Chapter 10 #2
“Would you like me to take a photo of you two together?” a woman asked as she walked by.
She was one of the volunteers who’d been assigned to watch the kids.
The museum had set up a kid’s event for the evening, complete with a movie and dinner in the Ancient Egypt exhibit, and at Cash’s insistence, the security surrounding the children was strict.
He wanted his son to have fun during the gala, but he wasn’t taking any chances while Clover was on this property.
He didn’t think anyone would try to steal the egg during such a populated event, but then again, it might be the ideal time.
He’d be downstairs watching over the high society guests.
The party would be the perfect distraction.
“Yes, please.” Cash handed the woman his phone, and she snapped a few shots of the father and son.
“You both look so handsome in your suits,” she said as she returned his cell.
“Thank you,” Cash and Clover said in unison as the volunteer rejoined the crowd.
“Okay, I have to get back downstairs, but I wanted to check on you before it got busy.” Cash knelt and pulled the boy into a hug.
Clover made a slightly embarrassed sigh, but he didn’t care.
He would rather be the dad who embarrassed his kid with hugs than the one who ignored his children.
“Have fun. Call me if you need me, and please be careful. Don’t leave this exhibit without a security guard, okay?
With everything going on at the museum, I don’t want you alone. ”
“Okay,” Clover agreed. The boy was well aware of the theft attempts, so thankfully, he understood the need for caution. “But can I say hi to Sable when she gets here?”
“Of course.” Cash brushed his son’s wayward curls off his face. “When I get a free minute, we’ll come up.”
“Thanks.” Clover looked over his shoulder at his friends, and Cash recognized his cue to leave.
“Enjoy the movie.” He kissed the boy’s head and watched as he rejoined the horde of children.
He’d been worried about moving here. Yes, Clover had wanted a house, but they’d left everything and everyone they knew behind.
Cash was nervous his son wouldn’t feel at home in this new city, but by the way he’d abandoned his father for his friends, he realized his fears were unwarranted.
“Love you, buddy,” Cash whispered, and with a nod at the guards he’d stationed at the Egypt exhibit’s entrances, he returned to the main level.
The museum was swarming with ornately dressed guests, and while all the women were gorgeous in their designer gowns and sparkling diamonds, Cash barely noticed their beauty.
There was only one woman he wished to see, and he almost felt nauseous at the thought of her clad in formal wear.
He hadn’t seen her since their night on his couch, but she was so unbearably beautiful that his heart rate was thundering out of control.
He’d arrived at The Merveille De L’art that morning to prepare, which meant she had to meet him here, and with every passing second, his nerves fired more violently.
What if her beauty distracted him from his job? What if she never showed up?
A tingle raced down his spine, and Cash stiffened at the sensation. Sable was here. He could feel it, and as if guided by a magnet, he turned toward the entrance.
The entire world disappeared as their eyes met. The museum went silent, but his heart beat a wild rhythm within his chest. She was a goddess, a vision, a beautifully sweet addiction. She was a work of art that put every piece in this museum to shame.
Sable walked through the ornate front doors, and Cash’s gravity instantly dragged her into his orbit.
She’d barely crossed the threshold, but her eyes had already found his, and he was a glorious sight to behold.
He wore an entirely black suit that had her imagination running wild, and for a moment, she ignored her guilt and enjoyed the masterpiece before her.
He was unbearably beautiful, and he gazed at her like she was the only woman in the world.
To be the object of such affection broke her heart into a million pieces because she was going to ruin his life tonight.
She was going to steal the egg, but not because she wanted the prize.
She no longer cared about the money. She was falling in love.
She’d met her soulmate, but another thief had put a price on his head.
This heist was no longer about her. This was about Cash and the little boy who needed a living father.
“Have you lost your mind showing up like this?” Cash whispered once he reached her. “How am I supposed to work when you look like this?” He scanned the area, and spotting a nearby hallway, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into its privacy.
“Sable, looking this amazing should be a crime.” He pinned her against the wall and claimed her mouth, kissing her until she was gasping for breath. “You are so fucking beautiful. It isn’t fair. You expect me to function when you’re dressed like this?”
