A Carlisle Deputies
NovelCan a couple be more opposite than a thief and a cop? Or do they have more in common than they think?
Mattias Dumont stole to
survive. He was damn good at it. But there’s no such thing as a victimless
crime, and when he saw how his theft hurt people, he resolved to change. Now he
works as a consultant, and while helping to investigate a rash of burglaries,
he crosses paths with James.
Police Officer James
Levinson doesn’t trust thieves, and that includes Mattias. James’s father stole
to support himself, and James knows firsthand how that can destroy lives—it
inspired him to go into law enforcement. Mattias is no different, from what he
can tell… at first.
As they work together,
Mattias and James realize there’s something deeper between them than just the
physical attraction neither can deny. Given time, they might even grow to trust
each other—unless the case they’re working on dredges up pasts both would
rather forget.
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Cat gives this one 4 Meows with a 3 Purr
heat index...
Talking about opposites
attract…an ex-thief and a cop? Mattias has been clean for a long time and now
works with police as a consultant to teach them how to detect thieves and solve
crimes. James knows all about Thieves and doesn’t trust Mattias at all. After
all, his dad is a thief and he wants nothing to do with that kind of life. It is
why he became a police officer in the first place. But when he and Mattias are
forced to work together to break up a ring of thieves and help his best friend
keep his job as Sherriff, and Mattias hotel gets closed for a power outage fate
seems to be intervening.
I really like Mattias a
lot. I loved the fact he was trying to redeem himself of his former life and
loved his wit and charm. I didn’t connect with James quite as well. For one…
being a cop and knowing what his father is out doing to me is a big grey area. BUT… the story is very interesting and the
plot good and the budding romance between the two men good too. (I am a sucker
for love) Having said all that…I was left with a few questions on the crimes and
how things tied up at the end. And neither Mattias or James were actually
Carlisle deputies just consultants but having said that… I did enjoy the story
and read it in one night. I love Andrew Grey stories and you just cannot go
wrong choosing one!
If you like reformed
thieves, Police detectives, fast-building romance, opposites attract and a
mild, mostly off page, but very sexy story this is for you.
Excerpt…
“THERE IS no such thing as
a victimless crime,” Mattias Dumont said as he slowly walked up the rows of
tables filled with men and women in uniform. “And I hate thieves. They’re
selfish and care very little for others. They steal other people’s hopes and
dreams, their livelihoods. They’re part of the reason all of us pay so much for
insurance… because there is a victim for every crime. It’s you, me, and
everyone else. I really do hate theft, so it sucks that I’m so good at it.”
He’d held the gaze of
every person in the room up until that point. Then the deputies began looking
at one another, some maybe even wondering if this was a test and they should
take action.
A hand finally went up.
“Yes?”
“You’re bullshitting us,”
the officer said. “You have to be.”
Mattias came to a stop at
the front of the room and leaned back slightly against the table. “The statute
of limitations on all my crimes expired a few years ago, and if you look me up,
you’ll find next to nothing.” Okay, now he was bragging a little, but that was
the fun part for him.
“Because you did nothing,”
someone whispered from the back.
Mattias lifted his gaze
from the front of the room to the back where a tall, broad-chested,
jet-black-haired beauty stood, his arms folded over his suited chest. No
uniform for this man. He was someone special. Mattias ignored the way his heart
beat a little faster, the same way it had when he first touched an object he’d
planned and studied for months to acquire. He’d always told himself he’d been
in the acquisition business—he acquired things from their owners without their
permission, often without their knowledge… sometimes for months.
Mattias kept his eye on
Mr. Perfectly Pressed Suit as he continued his talk. “You won’t find anything
on me because I didn’t get caught. Being a good thief isn’t like in the movies.
There’s no Ocean’s Eleven… or some such crap where you try to see
who can pull off the biggest or the best heist. A cache of small gems that can
easily be removed from their settings and would be hard to trace is perfection.
I made a very good living under the radar. I didn’t take the Hope Diamond, but
I did steal from many people.” To him it had been a profession, one that had
gone sour over time.
“Prove it,” Mr. Perfectly
Pressed Suit said from the back.
The others in the room
puffed out their chests, their police officer confidence kicking in.
“All right. Everyone stand
up, please,” Mattias said calmly. “Someone identify an object that you want me
to take.”
One of the officers held
up a watch. It was plain and nothing that would ever have interested him during
his career, but for demonstration purposes, it would do.
“Perfect. Put that back
on, and I’ll demonstrate. I’d like you all to stay standing as I attempt to
take the watch.” Mattias cleared his throat and pretended to think about how he
was going to proceed. He wandered up and down each aisle, working his way over
to the officer in question, who stood near the back, in the far aisle, with
another officer in front and in back of him.
Mattias kept his
expression neutral, as though he were concentrating, his gaze rarely wavering
from his quarry. As he got closer, he nodded to the officer, whose gaze locked
on to him. Mattias could almost feel his quarry’s heart rate increase the
closer he got. This man knew something was going to happen, and he was prepared
for it. Mattias turned the corner, anticipation building in the room, so thick
that he could taste it. Every eye was on either him or his quarry, which was
fine. Mattias was calm and cool, no worries. As he got closer, his quarry’s arm
jittered slightly. Mattias watched it for a second and then lifted his head,
meeting the gaze of the men and women around him. Passing by his quarry,
Mattias smiled and continued back up to the front of the room.
“I still have the watch,”
the officer said, holding up his wrist, and the others in the room clapped.
“I guess you aren’t as
good as you thought.”
Mattias waited until the
ruckus and self-congratulations died down and they all turned back to him. He
cleared his throat. “And you are?” It was best to confront this type of
adversary head-on.
“Detective James Levinson.
I’m working with the sheriff’s department as a consultant on the robberies in
the area.” His steely gaze held Mattias’s, and he didn’t look away. It was a
test of wills, and Mattias enjoyed it, especially from the stunning man who
made his body temperature rise and his heart beat a little faster just from the
intensity in his eyes. This was a man who didn’t back down from a fight and who
held tightly to his convictions. Mattias’s lips curled upward. He got the
feeling that this was also a man who never admitted he was wrong. Good. Mattias
liked that.
Mattias was going to love
making him eat his words.
Andrew Grey is the author
of nearly 100 works of Contemporary Gay Romantic fiction. After 27 years in
corporate America, he has now settled down in Central Pennsylvania with his
husband Dominic and his laptop. An interesting ménage. Andrew grew up in
western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved
to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled
throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and now writes full time. Andrew’s hobbies include
collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in
the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an
accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving
partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
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