Sweet Revenge

discovered she’d been right. The light shone on her necklace. Beside it was a mans jewel case in monogrammed alligator. More than the diamond cuff links rested inside. She found other links in heavy gold, a stick pin with a particularly fine topaz, and other assorted pieces of man’s vanity, all tasteful and expensive.
    Delighted, Adrianne slipped the case and her necklace into her bag. She thought it was a pity she wouldn’t see his face in the morning. Then she turned and collided with him.
    She barely had time to suck in her breath before he tossed her over his shoulder. Even as she kicked out, she found herself tumbling through the air. This time the breath was knocked out of her as she hit the mattress. Adrianne could only swear as her arms were pinned to her sides and Philip’s body spread over hers.
    “Good morning, darling,” he said, then pressed his mouth to hers. He felt her arms strain against him, her body arch and buck even as her mouth softened, heated, opened. Aroused by the contrast, he took the kiss deeper than he’d intended.
    Pulling himself back, he braceleted her wrists with one hand and reached for the light. The moment it came on, he decided he liked the way she looked in his bed.
    She was well aware of her position. Her own fault, Adrianne thought in disgust as she struggled between temper and bitterness. For nearly ten years she’d stolen the best, and she’d stolen with a cool head and logic. Now, because of a worthless necklace—and her own pride—she was caught. The only choice left was to brazen it out.
    “Let go of me.”
    “Not a chance.” Holding her arms above her head, he used his free hand to brush the hair from her cheek. “You must admit it was a clever way to get you into bed.”
    “I came for my necklace, not to go to bed with you.”
    “You could do both.” He grinned. Because he was unprepared for the sudden violence of her struggle, he lost his grip. The next thirty seconds were a heated and silent bid for supremacy. She was agile, and one hell of a lot stronger than she looked. Philip discovered that when she landed a solid blow in his solar plexus. This time he pinned her handsbetween their bodies and kept his face an inch from hers. “All right, well discuss it later.”
    It wasn’t the cool Princess Adrianne who glared up at him, but the woman he’d suspected lay beneath, passionate, volatile … and involved. “You set me up, you bastard.”
    “Guilty on both counts. I’m surprised you’d risk so much to get the necklace back. It’s worth only a few hundred pounds. Sentimental value, Addy?”
    Panting, she pulled her thoughts together. He either had an excellent eye or a jeweler’s loupe. “Why did you take it?”
    “Curiosity. Why does Princess Adrianne wear colored glass?”
    “I’ve better things to spend my money on.” His chest was bare. She could feel each beat of his heart against her fingers. “If you let me go, I’ll take it back and we can forget this happened. I won’t turn you over to the police.”
    “Do better.”
    She had her wind back and, she hoped, her control. “What do you want?”
    His brow lifted at that, and he took a long, leisurely study of her face. “I’ll let that pass,” he decided. “It’s too easy.”
    “I won’t apologize for breaking into your room to take back my own property.”
    “What about my jewelry case?”
    “That was revenge.” The flash of passion, quick and intense, came into her eyes. “I believe strongly in revenge.”
    “Fair enough. Would you like a drink?”
    “Yes.”
    He smiled at her again. “Then I’ll have your word that you’ll stay where you are.” He could almost see her thoughts shifting and taking shape. “You could run, Adrianne, and as I’m hardly dressed to chase you, you’d get away. Today. There’d still be tomorrow.”
    “My word,” she agreed. “I could use a drink.”
    He rose, giving her a chance to slip off the bed and into a chair. He was bare-chested and the drawstring pants hung precariously low on his hips. Steadying herself, Adrianne drew off her gloves as she listened to the sound of liquid hitting glass.
    “Scotch all right?”
    “Fine.” She took the glass, then sipped calmly as he sat on the edge of the bed.
    “I’m hoping for an explanation.”
    “Then you’ll be disappointed. I don’t owe you one.”
    “You’ve prodded my curiosity.” He reached beside the bed for a pack of cigarettes. “You know, I’d given these up