Chapter 24
24
After a celebratory dinner full of boisterous shouting about the job they’d pulled off, Celeste stayed in the kitchen with Lawrence, while the others excused themselves for wine in the drawing room.
“Lawrence, you did the cooking, you don’t need to wash the dishes, too.”
“I heard you the first four times, little lady,” he said, running the water in the deep sink basin. “But if you want to help me wash up, I won’t stop you.”
“I’ll dry?”
“That’ll do just fine,” he said, giving her a gentle smile.
They washed for a while, falling into a quiet rhythm. He washing, she drying. As she stacked the dishes back into a nearby cupboard, she caught Lawrence watching her. “What?”
He shook his head with the same wry smile. “You just remind me of her is all.”
She flipped her towel over her shoulder and leaned against the counter. “I’m hearing that a lot lately.”
“It’s not a bad thing, CeCe. It’s just the way you carry yourself. Strong-willed and driven. Whatever drove her, I see it in you.”
Celeste lifted her chin and stared at him head-on. “What drove Doris?”
Lawrence shrugged. “Oh, it’s hard to say exactly. To be the first, to have the last word, the next biggest prize? You know she hardly fenced any of the paintings she stole. She often liked keeping her treasures to herself.”
“It’s hella hard to fence a Caravaggio that should be hanging in Rome.”
That earned her a chuckle. “But you know she could pull it off if she wanted to. And maybe that’s what drives you, Celeste. The next biggest prize? You’ll get it with the help of your crew, but what comes after that?”
She didn’t know the answer to that question. “You make it sound like Dr. Grant’s ambition was a flaw.”
“I didn’t say that. She was ambitious, but she was also clever. Knew when to let things go to grab other things.”
Celeste felt her face burn from his words. She couldn’t help but think of the Swedish diamonds she literally let go of years ago. Or was he referring to the grudge she still held against Magnus? She’d admittedly had a hard time letting that go. “Have you been talking to Magnus?” she asked with nervous laughter.
“No...but speaking of Larsson, I see some of Doris in him as well. He’s a cautious man, but if the prize is worth it, he’ll go after it.”
“What prize is big enough to make Magnus not so cautious?”
Lawrence rolled his eyes. “You’re smarter than that, Celeste. The man is fiercely loyal, but to very few things or people on this Earth. You were one of those people at one time... Perhaps you should be careful with that.”
She took a deep breath as she listened. “We’re just doing this one job,” she said in a soft voice. “He won’t really want to come back to the fold.”
“He’s already back, kiddo,” Lawrence said, joining her to lean against the counter. Together, they stared into the grand dining room with the twelve-seat table and crystal chandelier. “I’m not telling you this to frustrate you. I’m just calling it as I see it.”
“I’m not frustrated,” she said. “I appreciate your observations.”
“Whatever you two choose to work on after this score, I do believe you’ll do well...together. I’m assuming that was Doris’s grand scheme.”
Her mentor had insinuated as much in her diaries. She wasn’t blind to the parallels between her relationship with Magnus and Doris’s relationship with Sebastian. Like those two, Celeste often wondered if she and Magnus were just different people who belonged to different worlds. One of want, one of privilege. “Did she ever talk to you about us?” Celeste asked.
He nodded. “She said that if you weren’t careful, you would go your whole life looking for something only to find out it was him. She feared you might realize it too late.” Lawrence turned to face her. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”
Celeste scrunched her face up. “You think it’s Magnus ?”
“Is that a bad thing?” Lawrence asked, laughing at her.
“Bad? I don’t know about that...more like complicated. He can be a jerk sometimes.”
“And so can you, CeCe. Sometimes you’re as stubborn as a Georgian mule and Magnus is the only one who can sort you out.”
She rolled her eyes. “All right, old man. You’re pushing it.”
“So long as someone’s pushing you,” he said, checking her shoulder. “Go on and get some rest. I’ll finish this up and turn in myself.”
Celeste pushed herself away from the counter and caught him in a tight hug. He seemed startled, but quickly wrapped his arms around her. They stood like that, in the kitchen, in a quiet embrace, until Celeste finally spoke. “Thank you for being here, Lawrence.”
“Of course.”
