Roman Blinov might have rescued her this time, but Anna “Sway” Tyler isn’t about to give him what he wants or confide in him the secrets she carries. She’s on a mission, and he’s in her way.
Roman doesn’t trust criminals, especially not ones who change their identity as quickly and effectively as Sway. As they say, there is no honor among thieves. Forced to work together on a mission from Interpol to capture Sway’s financier, the man who taught her everything she knows, Sway and Roman must decide if trusting each other is worth the risk.
In the meantime, they’ll have to protect a wild group of orphans, secure a famous necklace, remember to feed an unwieldy pet, and decide if the emotions building between them are based on more than just the adrenaline and unavoidable circumstances.
STEALING CHAOS, the first novel in the Honorable Criminals series by romantic suspense author Sarah Leyton.
About the Book
Stealing Chaos by Sarah Leyton
Series
Honorable Criminals
Genre
Adult
Contemporary Romance
Romantic Suspense
Publisher
Independent
Publication Date
February 2, 2022
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The Meet Cute
Sway dangled from the fourth-floor balcony of a palacio in a ball gown and strappy stilettos instead of her climbing harness and rigging. The balcony would have been a great way out if she was wearing rappelling gear as planned. As a hiding place to avoid whoever had entered the office, she was searching, not so much.
Her heart thrummed a rapid tattoo inside her chest, and
adrenaline lit through her system as she listened to the water fountain below
and the strains of Seville city traffic on a nearby street. Perspiration
dampened her skin. Her fingers trembled.
She needed a plan, one that didn’t include becoming human
paint splatter on the concrete.
Footsteps sounded on the patio. The clock running in her
mind told her she had four minutes until the guard rotation. If the patron
saint of thieves were with her, the unknown person would turn around and go
back inside soon.
She continued fighting her body’s urge to release her
tenuous grip on the ledge.
The steps came closer and closer until they stopped right
above where she hid. She prayed the chain of her purse would be silent where
she’d strapped it across her body before going over the railing. Holding her
breath, she stiffened her body as much as possible to make herself as invisible
as she could get.
“You need a hand?” an amused voice, with the slightest
bit of Russian accent, asked from above.
Equal parts fear and relief surged through her as she
looked up to see a pair of men’s dress shoes on the balcony beside her strained
fingertips.
“You going to hang out there forever, Sway? I bet your
tank is running low.”
At the sound of her nickname—the only name people who
worked with her knew—the tight knot in her chest eased, and the breath she'd
been holding released in a forced whoosh. No one who worked for the Count,
whose office she’d been searching, knew her as Sway. Her mystery guest was most
likely a friendly. Yes, she still dangled without a safety rope, but the man
standing above her probably wouldn’t shoot her or step on her fingers.
She'd been in worse situations…though none came to mind
as she dangled without a backup plan.
A gust of wind blew against the ledge, the strength of it
causing her feet to slip from their perch and her body to twist away from the
building. She bit back a shout as her left hand lost its hold on the stone
ledge, scraping her already raw skin. Her body swung as her weight transferred
to her right arm and wrenched her shoulder, the muscles in her arm howling in
protest. To silence a scream, she clenched her teeth and shut her eyes tight.
She knew she must be bleeding. Sticky wetness made her
grip even more tenuous. Her fingers slipped until only the tips remained on the
stone ledge.
“Help me up. Help me up,” she whisper-shouted an octave
above her normal register. Her arm trembled. Her fingers ached. It didn’t
matter who the hell he was as long as he kept her from plummeting to her death.
A hand appeared, stretched through the bars of the
railing, and took a firm hold on her right wrist below where her fingers held
on for dear life. She used the momentum and the pendulum swing of her body to
reach her free hand up and grasp his. Their palms hit. She grabbed him with as
tight a grip as her abused fingers could manage, but another vicious gust blew
against her. She lost her hold on him.
They both cursed this time. She took a few deep breaths
in an attempt to regulate her breathing to the ebb and flow of her body’s
movements back and forth. She needed every advantage.
“We’ve got one more shot, cupcake. It’s now, or you’re a
Pollock painting.”
“Get me the hell off this ledge.” On the next body swing,
she reached her arm up as high as it would stretch. Her fingers scraped roughly
against the stone again, but her wrist smacked solidly against her savior’s
palm. This time, his grip held.
Her mystery man pulled her up until she could grab the
top of the railing. In the back of her mind, she was impressed he could haul
her dead weight, but her focus centered on slowing her frantic breaths and
calming her shivering body. He continued to hold on to her as she pulled up her
feet and planted them on the stones where her fingers had been only moments
before.
