Former con artist Nikki Swift swore she'd never return to her hometown. But she made a promise that is long overdue. Fifteen years after her sister went to prison for a murder she didn't commit, Nikki finally has a way to set things right. She will do whatever it takes to bring her sister home, including living in a condemned hotel with hot-as-hell Henry.
Architect by day, poker player by night, Henry Cavalier wants nothing to do with bombshell Nikki. Hell, last time he saw her, she skipped town with his money. But after his family disowned him, Nikki's particular skill set is exactly what he needs to rescue his mom and steal his fortune back.
To keep her promise to her sister, Nikki will have to come out of retirement and swindle one last time. But can Henry trust the thief who broke his heart once upon a time with a con that means everything?
Note: This is a steamy
romance with explicit sensual scenes, happily ever after, no cheating, and no
cliffhanger.
Excerpt
Copyright ©2024,
Diana A. Hicks
“I know what you
are.”
Something hot
rushed through me. He didn’t say who.
“You first.” I braced my hands on my hips. “What did this town do to you? Maybe
there’s a way we can help each other.”
He clenched his
jaw. The effort made him look dangerous. Not at all like the Henry I
remembered.
“I don’t know what
brought you here. What I do know is that everything that comes out of that
pretty mouth of yours is either a lie or a half truth.” His dark gaze darted from the condemned
hotel, to the broken street, and me. “I see you. You’re full of tells, and
you’re a horrible liar, but somehow people buy your act. My guys certainly
did.”
My heartbeat picked
up the pace at his words. “What am I, Henry?” I stepped closer.
“A thief.”
There it was again,
a rush, a bubble in my chest. “I prefer con artist.” I rested my hand on his
neck, and he let me.
His pulse throbbed
fast and hard against my fingers. He was affected by my touch, even when his
face remained blank.
“Same difference.”
He met my gaze. “The question is: what are you here to steal?”
“Enough about me.”
I jiggled his car keys in front of him.
“What?” He patted
his pocket before he snatched the key fob from me.
“Now that we’ve
established I have certain skills you could use, tell me about you. What do you
want with this place?”
“We haven’t
established anything.” He put his keys back in his front pocket. “I’m just an
architect who happens to be good at poker.”
I nodded. That
explained a lot—why he could read me like some sort of FBI agent. Whatever he
was, I didn’t care. I was done here. “Fine. Five hundred Gs and the place is
all yours.”
Lisa would have to
listen to me. We never should’ve strayed from our original plan of winning her
appeal and getting her out of jail. The money from my last con was supposed to
pay for that. Instead, Lisa had struck a deal with that old-dude lawyer to purchase
this place.
“Right. Except
that’s not how much you paid for your half of the hotel.” He shook his head, a
half smile pulling on his lip.
I crossed my arms.
How did he know that? “How can you tell?”
“You scratch your
nose when you lie.” He tapped my nose.
“No, I don’t.”
“Do too.”
What the hell? Did
I scratch my nose? “Four hundred.”
“Is it really that
hard to tell the truth?” He grinned, cocking his head.
“I didn’t touch my
nose.” I was sure I hadn’t that time.
“Your hand
twitched…because you wanted to touch your nose.” His chuckle sent an electric
current through my body.
“Two hundred
fifty.” I took a deep calming breath.
“Was that so hard?”
He smiled, and a little wrinkle appeared around his right eye.
“You have no idea.”
I grabbed my purse and took out my phone. “When can I get my money?”
He glanced at the
hotel, biting the inside of his lip. “About that.”
“You don’t have the
money, do you?”
“Not with me, no. I need a few days.”
About Diana A. Hicks
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