The Russian's Tenacious Lover (8 page)

For a moment, the two women stood glaring at each other in a contest of the wills, then Glynis let out a disgusted cry. “God, you rich people are impossible!”

Far being it from Thomas to point out the obvious fact that Glynis was very much a part of the rich set herself, he muttered, “So that’s settled then. Jenn is joining the merry band?”

Glynis lifted her shoulders in a gesture of exasperation. “I guess so.”

Quite inconsiderately, Jenn pumped her fist and cried, “Yessss!”

CHAPTER 14

“No, no, no, and no means no.” The head of the family spoke softly but with decision and authority, and Glynis suppressed a groan of annoyance.

“Look, Dad, Tom says this job requires a four-man team. Right now, we’re three, so we need you!”

Hugh looked up at the mention of the word Tom. “So it’s Tom now, eh? When did this happen?”

Ignoring him, she went on. “Tom says he could wrestle up someone from his team, people he’s worked with before, but frankly I don’t trust him. For all we know he could be working the inside stand. Get a bead on some of Mamykin’s jewels for himself and then secure a buyer. That man,” she added with a look of exasperation, “is the slipperiest devil I’ve ever encountered.”

“Yes, slippery and quite charming,” murmured Hugh with a twinkle in his eye.

She hadn’t heard the amusement in his voice nor seen the twinkle, for she continued in the same tetchy vein. “I swear if we don’t tie that man down and lock him up in the deepest dungeon or the highest tower, he’ll be out of here before we have a chance to get even near those pearls. Did you know he almost escaped?”

“Is that so?”

“If Jenn hadn’t dropped her backpack and I hadn’t heard the thump, he would be on his way to Moscow right now.”

“I doubt it, honey,” said her father warmly. “If Thomas Spencer wanted to escape, he would have done so without the help of Jennifer Crocket.” He plucked at the meager mustache he’d been cultivating for years now. “No, if that man is still here, it means he wants to be here.”

Glynis merely shrugged. “Whatever. Now are you going to help us or not? We can’t do this without you, you know.”

She eyed him with a look she’d perfected over the years. The one she’d learned while being dangled on his knee. Each time she wanted something, she would give him that pleading look that he found so particularly hard to resist.

“I don’t know, honey,” he wavered. “I’m a man of advanced years.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dad, you’re fifty.”

“Still. What in the blazes can you expect me to contribute to this… operation of yours?”

“You could keep an eye out,” she offered. “Or you could distract the guards.” She flapped her arms. “Whatever, Dad. Tom says he needs you, so that means he must have something in mind for you to do.”

He smiled again. His daughter hadn’t noticed how she’d gone from referring to Thomas Spencer as that rat thief to calling him by his Christian name, and had apparently entrusted the organization of the job entirely to him, in spite of her suspicions.

“Well, all right, honey,” he relented, not wanting to keep her in suspense any longer. “If Tom says he can use me on this job, I guess he must be right. The man clearly knows what he’s doing.”

She caught the irony in his voice, for she directed a scrutinizing gaze at him. “Well, he does,” she said a little defensively. “He managed to stay out of prison all these years, so he must be doing something right, right?” She frowned, not happy with the way that came out.

“Of course, darling,” he agreed good-naturedly. Then his face clouded. “The only thing that worries me a little bit… if we both get caught and thrown in jail, who’s going to look after Lydia?”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “We won’t get caught, Dad. I’ll make sure we don’t.”

“Do you really think Thomas can pull this off? I thought he said it was impossible?”

“He’s since changed his tune. Now he says it’s a cakewalk. In and out in no time. Easiest job in the world.”

Odd, Hugh felt. Why would Thomas suddenly change his mind about the difficulties they were facing? For a thief, the man was charming, to be sure, but the fact that his elusive daughter, who had never shown any interest in men, suddenly started relying on him for a crucial endeavor worried him.

He studied her closely. His exacting, demanding, efficient little girl, the consummate professional, was behaving like an amateur on this assignment, the most personal one she’d ever endeavored. He’d told her a million times not to risk her life and career for the retrieval of Mummy’s pearls, but she was unwavering in her resolve. It disconcerted him while simultaneously affecting him tremendously.

