Did you know that Elle James and I are sisters? Yup. But that’s not why she’s in this collection. Ask her. I’ve passed on a story of hers before. Not that it wasn’t great, but it didn’t quite fit the collection I was working on at the time. So, family doesn’t get special treatment. (Our mom was a bit miffed, though.)

She’s in Italy at the moment, so I get to talk trash about her. I’m not the least bit jealous. Uh-huh. Anyway, Elle has a very fun, action-filled, SEXY story in Rogues. Check it out! Don’t forget there are contests still open on this page. Be sure to enter before you leave! ~DD

From “The Billionaire and the Jewel Thief”

He tensed, his body on alert. He had nothing to use for a weapon. The best he could do was sneak up on the intruder and subdue him using the element of surprise. Slipping out of his dress shoes, Chance eased out of the bedroom and hugged the wall as he moved toward what was the most likely target of any thief managing to get past his security system.

The Star of Eternity.

His pulse pounding, Chance dropped down behind a sofa and moved closer to the display case, one agonizing inch at a time. At one point he had to leave the concealment of the couch and cross to a loveseat before he was concealed again. As he made the move, he glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows. With the black of night behind them, the little bit of light inside the penthouse gave it a mirror quality and he could see the intruder, dressed completely in figure-hugging black from head to toe.

The burglar crouched low beside the bulletproof case and held up something to the locking mechanism.

Chance tested that lock so many times he knew it was solid. The thief wouldn’t open it without a case of dynamite.

Holding something in his hand, the bandit waved it over the lock and then lifted the heavy glass box, as if the case hadn’t been locked at all.

Anger replaced trepidation. Chance closed the distance between himself and the thief, grabbed his arm from behind, and pulled it up behind his back. “It’s not nice to take things that don’t belong to you.”

The intruder didn’t respond; instead he stomped on Chance’s foot and used his free arm to jab a sharp elbow into his belly.

Chance grunted and loosened his hold.

The thief made a break for it, racing for the door to the penthouse.

Chance leaped over the back of the couch, tackled the man, slamming him chest-first onto the hard wooden floors.

The body beneath him bucked and twisted and nearly unseated him, but Chance held on and rode him out until the person calmed and lay still. “Who are you, and how in hell did you get into this apartment?”

The body beneath him grunted. “Any burglar who knows what he’s doing would be able to get past that pathetic attempt at security.”

The thief’s voice was higher pitched than Chance had expected, along with having a very narrow waist and the gentle swell of a feminine pair of hips. “What the hell?” He rolled her over and straddled her hips, pinning her hands above her head. She wore a ski mask completely covering her face. Her body was encased in a skin-hugging, black jumpsuit with a long zipper that stretched from her neck all the way down to her crotch.

She rocked from side to side, struggling to free her hands. “Get off me.”

“Not a chance.”

Tensing, she raised her knee and pounded his back.

Chance scooted lower, trapping her thighs beneath him, pinning her legs to the floor. “The security team is on its way up with a Dallas police back up. There is no escape.”

“You have to be joking. I got into this place, I can get out.”

“Not unless I let go.”

She glared from behind the mask. With the lights set low, he couldn’t make out what color her eyes were, but her lips were a soft, rosy pink. Not at all what he would have expected for a thief. They were positively kissable.

Once again she bucked beneath him and almost unseated him. Leaning over to pin her hands to the floor above her head made him practically lay across her body. Every time she bucked, her breasts rubbed against his chest, and the jolt to his groin made him more aware of the delicate position she was in. Having just exited a room where bondage and sex awakened desire, the female beneath him was doing nothing to lessen the hardness of his member.

If he recalled correctly, he’d seen a pair of handcuffs in the secret room. All he had to do was get her from the floor into the room without her knocking him out and making a run for it…with the Star of Eternity.

Mentally, he counted to three, and then he rolled to his feet.

She jumped up as well, taking a step or two backward.

But he was ready. Grabbing her arm, he crouched like a football player and plowed into her gut, forcing her to bend over his shoulder before he straightened.

She kicked and hit his back with her fists, until he wrapped his arms tightly around her thighs and held on.

“Put me down,” she hissed. “I’ll leave. You won’t ever see me again.”

“Sorry, you broke in. How can I be certain you won’t do it again?”

Her body stilled. “I promise.”

“A promise from a thief?” He snorted. “You must think I’m an idiot.”

“Well, now that you mention it.” Again, she pounded his back and pulled at the back of his jacket. “Put me down.”

He strode through the penthouse into the master bedroom. “Be still, damn it.”

“I will as soon as you put me down.”

“Right.”

She went into a frenzy of action.

Holding her legs with one hand, Chance swatted her bottom hard with the other.

“Oh!” she squeaked. “You didn’t just spank me, did you?”

“I did, and I’ll do it again if you can’t be still.”

She drummed his back again.

Her blows caused minimal pain, the padding of his jacket and shirt cushioning her blows.

Again, he slapped her ass. “I said stop!”

She lay over his shoulder for a moment, unmoving. “That hurt.”

“It will hurt a lot more if I have to pull you out of that jumpsuit and spank your naked ass.”

“You wouldn’t,” she said, her voice less confident.

Chance smiled grimly. “Try me.” He tipped the wall sconce, revealing the secret room, and stepped inside. When the door closed, he turned and hit the code to lock the door.

“What the hell kind of room is this? You’re not going to…you can’t…it’s illegal…” The woman twisted and kicked, hitting his back with new ferocity.

“What’s illegal is breaking and entering.”

She grunted. “I didn’t break anything.”

“But you entered without permission. Once the police get up here, they’ll take you to jail.”

“Let me go, I promise I’ll be good.”

He set her on her feet and stepped back. “I can’t. This isn’t my place. If it was mine, I’d consider releasing you, but I can’t afford to let you leave now that I know you’re after the diamond.”

“I just came in to look at it. I didn’t steal it.”

“Because I stopped you.”

“Still, I didn’t take it.” The thief stepped closer. “Please don’t turn me over to the authorities.” She stopped in front of him and traced a finger along the hard planes of his jaw. “I’ll make it worth your while.”