“So, I take it you like the dress?” she asked as her fingers traced the curve of his muscles.
Her brunette hair was pulled back and pinned loosely off her neck, and she wore a sleek, black strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline that defied gravity with her cleavage.
The bodice clung to her torso before flaring slightly at the thighs, and the entire ensemble left little to the imagination.
“Like it?” he gave her such an exaggerated once-over that she couldn’t stop herself from laughing.
“Sable, this dress has my mind going a hundred miles an hour, and honestly, I want to blow this whole gala off, find the nearest hotel, and fuck you while you wear it. I need this dress to stay on the entire time I’m inside you. ”
“Only if you leave the suit on, too.” She dragged her manicured nails down his chest, and he shuddered at the sensation. “You look good enough to eat, so we would need a hotel room with a full-length mirror because I want to watch. You would look so hot taking me in this suit.”
“You are trouble.” Cash laughed as he kissed her again, and Sable’s stomach clenched. She was trouble. Only not the way he meant.
“Sorry for attacking you the minute you walked through the door,” Cash said against her mouth, not bothering to stop kissing her as he spoke.
His body kept her pinned against the wall, and it would take very little encouragement for her to wrap her legs around his waist and let him take her hard and fast in the hallway for everyone to see.
This was their last night together, and she knew Cash wouldn’t fuck her.
He wanted to do things right and have their first time be romantic.
She loved him for that, but it broke her heart that she would never make love to her soulmate.
Tonight was their end, but maybe it was for the best. If she went to bed with him, she wouldn’t be able to steal the egg, and if The Ombra put a bullet in his brain because of her failure, she’d never forgive herself.
“It’s just you are so divinely beautiful,” Cash continued, kissing down her neck to place a train of kisses along the swell of her breasts.
“You’re not going to make tonight easy for me.
” He finally pulled away, staring at her with an expression that was somehow both pure lust and unadulterated love.
“It’s okay,” she said, cupping his jaw in her palm. “If you hadn’t attacked me, I would have mauled you,” she teased, seductively caressing his biceps to memorize the way his body felt. “I’m serious about this suit. It’s like you asked the tailor to make you look like sin, and he over-delivered.”
“We’re worse than a couple of teenagers.” Cash captured her hands and peeled them off him. “And as much as I want to continue this, I’m on the clock. I can periodically hang out with you, but I need to be on the floor with my eyes open.”
“Of course.” Sable slipped her hand into his and let him guide her back into the crowd. “I’m just happy to be here with you. Do your thing and don’t worry about me.”
“You’re wearing that dress in a room full of wealthy men, many of whom are single. Of course, I’m worried about you.”
“You don’t need to be,” she said, squeezing his hand because while she was about to betray him, this was one truth she could offer.
No one would ever be Cash. It didn’t matter how rich or famous or handsome they were.
No man could ever tempt her to love him now that her heart belonged to the Fae guard.
“I don’t?” he teased.
“Not at all. Like I said on your couch, everyone pales compared to you.”
“And once again, I must say you make me feel all-powerful.” Cash kissed her temple. “Do you want champagne? I can’t drink tonight, but you should enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, please.”
“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Cash released her hand.
Sable watched him leave, his imposing visage in black commanding both the room and her heart, and she hated The Ombra.
She’d been moments away from quitting this heist. She wasn’t ready to hang up her thief’s hat just yet, but she no longer cared about the egg.
She wanted Cash, but The Shadow’s bounty had ruined their future.
Sable wished she knew what the famed thief looked like because she wanted to find them and punish them for ruining her chances of happiness.
Sable glanced away from Cash’s towering form to stop the tears, but the instant she took in the guests, a new emotion replaced her mourning.
Fear. She recognized the couple across the room…
and the waiter standing on the sidelines…
and the four men in suits… and the barback…
and the woman in red shamelessly flirting with a man old enough to be her grandfather.
Sable wasn’t the only thief here. Seemed everyone had the same idea to strike while the guards were distracted by the gala.