“All right, then. Let’s trust Thomas to do what he does best. If the man says it can be done, we’ll just have to take his word for it.”

“Don’t know about Jennifer Crocket, though,” spoke Glynis with a frown. “I don’t like the fact that Tom would allow an amateur to toddle along.”

“I’m an amateur,” he pointed out, but she wasn’t listening.

“The girl is simply a child. A big-bosomed child, granted, but still a child,” muttered Glynis as if speaking to herself rather than including him in her thoughts. She shook her head. “If her father knew about this, he’d be livid.”

“Yes,” mused Hugh. He’d wondered about that. The unholy bond of the young socialite and the country’s most renowned jewel thief had quite surprised him when Glynis first brought it to his attention. Nothing good could come of it, he felt. Bored teenagers were a dime a dozen in the world of the upper classes, but very few took to burgling houses or cracking safes just to amuse themselves. Sooner or later she would get caught, and the scandal might well ruin Charles Crocket, one of his best friends.

“Perhaps you should have a word with Charles?” suggested Glynis. “Tell him to keep his daughter on a shorter leash?”

He arched an inquisitive eyebrow. “I thought you said we needed her on this job? That we couldn’t do without her?”

“We could use her on
this
job, sure,” amended Glynis, “but the moment the pearls are in our possession, she should be stopped from going down the path of crime. I really don’t want to have to arrest her, Dad.”

“You would arrest her?”

“Of course! In a heartbeat!” she cried indignantly. “I’m still a cop, aren’t I? The moment we have Mummy’s pearls back, I’m arresting the both of them. Serves them right for stealing.” Then she reconsidered. “On second thoughts, perhaps I should give her another chance. She is only eighteen, after all. At that age, we are basically all blithering idiots.” She patted his arm. “The moment this thing is over, you better have that talk. Tell Charles his daughter is straying from the straight and narrow and associating with known criminals.” Then she grinned. “I can’t wait to see daddy’s girl grounded and Tom behind bars!”

And with those words, she left Hugh to his musings. The plot was definitely thickening, he thought, and he wasn’t so sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

CHAPTER 15

She didn’t like to pretend with the likes of him. So when he inquired how she felt about a country ramble, she simply refused, telling him in no uncertain terms how she felt about being confined to a car with a well-known thief and philanderer.

“Philanderer?” He caught the word with an expression of surprise. “I’ll have you know, Miss Fox, that it’s been months since my last—”

“Confession?” she interjected.

“Affair,” he corrected pointedly.

“Too busy stealing women’s purses to dig a little deeper and steal their virtue?” she inquired.

“I’ve never…” He halted, his voice betraying an anger that was untypical of him. “I’ve never touched a woman inappropriately, nor have I ever forced myself on a member of the fairer sex.” He cocked an eyebrow. “And I’ll have you know I’ve never snatched a purse in my life.”

Touché, she thought with satisfaction. For some reason, she enjoyed getting a rise out of him, and when she did, the consequent darkening of his brow satisfied her to no end.

They were seated on a stone bench in the gardens, watching the family poodle gamboling along the shrubs. No longer confined to his room, Thomas appeared perfectly at ease in his new surroundings. Glynis, on the other hand, hadn’t relaxed her vigilance. She still feared the man might be up to something. Though he’d given his word he’d help her retrieve the stolen gem, she didn’t trust him.

“I guess some women like to associate with a known criminal,” she said airily. “I’ve never understood this fascination with the underworld, but there you have it. To each his own, I guess.”

He turned his head, and she felt his eyes roam her face, causing her to display that infernal flush again. Goddammit, what was it about him that made her turn scarlet each time he looked at her? If anyone had seen her, they would have thought she was the ingénue, not Jennifer Crocket.

“You are, by far, the most infuriating Scotland Yard woman I’ve ever met,” he said softly, then added, “and the most intriguing. Tell me, what made you choose to fight crime? Didn’t you have enough to do running the family estate?”

The inherent implication that she was a rich wastrel looking for something to occupy her time had her straining to keep her volatile temper under control. When she finally managed to speak without grinding her teeth, she said, “I think being a law enforcement officer is the noblest profession possible. It may come as a surprise to you, Mr. Spencer, but not all of us want to undermine society. Some of us actually want to serve and protect, not merely loot and pillage.”

