Steal My Heart (Heroes of Seaside Point, Book 3) Read online

  “Well then, how about we meet at your house tomorrow afternoon? I’ll need to take a look around and see what you’ve got.”

  “Okay.” He lifted his beer bottle and swallowed the remaining liquid. “It’s a date.”

  She lifted one eyebrow. “A date?”

  “You know you want to.”

  He expected her firm denial and braced himself for such. In the whole time he’d known her, she never really took him seriously. Sure, she went along with his crazy wagers and tolerated his obnoxious teasing, but he wasn’t sure she really ever believed he was sincere in his interest in her. That’s why her response took him by surprise.

  “Yes, I do.”

  The smile that split his lips was purely genuine. “Looking forward to it.”

  ***

  Later that evening, Lexi sat on the sofa in Vanessa Wright’s living room with a fork buried into a piece of Vanessa’s latest sweet concoction, chocolate cherry cheesecake. Lexi was eternally grateful to the dessert gods that the woman had a distinct talent for sweets and that her baking provided the backdrop for the weekly girls’ night out adventure.

  She considered herself lucky to have found all the women she now called friends. When she’d first opened her realty office in Seaside Point, Vanessa Wright and Annessa Dupree welcomed her with open arms. Although identical twins, both gorgeous brunettes with green eyes, Vanessa had been the first to take the plunge and marry Dane Wright. Annessa had since followed her sister’s example, now engaged to Seaside Point’s sheriff, Casey McIntyre. And even though their brother, Travis Dupree, still coped with the fact that two of his best friends loved his sisters, he took it in stride.

  “Vanessa, once again, you’ve outdone yourself!” Lexi poked her fork back into the creamy treat and then lifted it to her mouth. The dessert practically melted in her mouth.

  “I’m glad you like it. I plan on adding it to the bakery’s menu.”

  “I agree with Lexi, Van.” Verity licked her fork. “I’m pretty sure I could finish a whole cheesecake myself.”

  Lexi glanced at her other friend, Dr. Verity Thomas, the petite black-haired, blue-eyed angel who they had just recently discovered to be Travis’s girlfriend. “You could stand to gain a few pounds.”

  “At least I don’t have to worry about gaining weight before the wedding.” Annessa grinned. “I can burn it off afterwards.”

  Lexi giggled. “Two more weeks, Ness.”

  Annessa nodded. “And our business will be up and running next week.”

  “Have you come up with a name?”

  “Forever Divine.”

  “It’s perfect!”

  “Thank goodness it’s almost ready.” Vanessa set her empty plate on the coffee table in front of the sofa. “I’ll be glad to have my kitchen back.” She settled back against the cushions. “Just think, if my bakery had never burnt, we might not have done this.”

  “Yay me for witnessing a murder,” Annessa drawled. “Who knew a career as a wedding planner could be so dangerous?”

  Lexi bit back a laugh. Only Annessa would find humor in almost being killed by a hitman. But, she did agree with Vanessa. If her sister had not run home to the safety of Casey’s arms, the two wouldn’t have combined their businesses into one.

  Vanessa patted her sister’s shoulder. “Travis and Maverick put the finishing touches on the photography studio two days ago.”

  Verity cleared her throat. “Speaking of Travis, have any of you spoken to him since then?”

  “He worked yesterday.” Annessa frowned. “Why?”

  Verity reached into her purse at her feet and then held out a fist. “Guess what’s inside.”

  Vanessa squealed and grabbed Verity’s hand, prying open her fist to expose the contents. “I knew it!” She held up a gold ring, complete with a solitary diamond that flashed in the light.

  “Tarzan never tells us anything,” Annessa mumbled.

  “In his defense, I told him not to.” Verity grinned. “I wanted to tell you.”

  “Congratulations, Verity.” Lexi smirked. “We already know you fit right in with the Dupree women.”

  “Yes, you’ve made me proud,” Annessa agreed.

  “Have you set a date?”

  “Not yet. We wanted to wait until the twins were settled.” She grinned at the two women. “Since I have no idea how this is supposed to go, I want you two to take care of it.”

  Vanessa smiled. “Done.”

  “Does this mean we get to have a bachelorette party?” Annessa set her plate on the nearby end table.

  Lexi nodded. “I’m in as long as we don’t have another scavenger hunt.” Although, that’s exactly what had led her to see a whole new side of Maverick. And what a very impressive side it had been.

  “We can talk about that later.” Verity turned toward her and raised an eyebrow. “So Lexi, how did softball practice go today?”

  “Well, I passed the t-shirt test.” She giggled as she explained the wardrobe fiasco. “Maverick thinks he’s so smart.”

  “Testosterone poisoning,” Annessa mumbled.

  “Amen.” Vanessa bobbed her head in agreement. “As if having one older brother wasn’t enough, we ended up with four.”

  Lexi smiled at the other woman’s complaint. Although the twins groused about answering to Travis, Dane, Casey and Maverick after the death of their parents, Lexi knew they considered themselves lucky. And, they had made up for the inconvenience by giving grief to every single one of those men.

  “Do any of you play softball?”

  “I don’t,” Verity answered, “but according to Travis, Annessa has a good arm.”