Her shoe choice seemed like a genius decision for a
hysterical moment with the tight fit and firmly held ankle straps. Otherwise,
she’d be barefoot, and some unsuspecting Spaniard might be in the hospital with
a stiletto pump embedded in their skull.
As she stood, her rescuer wrapped an arm around her waist
to steady her. She looked at his face for the first time.
Adrenaline still fogged her mind, and it took a moment to
recognize the man with dark wavy hair, light eyes, and a sinful set of lips
holding a wicked smirk. Her brain clicked back on, and she scowled.
“What in the hell are you doing here, Roman?” she gritted
out as he pulled her over the railing to set her down safely on the balcony.
Her dress scraped across the worn stone, and she winced. When he didn’t release
her, she wriggled to escape his tight grip.
“Let me go.” She sneered and tried again to escape the
brush of his body against hers.
Stop thinking about his body. You’ve got to get out of
here.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Sway,” he purred down
at her. His rough baritone rasped against all the nerves in her body, making
her wonder how those words might feel when spoken while his head moved between
her thighs. “Last time I saw you, you almost unmanned me. It might not be safe
for me to unleash you.”
The reminder of their most recent run-in, when he'd acted
like an underhanded sneak and taken what she'd gone to so much effort to steal
first, jolted her head out of her knickers, and she focused once again on the
instinct to knee him in the balls. It was a much more desirable inclination
than the one to grab him by the hair and pull him to her chest for a rousing
round of motorboat. Panting after Roman Blinov was never been good for her. It
would be especially dangerous to think those thoughts while the panic and
adrenaline of her recent near-death experience still rode her. She might make a
very bad decision.
A very naughty
decision. Wait…no. No naughtiness with Roman. You’re mad, remember?
“You stole my statue,” she said through gritted teeth as
she sharply raised a knee to finish what she’d started in Athens last year.
He deftly avoided her attack on his testicles and pulled
her even closer. Whether it was intended to restrict her movements or press
their party parts closer together, she wasn’t sure. Knowing Roman, probably
both.
When his hand slid to her backside, she found out she was
right. "Get your hand off my ass, or I swear I'll make sure you end the
night with superglue in places God and the manufacturer never intended it to
go."
"Still so adorable, Sway." The hand on her ass
flexed in a blatant grab, and she growled low and with enough menace to do a TV
werewolf proud. "Your threats might have more punch if you were not the
size of a doll. I forgot how cute you are when you get angry. Your—"
His words cut off abruptly as the click of the balcony
door opening echoed in the quiet night.
Before she could blink, Roman crushed his lips against
hers. She assumed the move was to keep the guard from shooting them on sight,
and she would have high-fived him for his quick thinking, but the instant burst
of electricity sparking between them drew her into the kiss rather than away
from it.
Screw the guard. He could catch them as long as they kept
kissing. Under Roman’s insistent mouth, she opened to allow him unfettered
access. His tongue slid like silk against hers, and she moaned. She couldn’t
remember the last time someone kissed her like that.
Aw, hell, I've
never been kissed like this. He totally deserves his superstud reputation.
His tongue teased the roof of her mouth in a caress with
a direct impact on other, more sensitive parts of her body. She slid her hands
up the soft fabric of his tuxedo to bury them in his hair, overwhelmed by the
impulse to find out if it felt as soft as it looked.
“¿Qué haces aquí?” a harsh voice demanded behind them.
To celebrate the release of STEALING CHAOS by Sarah Leyton,
the author is giving away a signed hardcover copy of the book!
> CLICK HERE TO ENTER <
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to United States shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a signed hardcover copy of Stealing Chaos by Sarah Leyton. This giveaway is administered by BookMojo on behalf of Sarah Leyton. Giveaway ends 3/5/2022 @ 11:59pm EST. The author will mail the prize to the winner directly.
I am a born and raised Kanas woman living in the KC area with my dog, B, collecting a wide assortment of absolutely ridiculous novelty earrings, buying bulk packs of Dr. Pepper, and basking in the glow of Dolly Parton vibes.
By Day, I work in healthcare. By night, I puts on slippers, grab a tube of M&M minis, and get to work crafting stories and heroes to melt your heart…and maybe your underwear.
I believe everyone deserves good beverages, good books, and good friends.I am a born and raised Kanas woman living in the KC area with my dog, B, collecting a wide assortment of absolutely ridiculous novelty earrings, buying bulk packs of Dr. Pepper, and basking in the glow of Dolly Parton vibes.
By Day, I work in healthcare. By night, I puts on slippers, grab a tube of M&M minis, and get to work crafting stories and heroes to melt your heart…and maybe your underwear.
I believe everyone deserves good beverages, good books, and good friends.
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