She rubbed his shoulders before leaving him to his own devices. As Celeste made her way to the stairwell, she noticed that Beatrice was still lounging in the drawing room with a bottle of wine and her tablet.
“Where are the boys?” she asked, ducking her head into the entrance.
Beatrice didn’t take her eyes off her tablet. “Mags went to bed and Santi is in the garage modifying our last getaway vehicle. I guess he’s changing the license plate and all that?”
“That sounds about right.”
“You doing okay?” Beatrice asked, glancing at her. “I know you said you didn’t want to be a part of a crew, but I feel like we’ve worked really well together so far.”
“Well enough to say ‘I told you so’?”
Beatrice grinned. “Not yet. I’d love for you to see what I see. A weird little family that could work if you let it.”
“Even Santi?”
The young woman shrugged. “I like him. He’s cute and fun, but I’m not about to get involved with him. Not if he’s going to get in the way of my goals.”
The girl’s words gave her pause. Echoes of the stubborn ambition Lawrence had just described seemed to clench Beatrice’s jaw as she spoke. Celeste would never want to curb another woman’s goals, but her protégé sounded so resolute, it was almost jarring.
“I’m not going to judge you, sis. Do what feels right,” she said, backing away from the drawing room. She started up the stairs, two at a time, prepared to speak to Magnus about their stolen treasure in his room. She wanted to get a handle on how to approach Sebastian the next day.
She knocked on his bedroom door. “Mags? Are you still awake?” When he didn’t answer, she pressed her ear to the door and listened for any movement. It was very quiet on the other side.
“I’m coming in because we need to talk about Sebastian,” she said against the door. “I hope you’re decent.”
When she opened the door, she found the bedroom cloaked in darkness. Celeste used the light from the hallway to carefully walk toward his bedside. She was about to turn on a nightstand lamp when he walked out of his en suite bathroom.
“My dear... You wouldn’t be in my bedroom trying to steal an egg, would you?”
His sudden presence scared the hell out of her once again. She shot up to full height, ready to deliver another palm strike.
Magnus moved faster this time. He sidestepped her and shielded his face. “Goddammit, Celeste, I’m not trying to frighten you,” he laughed. “Why are you so hypervigilant?”
“Because you’re always skulking around in the dark,” she said, steadying her breath.
“Says the woman who snuck into my room.”
Celeste watched him make the same steady approach as he had when they were in the kitchen, wondering if he’d try to kiss her again. This time, she found herself a little more amenable. “I announced myself.”
He was right up on her, his body towering over her. “I was in the bathroom.”
Celeste allowed herself to be walked backward, toward the wall beside his bed. She knew this dance; they had engaged in it after most scores in the past. And because they were in the dark, it made things more illicit, more dangerous. Perhaps they’d kiss, maybe they’d fuck, and tomorrow they could go back to antagonizing one another. Celeste rather liked the idea of being reckless for at least one night.
“And what did you want?” he asked in a low voice.
She stepped backward until her back came up against the wall. “I wanted to talk to you about Sebastian. I thought we’d come up with a plan to approach him.”
Magnus put a hand on the wall and leaned over her. “There’s nothing to it. We give the egg to him, and we take his message from Doris. Now, what else would you like to talk about?”
“Straight to the point, huh?” She couldn’t help but grin in the dark. He had her number. “I guess I can save time as well. You wanna have a celebratory fuck?”
“I like it when we’re brief like this,” he said, chuckling.
She shrugged. “You’ve been very insistent on sleeping with me. I figured I could be accommodating.”
“You’re so polite when you want to be.” Magnus’s hands slid down her arms until he took her hands and lifted them over her head. He held them there and leaned forward until his chest pressed against hers, and met her lips with a soft peck. As if he were testing his aim in the dark. “It’s been a long time, CeCe...”
Her body hummed with excitement now that she was caught in his grip and without defenses. “Five years. Do you remember how this works?”
Instead of replying, he returned to her mouth with a new intensity. With her hands unable to touch him, she was powerless against his delightful assault. He angled his face and took hungry possession of her mouth; his tongue thrust past her lips and tangled with her own. He used his free hand to tilt her chin up, allowing her to return his kiss with the same demanding mastery.
Only when he pulled away was she able to catch her breath.
