Thief of Mine (5 page)

Stella looked behind her in the darkness. No one seemed to
be following them but then she was new to all this being chased stuff so what
did she know? One thing she knew was the chased always checked behind them in
the movies so it seemed like the logical thing to do.

“What is this idol thing?” she yelled suddenly at a grim
faced Kit. She surprised herself by yelling at him but then she had surprised
herself by having sex with him. It was a night of surprises and she should be
allowed to yell if she wanted to.

“It’s an ancient artifact from the Middle Eastern town of Beldarq.
It is believed to be thousands of years old.” Kit concentrated on getting them
as far and as fast as he could away from Camille’s people. He knew they would
find him again soon enough. “I may have acquired it.”

Stella snorted out loud at his words. She knew a euphemism
when she heard one.

“Oh please, there is no “may have” about this. Let’s just
call a spade a spade, shall we? You stole this idol thing. There is no “acquired”
about it.” Stella tried to picture in her mind a map of the Middle East. She had
never heard of the town of Beldarq. But then, the Beldarqians had probably
never heard of Brisbane.

Kit liked Stella Rowallan more and more with each minute
that passed. She was mad at him but she was coping exceptionally well under the
circumstances. Not a lot of women could be half naked and do that.

“Stole is an ugly word, princess.”

“But it’s an accurate one in this case.” Stella relaxed
enough to sink her butt into the soft upholstery. Was it leather? Did being a
thief pay so well? She had only got a brief glimpse of the car Kit had pushed
her into but it was enough to know it was sleek and expensive and not her
kicked in and rusted sedan. “Spill the idol story, lover boy.”

Kit smiled momentarily. He liked it when she called him “lover
boy” in that pissed-off tone. It was sexy and hot and he wanted to jump her. He
momentarily contemplated pulling the car off to the side of the road and doing
just that.

Stella could tell what was on Kit’s mind by the look he shot
at her.

“That’s not going to happen again.” Their one time together
had been so damn good that Stella knew if she allowed it to happen again she
would become enslaved by this man. Frequent sex had the ability to do that to
you. She had a belief that the second time with a man was always more meaningful
and was what sucked you in completely.

“Oh, it will happen again.” Kit was certain of that. The
desire and passion between them was not something that could be ignored.

“Dream on. Oh demented one,” Stella returned lightly,
knowing she could quite easily fall for someone like Kit Kincaid. But where
would that get her? She had only known him for a few hours yet she knew he was
not person you married or contemplated a long term commitment with. “Tell me
about this idol thingy.” It was time to shove sex into the background. Stella
was sure it would rear up again soon enough.

“It’s complicated.” Kit didn’t have to look at Stella to
know she was rolling her eyes at his words. Her unladylike snort was enough to
tell him she needed to hear more. “The idol’s not mine and it’s not theirs.”

“So essentially it belongs to history and you all have your
sticky paws on it.” What was that time old saying? No honor among thieves? It
appeared to be correct. One thief would steal from another to get something for
profit. Stella didn’t doubt for a moment this idol was worth money. “So,
Camille and her mates want it, you have it and they are obviously prepared to
kill for it.”

“Camille won’t kill me. Maim me perhaps.”

“Well, how comforting to know that,” Stella murmured cynically.
Who were these people? Who was Kit that he would accept this woman would try
and attack him but not kill him? That was not normal. There were people she
loathed but she didn’t consider attacking, though God knows some of them
deserved it. “So what’s the story with the redhead?” Stella looked at Kit. He
was mad if he thought she would accept some half finished explanation from him.
“Well?”

Kit sighed. He did not want to get Stella any more involved
in this than he had but he knew she wasn’t going to leave it alone.

“I may have seduced her to get idol.”

“May have?” Stella arched her eyebrows at him cynically. “Is
this similar to how you seduced me to have sex with you?” Though, to be fair,
Stella could not blame him entirely. She had to acknowledge it hadn’t taken
much to seduce her.

“You wanted me, princess.” Kit knew that. There were some
people who were just meant to be together. “Don’t be getting all prissy about
it now.” Kit turned and smiled a knowing smile at her.

