“They’re… interesting,” she said. She had to admit they did seem to fit with the style of his home—all sleek stainless steel with track lighting and solid white walls. He was a minimalist, with no decoration except for the art. She could never live here. His home felt cold and devoid of feeling. His aesthetics were just so different from hers.
But.
The man could cook.
“This pasta is to die for,” she said.
“When I was a kid, I hung around the palace kitchens. A chef there taught me to cook,” he said. “Killer, isn’t it?”
“Delicious,” she said and took a sip of an equally luscious Cabernet that he’d opened.
“Thanks for coming over,” he said.
“Thanks for inviting me.”
They cleared the table together and sat on the white leather couch in Edward’s sunken living room.
“Reese, light the fire.” He spoke the words to the air, and the fireplace turned on.
“Why Reese?” Clem asked.
“It was the name of a tabby cat I had as a child,” he said. “She was my favorite pet.”
Clem nodded and Edward placed a hand over hers. His fingertips were warm and solid. She felt the strong desire to place them to her lips.
Even though this man was such the opposite of her, she could not help but want him.
In a bold move, she moved into him and placed her lips on his. He responded to her kiss and pulled her onto his lap. As she straddled him, and her clothes fell away, she allowed herself to be carried to ecstasy in his arms. He knew just where to touch her to light her up, exactly how to kiss her to make her want him more and more.
The man may have crap taste in art.
But he knew how to make Clem feel like a masterpiece.
She fell asleep tangled in silver silk sheets, amidst stark white walls, wrapped in the warmth of his arms and fully content.
11
A few days later, Edward was stuck in his office, pacing and angry with both James and Luther, his trusted aides.
“So, things have been going missing for weeks, and you’re just now making me aware of this?” Edward’s voice boomed.
“We thought there had to be a reasonable explanation for the missing items,” James said. “Everything was moving around all the time to accommodate the restorations. We thought we’d find them somewhere—that they’d been misplaced, not taken.”
“It’s easy for things to get lost during renovation, Prince Ashton,” Luther said calmly. “But the missing china was a red flag. Someone has sticky fingers.”
James and Luther eyed each other as if they shared a secret.
“Any ideas who might be responsible?” Edward asked.
Neither spoke for a moment. The air in Edward’s office hung heavy with tension.
“Speak freely,” he said and noticed James nodding to Luther.
“Well,” Luther began, “with all due respect, things started disappearing right around the time you hired Miss Wicke.”
“And,” James added, “her family does own a salvage business, right? Don’t they deal with reselling valuable old things?”
Edward’s first instinct was to defend Clem, but he knew that his aides were justified in their suspicions. Clem was the only one around here that he knew to be interested in heirlooms like the ones that were missing. Add to that the fact that he knew her to be in the habit of “rescuing” items that weren’t being sufficiently appreciated. That was, after all, exactly what she’d been doing when he’d first met her.
“Leave this to me,” he told James and Luther, effectively dismissing them. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes, sir,” James said and began walking backward towards the office door.
“Thank you, sir,” echoed Luther, as the two left the room.
Acid pooled in Edward’s stomach as he walked firmly toward the library where he knew Clem would be. How dare she steal from him? After everything they’d accomplished together and the moments they’d shared, he at least expected her honesty. He stood inside the doorway for a moment to watch her.
Her hair was pulled back in her signature messy braid, tendrils floating carelessly around her perfect face. Overalls hung loosely on her slim body, but Edward knew what loveliness hid beneath those baggy clothes. He’d run his hands along her skin, his mouth over her secret places. No man could easily forget that body. But Clem was so much more than physical perfection.
The way she drove herself full throttle toward her passions was inspiring. Even now, her focus was fully fixed on a staining project for the mantle. She seemed aware of nothing but the wood beneath her fingers. It seemed as if her entire soul wrapped itself around whatever she was working on at any given time. It stopped Edward’s breath.
It also made him crazy.
To Clem, everything else fell away when it came to the things she loved. Even lawfulness and common sense. She actually believed that it was okay to pilfer things from demolition sites, even though it was illegal and incredibly unsafe. This tunnel vision was what got her into trouble. Maybe she believed she was due some kind of extra bounty for the work she’d put into the castle. Maybe that was how she justified stealing his family heirlooms.
Edward entered the room, and at the sound of his footsteps, Clem looked up. When she smiled, sunshine poured over him. His pulse raced.
“Hey,” she said. “This is coming along really nicely.” She looked at the mantle, pride shining in her eyes. This was her pet project, one he’d insisted would take too much of her time. She’d fought for it though, and he had to admit, it looked amazing.
“I have to ask you something, Clem.” Better to get right to it.
“What’s up?” Clem looked up at him, perplexed.
“Some family heirlooms have gone missing from the castle,” he said.
Clem’s face went blank.
“Some pieces of my aunt’s china and other things.”
Still nothing.
“Do you know anything about this?”
Clem’s eyebrows furrowed. A redness appeared on her neck and crawled slowly to her cheeks.
“Are you asking me if I know who might have taken these things?” she asked, her voice high-pitched but controlled. “Or are you asking me if I took them?”
“Well—”
“So you think I’m a thief now?”
Edward snorted. “Clem, you do make a habit of visiting historical sites and stealing relics, correct? I mean, isn’t that how we met?”
Clem approached Edward. The anger on her face made him instantly regret his words. “I only take things that are about to be destroyed,” she argued. “It’s not stealing; it’s rescuing.”
Placing her hands on her hips, like she was ready for battle, Clem narrowed her eyes until they were slits. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m working to restore this castle, not tear it down. Why would I steal family heirlooms?”
Edward narrowed his eyes. “I’ve literally caught you in the act of stealing before,” he said. “It’s not that big a stretch.”
“I don’t have time for this,” she said and turned her attention back to the mantle. “I have a lot of work to do here.”