With a lift of her head, she discovered that a small smile had appeared on his lips.

“So what you’re saying is that not only do I ravish women on a daily basis—after stealing their purses, of course—but behave like a scoundrel by pillaging their homes and looting their kitties as well.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

“A fondler of kittens and looter of kitties,” he murmured, then pursed his lips. “Quite an achievement. You, my dear lady, are a keen judge of character.”

In spite of herself, she couldn’t help but smile at this. “Thank you. I aim to please.”

“I think it must be the cop in you, Glynis. These keen observations are part and parcel of your diligent training, I presume?”

“That, they are, Mr. Spencer,” she acknowledged haughtily.

“For God’s sakes, woman,” he suddenly burst out as he turned on her and took her shoulders in a firm grip. “Don’t talk such bloody nonsense!”

She raised her chin while unsuccessfully trying to escape his clutches. “It’s not nonsense when it’s the truth! You, sir, are a cad and a scoundrel!”

“You have no idea,” he muttered darkly, and before she could pull away, he had caught her lips with his, drawing her close to him with arms like hoops of steel, his grip surprisingly strong. Her soft breasts yielded against his hard chest, and as his lips plundered hers, she was helpless, her mind in a tailspin. Her body trembled, and an involuntary moan escaped the back of her throat. In spite of herself, she opened her lips, and when his tongue invaded, she reveled in the warmth of his mouth, surprised by the sweetness of the intimacy with a man she’d always despised.

She gave in to his demands, and instead of pushing him away, her arms circled his neck and her fingers tangled his hair, drawing him closer to her. Their tongues danced an intoxicating dance as she lost all power to fight, and became molded to him, a sudden desire washing over her, and rocking her world. Want expanded into need and turned into a sharp desire that had her clinging to him, giving as much as she took, offering herself in no uncertain terms to this self-professed scoundrel.

Reason failed to return to its throne this time, and when his hands moved down and brushed along her chest, she yearned for him to take their embrace deeper still, all propriety forgotten. And then his hands were full on her breasts, and he was touching her where no man had touched her in years, and heat flashed inside her like a torrent of flame. Her breath quickened, her heart raced, and when his lips descended on her neck, then trailed a path down to her throat, she offered her tender flesh to his hot lips without thought of consequence. He snapped the top button of her blouse, and then the second, revealing the creamy swell of her bosom, heaving under the onslaught, and then he was kissing the soft skin, his hands cupping and caressing.

A glimmer of common sense returned, then, and she fought back the intense desire that arced through her, the yearning that almost made her lose her mind, and uttered a strangled cry. “No,” she cried. “Please, Thomas, don’t.”

He hesitated but for a moment. It was enough for her to regain the control she’d so inexplicably lost. Clutching at her blouse, she jerked back and out of his reach, both regretting the loss of contact and rejoicing the return of sanity. “I-I can’t,” she muttered as she started buttoning up her blouse, well out of reach of his arms.

His eyes were dark, both with lust and anger. “You can’t, or you won’t?” he challenged.

“I’m sorry if I gave you the impression—”

“You damn well know what impression you gave,” he said in a low voice as he drew his hand through his tousled mane.

She fought for a measure of composure. “Well, I can assure you it will never happen again,” she offered in a voice that sounded strange to her own ears.

“Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”

“There will be no next time,” she asserted, now finally finding the frost in her voice that should have been there from the start.

He gave her a long stare that chilled her while simultaneously sending shivers of heat racing up her spine. “There
will
be a next time, and I won’t let you get away so easily, Glynis.”

Feebly—too feebly—she returned, “Of all the self-delusional…”

“Like you cops say, I always get my man.” He eyed her from beneath dark brows. “Or, in this case, my woman.”

CHAPTER 16

Thomas watched her sashay away from him, and regretted his outburst. What was he thinking, skirting danger like this? Not only was she a cop, she had the goods on him. Had actually caught him stealing a diamond. Well, she hadn’t seen him grab it from the safe the way Jenn had, but she’d relieved him of the stone, then caught him visiting Gordon and had retrieved the bracelet.