“I’m not prissy, and wanting is beside the point.”
What
was the point again? That smile of his threw her completely. It was an
invitation to have excellent sex.
Stella crossed her legs tightly as she
felt a surge of warmth shoot into her pussy. Now was not the time for any sort
of sex…maybe later but not now. Stella shook her head. What the hell was she
thinking? Sex with him again? Was she mad? Possibly.

“This Camille woman is out for vengeance. Haven’t you heard
about the woman scorned bit?”

“That idol is worth a great deal of money to the right
people,” Kit told her. “And money and women are two fatal attractions for me.”

Oh, again that smile. The man could make the most devoted
spinster fling up her skirt and beg for him to slide on inside.

“Don’t try that charming crap on me. I’m not falling for it
again.” Her words sounded tough. Could she live up to them?

“Sure, sure…” Kit murmured not believing Stella for a
moment. She was hooked just as he was and they would both fall for whatever the
other offered.

Stella narrowed her eyes sharply at him. Now he was just
making her cranky with his smart ass “I know better” attitude.

“Where are we going?” She looked outside the car as it sped
along Gympie Road. Where were they? She could see the Brisbane city lights way
up ahead but Stella had no idea where Kit was heading to.

“I have to get the idol.” Kit needed to push forward his
plans for the idol.

“To give it back to the rightful owner?” That seemed to make
sense to her. Then Kit wouldn’t have a strange woman chasing him and Stella
could go home and put on some underwear.

“No, to sell it.” Kit heard Stella’s incredulous intake of
breath. “And don’t worry, I’m fairly sure we’re not being followed. I’ve
covered my tracks.” Well, in truth, Kit hoped he had. He was after all dealing
with fanatics who were capable of almost anything.

“If they found you at the wedding then clearly you’re not
much good at covering your tracks, are you?” At least there were no more
explosions and that was a good thing as far as Stella was concerned. She wanted
to have a look at this idol thing. What was so special about it that everyone
wanted it?

“I need your help, princess.”

“To save your ass?” That much was obvious to Stella.

“Isn’t it worth saving?” Kit grinned wolfishly at her. He
could still remember the feel of Stella’s hands on his ass urging him on as he
slammed inside her.

Damn straight it was a fine backside and worth saving but
did she want to get caught up in some weird stuff like this?

“Who exactly is Camille?” Stella needed much more
information before she jumped in blindly. Her life was normally exceptionally
boring and the biggest risk she took was deciding which bill she could put off
paying until the next pay.

“She’s a witch, or she thinks she is.” It made no real
difference one way or the other to Kit. People could do or be what they wanted
as long as they left him to his own devices. He had the idol and she didn’t.
There was no magic in that. That had everything to do with time management and
street smarts.

Stella’s eyes opened wide in surprise at this statement. The
woman was a witch? Stella had watched
Charmed
but she could not remember
seeing any witch looking like a medieval throwback. Maybe she had missed some
episodes.

“So she’s a witch and you’re a thief.” And Stella’s little
world had taken a sharp unexpected turn in a matter of moments and she wasn’t too
sure how to deal with that.

Kit nodded his head. He continued speeding toward his
destination. He had to get the idol and get it fast.

“That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. I acquire things
people want and I sell them to the highest bidder.”

“So you don’t feel bad about stealing things?” For someone
to admit straight out they were a professional thief was not an everyday
occurrence. And the weird thing was she felt completely safe with this man. Maybe
that had a lot to do with the fact that she had nothing worth stealing. That or
she felt there was more to him than just charming, gentleman thief. Stella
shook herself mentally. What was wrong with her? She would be falling in love
with him next.

“It’s how I make my living.” Kit did not feel guilty about
the business he was in. He hurt no one and he made a nice profit. Having a
conscience was not a luxury he allowed himself.

“Are you some sort of poor man’s Indiana Jones?” It was not
an everyday thing to be chased for a stolen idol by a supposed witch.

