Page 75 of Thief

She didn’t.

He continued, “I know you didn’t want me to leave you that last time in your apartment, and I knew you had the diamonds, or at least you thought you had the diamonds.”

Kat glared at him through narrowed eyes. “How could you possibly have known what I wanted or about the damn diamonds?”

“Because, baby, you’re so easy to read.” He smiled. “You, like millions of other people, flick your eyes up to the left when you lie—you tap into the imagination part of your brain. I hadn’t bothered to look for it before, but the minute I did, you became a book, especially when so delightfully physically distracted.”

Kat scowled and reached for her drink.

“You didn’t want me to leave, even though you said you did, and that made me so happy and I realised with you is where I want to be. It’s all I’ve been able to think about these last six weeks.” He knocked back another slug of his drink. “And when I read that letter, well, I knew you were hurting as much as I was.”

She turned to face him, her mouth open to speak but he chipped in. “I came looking for you, because I want to be with you all day, every day. I’ve no one else to be with.” He frowned. “No, that came out wrong. I want to be with you, no one else. That’s what I’m saying, or trying to say, but not very well. All this money, all the stuff I can buy. All I really want is you.” He swallowed, hard. “I’m sure we could make it work if we start being honest with each other. We just need to quit with the lies and grow some trust.”

He let go of her hand and dug deep into his shorts pocket. When he withdrew it, between his thumb and index finger he swung a thin gold necklace with a large diamond set in a pendent.

“It’s like the one I already have.” She touched her favourite piece of jewellery which sat around her neck.

“You bought it from Mickel, Taylor, Smith on Park Lane, didn’t you?

“Yes, but, but…how do you know that?”

“It’s where I worked. I’m guessing you paid about four grand for it, what it’s really worth is about fifty quid. The night we met at The Fox and Goose wasn’t the first time we stole from one another.”

Kat sat forward and fumbled behind her neck for the clasp. Her breasts swung gently and John eyed her sun-darkened nipples with appreciation. He let his gaze drift to the small roll of flesh in her stomach. It was also tanned and she had a tiny darker brown line travelling from her naval to the citrus yellow of her bikini bottoms. She looked good enough to eat. He would in a minute if it went his way.

“Here, I don’t want this one anymore.” She handed him the fake necklace and pinched up the new one he offered. Within seconds, it was around her neck and nestling at the top of her cleavage.

“That’s much better,” he said, his fingers itching to reach out and touch her dewy skin. “It bugged me constantly when I saw you wearing it.”

“Hmpf.”

“And…” he cleared his throat, “if my knee wasn’t so fucking bad, I would get down on it to give you this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This.” He rooted in his pocket for a second time.

“You’re talking in riddles, John, it irritates me.”

Between his thumb and index finger, he pulled out an enormous diamond set in a white gold ring. “Marry me.”

* * * *

Kat’s mouth caught in a perfect circle of shock.

The man was a lunatic.

Ten minutes ago, she’d been sunning herself peacefully, and now, if she’d heard right, she was getting a marriage proposal. Something she never thought she’d receive in her life. But then again, she’d also never thought she’d have a baby.

She took a steadying breath and pulled her gaze from the exquisite diamond being offered. “Put that away.” She experienced a flash of guilt as his expression fell. “I need to tell you something important. That’s why I was thinking about you.”

John didn’t put the ring away. He wrapped his fingers around it and held it in a clenched fist. “Fire away,” he said, his voice sharp and his eyebrows pulled low.

Kat reached for her drink and let the cool liquid dampen the fire burning in her chest. Much as she’d wanted to tell John about the baby, now he was sitting in front of her, she wasn’t so sure. What if he denied paternity, accused her of trying to trap him, or worse, tried to take custody of the child once it was born.

She placed her drink down and could feel his eyes busy searching for hers. He’d just asked her to marry him so surely he felt something for her. Perhaps he’d be thrilled, delighted even at the thought of a child.

Either way, she couldn’t back out now. She couldn’t accept or refuse his proposal without handing over the facts. She had to be honest. It was a weird, unnatural sensation, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get used to it.

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