my fists, I continue to push through the crowd, trying to get to them, pushing off anyone who tries to grab for me. It looks like just the two of them are at the table, and I see him leering at her. Just as I approach, I see hands come up around his waist from under the table and realize that must be Harper under there.

I don’t want to scare Tessa, but I need her out of here, and I won’t negotiate. She turns her fuzzy eyes to mine, and I see the moment she realizes it’s me. The shock is clear on her face.

I pull off my leather jacket and lean down to help her put it on. I don’t say a word to her, and she doesn’t fight me.

I help her up out of the booth just as Harper comes up from under the table. Nick looks at me, and if I didn’t have Tessa in my arms, I’d fucking shoot him dead.

“Hey, where are you going with her? We were having fun!” Harper’s words are slurred, and I can tell she’s just as drunk as Tessa.

“Yeah, stay awhile. We could all share.” Nick wraps his arms around Harper as his eyes roam over my Tessa, showing that all the offhanded comments he’s been making about her are bullshit. He wants her. I can’t blame him, but it doesn't mean I won’t stab him in the throat if he tries to have any part of her. And I do mean
any
.

If I have to choose between killing him in the middle of a club and getting Tessa out of here, I’m taking care of my girl first. I can kill him later. And as much as I don’t like Harper, I don’t want to leave her here with him. I know if something happened to her, it would rip up my girl’s soft heart.

I can see his words about getting at Tessa hit Harper harder than she expected, and I see her grabbing her purse and moving away from him.

“Do you need a ride?” She doesn’t meet my eyes as she stands up and nods her head. I’ve got Tessa wrapped up in my jacket, and I want to carry her from here, but even as long as my jacket is, her bare legs are showing. I can’t even think about how short that dress is and who saw her in it.

I hold her to me, still not speaking a word as I help her from the club and to my car at the curb. I open up the passenger door and let Harper climb in the back, putting Tessa in the front.

As I lean over her and buckle Tessa’s seatbelt, I feel her lips whisper against my ear.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not now,” is all I can say in response as I walk around my car and get in the driver seat. I see Nick come out of the club just as I pull away. Both of us know this isn’t finished.

“Take Plymouth up to Trent. We’re two blocks up,” Harper says from the back. Her voice is tired, and if I’m not mistaken, it sounds like she’s more than angry.

I look over at Tessa and see her leaning her head against the door, and her eyes are closed. She passed out within seconds, and I’m relieved I got to her just in time.

We ride in silence to their apartment, and when I pull up out front, I get out of the driver’s seat and let Harper out from behind me.

She gets out, but before she walks away, I stop her with my words.

“I’m taking Tessa with me tonight. I want her safe.” Harper looks at me for a second and then just shrugs, like she’s giving up on Tessa, too. “For what it’s worth, Nick’s a piece of shit, but he’s a smooth talker. He can get pretty much talk anyone to do what he wants. You didn’t do anything wrong. He’s an asshole.”

She doesn’t meet my eyes, just nods her head and looks away. She takes a step but stops. “Hang on here a second, I’ll be right back.”

I watch as Harper goes into the building, and I lean into the car to check on Tessa. I push back some of the hair that’s fallen over her face, and I see her face is indeed streaked with make-up and tears. I need to know what made her cry and fix the problem. I can’t stand the thought of her being hurt by anything.

Tessa turns into my hand and blinks her sleepy drunken eyes at me. Suddenly, she has the biggest goofiest grin on her face, and it’s as if she’s just noticed I’m here.

“Hey, hot lips,” she slurs. The nickname brings a smile to my face.

“Hot lips, huh?”

“Oh yeah. Yous got like the best lips. I’ve never had lips before you. But yous the best. I’m sure.”

I let out a little laugh as she hiccups. “Is that right?”

“Yup. Big thick ones. Makes me wanna nibble.” She closes her eyes and slowly opens them. “Best first kiss ever.”

Her words knock me in the chest. I was her first kiss? Jesus, why does that make my cock hard? If I’m her first kiss, then I’m going to be her first…

“Here.”

I look up to see Harper holding out a bag, and I reach out to take it from her. “What’s this?”

“It’s some of her stuff. Girl shit.” She rubs her arms like the cold is getting to her. “Just, you know, take care of her.”

“I will.” With that, I put Tessa’s bag in the back seat and get behind the wheel. I watch as Harper goes inside the building, and then I put the car in gear.

“She’s a real bitch,” Tessa slurs, and again I laugh. I get the feeling she’s never said that out loud before.

She’s utterly adorable when she drinks, though I’m still not inclined to let her get this far gone again. It’s easy to forget about the danger she put herself in when she’s being cute and trying to sing the song from
The Little Mermaid
.