  The other woman shrugged. “I’ve never played on a team. I just use Travis as a target.”

  “We went to McGill’s after practice.”

  Annessa raised both eyebrows. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Did you guys know Maverick wants to sell his house?”

  Vanessa shook her head. “Not me.”

  “Me either,” Verity answered.

  “No.” Annessa smirked. “Maybe it’s an excuse to get closer to you.”

  “That’s an awfully big excuse, but we’ll see. I’m supposed to meet him there tomorrow to walk through and get an idea of how to list it.” Before she could stop it, the next question barreled right out of her mouth. “Anyone been inside?”

  Annessa gave her a huge smile. “Yes, but you’ll just have to see for yourself.”

  “Maverick’s the ultimate bachelor.” Lexi pushed away the secrecy in her friend’s admission. “I’m a little concerned about what I might find.”

  “You might be surprised,” Vanessa told her. “In fact, you may be impressed.”

  “He’s probably got some sort of booby trap set up for me,” she mumbled.

  Annessa laughed so hard she snorted. “Don’t worry, Lexi. I’ve got tons of ammunition. If he traps you, he’ll be sorry.”

  ***

  Hidden behind tinted windows, he took a long look at the dusty lot while he pressed a sole contact button on his phone. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel while he waited for the boss to answer, eager to report his news.

  “We’re in,” he said as the call connected.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Our messenger has personal influence.”

  “This is positive,” the other man agreed. “How soon do you think he can close the deal?”

  “Soon. He doesn’t foresee any problems.”

  “You sound very assured that the deal will be completed.”

  “I have no reason to believe it won’t. He claims it should be a walk in the park.”

  “Did you explain the consequences?”

  Suddenly, his confidence took a nosedive. Although the other man hadn’t issued a direct ultimatum, he knew the meaning behind the words.

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I thought I’d wait and see what happened.”

  “You’ve left him on his own to proceed?”
>
  “No, I’m watching closely.”

  A deep chuckle crossed the line. “Very well. This is your operation so I’ll assume you’re in control. I’ll expect another update as soon as possible.”

  “Will do.”

  He disconnected and returned his phone to his pocket, suddenly not as confident about the situation. The messenger had better come through.

  For both their sakes.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The next afternoon, Lexi stood outside the large, white, two-story colonial home in front of the red door, curious to enter. Although she’d driven by numerous times the past year and admired the well-kept exterior and expertly-landscaped yard, she’d never been inside. She glanced down at the green file folder in her hand. All she had to go on were the specs she’d pulled from prior listings and since those were now five years old, she was going in blindfolded. Eager to satisfy her curiosity, she raised her free hand and knocked on the door.

  Seconds later, Maverick stood in the doorway, waving her inside.

  “Welcome to my humble abode.”

  As soon as she stepped into the entryway, she stopped short. An ornate metal, six-armed chandelier hung above her head, casting bright light over the area. From her calculations, the ceiling was most likely ten feet tall. Humble abode. Riight.

  She moved her gaze down a bright ray of light to the floor where twelve inch tiles of black and white marbled travertine covered the area.

  Something told her she had not just walked into an average bachelor pad.

  “Maverick, this is beautiful!”

  He chuckled and closed the door. “Thank you. Come on in, we’ll start in the living room.”

  As she followed behind, she noticed they walked past another room on the way. She stopped outside, again admiring the height of the ceilings. Plush, cream-colored carpet covered the floor and coordinated well with the dark tan walls. A navy sofa and matching loveseat sat in the middle, accompanied by two wing-backed chairs with navy cushions.

  “Is this the formal living room?”

  He nodded and kept walking. “Yeah. I don’t use that much.”

  “Well, it’s very elegant.” She picked up her pace to catch him. “Are all the bedrooms upstairs?”

  He stopped and grinned. “You want to see the bedrooms?”

  “Of course.” She rolled her eyes. “To get a feel for the layout.”

  “We’ll get there.” He turned and took a few more steps, leading her into the next room. “Here’s the living area.”

  Once again, she stood there in slight shock, very impressed by the surroundings. Two full-sized, tan, leather sofas and two matching recliners made the border of the area. Just like in the formal living room, plush carpet covered the floor, this time colored in a rich, warm, brown tone. Two square, navy blue, leather ottomans rested in front of each sofa. An end table sat at one end of each sofa with two identical lamps, both with nickel-colored bases and creamy white shades. The whole room screamed cozy, welcoming, and comfortable.

  She raised her gaze to the largest wall, directly in front of the sofas and smiled. An enormous, big-screen television hung there and covered most of the space except for what she judged to be two inches on each side. Surprisingly, that item was the only one to label the area as bachelor-approved.

  “This room is comfortable,” she told him.

  “When I’m home, I enjoy being in here.”

  She took another glance around the room. “Have you remodeled?”

  “Every square inch of this house.”

  The sharp tone in his voice gave her pause, and although she felt an uncanny urge to apologize for her question, she opted for explanation instead.

  “You like to do that kind of work, don’t you?”

  He nodded. “I’ve been swinging a hammer most of my life. Travis, Dane, Casey, and I make a pretty good team.”

