The floor creaked
beneath his weight. He stilled. There was yet another noise.
The doorknob jiggled from behind him. Someone else was trying to get in. Perhaps Miss Tobias returning home late from another
game of chance? Quickly Max moved to the other side of the stairwell and hid in the narrow cubby beneath.
The door jerked open, and two men lumbered in. Max could hear a third voice outside the door. Three men, one outside to keep
watch. Sabine Tobias’s shop was certainly gaining in popularity. What a pity he hadn’t thought to bring along a couple of
thugs himself. Max withdrew farther into the shadows.
If he hadn’t been certain before that Sabine Tobias was hiding something, now it seemed quite evident. From beneath the stairwell,
Max couldn’t see much of what the men were doing, but he could make out a few words of their hurried whispers. They didn’t
sound educated, and they didn’t seem to know specifically what they were searching for. They’d obviously been hired to break
into the shop. In Max’s experience, “employees” of that nature were highly unreliable. They took no personal interest in their
assignments and generally proved to be rather unmotivated. Not to mention a bit dim. No doubt their search would not be thorough.
Max settled his back against the wall, prepared to simply wait them out. However, when the stairs above him shifted slightly,
Max moved to the edge of the cubby to get a better glimpse. Delicate, pale ankles attached to feminine bare feet crept down
the steps.
Bloody hell! Miss Tobias. Did the woman have no sense at all? What was she doing sneaking down to investigate? Surely she
did not intend to fight off would-be thieves in nothing more than her nightrail.
He craned his neck, looking for the thugs in the unlit storeroom. Thank goodness, they were busy rifling through the cupboards.
He positioned himself, and once the lady came within reach, he clamped a hand across her mouth and pulled her into his hiding
place. Her muffledprotests were punctuated by those delicate feet kicking into his shins. He stifled a groan of his own.
He turned her around to face him, careful not to uncover her mouth. Sabine Tobias stared up at him, her eyes wide and angry.
He frowned at her, then leaned close to her ear.
“Kick me again, love, and I’ll let the wastrels get you,” he warned in a whisper.
Her lovely, expressive face tensed.
He nodded to the noise around the corner from them, then pulled them farther into the darkness beneath the stairs, thankful
that the thugs were making enough noise to cover the sounds of his own struggle with the little minx. Idiots to think they
wouldn’t be discovered, making all that racket.
He put one finger up to his lips. “Shhh.” Once she nodded, he removed his hand from her mouth. But he made no move to release
her. She had enough fire in her to do something foolish in the name of bravery. If she let on to their hiding place, she could
get them both hurt. He’d taken on two men in a fight before, but three was asking a bit much. So he held her firmly against
him.
While he wasn’t visually able to enjoy Sabine’s flimsy nightgown, pressing her this close against him left little to his imagination.
She was plump where a woman should be, rounded hips, lush breasts, soft bottom. He tightened his grip on her narrow waist,
enjoying the feel of her soft curves. She smelled of fresh herbs and warm bread and felt just as delicious. He inhaled slowly.
One of the men ran into a shelf and a glass fell to the floor, shattering. Sabine sucked in a harsh breath and nearly said
something.
Far be it from Max to miss an opportunity. So with thatthought, he threaded his other hand into the back of her lustrous
hair and pulled her face to his. A moment later, he tasted her just as he’d done the night before. This time, though, her
soft lips opened, probably more from shock than desire, but an invitation was an
beneath his weight. He stilled. There was yet another noise.
The doorknob jiggled from behind him. Someone else was trying to get in. Perhaps Miss Tobias returning home late from another
game of chance? Quickly Max moved to the other side of the stairwell and hid in the narrow cubby beneath.
The door jerked open, and two men lumbered in. Max could hear a third voice outside the door. Three men, one outside to keep
watch. Sabine Tobias’s shop was certainly gaining in popularity. What a pity he hadn’t thought to bring along a couple of
thugs himself. Max withdrew farther into the shadows.
If he hadn’t been certain before that Sabine Tobias was hiding something, now it seemed quite evident. From beneath the stairwell,
Max couldn’t see much of what the men were doing, but he could make out a few words of their hurried whispers. They didn’t
sound educated, and they didn’t seem to know specifically what they were searching for. They’d obviously been hired to break
into the shop. In Max’s experience, “employees” of that nature were highly unreliable. They took no personal interest in their
assignments and generally proved to be rather unmotivated. Not to mention a bit dim. No doubt their search would not be thorough.
Max settled his back against the wall, prepared to simply wait them out. However, when the stairs above him shifted slightly,
Max moved to the edge of the cubby to get a better glimpse. Delicate, pale ankles attached to feminine bare feet crept down
the steps.
Bloody hell! Miss Tobias. Did the woman have no sense at all? What was she doing sneaking down to investigate? Surely she
did not intend to fight off would-be thieves in nothing more than her nightrail.
He craned his neck, looking for the thugs in the unlit storeroom. Thank goodness, they were busy rifling through the cupboards.
He positioned himself, and once the lady came within reach, he clamped a hand across her mouth and pulled her into his hiding
place. Her muffledprotests were punctuated by those delicate feet kicking into his shins. He stifled a groan of his own.
He turned her around to face him, careful not to uncover her mouth. Sabine Tobias stared up at him, her eyes wide and angry.
He frowned at her, then leaned close to her ear.
“Kick me again, love, and I’ll let the wastrels get you,” he warned in a whisper.
Her lovely, expressive face tensed.
He nodded to the noise around the corner from them, then pulled them farther into the darkness beneath the stairs, thankful
that the thugs were making enough noise to cover the sounds of his own struggle with the little minx. Idiots to think they
wouldn’t be discovered, making all that racket.
He put one finger up to his lips. “Shhh.” Once she nodded, he removed his hand from her mouth. But he made no move to release
her. She had enough fire in her to do something foolish in the name of bravery. If she let on to their hiding place, she could
get them both hurt. He’d taken on two men in a fight before, but three was asking a bit much. So he held her firmly against
him.
While he wasn’t visually able to enjoy Sabine’s flimsy nightgown, pressing her this close against him left little to his imagination.
She was plump where a woman should be, rounded hips, lush breasts, soft bottom. He tightened his grip on her narrow waist,
enjoying the feel of her soft curves. She smelled of fresh herbs and warm bread and felt just as delicious. He inhaled slowly.
One of the men ran into a shelf and a glass fell to the floor, shattering. Sabine sucked in a harsh breath and nearly said
something.
Far be it from Max to miss an opportunity. So with thatthought, he threaded his other hand into the back of her lustrous
hair and pulled her face to his. A moment later, he tasted her just as he’d done the night before. This time, though, her
soft lips opened, probably more from shock than desire, but an invitation was an
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