The year is 1806. Bastard-born jewel thief David Lambert has few rules in his personal life. Never bed the staff, never more than once with the same man, and never, ever, kiss. Attending an aristocratic party and relieving some of the wealthy of their possessions should be easy, but in the space of a weekend, one by one all his rules are shattered by a footman with a secret.<br><br>Jeremy Naylor thought he had found the man of his dreams, the one man who might understand him. Someone passionate, handsome, and respectable. But in one shocking moment his world is destroyed, and he is forced to run for his life.<br><br>Flung together to escape the hangman’s noose, the passion between David and Jeremy burns fiercely. But Jeremy yearns for respectability, and David refuses to admit what lies in his heart. Will they find a way together, or will their differences lead them to the very brink of disaster and the shadow of the gallows?

Thief of Hearts

Jeremy roused to find himself cocooned in warmth and softness with David Lambert’s hands all over him. He squirmed and peeled his eyes open. David was stroking him and kissing his way down his body.


“Nice,” he murmured and groaned when David cupped his jewels, and then took hold of his cock, overwhelming him and cradling him in warmth. In that moment, he realised he wanted to keep this. Keep this feeling of being wanted, cared for; pleasured. Clean linen, warm, spacious rooms and sleeping in a soft bed with soft sheets. The thought of returning to sleeping in the narrow cot he called a bed with scratchy blankets in a tiny, cramped space he had to share was disheartening in the extreme.


“What is it?” David said, noting Jeremy’s distraction and pausing in his exploration.


Jeremy sighed. “I was admiring the softness of your bed.”


David peered down at him with an arched eyebrow. “Are you finding my technique lacking?”


Chapter 15