Taken by the Pirate Billionaire(9)

She watched him from beneath her lashes. "Are you inviting me back to your place, Mr. Murray?"

"I am. How about dinner tonight?"

"I suppose I could arrange my schedule."

His lips twitched with amusement. "I suppose you'd better."

Before she could reply, he pulled her into his arms and covered her  mouth with his. She made a startled sound of protest, before she leaned  into him and parted her lips.

He delved his tongue inside, telling himself she couldn't possibly be as sweet as he'd remembered. She was. And more so.

Gripping his shirt in his hands, she kissed him back, her tongue  sparring with his in a slow, seductive dance. She moaned softly, and the  weight of her body fell against him as her knees seemed to weaken.

When his cock began to stir and his pulse quickened, he lifted his head.

"See you in a few hours, sweetheart."

Pleased with her swollen mouth and the glaze of arousal in her eyes, he gave her ass a light smack and then turned and left.





Chapter Nine



Renee peeked out the blinds of her apartment and watched Devon cross the  street and climb into the back of the black Lincoln Town Car.

He fit in with this neighborhood about as well as fleas on a white cat.

She didn't let the blinds fall back into place until he'd driven away.

With a sigh, she lifted shaky hands to her mouth and closed her eyes.  He'd shown up on her doorstep. He'd literally shown up at her place not  even two hours after having breakfast with Lucy.

Even with her friend's warning in her head, nothing had prepared her for opening that door and finding him there.

When she had, she'd realized her mistake last night. Mixing business  with pleasure. Finding the brooch was business, and sleeping with Devon  was a conflict of interest that boiled right down to pleasure.

Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed Lucy again. "So he just showed up."

"Seriously? That fast? Wow."

"I know."

"I had a feeling he would."

Renee frowned, remembering something else Devon had said. "He also  mentioned that he knew you were the one who got me into the party. Did  he say anything to you?"

A heavy silence met her reply.

"Luce?"

"No. Devon didn't say anything. Eric did. But it's over and done with, and really, I'd rather not talk about it right now."

Whoa. That door had been shut and rather firmly.

"Okay." Renee kept her tone light. "No problem."

"Thanks. So why did he come over? What did he say?"

"He invited me back to his house for dinner tonight."

"Oh, well, hey that's perfect, right?"

"He wants more than just dinner."         

     



 

"Well of course he does." Lucy gave a soft laugh, as if the tension a minute ago had never even happened. "You're going?"

"Yes. And actually, I think I'm going to need some sleeping pills and handcuffs."

Renee had no trouble imagining the alarmed expression on her best friend's face. The silence seemed a decent confirmation.

"Umm...Renee, what do you intend to do with these things?"



"If you don't know, then you can't be an accomplice."



Lucy laughed. "You're right. Unfortunately I can't help you with either of those."

"I might have some left over prescription meds," Renee mused. "But as for handcuffs, I've got nothing."

"Maybe get some scarves from a thrift shop. They're cheap and get the  job done. Just wash them first. Are you restraining for pleasure,  or...?"

"The less you know."

"Right." Lucy paused. "You realize Devon's going to know you were the  one who took the brooch. He'll probably call the police and, even if he  doesn't, I'm sure he'll come after you."

"Maybe not. The guy's loaded. He probably wouldn't blink over a missing brooch."

"I hope you're right."

Me too, she thought as she hung up the phone. Her glance landed on the coffee table.

She picked up the diary, careful as she did so. It was two centuries old  and more than a little delicate. She was damn lucky Devon hadn't  spotted it, actually.

The name inside the cover read Anne Stoddard, and she was Renee's  ancestor. The pages were yellowed and the handwriting nearly illegible.  Inside, there was a sketch of a ruby brooch, with the words Darren  Murray the pirate next to it.

Darren Murray. The pirate rumored to have been Devon's ancestor. The more she knew about Devon, the more she believed it.

Some of the diary was unreadable, but she'd deciphered enough to learn  one certain truth. Darren had stolen the brooch from Anne.

