Stepbrother Thief(110)

I raise my eyebrows at that.

“He'd rather have you? Over a hundred million in jewels?” I keep my voice low and lean forward, trying to smile, to make light of a situation that's nothing but dark. “I might think you're worth that much, but wow. Your boss, too?”

Gill tries to smile back, but the situation, and the stories, have taken their toll on him.

“Max promised our protection.” Gill sighs and shakes his head. “And Max and Karl have too much history to ever really make nice with one another, so I'm not worried about Max selling me out. I just … I was supposed to be able to retire after this, to settle down … with you.” Now he smiles, at least a little.

“I knew it,” I whisper, sliding my hand away from his and spooning some raviolis onto one of the small plates our waiter left. I set it in front of Gilleon, hoping it'll force him to eat something. He looks like he could use a pick-me-up. “You've had this all planned for a while now.”

Gill nods and takes up his fork, but he doesn't eat.

“Unfortunately, as long as Karl is threatening Max, I have to keep working, to prove I'm worth the effort.”

“You pulled a job this week?” I ask, my eyes going wide thinking about Gill … well, doing what Gill does best. I mean, it's not like it's a surprise to me, but the thought of him taking risk after risk after risk … he's gotten lucky this long. What happens if his luck runs out?

“I did,” he says, but he doesn't elaborate, not here. “Too close to home to talk about right now,” he adds before I can question him about it. “But if you want to know, I'll tell you. Shit, Regina, I'll tell you anything.” Gill's blue eyes darken as we stare at each other for a long moment. “I can keep working, no problem, but what happens if Max decides I'm not worth it? I need to get Karl off my case.” He glances away, towards the bar, eyes sweeping the people seated on leather stools, working the counter. There's nothing there; it's just part of his process. Gill turns back to me as I spear a ravioli and bring it to my lips. “I want to be done with all of this,” he says, looking right at me. “Now.”

I put the food into my mouth, hardly tasting it, my mind spinning in a million directions as I wonder what I've just gotten myself into. I know it's worth it, to be with Gilleon again, but for whatever reason, I'd convinced myself that it was all over, that we'd solved our problems, that life would flourish and blossom into a garden of possibility. And maybe it still can … but I have to figure out how to help Gill.

Now.

Especially now.



“Well, that was nice,” I say as Gilleon moves over to my side of the SUV and opens the door, a slow smile spreading across his face. There's some bitterness there, some fear for the future, but there's also a tentative joy. I take Gill's hand and climb down, reaching my other up to brush across his cheek. “More than nice. A proper first date, really, Gum Wall and all. It might not be the Eiffel Tower, but it still counts as sightseeing, right?”

“Oui,” Gill says, pulling me into his arms. I can see a million questions resting behind his eyes, but I won't let him ask them. Nope. We covered what we needed to cover and now, the rest of the night is our night. “Regina …”

“No.” I put a finger against his lips and then trade it out for my mouth, kissing Gill long and hard and deep, his hands roaming over my back and down towards sweeter places. Without even realizing I'm doing it, I find myself taking a step back, my body bumping against the cooling metal of the SUV.

Our make out session only lasts for a brief instant, both of us going stone-still when a car idles slowly by. Gill's grip on my body tightens, but when we both glance over, it ends up just being his neighbor, glaring out her window at the two of us like she's just caught us vandalizing her house.

I wave and then turn my attention back to Gilleon. I can see the weight of his relief in one glance. How scary is that? A car driving slowly by is just as likely to be an actual threat as it is to be a neighbor.

“Can't even make out in our own front yard,” I tsk, trying to lighten the mood. Fortunately, it works and Gill smiles. “What is this world coming to?”

“Don't mind her.” Gilleon steps away and slides his right arm around my waist, leading me toward the front steps. When he leans over and brushes my hair away from my ear, hot breath searing against my flesh, I can feel goose bumps climbing up my arms. “She's just upset because I turned her down for a date once.” I gasp as he pulls away and grins, looking for an instant exactly like teenage Gill, all of that playful mischief burning in his eyes. My heart stutters and I bump my shoulder into his.