The Family Jewels Read Online Free PDF Page A

half dozen yards away, although she was. Stunning, actually. Wide-set blue eyes were a stunning foil for all that black hair. The effect made her look more gypsy than Countess. But what was even more shocking was that he'd seen that face before. Sure, it had been hidden under a pair of unflattering glasses and obscured by terrible blondish fringe, and yes, those eyes had been the darkest of browns and not blue, but that face? He would know it anywhere.
    Sadie the Waitress.
    Mind racing, he tipped his head and tried to block everything else out and observe. Her expression gave away nothing, but that posture, the way she held herself, and that mouth? She was a dead ringer. Could she be a doppelganger? Or a twin, maybe?
    Not likely. Which meant…
    "Have we met before?" he asked softly, keeping his gazed locked with hers. To her credit, she didn't even flinch. In fact, the responding confusion knitting her smooth brow and the questioning tilt of her head were so convincing, if he was someone else, he might have let his wild conspiracy theory go right then and there.
    But he wasn't someone else. He was Jake Callahan, con artist extraordinaire, son of Scotland Yard’s most decorated detective, and his young Countess had a tell.
    "I don't believe so. But then, I travel extensively, perhaps we've crossed paths at one time or another." Her red lips curved into a gracious smile, but all the while, the pulse in her neck was beating like a drum at a ceili . "Countess Ilya Van Bergen. And you are?"
    She held out an elegant hand and he took it in his, letting his fingers trail over her wrist down her palm where he found exactly what he'd been looking for. Soft, familiar skin.
    "Jake Callahan.” What are you playing at, pretty Sadie? “You know, Countess, I'm usually a crack-shot at guessing accents, but I can't place yours."
    “I’m from Bavaria.”
    "Ah, German,” he said with a nod. “ Ich spreche ein wenig Deutsch .”
    Her eyes widened just a bit and he almost grinned.
    Gotcha.
    But then she wrinkled her nose and winked. " Nicht sehr gut, leider .”
    He barked out a laugh, unable to hold it in. Sexy and smart. A lethal combination if there ever was one, and he had no doubt this girl was trouble.
    “What’s so funny?” Alistair demanded.
    “I was telling the Countess here that I speak some German and she very graciously let me know that, while that may be technically true, I don’t speak it very well. I think it’s the Irish coming through.” He’d learned just enough of four major languages --French, Spanish, Italian, and German-- to get by, but his German accent was shit. The thing was, he’d heard it enough to know that hers was almost as bad.
    If this woman was a Countess, he would eat his proverbial hat.
    "Mr. Hannigan and I were just talking about my foundation for the arts. If you have something more important to discuss with him than a children’s charity, though…?"
    Whatever fear she'd felt when she'd thought he might recognize her was gone now, replaced by determination. She wasn't a hundred percent sure whether he’d bought what she was selling, but either way, it wasn't going to sway her from whatever she was about with this little farce. He’d liked her spunk, and he was intrigued beyond belief, but he couldn’t let her interfere with his own plans.
    "Hold that thought, Countess,” Alistair said with a frown as he peered down at the mobile phone in his hand. “I have some business I need to take care of. Give me five minutes.”
    He strode off and Sadie the Countess Waitress stared after him like he was the last life boat on the Titanic.
    She sucked in a breath and turned back to Jake with a cheery smile. "I should probably take a moment to step into the powder room and freshen up," she murmured and made to sweep past him in a cloud of citrus perfume that made him want to lean closer and smell her nape. Before she got by him, he reached out and clasped his fingers lightly over her wrist.
    "Why don't