“Something like that.” Kit laughed at Stella’s romantic
description. He had a feeling she could make him laugh at a lot of things. He
needed a break from the never-ending profit and loss cycle. Just being at Peter
and Simone’s wedding had made Kit realize he wanted something more in life. He
looked thoughtfully at Stella.

“What?” Stella felt a shiver run up her spine at his
searching look. The man had seen her naked for God’s sake. What else was he
looking for?

“Nothing,” Kit murmured. “Just thinking about possibilities.”

They were in the heart of Brisbane city now. The streets
were fairly quiet but then it was after nine pm and after a certain time,
Brisbane pretty much died down. It was just a big city with the heart of a
country town. Only people going to and fro from the nightclubs and Treasury
Casino could be seen.

“Where is this idol?” Stella asked, interested to know where
a thief hid his booty.

“Idols,” Kit informed her.

“There is more than one? And do I even want to know?” Stella
shook her head and decided she was no longer going to be surprised at anything he
told her. Witches, thieves, an ancient idol or in this case idols.

“‘There’s the original and the two fakes.”

“Uh-huh. No, don’t tell me.”  Stella raised one finger to
silence the explanation she knew would be coming. “Let me guess. Your plan is
to flog all three off and make a huge profit without the buyers realizing they
have a fake.”

Stella was smart. Kit liked that. Smart and sexy was an unbeatable
combination.

“That’s right.” Kit looked at her quickly. “I’m fascinating
aren’t I?” He grinned widely at her.

“You’re a piece of work all right.” Stella had to admit
there was something about this man. He had no conscience whatsoever. Stella
knew in theory people weren’t supposed to steal and they were supposed to be
accountable for what they did yet what Kit was saying didn’t bother her as much
as it should. What did that say about her? That sex with him had scrambled some
brain cells? That her moral code was shot to hell after one fantastic orgasm?
That seemed to be the most likely explanation. Sex screwed with your mind.

“Come on princess, you like me.” Kit kept one hand on the
steering wheel and ran his other up along her bare leg. He smiled as he felt
Stella jump in response.

Stella swatted his hand from her leg. It felt good and that
was a bad thing. How could she even contemplate having sex again with a self-confessed
thief who had put her in danger? The answer may have had something to do with the
fact that Stella had never felt more alive in her life.

“Great sex does not make a relationship.”

“Yes, it was damn good wasn’t it?” Kit was looking forward
to getting all hot and naked with Stella again soon.

“Where are we?” Stella snapped in irritation at herself. She
had to get a grip or she would be gripping something hard and long of his very
soon and begging him to slide that cock back inside her.

“We are at Roma Street train station,” Kit reported as he
drove the car into the covered car park.

Stella looked at him incredulously.

“You put the idols in a railway locker? How obvious is that?”
It was done in all the movies. She expected the master thief to have some
devious hiding place.

Kit parked the car in the closest parking bay to the door.
He wanted a quit exit.

“Sometimes the most obvious places are the best.”

Stella looked at him cynically.

“What is that, Thieving 101?” Stella watched as Kit got out
of the car and moved around to open her door. She arched her eyebrows at him
questioningly. “Why do I have go with you?” It made so much more sense to sit
in the car or maybe get out and hail and taxi and go home. Besides she didn’t
want to be walking around Roma Street station at night bare assed and dressed
only in a man’s jacket. She would be mistaken for either a drunken party girl
or a working girl.

Kit pulled Stella out of the car. Her feet were bare and she
was doing her best to pull down the jacket to cover her bare ass.

“Camille’s people have seen us together. I can’t leave you
alone. It’s natural they assume that we are a couple.”

“But we are not a couple.” Maybe they were a couple of
nitwits running helter-skelter through the night but not an actual relationship
type couple. How weird would it be to be coupled with Kit Kincaid, thief? How
would you even explain his occupation to people at parties? And why was she
even contemplating that anyway? “And who are ‘they’ again?”

“‘They’ are Camille’s coven.” Kit grabbed Stella’s hand and
pulled her along with him. He had got her into this mess and he had every
intention of protecting her.