‘A diamond collar for a lithe little cat burglar,’ he said. ‘How appropriate.’
To her horror, her body reacted to his unabashed sensual assessment of her and to his low accented tone. Her skin tightened. Heat flooded her cheeks, her lower belly and she fought the instinct to take a squirming step back.
Alejandro Martinez was so not her cup of tea. Too obvious. Too forceful. Too...everything.
‘A ginger she-cat,’ he added thoughtfully, his focus lifting to her face. ‘Rather rare.’
She bristled. She’d always hated her hair. She’d gone through a phase when she’d dyed it darker, only that had made her almost see-through skin and squillions of freckles look worse. In the end she’d given up and gone back to natural and faced the fact she was never going to be a ‘beauty’.
‘You know about the bookcase?’ she asked, trying to take control of the situation—of herself—and draw attention away from this awareness. But her voice sounded husky and uncertain. She had to get herself and the necklace out of here as fast as possible.
‘I do now. What other secrets do you know about this house?’ His gaze seemed to penetrate right through her. ‘What else are you planning to steal?’
A hot streak of stubbornness shot through her. She wasn’t going to tell him anything—not about the house, not about herself, not about the necklace.
So she just stared up at him silently, waiting for him to make his next move.
His expression hardened. ‘Give me the necklace,’ he said firmly.
She shook her head. ‘Possession is nine-tenths of the law,’ she muttered.
‘Possession?’ He suddenly looked even more intent, even more predatory as his jaw sharpened and his eyes gleamed as they locked on hers.
Heat unfurled low in her belly. Shocking, utterly unwanted, destructive heat.
‘It is very valuable,’ he noted, continuing to watch her way too closely for her comfort. Standing too close too. When had he moved closer?
Kitty struggled to keep her brain working. The necklace was valuable, but not only in the way he meant. It was all heart and memory to her.
‘You know it’s not yours,’ she said, determinedly meeting his gaze and refusing to step back and show his intimidation was working.
‘I am also willing to bet it’s not yours.’ His return gaze was ruthless. His stance was implacable.
But all that did was fire Kitty’s desire to defy him. This man had taken ownership of everything she loved. He wasn’t having this too. But she couldn’t halt the telltale guilty heat building in her cheeks.
The diamonds might not belong to her legally, but they were hers in her heart. Damn Teddy’s uselessness. ‘It’s mine to retrieve.’
And hers by love. No one loved this necklace more than her—more than that, she’d loved the woman who’d once owned it.
Alejandro shook his head slowly. ‘This building and everything in it belongs to me now.’ A small smile hovered at his mouth. ‘Seeing as you are so insistent to stay, I guess that includes you too.’
Oh, she did not belong to anyone—and most certainly not him. This display of ownership was outrageous and beyond arrogant. ‘Actually, I was just leaving,’ she snapped coldly.
‘No.’ That tantalising smile vanished and he firmly grasped her wrist.
Kitty couldn’t hide the tremble that rippled through her as she fisted her hand and tried to pull free from him.
‘I think that both the necklace and you will remain in my possession until we find the rightful owner.’ His eyes glinted. ‘Of both.’
Defiance burned, sharpening her senses. Surely he was just being provocative, except she had the feeling he meant it. He was clearly used to being in control and having all the power. She didn’t want to tell him the truth about the diamonds. She wouldn’t try to appeal to his sensitive side—it was all too obvious he didn’t have one. Arrogant jerk.
The pressure on her wrist grew—inexorably he drew her closer.
‘What are you doing?’ she gasped when he firmly ran his other hand across her stomach.
Alejandro didn’t answer as he swept his palm further around her waist. She was a slim thing and had little in the way of curves, most unlike the women he usually spent time with. And yet there was something undeniably attractive about her. Undeniably different. She was clad entirely in black—slim three-quarter-length trousers and a fitted black sweater that emphasised her tall but slender frame. Her eyes screamed outrage and he suppressed a smile at the stiffness of her body as he continued his search. Maybe that was it—she presented resistance, challenge. And for him that was novel.