  “Your work is exceptional. The four of you have been friends a long time, haven’t you?”

  “Almost since birth. And then when Travis’s parents passed away, we all became one big, happy family.”

  She sighed, envious of the love she felt in his confession. No one could ever dispute the solid bond between the four men and in her opinion, the twins and Verity had fit in perfectly. Secretly, she wondered how easily they would welcome another female – although, Maverick didn’t appear to be in too much of a hurry to add a new member.

  She shook herself away from her curiosity and smiled. “Kitchen?”

  “Yes.” He smirked. “I have a kitchen.”

  “Go.” She pushed him gently on his lower back toward the doorway.

  He led her across the entryway and into a bright room with two bay windows on the outside wall, separated by a set of French doors.

  “The patio is just outside,” he told her.

  “You did an amazing job in here.” She stepped next to the long island in the middle and tapped the black surface. “Is this marble?”

  He nodded. “So are the countertops. The tip of the island sits three. One on each side and one at the end.”

  She glanced around the walls at the bright, glossy cabinetry, accented with brushed nickel hardware. “It blends perfectly with the cabinets. What does Vanessa have to say about this kitchen?”

  “She tells me it’s a woman’s dream.” He shrugged as if that didn’t really matter. “The appliances are all new. I don’t use them much.”

  “Stainless steel was a nice touch.”

  She continued to look around, almost mesmerized by the personal touches he’d added. Red curtains over the windows and red towels gave the room personality. The black and white subway tile of the backsplash lessened the darkness.

  “Do you want to stand here and drool over my kitchen all afternoon or would you like to see the bedrooms?”

  She grinned, not at all bothered that he knew she loved this room. “I need to see the bedrooms.”

  “Right this way.”

  They stepped out of the kitchen, walked a few steps into the hallway, and then ascended the dark, walnut staircase to the top.

  “You built the railing, didn’t you?” she asked as she climbed.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s really smooth, Maverick. The wood practically molds to my hand when I grip it.”

  Maverick followed behind Lexi, enjoying the sweet sway of her hips as she climbed each of the sixteen steps. Her tight, heart-shaped ass taunted him and his fingers itched to touch. By the time they reached the top, he was damned close to swallowing his tongue.

  “Left,” he managed to say while he practiced great self-discipline to control himself.

  And he held out until they entered the master bedroom and a soft, breathy gasp left her throat, traveled the distance between them, and strangled his cock.

  “Amazing,” she murmured.

  He took a momentary pause to glance around the room, attempting to see it through Lexi’s eyes. From her reaction to the kitchen, he had determined she liked natural light. So, he was pretty sure he knew the answer to his next question before he asked.

  “You like the bay windows?”

  “Oh, yes! The room is already huge, but with the light it looks even bigger. And positioning a window on each of the three walls was brilliant.” She pointed to a set of French doors on the fourth wall. “Is there a balcony out there?”

  He nodded, warmed by her reaction. “It overlooks the pool.”

  “You have a swimming pool?”

  “By accident. I did some work for a pool guy. We traded services.”

  “Do you use it?”

  “I swim laps every morning. And, I’ve invited the team over for a pool party next Saturday. Will you come?”

  “Sure, sounds like fun.”

  “So, you’re pleased with the place?”

  “Maverick, this house is absolutely spectacular. You’re sitting on a gold mine.”

  “You don’t want to see the master bath or the other bedrooms?”

  “Don’t nee
d to. You won’t have any problem selling it.”

  “Good to know.”

  He stared down at her, eating up the vision of her below the neck even as he kept his gaze locked on hers. She licked her lips and he felt his whole body tighten with the urge to taste her. His control held on for dear life. Oh, man. He was in deep, deep trouble.

  “Do you want to discuss price?”

  “Not right now.” He threw in the proverbial towel and kicked control in the teeth. Framing her face in his hands, he lowered his head and seized her mouth with his, relishing in the touch of her pillow-soft lips. He moved his mouth over every inch of the plump flesh in a slow, deliberate tease, determined to show her just how crazy she made him. And then in an attempt to allow her to make her own decision, he softened his touch and gave her the opportunity to withdraw.

  Instead, a small whimper left her lips and his scalp tingled as she slid her fingers into his hair and squeezed the short strands. Her mouth opened and then closed over his. Her tongue darted between his lips, reckless and demanding as it tangled with his. Her lips played at the edges of his, directing her mouth with every move. His cock was now long, hard, and screaming for attention.

  Holy God. The woman could kiss.

  And then somewhere in the fog of incredible desire, he thought he heard bells.

  Lexi quickly ended the kiss and stepped back to reach into her pocket.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled as she extracted her cell phone.

  He almost laughed out loud when she answered with an out-of-breath hello. Anyone with half a brain would’ve questioned why.

  “I’m fine,” she said into the mouthpiece. “I’m with someone right now.”

  He raised an eyebrow, amused by her explanation. Her breasts had not stopped reaching for him with the continued rapid rise and fall of her chest. Obviously she hadn’t realized she was still out of breath.

  “It would be better for me if we could discuss this tomorrow when I’m back at the office.”

  Yeah, tomorrow, he silently agreed.