Thief of My Heart

Thief of My Heart
Janice Sims

Love can steal your breath away… Psychologist Desiree Gaines diagnosed Decker Riley the day they met. Her opinion: he's a sexy smooth-talker who loves the thrill of the chase. It's only when he stops pursuing her that Desiree realizes she may have misjudged him. For the first time since she lost her fiancé, Desiree is intrigued…and scared she might be walking into heartache once again.Now that Desiree has stepped out of his wildest fantasies and into his arms, gorgeous attorney Decker knows one thing: she was well worth the wait. Their physical connection is deep and undeniable. But Decker's past makes Desiree doubt herself, so he'll have to earn her trust, one sweet, sizzling kiss at a time…

Love can steal your breath away...

Psychologist Desiree Gaines diagnosed Decker Riley the day they met. Her opinion: he’s a sexy smooth-talker who loves the thrill of the chase. It’s only when he stops pursuing her that Desiree realizes she may have misjudged him. For the first time since she lost her fiancé, Desiree is intrigued...and scared she might be walking into heartache once again.

Now that Desiree has stepped out of his wildest fantasies and into his arms, gorgeous attorney Decker knows one thing: she was well worth the wait. Their physical connection is deep and undeniable. But Decker’s past makes Desiree doubt herself, so he’ll have to earn her trust, one sweet, sizzling kiss at a time...

“Don’t be coy, Desi. You know you’re sexy as hell.”

“I know I have an unsettling effect on some men, but it’s been a long time since I used my sexual mojo on anyone. I’m a bit rusty.”

She hadn’t denied she was sexy. That made him respect her more. He liked that she accepted who she was and didn’t try to pretend to be something she wasn’t.

“You have my permission to practice on me,” he said with a confident smile.

That was when she went on tiptoe and kissed him on the mouth. He had to admit, the move took him by surprise, but only for a second or two. Then it was on. For the longest time, he’d been wondering what it would feel like to kiss her. Now he knew. It was bliss itself. Her lips were full, juicy and sweeter than anything he’d ever experienced before. Her breath mingled with his and created an airborne aphrodisiac. Honestly, she tasted like heaven, a feast for a love-starved man who’d just been invited to an all-you-can-eat buffet. He had to force himself to hold back, because damn, the woman had made him wait forever for this kiss.

Dear Reader (#ulink_eb7514c7-7cde-579f-8e7e-429a705706dc),

I never know how a couple is going to interact with one another until I start writing about them. Desiree and Decker truly surprised me. Decker brought out her playfulness. Desiree brought out his desire to be her hero and protector. I had fun getting to know them. I hope you will, too.

If you’d like to let me know what you think of their story, you can email me at Jani569432@aol.com, write me at PO Box 811, Mascotte, FL 34753-0811, look me up on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/janice.sims.10), or send me a message via my website, janicesims.com (http://janicesims.com).

Happy reading!

Janice

Thief of My Heart

Janice Sims

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

JANICE SIMS is the author of over thirty titles ranging from romance and romantic suspense to speculative fiction. She won an Emma Award for Favorite Heroine for her novel Desert Heat. She has also been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews, and her novel Temptation’s Song was nominated for Best Kimani Romance Series in 2010 by RT Book Reviews. She lives in central Florida with her family.

This one is for my cousin, Cathy Johnson.

Cathy, your enthusiasm for life has always inspired me. Besides that, if you hadn’t made me put down a book I was reading (bookworm that I am) and go shopping with you on that fateful Saturday many years ago, I never would have met my husband!

Acknowledgments (#ulink_9840a394-718f-5646-81cc-153bcfb80e4f)

Working with the staff at Mills & Boon is always a pleasure. Rachel Burkot, my editor, helps to keep me focused. Caroline Acebo keeps me on schedule. And a special shout-out to the art department for a very cool cover! Just look at it. The model is exactly how I pictured Decker Riley as I was writing his story. The background and the couch he’s sitting on are nice, too. :o)

Contents

Cover (#u5cee56f7-9d15-5307-b93f-5cf1796b6278)

Back Cover Text (#ud7dd446d-905c-578f-8dc9-ba6eac3824cb)

Introduction (#u7b2d0bcf-5dc5-50e6-a156-952d0e6ca2be)

Dear Reader (#ulink_ed7eef95-1561-5b7d-8b42-2f2349fc9ed8)

Title Page (#udf335e0d-6d8f-55cd-89a9-60c1c6e332f1)

About the Author (#u587f51c9-eb71-539b-acd7-ef6f1885651a)

Dedication (#u9e1576dd-2c35-5a96-94c8-4a9297c1f5d6)

Acknowledgments (#ulink_e56c9633-21ed-5f40-b7da-0e63698d2c23)

Chapter 1 (#ulink_b2385822-2848-55b7-a3e5-c1f7d51558c8)

Chapter 2 (#ulink_ea67b3fb-3422-5247-b11d-2a34027015a5)

Chapter 3 (#ulink_8413954d-4bc6-5d30-b236-eb1366f549ae)

Chapter 4 (#ulink_19ee86e3-92f1-5456-9377-515d9065f629)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 1 (#ulink_24319723-d3db-53a8-8a16-b8622f66efd3)

Decker Riley strode into the busy sports bar in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, and looked around. Six-three and fit, he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to shake off the stresses of the day. His dark gray eyes scoped out the ladies in the establishment. A couple of beauties showed some interest. He smiled, they smiled back. Maybe next time, he told himself as he continued walking.

Suddenly he heard “Decker, over here!” from across the room. It was his cousin, Colton Riley, gesturing for him to join him. Decker smiled as he made his way through the crowd of Friday night revelers. It had been a few months since he, Colton, Juan and Will had gotten together. As he got closer, he saw that they had gone home after work and changed into casual clothes while he still had on his suit slacks and shirt. He’d left his tie and jacket in the car. Each of his three closest friends was married now, and things had changed between them. They had new responsibilities that didn’t include hitting the clubs with their pals, or doing anything remotely fun like the way they used to, in his opinion. Sometimes Decker felt it was only a matter of time before they stopped making an effort to get together at all.