‘You’re assaulting me?’ she snarled venomously.
‘Checking for a concealed weapon,’ he answered smoothly, but a grim defensiveness rose within at her accusation. Alejandro Martinez would never assault any woman. He was not like—no.
He forced his attention to his pretty prisoner, not his past. Her eyes were the weapons here and now, striking like twin daggers and making him smile, a respite from the memory that had flickered. Pleased, he removed the phone from where she’d tucked it into the waistband of her trousers.
He released her to study his prize. The phone wasn’t the latest model and had one of those covers that had a pocket for a couple of cards—a bank card and driver’s licence tucked inside. Perfect.
‘Catriona Parkes-Wilson.’ He read the name aloud, glancing to watch her reaction to the identification.
Soft colour bloomed in her pale cheeks again, and her emerald eyes flashed. She really was striking.
‘Kitty,’ she corrected him quickly.
Catriona—Kitty—Parkes-Wilson was the daughter of the man who’d sold him this house.
Alejandro would have guessed that the diamonds—undoubtedly real—would be hers, but she’d looked so guilty when he’d stopped her that he now wondered. He had to be certain of their provenance before relinquishing them to her just like that.
But finally he understood her presence here tonight. She was on a retrieval mission.
She was also the ultimate in spoilt heiresses—so headstrong and so used to getting her way that she thought she could strut straight into any room and take what she wanted. Why not do the normal polite thing and ask? The sleek Catriona seemed only able to take. And no doubt she was used to causing trouble with every step.
He dampened down the rising attraction and told himself it would be fun to teach her a lesson in politeness, and then possession.
‘Catriona...’ he repeated her full name, deliberately ignoring her preference, and couldn’t stop his smile when she looked more annoyed ‘...I’m delighted to have you back in your former residence. Welcome.’
His security detail had informed him of her unorthodox arrival via text but Alejandro had already spotted her from his hidden vantage point upstairs where he’d been having a moment away from his guests. She’d climbed the stairs as though she thought she was invisible. As if hair the sparkling colours of an autumnal bonfire could ever blend into the background. Even when it had been tied in that pile on her head it had caught his attention. Now that it hung loose in a tumble of crazy curls, he was tempted to tangle his fingers into it and draw her close for a kiss...
But he wasn’t about to give in to this unexpected burst of desire.
Alejandro enjoyed sex and had no shortage of it, but it had been a while since he’d felt such an instant surge of lust for a woman. It was mildly irritating—he had better control than this and, to prove that to himself, he wasn’t about to explore the sexual electricity arcing between them right now. Not yet. It would be more amusing to put this petulant princess in her place. He’d met too many spoilt people who’d never had to do a real day’s work in their lives and who had no idea what hardship really was. Catriona Parkes-Wilson needed to learn some genuine manners.
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An idea came instantly, as they generally did, but this one made his muscles tighten in a searing burst of anticipation.
‘Remain here this evening as my date,’ he said bluntly. ‘Or I call the police. The choice is yours.’
‘Your date?’ Her eyes widened in surprise.
He knew she felt the sensual awareness the way he did. It seemed she didn’t like it all that much either. Inexplicably, that improved his mood. He’d have her apology. And then, if it was good, maybe he’d have her.
‘The police?’ she suddenly added quickly, almost hopefully.
That threat was the lesser of the two evils to her? He needed to make that option more alarming. ‘Your fingerprints are all over—’
‘They would be anyway,’ she interrupted scornfully. ‘I lived here, remember?’
‘And I have security camera footage.’ He smiled.
That silenced her.
‘I can’t ignore my guests for hours while I iron out this interruption of yours,’ he said. ‘So you will remain with me until I have the time to deal with you.’
Her eyes didn’t waver from his as he stipulated his rules.
‘I don’t intend to leave your side even for a second,’ he informed her quietly, failing to suppress the satisfaction that rose at the thought. ‘Slinky cats can be clever escape artists. I’m not having you slip out when I look away for a second.’ He read the fire in her gaze and his blood heated. ‘And I do expect you to behave.’