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The Staffordshire Diamond. It was just over 60 carats of absolute perfection, unmatched in any of the four Cs of diamond grading. The emerald cut and polished facets, with nary a flaw, shone under the bright lights. It was the centerpiece of a necklace that held another 150 carats of precious gemstones, but Ana only had eyes for the diamond.
It was hers.
Or at least it was going to be.
She made her way around the small private museum’s hall of gems, which had been transformed to look more like a glittering ballroom, careful not to focus too much on the diamond. There were other pieces of jewelry in the museum, stones grander than the Staffordshire, but none held Ana’s attention like the stone that shared her last name. Still, she didn’t want to look like she was casing the joint, so she took champagne from a passing waiter and made small talk with people who’d known her family for ages.
“Miss Staffordshire, I’m surprised to see you here.”
Ana spun on her heels, a smile plastered on her face. She’d recognized the voice immediately, a contemporary of her late grandmother. He used to sneak her extra dinner rolls at dinner parties when the other grown-ups weren’t looking.
But she hadn’t seen him in years, not since her grandmother’s funeral.
“Mr. Barnes, it’s lovely to see you.”
He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. He smelled of the same Old Spice cologne he’d always worn. It always hung around the rooms of Staffordshire Hall after he left. His short beard scratched her cheek.
“Mr. Barnes,” he said, tut-tutting. “I used to be Uncle Robert.”
“Yes. Well, we all used to be different things, didn’t we?”
She hadn’t meant to be a bitch. She saw the hurt flash in his light blue eyes, eyes that had more wrinkles surrounding them than she remembered. But her words couldn’t be taken back. Nor did she want them to be.
“I was so sorry to hear that your cousin was selling the diamond. It’s been in your family for generations.”
“It is his to do with what he pleases,” she bit out even as everything inside her screamed it’s mine!
Uncle Robert didn’t look convinced, looked like he wanted to say more, but a tall, willowy blonde approached him, demanding his attention. Ana took the opportunity to sneak away.
She stuck to the perimeter as she walked around the large gallery. This particular Manhattan museum had been the home of the Staffordshire Diamond for the past three years. It held artifacts from some of New York’s oldest families. Many of those families were here tonight, and most of them were here to see and be seen. No one else cared about the museum exhibits. Sure, they were gorgeous and expensive, and any one of these people would love to be decked out in the jewelry on display, but at the end of the day, they were just baubles. The jewels were much less important than whose photograph would show up on Page Six tomorrow.
Ana caught another glance of the Staffordshire Diamond through the crowd of people. Her cousin Leonard looked at the stone and saw only dollar signs. He’d been as irresponsible as an adult as he had been unpleasant as a child, and had burned through his share of the Staffordshire fortune. Now he was selling the necklace, stone and all, to the highest bidder—the highest bidder who wasn’t Ana. She’d offered him all the money she had, and he’d refused her. Whether it was out of spite or because he was getting more for it, she couldn’t say.
She’d been planning and waiting for years to finally get her hands on the diamond. Tonight was her last opportunity. She had no qualms about stealing from her cousin, but she drew the line at stealing from other people.
So tonight it had to be.
Over the past five years she’d taken gymnastics classes, pole-dancing classes, technology classes, anything she thought would be able to help her make the diamond hers. Becoming a cat burglar had been much harder than she’d ever thought, but the end result would be worth it.
Only one thing stood in her way.
“Hello, Anastasia.”
And there he was.
His warm breath heated the back of her neck, her shoulders, sending warmth coursing through her body. She must have been much too lost in her own thoughts for him to get this close without her noticing. She turned toward him slowly, never mentally prepared for the effect he had on her. He was always taller than she remembered, towering over her five-ten plus four-inch-heeled frame. His jet-black hair was slicked back, though it rarely stayed that way and would soon be falling over his forehead. His eyes were almost as dark as his hair and, good Lord, did the man know how to wear a suit.
“Jake,” she said, the word coming out like a purr. That always happened when it came to Jake. She turned from a responsible, self-assured woman to a quivering sex maniac. “I’ve been here for forty minutes already. I’m surprised it took you this long to find
me.”
He didn’t smile, his lips never moved, but his eyes twinkled and creased at the corners.
“Leonard and I just arrived. You know how much he likes fashionably late entrances.”
In reality, Leonard was an asshole who liked the power play of making people wait for him.
“Of course.” Ana couldn’t tear her gaze away from the play of his suit across his muscles as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. His suits always fit him immaculately. She knew he was armed, he always was, but his suit gave no indication of a weapon-shaped bulge.
