The Billionaire Prince’s Stubborn Assistant by Leslie North Page 0,2

the near-dark?

Dammit.

Not only had that jerk taken her backpack with the precious pieces she’d found in the schoolhouse, but if he caught up to her, he could turn her in for stealing. She imagined the look on her father’s face when he discovered the truth about how she acquired the treasures she brought to their shop. Along with her uncle Stoddard, Clementine and her father ran the only architectural salvage business in Sovalon. The company was barely staying afloat now, and a robbery scandal would be no good for business.

Usually, when Clem went on these stealth missions, her presence went completely undetected. She targeted places that were set to be demolished. Places where countless historical artifacts would be destroyed if she didn’t step in and save them. In Clem’s opinion, she wasn’t stealing but rescuing prized remnants from the past. The finds she collected told stories of a life before the hectic hustle and bustle of today. They were treasures that just happened to help her struggling family business stay afloat.

Clem heard footfalls rushing toward her. She broke into a sprint toward the alley behind the house, her calf muscles screaming as she pushed them to run faster.

“Stop!” he called out to her, and the deep command in his tone made her flinch. When she heard the sound of his breath, coming fast like hers, she knew he was practically on top of her. A moment later, a heavy hand pushed into her shoulder and got a grip of her shirt. She was jerked backward, and his body crashed into hers, throwing them both off-balance and tumbling them into the grass. The stars seemed to spin above her as she tried to right herself beneath his hard body and wiggle free.

“Get off!” she cried, and he pushed himself up from atop her.

“Who are you?” he demanded and grabbed her by the arm before she could get up and dash off again. “And what were you doing stealing junk from the schoolhouse?”

“Junk?” Clem stuck out her chin.

“Yes, junk,” he said. “I should call the police and have you arrested for trespassing.”

Clem straightened her torso so she was sitting up straight, using the ground under one hand to keep her balance. She leaned in, daring him. “Go ahead and call.”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response, but all he did was shake his head and curl his free hand into a fist. She couldn’t help but notice his biceps—definitely a product of his line of work. Finally, he sighed in what sounded like defeat. His gaze fell on her and softened as he took all of her in and swallowed hard. She knew the look of a man who was into her. She’d seen it before, and she knew she could use it. This guy wasn’t going to call the cops.

“By the way,” she said, still careful not to break eye contact with him. “They’re antiques, not junk.” Not that she expected a construction worker to recognize the importance of her prizes, but his words annoyed her. “And the school is set to be blown to pieces tomorrow, so I wasn’t stealing them. I was rescuing them.”

“Why?”

It wasn’t any of his business, so Clem didn’t answer him. Instead, she took a moment to study the man who had her in his strong grip. Now that they were out in the moonlight and she could see him more clearly, he looked oddly familiar. She knew him from somewhere, but where? His dark eyes dug into her, brooding and serious, but when she dared to stare back into them just as hard, his lips bent into a subtle grin. As quickly as it had appeared, the smile was gone.

“Sorry,” he said and cleared his throat. He let go of Clem’s arm and held out the backpack to her. “I was trying to tell you back there in the schoolhouse that it’s foolish for anyone to be traipsing around a condemned building. Especially in the dark. The dangers—”

“I can take care of myself,” Clem interrupted and took her bag back. He stood and offered a hand to help her up. Something in her twisted, a desire to take his hand, to feel his skin on hers, but she resisted. She stood up on her own, examined the bag’s contents to ensure nothing was missing, then looked up at him. In the light of the moon, his handsome features snagged her attention, bringing to life once again a strange yearning in her belly. Tall and