To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) Read Online Free PDF

door. She slid several of the bronze bars in random order to relock the system, then took a step back.
    “Who the hell are you?”
    Rose froze but didn’t turn round.
    The footsteps closed in. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
    Too late, it’s already gone. Oh, Papa, what do I do now?
    She knew the voice, recognized it just as easily as she had done yesterday. Slipping the leather pouch into her coat pocket, she purposefully took on the air of an urchin as she turned.
    Nathan Hawk stood with his partner, Ben Steel, along with another man she didn’t recognize.
    “Bloody hell, Nathan, the diamond.”
    Nathan’s jaw dropped. “You little thief!”
    Rose feigned innocence and lowered her lashes, trying to divert their attention. “ Me, a thief? Nah. I just came to ’ave a look at the bauble.” She needed to get away before Nathan truly recognized her. “I was just having a gander at it. Looks just like a bit of me ma’s chipped crystal vase, I reckon. Lot of fuss about nothing.”
    He beckoned to her. “Come down.”
    She stood rigid, not moving an inch.
    Nathan took a step toward her. “Do as I say, or I will call for the constabulary.” He crooked his finger at her, his eyes narrow and speculative. Rose swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened to close off her airway.
    Damn! Rose bit her lip, desperate to get away. “No need, mister, it’s all innocent.”
    She took a step.
    “Closer.”
    Her hands fisted at her sides, gaze darting to the right, to the left. No way out. She was cornered.
    Suddenly, Nathan reached out and tipped her hat from her head. She snatched at it, but too late. He held it aloft.
    “Hello, squirt. Long time, no see.”
    “And whose fault is that, Nathaniel Hawk ?You left without even saying good-bye.”
    “Nathan, what is going on? Who is this?” Ben stepped into the cordoned-off area around the diamond.
    Something flickered across Nathan’s eyes. They were the color of the hot chocolate her mother used to make, warm and comforting. But all Rose remembered was his constant teasing, riling her so she would react, which, of course, she always did, and he would always laugh at her and walk away.
    Except that one day…
    She set her hands on her hips, uncaring now that her hair flowed down her back, her disguise disintegrated. She kept her gaze on Nathan. He’d changed a bit. Older. Broader. The strong jaw and piercing eyes with the golden thread circling the iris and the same mischievous twinkle were no different. The essence of the man was the same. The same air of devilment.
    But now there was an air of strength. Of maturity.
    She eyed his clothes. “You’ve changed, Nathaniel .”
    “I’m successful.”
    That was as obvious today as it was yesterday, when she’d recognized him at the hotel. His clothes were well tailored, a vast difference from the ragtag, threadbare trousers and jacket he’d arrived in all those years ago.
    Ben tapped Nathan on the shoulder. “Who is she, Nathan?”
    Rose’s confidence faltered, and her fingers brushed across the leather pouch in her pocket. She held her head high, determined she would not falter, and held out her hand to Nathan’s partner. “How do you do, Mr. Steel. I’m Nathan’s past.”
    Ben Steel’s blue eyes widened, and his jaw slackened. “A wife?”
    “Hell no!”
    “Never!”
    They both answered at the same time, and Ben smiled.
    “A lover?”
    Rose blushed. “Definitely not.”
    “So what is this intriguing past, then, Nathan? You’ve rarely talked about it.”
    “And now isn’t the time either.” He turned back to Rose. “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you here? It would seem you’re trying to steal the diamond, since it was you yesterday who tried to get us to remove it from the exhibition.”
    She nodded and witnessed the flush of anger beneath his tanned skin. “But I wasn’t going to steal it. Not really.”
    A singular dark brow quirked, and he rubbed a hand across his