Page 39 of The Collector's Temptation

The word sounded as though it was ripped from his soul.

Tamping down the butterflies that threatened to swirl in my belly over the depth of his anguish over me being pulled into this dangerous situation, I went over everything he told me, letting the pieces fall into place. A plan formed in my mind, one that hinged on Aston trusting me.

“You should use me against him.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I’m a curator. A junior one, but I have unfettered access at a museum with countless pieces his company insures.” I tapped the tip of my index finger against my chin. “Sterling’s reputationis on the line because you’ve cost his employer too much over the years. He wants a win. Something big. And he’s not just coming after you. He went after me too.”

“That’s on me,” Aston growled, his voice low and rough. “You were never supposed to be part of this. Not like that.”

“But I am now.” I stepped closer, just enough so that I could feel the heat of him again. “So let’s use that.”

His brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”

I paused, my mind racing. “What if we give him what he wants? Not the win, though. Just the bait.”

He didn’t say anything, but his sharp gray eyes remained locked on mine, searching. Calculating. But also clearly unhappy with the idea of letting me get pulled further into this mess.

I took a breath. “We create something for him to ‘discover.’ A piece that looks like a forgery tied to you. But this time, we leadhiminto the trap.”

I could see the shift in Aston the moment he understood where I was going. His posture changed just slightly. Like a tiger scenting blood in the air.

I pressed on, adrenaline surging. “We pick a mid-tier piece. Enough value to draw attention but not so famous it gets instant outside scrutiny. I’ll curate it. We ‘find’ it through an estate or a private collector and plant some inconsistencies in the provenance to raise red flags. Just enough to make Sterling feel as though he’s the only one smart enough to notice.”

“And then?”

“I play the inexperienced curator.” I widened my eyes and batted my lashes. “Nervous. Eager. Maybe a little too quick to ask for help. He’ll try to pull me in—either to coerce me or trap me into being part of the whole thing. And when he does, we record everything. Emails. Messages. Conversations.”

“Set him up with his own game,” Aston murmured, and there was something almost reverent in his tone.

“Yes.” I nodded, my heart pounding now. “He’s a man who thinks he’s smarter than everyone. Who sees me as a pawn. Let’s make him underestimate me. Just once.”

His gaze burned into mine, stormy eyes full of something fierce. He slowly stepped forward, lifting his hand to brush a strand of hair from my face with aching tenderness. “Mon Dieu, you’re brilliant. You know that?”

I felt my breath hitch. I craved his praise, but it wasn’t the compliment that undid me. It was the look on his face. That raw mixture of admiration and hunger. Pride. Devotion.

“You’d trust me to pull this off?” I asked, unable to keep the vulnerability out of my voice.

“I trust you with my life.”

His quick reply and faith in me healed something in my heart, but it still wasn’t enough. Not yet.

“I appreciate that.” I looked up at him, aching with confusion and longing. “But I need time before we discuss the relationship stuff.”

He nodded once, lips brushing my temple. “You can have anything you want, Kerrigan. Anything except me letting you go.”

Another piece of my fractured heart mended into place. My voice was raw as I asked, “How much of what we had was real?”

There was no missing the sincerity shining from his eyes. “All of it. Every second. I wanted to be the man you believed I was, but I’m not. I’m more. And less. I’ve done things that would turn your stomach. Yet, for the first time in my life, I wanted something good. Something real.”

My chest ached. “I wanted that too.”

A long silence stretched between us. So many things unsaid.

“Then that’s what we’ll have after we take down Sterling Ellis with your brilliant plan,” he vowed. “And you’ve taken the time to come to terms with the man who I am.”

14

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