Olivia Twist(50)

“Yes, I have to—”

He cut her off with a frosty look. “It’s Grimwig, isn’t it?” He shoved off the bed. “You’re saving yourself for that idiotic dolt!”

Olivia refused to answer, her sorrow dissolving into a slow burn as she watched him pace in front of the window. He was so entitled! Never sharing anything with her about his own life, yet demanding answers from her every time she turned around. “Speaking of dolts, what were you doing with my cousin tonight?”

A bang sounded from overhead, and Brom growled from where he’d been sleeping by the fire. Jack and Olivia froze and stared up at the ceiling.

After several seconds of quiet, Jack glared at Olivia and hissed, “I care nothing for Francesca.”

“Then why would you invite her to the theater?” she demanded as she felt the sting of her fingernails pressing into the flesh of her palms.

“I wouldn’t.”

Olivia suppressed a groan of frustration. He made no sense whatsoever. “You need not lie to me, Jack. Or have you forgotten that I saw you there with her?”

A predatory light sparked in his eyes, reminiscent of a lion with its tail twitching in the air as he stalked toward her. He backed her across the room and spoke with slow deliberation. “Would it kill you to have a little faith in me? Just for once? To give me the benefit of the bloody doubt?”

Olivia stopped when her back hit the dresser. “I—”

He leaned in and braced a hand on either side of her, trapping her between his arms. Her pulse accelerated in time with the warning vein throbbing in his throat.

“Does Grimwig kiss you until you can’t stand?” he demanded.

Olivia didn’t move, words failing her.

“Can he make you lose your breath?” Jack’s tone softened. “Can he?”

When she shook her head, all the tension left his arms and he took her chin between his fingers. Clearly, he wanted to kiss her, but something held him back.

She touched his hand and stared into those soul-searing blue eyes. “What is it you want, Jack?”

He blinked. And Olivia prayed he wouldn’t run away, like every other time she’d asked him anything personal. She waited, holding her breath.

His hands dropped to his sides and he stepped back, his features slammed shut. “Nothing. There’s nothing I want.”

Olivia sighed. “Jack, I want to trust you. I do. But I know very little about you.” She took his broad hand in hers, knowing she was about to scare the living daylights out of him but willing to take the chance. “What makes Jack MacCarron get up in the morning? What motivates him to plot his next brilliant heist? Do you want to be a jewel thief for the rest of your life? What do you want for your future?”

Jack froze like a statue of solid rock, the muscle ticking in his jaw the only discernible movement. For someone who was constantly in motion, the contrast was . . . disconcerting.

Just when she thought he wouldn’t answer, he said, “You don’t understand. The goal is to want nothing.” He swallowed and looked away. When he turned back it was with a brash half grin. “I have everything I need: the scent of London air, good food in my belly, and a soft place to rest my head. What else is there?”

It was the most personal admission she’d ever heard him make, but it was utter nonsense. Olivia let go of his hand, and turning her back on him, walked to the fireplace. She knelt down and began gathering the pins that had fallen from her hair. Brom opened one eye and watched her for a moment before falling back to sleep. How could a person want nothing for their future? It was completely counterintuitive that he went to such lengths to rob the rich, and yet claimed there was no motivation behind such a risk.

Sitting down at her vanity, she shoved pins into her hair and watched Jack in the mirror as he plucked his jacket off the floor and shrugged it on. Her face heated as she realized she’d removed that jacket from his shoulders just moments before. He then picked up his hat and angled it low over his eyes.

Would he leave without another word? She jerked her gaze back to her reflection, refusing to give in to the emotion building in her chest. Grabbing the hairnet, she tugged it onto her head, viciously tucking strands into the netting. If he wanted to go, then good riddance! She was done playing his game.

Warm fingers touched the back of her head as Jack coiled up a section of curls and slid it beneath the net. Olivia jerked her head away from him, but when his soft touch brushed against the sensitive skin of her neck her resistance turned to mush. He gathered another section of hair, and tingles raced across her scalp. Her shoulders slumping in defeat, she closed her eyes and melted into his gentle ministrations.

Exhausted from many nights with little sleep, she couldn’t motivate her jellylike muscles to move, even after he finished. As if in a dream, Olivia felt Jack’s hands on her shoulders and his warm breath in her ear. “I didn’t lie to you. There’s no point in wanting something you can never have.”

Her eyes flew open, searching for the meaning behind his words, but he’d already moved away. She turned, and he threw her mousy wig into her lap. “If you’re still planning on going to the Hill tonight, we should leave now.”





CHAPTER 15


The sharp scent of wood smoke swirled through the frosty night air, causing Olivia to long for a warm fire and a cozy blanket. Her eyes grew heavy as she pushed her feet to move faster. Jack had not spoken a word since they’d climbed through the dining room window—the one with the now broken lock.