“Something like that, right?” he breathed heavily.
“Mmm-hmm...”
“Mouthy in the field, but meek in bed?”
Celeste rocked her hips against him in response. “I’ve never been meek in bed, and you know that. But I don’t mind letting you be the boss occasionally.”
He dipped his head low and nipped the edge of her jaw. “Does my CeCe still like it rough?”
A thrill shot through her body. “Yes, please.”
His tongue traced a path down the side of her neck; the sting of his teeth dragged against her skin. “So polite,” he whispered. His breath blew hot, setting her already warm skin on fire.
Her arms still hadn’t been released from his clutch, making it difficult to do anything more than wiggle closer to him. This was its own challenge because every time his tongue swiped across her pulse, her knees weakened from the pleasure. “How do we feel about ripping clothes?” he asked, pausing at her ear.
“No, thanks,” she answered after catching her breath. “I only brought a limited wardrobe.”
“Good to know,” Magnus said. Finally, he released her wrists and stepped away from her.
Celeste was confused by the sudden release and distance. She trembled as she leaned against the wall. “Where are you going?” she asked, her voice sounding a bit too needy for her own taste.
“Not too far,” Magnus said in a soothing tone. He turned on the nightstand’s lamp, filling the room with a soft yellow glow. She found him sitting on the bed, dressed only in a snug black tank top and his boxer briefs. His blond hair was uncharacteristically messy, but it flopped over his brow in such a sexy way she thought she was staring at a different man. He swept an appreciating gaze down her body before returning to her face. “I’d like you to strip for me. Come here when you’re finished.” He leaned back on his hands and waited.
It would have been easy for him to overpower her with his body, but he was more clever than that. He knew that she liked dares, that a mind-fuck was just as delightful as his fingers. Celeste didn’t normally follow orders. Every man she came up against fell prey to her strength or charm. Only Magnus understood that much about her and decided to toy with her the best way he knew. “Are you sure?” she asked.
Magnus leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands together. “Now.”
Her panties were already damp from his kiss; she didn’t know how she’d be able to steady the tremor in her hands as she worked on unbuckling her belt. While she unfastened her pants, she noticed how his blue eyes darkened in the dim light and how his biceps clenched as he squeezed his hands together. She knew his tells.
So she pushed her jeans down her thighs as slowly as she could. When they hit her ankles, she shoved them off with her feet, casually casting them aside. She watched him as she touched the bottom of her T-shirt. Magnus appeared to be enthralled with her exposed thighs and waiting for the next bit of flesh to appear. Her fingers grazed her lower belly, just above her panties, as she lifted her shirt. Up and over her head went the shirt before she tossed it to the floor.
“Go on,” he rasped, trying to keep his voice placid.
She smiled as she reached around her back and unhooked her bra. She shucked down her panties next. When she was completely bare, she held her hands out, gesturing “here it is.” His nostrils flared as his blue eyes drifted downward. She took a step forward, but he held a hand up. “Hold on.”
Celeste paused.
“Close the door first.”
Jesus Christ, she forgot that she left the door open. Celeste was suddenly aware that they were not the only people in the mansion. Anyone could have walked by. She quickly walked to the door and closed it without looking into the hallway. When she turned back to Magnus, his eyes were focused on her ass.
“Come here.”
She slowly approached him, fully aware of the swing of her hips and fully confident in her nudity. Based on his expression, Celeste knew that she was the sexiest woman in the world. She held on to his gaze and that knowledge as she walked to him. When she stood right between his open thighs, awaiting further instructions, Magnus looked dumbstruck. “Well?” she asked with a smirk.
He straightened up and ran a hand down his jaw. “You look magnificent, Celeste.” The way his voice dipped lower, like a rumble from his belly, made her blush. He reached for her hip, his fingers curled into her skin and he pulled her closer. “Why haven’t you aged?”
“Diamonds don’t age,” she said.
“They don’t,” he agreed, his eyes drifting up her body until they narrowed on her face.
“What are you going to do to me?” she asked, secretly thrilled by the hunger in his eyes. His jaw clenched before creasing with his devilish smile.
“You let me worry about that, my dear,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. He yanked her close and clamped his thighs around her waist. Celeste was caught in the most satisfying trap of her life.