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

David smiled. “No, you don’t. I’m dirty rotten thief.”


“No, but I’ll wager you thought it and you’d be right.”


Jeremy ran a finger down David’s cheek. “How long have you been doing it? Stealing things, I mean?” Jeremy rested his arms on David’s chest and propped his chin on his hands.


David swallowed and tried to find a suitable lie but couldn’t. Perhaps it was the warmth and intimacy of laying with Jeremy, perhaps it was something else, but David opened his mouth and the words tumbled forth.


“My father was a peer of the realm. My mother was an under parlour maid. Oldest story.”


Jeremy’s eyes widened. “You’re a bastard?”


Jeremy rubbed a hand over his chest. “I’m sorry.”


Chapter 35