Stolen Hearts - Softcover

Martin, Michelle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553576488 ISBN 13: 9780553576481

Publisher: Fanfare, 1997

Synopsis

A beautiful con artist...a dangerous charade...a case of...Stolen Hearts.

From the fresh new voice of Michelle Martin comes this sparkling romance in the bestselling tradition of Jayne Ann Krentz. An ex-jewel thief pulls the con of her life, but one man is determined to catch her--and never let her get away.

For Tess Alcott, chocolate was a vice; stealing jewels was pure pleasure. So when her ruthless former "employer" turned up to coerce her into taking part in a daring heist, he didn't have to twist her arm too far. He only had to hold out the lure of the magnificent Farleigh emeralds.

To win them, all Tess needs to do is convince one sweet old lady and one grouchy, blue-blooded--and distractingly handsome--lawyer that she's the missing heiress to a fortune. But Tess doesn't realize the danger, until the infuriating lawyer beats her at her own game...and steals her most prized possession...her heart. Now Tess doesn't know which she wants more: the gorgeous emeralds or the gorgeous emerald-eyed lawyer....

About this title

Review

Tess Alcott is the best thief and con artist in the business. She is out to pull one last heist with the man who made her who she is today. Presenting herself as the long lost Cushman heiress, Elizabeth, she will gain access to the family and steal the Farliegh emeralds. The biggest obstacle to this plan is Luke Mansfield. As the attorney and friend of Jane Cushman, Elizabeth's grandmother, he intends to prove that Tess is a fake. From their first introduction he knows it won't be easy; Tess is a pro, and she plays it cool. Luke will need to dig deep to discover the truth--and to control his emotions, especially since he finds the beautiful con artist irresistible. All the lies and subterfuge ignite in a brilliant climax sure to surprise and satisfy readers.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

She padded down the back stairs in her bare feet, to avoid Jane and Luke, and walked into the library. Luke stood at the river-rock fireplace, a snifter of brandy balanced in his long fingers. He stared into it as if seeking the answers to the universe.

"Oops! Sorry," she said, striding briskly into the room as if her very being were not centered on the green-eyed monster from Hell. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I just came for a book. Something like Richardson's Pamela. Guaranteed to knock you out cold inside of two minutes."

Luke's emerald gaze stopped her half way across the room. "You're looking for Pamela?" he said. "You nearly fell asleep over your cup of after-dinner hot chocolate."

Tess forced herself to look away from Luke. She walked toward the bookshelves, hoping to find a book and escape quickly. "Hodgkins laced the hot chocolate with caffeine," she said calmly, "I'm convinced of it."

"His dislike of heartless cons exceeds even my own. But then, he's known Jane longer."

"Fortunately," Tess said lightly, "Jane relies on her own opinion, not on that of her butler or watchdog, I mean lawyer."

"This watchdog will protect Jane from your machinations with the last breath in his body."

"I expected nothing less," Tess said, scanning the shelves for Pamela.

"Who are you really, Tess Alcott?"

"You got me. I'll let you know when I find out."

"So, you intend to play this amnesia story for all it's worth?"

Rage erupted in Tess and spun her around to face her enemy. "Do you remember your fifth birthday party?" she demanded.

Luke looked surprised at suddenly being under attack. "Sure."

"Do you remember what your childhood bedroom looked like?"

"Of course."

"Do you remember what your favorite food was?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't!" Tess said bitterly. "You're supposed to be such a hotshot lawyer, Mansfield, but you're batting less than a hundred when it comes to knowing what the truth is about me!"

She spun back to the bookshelves, trying to get her temper and her pain under control. The library was silent for what seemed a very long moment.

"I'm beginning to think you're right," Luke said gently. "But still, even with my lousy batting average, you can't win."

"There's that male arrogance, rearing its ugly head again," Tess said, standing on tiptoe to read the titles on the upper shelves, wanting to relax into Luke's quiet, and not daring to. "But in a way you're right, Mansfield. I can't really win because I don't have anything to lose. I'm looking for my past, remember? If Jane isn't there, it's no skin off my nose. I'll eventually find someone who was there and I'll be able to conduct my own little `Up Close and Personal' interview. So yap away, Mansfield, you can only give yourself a sore throat."

His chuckle rumbled up and down her spine. Without looking, she knew that Luke had leaned his back against the fireplace mantel and was studying her from head to toe.

"Love your negligée," he said.

Tess forced herself to laugh as she grabbed Pamela and turned to him. The brandy snifter was resting on the mantel. His hands were free. He seemed more dangerous that way. "I think it's best to choose function over form," she said a little breathlessly, tension coiling within her. "In my line of work, it's often necessary to make a quick, and unscheduled, exit and that means no time to grab your clothes if you're sleeping in the nude...as I found out the hard way in my youth."

Luke's grin broadened, lightening his face, eroding the cynical mask. "Now that is something I dearly would have loved to see."

"Six French gendarmes had the dubious pleasure instead," Tess said, walking back across the room. It seemed to stretch on for miles before her. "Fortunately, the shock of seeing a naked girl running across the rooftops of the Left Bank kept them from firing their guns and I was able to make my getaway unscathed. Later, I heard about an American bank robber who pulled all of his jobs in the nude because, I am told on the greatest authority, if you've only seen someone naked, you can't recognize them dressed."

"That wouldn't work where you're concerned," Luke murmured, his gaze forcing her to a stop directly in front of him. "It's a good thing you didn't meet those gendarmes the next day."

A blush flooded Tess's cheeks. "Why, Mr. Mansfield, I do believe you're actually paying me a compliment."

"It has been known to happen," Luke said sounding a bit surprised himself. "I once made some very nice remarks about a racing skiff I was assigned at Harvard."

"Careful, Mansfield. Such unbridled enthusiasm will have you running amok."

"Running amok sounds wonderful just now," Luke said with a sigh, his hand reaching out and brushing against her cheek, lingering there, stilling her breath.

She had never known a man's touch could be so lovely.

The world tilted crazily beneath Tess's feet as he slowly lowered his head to hers. "Luke," she whispered and had no idea what to say next.

His lips met hers in a gentle joining of warmth against warmth. Hunger broke free within her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to press herself against him, her mouth deepening the kiss of its own accord. With a groan, Luke slid his arms around her, holding her tight, his sensual mouth moving hungrily over hers.

It was good, so good. It was the closest thing to heaven Tess had ever known.

And it ended in the next moment as sanity abruptly returned.

She jerked away, her book clutched to her chest, the back of one hand pressed against her mouth. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

His breath as ragged as her own, Luke stared down at her. Then anger blazed in his eyes. "The same might be asked of you, Elizabeth," he sneered. "Just how far were you willing to go to win me over to your side?"

Something in Tess, newly born, died in that moment. Oh God, he had been using her, testing her. And she had fallen for it. Her hand ached to strike the superiority from Luke's handsome face. Instead, she gripped her book even harder.

"Don't think you can use your masculine charms to seduce me out of this house," she snapped. "I am neither stupid nor that desperate."

She stalked from the room, slamming the library door shut behind her.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fanfare
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0553576488
• ISBN 13: 9780553576481
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304