“
What’s a fire, and why does it…what’s the word…
”

Her silly hiccups keep interrupting her singing, and I reach over, holding her hand the whole way to my place.

Pulling up to the warehouse, I hit the button on my visor and the garage door opens. When I park, I shut the garage door, locking us in. I grab her bag and go around to the passenger side, opening up the door to help her out. Tessa shivers at the chill in the garage and proceeds to sing a song from the movie
Frozen
. I try to bite my lip so I don’t laugh, and I reach down, scooping her up in my arms.

I carry her through the door and into the main warehouse. It opens up into a living space and kitchen, but I don’t stop there. I carry her down a long hall that leads to my bedroom, and I take her to my bed.

After I lay her down on my bed, I turn on the bedside lamp. She lets out a deep breath as she snuggles into the covers, trying to escape the soft glow. She makes no protest at the fact that I’ve just taken her home with me. She just snuggles into my bed like she’s been doing it forever.

I get a washcloth from the bathroom and wet it with warm water. When I go back to the bed, I sit on the edge and start to wipe away the make-up on her eyes. She’s got so much on, she doesn’t look like my Tessa.

After a few swipes, it’s mostly gone, and I can see the fresh-faced beauty I’ve been craving. She looks so perfect here in my bed.

Leaning down, I place one soft kiss on her cheek, wanting more, but not able to let myself take advantage of her. No, when I take her for the first time, I want her looking into my eyes and begging me for more.

As I lean back and look down at her, she whispers my name as she falls asleep.

Now all I’ve got to do is take her clothes off like a gentleman and keep my hands to myself. Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

Chapter 10

Sean

I
give the dress a little tug and it does nothing at all. Trying a little harder, I yank with a little more force, making her big honey eyes pop open at me. I expect her to maybe jump or wonder where she is, but she just smiles at me. Trusting. A trust I’m going to shatter, but I’m going to enjoy it while I still have it. Soak up as much of it as I can. Hold on to each sweet moment.

“Harder.” Her voice is husky, and I growl at the simple word. I know she means yank on the dress harder, but all I can picture is her below me as I thrust my cock into her virgin-tight pussy while she begs me to fuck her harder. To give her something only I can. Telling me I’m the only man she’ll ever let have her. That she’ll be mine forever.

She licks her lips and a sweet little giggle pops out of her mouth as she catches what she said. Her little giggle alone makes my cock ache with need. Fuck having blue balls, I’m going to have a fucking blue body. I don’t just want to fuck her. I want to rub every part of me all over her.

“Come on, handsome. I’m sure you rip clothes off women all the time.” She reaches up and her finger traces the hair along my jaw before she grabs a handful off it. Yeah, I’m never shaving again; I like her grabbing onto me like that.

“I don’t recall ever ripping clothing off of a woman before,” I admit. Fuck, I can’t even remember the last time I’d been with a woman, let alone who it was. When I was younger and just started getting my hands dirty, I played, but as time went on I quit that shit fast.

I don’t think I’m cocky when it comes to my looks, but I know I attract a lot of female attention. Add that to the fact that I don’t treat women like shit like a lot of the men do in the places I hang out. Women would get attached to me, and then I’d still end up hurting them. That was something I took no pleasure in. I’ve been keeping to myself since, focusing instead on stacking my bank account. My hand did the job just fine when I needed the release, and that approach came with fewer problems.

I’d always wanted to settle down one day, but I knew I had to get my hands clean. That was something I planned to do after this score, but sweet little Tessa stumbled into my life a few weeks before I was ready. She fell right into my path, and there’s no turning around now. The goal is still the same, there are just a few added parts to it now. And the end goal is bigger and better than I could have ever dreamed of. No, I didn't think perfection and sweet innocence like her even existed.

“Oh, I can be your first.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “You can be my first, too.” She parts her legs, and I can’t stop myself from looking as she shows her simple white underwear. I thought maybe having too many meetings in the back of strip clubs had jaded me. I’ve seen women in what’s supposed to be the sexiest lingerie, but the sight of her in simple white panties has me wanting to cum in my pants.

I know the truth, though. It’s not about what she’s wearing. It’s her. Everything about her seems to do this to me. This little curvy slip of a girl can turn me inside out without even trying. No games or batting her eyelashes coyly at me. It’s simply her. Everything about her just does it for me. She’s utterly perfect. Like she’s made for me. Made to drive me utterly crazy.

“I’d be your first what?” I bait her, wanting to hear her say it. She parts her legs a little more, showing me her panty-covered pussy.

“Everything. Go ahead. Ruin me.” She giggles again, and I’m not sure what to make of her comment.