And if it was out there, she intended to get it back. Devon wouldn't  know the story of Anne and Darren. Would never know Renee's motivation  for seeking out the brooch.

"Last night I totally blew it." Renee traced a finger across the sketch  of the brooch. "But I won't mess up tonight. If at all possible, I'm  going to make sure this gets back in Hawkins hands again."



Renee showed up at Devon's in a low cut dress the same shade as her pale  blue eyes. Her heels were high, she'd dabbed her perfume in the  erogenous zones, and had put on some makeup again. Though the makeup was  nowhere near as dramatic as last night's. Tonight she planned to be the  one in charge. Devon had no idea what he was about to get himself into.

She rang the bell and a moment later Kurt opened the door.

"Good evening, Renee. Please, come inside."



"Good evening." She stepped into the foyer, avoiding eye contact.

How did he feel about her return? When he so clearly knew she hadn't been invited here the first time?

The inside of Devon's house looked so normal when it wasn't lit by  candlelight and hosting a kinky sex party. It really was a beautiful  home.

A pang of envy struck her as she compared it to her apartment. Where was karma for God's sake? His ancestor had been a pirate.

"Mr. Murray has asked that you join him in his room upstairs."

Renee glanced up at him, startled, but didn't comment. What if Devon  wanted to jump right into the sex? That could pose to be a problem.  She'd have to convince him for some wine at least. She needed a vessel  for the sleeping pills.

Guilt pricked lightly, but she ignored it.

She climbed the stairs, waiting to see if Devon would appear at the  railing near the top. There was no sign of him, so she continued down  the hall until she reached his room.

Ah, this was familiar. Being early fall, it was already dark outside,  but candles provided the lighting. She couldn't immediately see Devon,  but then noticed the balcony door was open-the gauzy white curtain  swayed inward with a breeze.

Outside maybe?

Renee took a deep breath and continued to walk through the room to the  balcony. She lifted aside the curtain and stepped outside. The breeze  that greeted her was warm as it drifted across her face.         

     



 

Her attention slid to the table that had more candles on it and a rose-red this time-in the middle.

Devon was facing away from her, leaning against the iron railing and looking out over a river running through his property.

Her heart tripped and she swallowed against the sudden rush of nerves.

You're in charge. Fake it if you have to.

She lifted her chin and approached him from behind, slipping her arms around his waist.

"What an amazing view, Devon."

His hands covered hers. "You came."



"I said I would. Was there any doubt?"



He turned to face her. "Actually, no."

The predatory smile and cool gaze had her pulse racing. "And don't you look damn sexy, sweetheart."

He drew a finger down her top and into her cleavage and her breath caught.

"You did this all for me?"

This? Dress up? It was hard to think when his finger caught her nipple and stroked it lightly.

"I'm tempted to eat you before the dinner."

His shocking, erotic words had her legs going weak and for a moment she  nearly forgot what her purpose was. Not to be seduced, but to do the  seducing.

"But I'm going to attempt self-restraint," he murmured reluctantly. "My  chef put a lot of time and effort into our dinner by my request."

She forced a light, sexy laugh. "Mmm. I suppose I can wait."

Waiting was good. It gave her the opportunity to slip the pills into his wine.

"It won't be long. I promise." He stroked his finger over her nipple one  last time, before releasing it and moving to the table. "Our food will  be here momentarily. Would you like some wine?"

"Please." Her throat felt suddenly dry.

Devon removed the cork from the wine bottle and poured a good amount into the waiting glasses.

Renee sank down into a chair and drew a slow breath in.

Now she just had to figure out how to get the sleeping pills into  Devon's drink. She slid her hand into her purse and managed to grab them  out of the bottle and tuck them in the palm of her hand.

She just needed the perfect opportunity.



Devon settled himself into the chair across from her. She seemed  nervous. Were his instincts right? Did she have something up her sleeve?

He'd invited her to dinner tonight because he hadn't yet figured out why  she'd snuck into his house in the first place. He wasn't buying her  sexually curious bullshit excuse. Not even a little bit.