Stolen Heat - By Elisabeth Naughton Page 0,125
with the CIA and the Egyptian government, was more concerned with nabbing Kamil and closing down the ELA’s link to the SCA than they were in holding me. In exchange for helping them set up a sting to get Kamil and his few remaining accomplices—one of which was the guy who was shooting at us in Raleigh—I got a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
He grinned, but she continued to gape at him like he’d grown a second head. “You what?”
He tightened his grip on her hands, fearing her trust in him was once again teetering on the edge. “Don’t freak out. I haven’t dealt with any of those guys in a long time, but I still know some contacts running underground. It wasn’t as difficult as one might think to set up a deal and lure Kamil in.”
“And you did.”
“Not all on my own. I just…helped.”
She stared at him with big, unreadable brown eyes. “With a man known to be linked to a violent terrorist faction.”
“Yeah,” he said hesitantly, because she was looking at him now like she suddenly didn’t know him anymore.
“Without telling me what you had planned,” she added way too calmly.
“Yes.”
Her jaw clenched.
Okay, she was mad. And she had every right to be. But he hadn’t wanted her to know. Though it hadn’t been as difficult as he’d thought to arrange it all, it had still been dangerous. And if it hadn’t worked out, he could have wound up right back in jail. Or worse, dead.
“You could have been killed,” she said with narrowed eyes.
“But I wasn’t.” He leaned forward and tried to kiss her.
She eased back out of his reach.
“Come on, Kit-Kat. It’s all good now. I’m safe. You’re safe. Everything’s back the way it should be. We’ve got this great big bed.” He nodded into the bedroom and lifted his brows, hoping to lighten the mood. “Be a shame to waste it right now when I’ve been gone all this time. You know I didn’t get any conjugal visits.”
“If everything’s back the way it should be,” she said, cocking her head to the side and ignoring his joke, “I suppose that means you want your gallery back. And the house and everything else.”
“No,” he said, choosing his words carefully because he didn’t want to risk screwing anything up at this point. “It means I love you, and I just want you back. None of the rest of it means anything to me if you’re not a part of it.”
That did it. Her eyes softened, just enough so he knew he had her. “If you want a job you’re going to have to apply for it.”
He barked out a laugh and pulled her tight against him before she could move out of his grasp.
“And if you plan on staying in this house, no more hiding the truth from me, Pete. Ever.”
“Deal.” He was smiling as he moved to kiss her, but she turned her head so all he got was her ear.
“And,” she went on, hands braced against his shoulders, “while I appreciate the generous…gifts…you gave me, my new lawyer—”
“You mean my lawyer,” he said, still grinning, deciding to go ahead and kiss her ear because it couldn’t talk back at him.
“That’s what I said. Though I appreciate what you did, my lawyer informed me I’m going to take a serious hit come tax season because of the nature of the transfer of assets. If you want to work for me at Odyssey and you expect to get back in this house, then you’d better do something about that situation.”
He chuckled while she straddled his lap on her knees and pushed back with her hands on his shoulders. She was all business as she looked down at him, his beautiful Egyptologist turned suspect-on-the-lam turned suddenly confident negotiator.
“Are you trying to cut a deal with me, Kit-Kat?”
“Yes,” she said without flinching.
“And what do you get in return?”
“Hopefully a joint tax return.”
His heart skipped a beat. “Are we talking marriage here?”
“I am. I’m not having your baby without a marriage certificate.”
“Baby?”
“I’m not pregnant,” she said quickly at what he knew was his shocked expression. “But considering the way you tackled me when you got here, anything’s possible.”
“The way I tackled you?”
“Denial is a river in Egypt, Pete. I should know.” She lifted a brow. “Wish you’d stayed in Cairo now?”
He flipped her to her back so fast she gasped. “Not on your life.”
“Wait!” She smiled against his mouth. “I’m suddenly afraid you might be agreeing to marry me just to get at my money.”
“Kat,” he said in all seriousness as he looked down at her. “You’re not getting out of this one. When I make a deal, I’m in it for the long haul, no matter where it takes me.”
“Promise?”
The mischievous glint in her eye told him the future would never be easy where she was concerned. Lucky for him, that was just how he liked it.
“Absolutely. Now shut up and welcome me home all over again.”
Acknowledgments
Big thanks to my agent, Laura Bradford, for her honesty, hard work and advice regarding this book. Thanks also to my editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, and the entire crew at Dorchester for their unflappable attention to detail.
Special thanks as always to my rock, Joan Swan, who makes writing just plain fun. My “girls”…Lisa Catto, Becky Hakes, Kendra Elliot & Alice Sharpe for always responding to “just one more thing.” To Bethany Cunningham Gabbert for her fab legal advice; Rita Van Hee, Tonia Wubbena & Connie Dingeman for dropping everything to read for me; and Tiki Gaugler, who sailed to my rescue in the middle of this book when I needed it most. Thanks also to Karl Wingren and the staff at the Clackamas County Public Safety Training Center for a great day on the range and for answering all my questions.
And finally, to my husband Dan, who puts up with the long hours I spend at the keyboard. I love you, babe.
Praise for Elisabeth Naughton and Stolen Fury!
“Wow, what a roller coaster ride! Naughton nails her debut with a hot hero, a sassy heroine and a plot with more twists then a pretzel! Well done!”
—Karin Tabke, author of Jaded
“A rock solid debut…Naughton’s intelligent adventure plot is intensified by the blazing heat that builds from Lisa and Rafe’s first erotic encounter.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Naughton deftly distills deadly intrigue, high adrenaline action, and scorchingly hot passion into a perfectly constructed novel of romantic suspense.”
—Chicago Tribune
“When a tough-as-nails and slightly repressed archaeologist meets a charming bad-boy thief, they test each other’s limits, narrowly escape danger, and fall in love. While it’s a familiar plot (think Romancing the Stone), Naughton creates an action-packed and satisfying story line. She also delivers one very charming and sexy hero—with a heart of gold.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Stolen Fury puts an intelligent, spirited heroine together with a mischievous hot blooded rogue. The sparks fly! Danger threatens at every corner as these two race around the globe and delve into the secrets each keeps from the other.”
—Merrimon Book Reviews
“This is an exciting romantic suspense thriller that starts off hot and…from there turns up the heat and the action.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Stolen Fury has a complex plot…a sassy independent heroine, and a lush Latin hero. What more can one ask for in a romantic suspense novel?”
—Romance Junkies
Other Love Spell Books by Elisabeth Naughton:
STOLEN FURY
Copyright
LOVE SPELL®
August 2009
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
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New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2009 by Elisabeth Naughton
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