Page 88 of Play for Keeps

The corner of the window screen popped free from its frame. Millie wrested the remainder from the tracks with a growl of triumph. Ty’s voice floated up to her.

“This is turning me on. Is that wrong?”

“Not at all. I’m the hottest cat burglar in town.” With another grunt, she leveraged the window up as far as it would go. “Doing okay?”

He peered straight up her legs. “Best view ever.”

Millie chuckled as she adjusted her hold on the sill. “And I’m not even wearing a skirt.”

“In my mind, you are.”

“Get ready to push, big guy. I can see the bed, and I want in.”

“Tell me you love me, Millie.”

She scoffed. “Now is not the—”

“Tell me.”

“God, you play dirty,” she hissed down at him.

“I play for keeps. Now, tell me you love me, Millie, then crawl your fine ass through my bedroom window. I have sixteen fantasies playing out,” he said through gritted teeth. “They all start the same.”

Millie couldn’t help but smile. His stubborn streak was almost as wide as hers. They were going to have a damn good time together. “I love you, Ty.”

“And you’re in.”

He thrust her up and through his window with a growl that seemed to come straight from his soul. Her palms hit hardwood. She tucked her head and rolled, coming up into a neat little crouch worthy of a Hollywood stunt double. “Damn, I’m good at this,” she whispered to herself.

As if he could read her mind, Ty shouted up from the grass below. “Stop plotting your life of crime and let me in.”

Millie casually strolled through the main floor, then sauntered down the steps to the lower level. She could see his shadow looming beyond the wall of glass. He rapped impatiently on the slider, but she took her time, stalking toward him like a cat picking out her every step.

“Hurry up.”

“So impatient,” she murmured, then blew him a kiss through the smoked glass. “What’s the password?”

“Headline News,” he retorted.

“Nope.”

“TMX,” he said, giving the glass another sharp tap.

“Z,” she corrected. “It’s TMZ, and no. That’s not the password.”

Ty’s chest heaved as he let his curled hands fall helpless to his sides. “I love you?”

Millie unlatched the lock but slid the door open only enough to show her face. “Try again. This time like you mean it.”

“I love you,” he repeated, his gaze unwavering. “Now, if you don’t let me take you to bed, we’re going to give the world something really newsworthy.”

She smirked. “I like a man who thinks highly of himself.” He pushed through the door, slid it shut behind him, and flipped the lock. “Ooh! So forceful and commanding.”

Ty snickered as he dipped a shoulder and threw her over his back in a firefighter’s hold. “And I like a woman who knows when to be quiet.”

Millie laughed as he started for the stairs. “Well, maybe one day, you’ll meet a nice girl.”

“One can always hope. Until then, I guess I’m stuck with you.”

“You are.” Millie spread greedy hands over the ridged muscles in his back. “And I plan on holding you hostage for a while, my handsome Coach Ransom.”

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