Excerpt+Giveaway: Night Thief by Lisa Kessler

Title: Night Thief

Series: Night Series Prequel (Novella)

Author: Lisa Kessler

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: September 28, 2012

Buy Link: Amazon (Kindle)

Blurb:

After the fall of the Mayan civilization, Kane, an immortal Night Walker, has taken refuge in France for over 800 years. The modern world holds little interest for him until the night he meets the Golden Thief and is robbed of much more than his pocket watch.

Marguerite Rousseau is living a double life. By day she is the assistant to an eccentric French artist, Antoine Berjon, and by night she dons elegant evening gowns to woo French dignitaries before lifting their wallets.

Sparks ignite when Kane captures the thief, but Marguerite harbors a dark secret that could ruin them both.

EXCERPT

This scene takes place after Marguerite has stolen Kane’s pocket watch and he tracks her…

She wore her golden hair up in a loose knot, with stray curls falling down her neck and framing her large round eyes and high cheekbones. Nothing about her was subtle or forgettable like a thief should be.

When he took the watch from her hand, he noticed a flush of color rising from beneath the velvet choker on her neck. Enticing. “You are a flamboyant thief.”

He never saw the slap coming.

“How dare you!” Her hands balled into fists at her sides.

Kane smiled and reached for her hand, drawing her soft fingers to his lips. Her struggles were nothing against his inhuman strength. Pressing a cool kiss to her knuckles, he stared into her eyes.

“Forgive me for being so rude,” he murmured. “You are the most lovely, delicate, and beautiful thief I have ever seen.”

This time, he caught her other wrist before her slap made contact with his cheek. Her bright blue eyes widened. “Let me go.”

“Not yet.” He tipped his head slightly. “I have a confession to make.”

“You?”

He released her. “I have been watching you, waiting to make your acquaintance. I wore my watch tonight hoping you might take it from me.”

A crease marred her brow. “Why?”

“Because you intrigue me. I have never met a thief quite like you.”

Her eyes searched his, and for a moment, he thought she might apologize for taking his property.

“I did not steal your watch.” She set her chin. “I found it.”

Marguerite placed the watch in his palm, and she closed his fingers around it. Glancing at his hand, she frowned.

“Your skin is cold.” She released him. “Are you sick?”

He shook his head. “I am well.”

She went back to the table and gathered her other treasures. “It is good fortune that our paths crossed again so that I could return your watch. Sadly, I will still need to find the other owners.”

“We could give the items you found to the police.”

“No!” She snatched up the satchel and hid it behind her skirt. He watched her clear her throat and her composure returned with her charm. “I could not trust another person with these valuables. Tomorrow, I will go back and inquire with the host to see which guests might be missing their belongings. It is the only way to ease my mind and know they will be returned to their rightful owners.”

“How thoughtful of you. With Le Voleur D’or stalking the streets of Paris, they probably fear their belongings are lost forever.”

Her back straightened and her lips pressed together as if she were a royal princess. It was all he could do not to kiss her. What was wrong with him? He should be angered, or in the least, willing to turn her over to the police.

His shoulders tensed at the thought of an officer touching her.

She cleared her throat. “What do you know of Le Voleur D’or?”

He stepped in closer to her and kept his voice low. “I have been told she has golden hair and her beauty is so blinding that no one notices her pluck their wallets from their pockets. I also understand that she charms her victims until they no longer care that she has lightened their coin purses.”

He tipped his head down. The scent of her hair and the sound of her heartbeat enticed him. Kane ached to taste her. Such an unusual woman. He bit back his desire and whispered near her ear. “Is my description far from the truth?”

She met his gaze. The candlelight flickered in the clear sea-blue of her eyes. “Perhaps you were not charmed enough, Monsieur Bordeaux.”

“In my rush to find you, I was nearly run down by a coach.”

She glanced down at the watch in his hand, then met his gaze again. “You do cherish that watch.”

He bent closer to her, until his lips nearly brushed hers. “It was not the watch that I was after.” 

Thanks again for letting me visit, and I hope you were charmed enough to want more of Night Thief! J

Also available at Barnes and Noble

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