Steal My Heart

Chapter 3

I struggled to shake off the distraction I felt as a result of my run in with Phantom Skye. The flirty things he had said to me stirred something inside of me, but a rational voice in my head told me that it was the same stuff he said to lots of women. That was just what he did to distract them from the fact that he was stealing them blind. So, he was in fact, a con artist.

A sexy con artist.

Damn it!

I hoed my land with vigor, trying to get my mind to another place. But I kept remembering the tantalizing aroma of curry coming off of him, and I couldn’t help but remember the way he would purr the word “angel” at me. I sighed heavily, then gave up on my hoeing. It was lunchtime, anyway. I headed into the kitchen, and wasn’t very surprised when I reached for the bottle of curry spice. That was my new addiction. I peeled and chopped two potatoes, throwing them in a pot of water. I found myself craving curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What was wrong with me?

I also found myself wandering down to the Goddess Pond in the evenings, hoping to run into him. I had no idea why I wanted to, or what I would even say or do if we encountered each other. But the urge to go there was irresistible, and I gave in time after time. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I wasn’t exactly sure which; he wasn’t there, night after night. Was this vagabond thief through with our valley? Had he stolen everything of interest to him? I sighed after another fruitless visit to the pond, and turned to go home.

I was startled out of my wits when I suddenly was face to face with Skye himself. “Well, hello again, angel,” he purred at me, and I stumbled a little backwards, losing my balance and landing on the ground at the edge of the pond.

“Oh dear, did I excite you?” Skye asked me, then stepped forward and leaned over me, getting his face in close. “My, my…are you getting wet?” The way he whispered out the last word at me made me flush, and I spluttered to try to respond.

“W-w-what are you talking about? No!”

He clucked his tongue at me and gave me innocent eyes. “I’m talking about the pond. You’re so close to it, I thought maybe you were getting your clothes wet.” I flushed again, looking away, embarrassed that I took his comment the wrong way. He reached his hand out to me to help me up, but I brushed it away.

“I can get up myself,” I grumbled, and stood up. He just watched me calmly, his eyes dancing lightly.

“Oh angel,” he sighed, “I’ve missed seeing your lovely face.”

I blushed, but struggled to act indifferent. “Shyeah, right,” I mumbled. “You say that to all the women. And besides, it’s no use buttering me up. I live on that rundown old farm, and I don’t have a thing of value for you to steal. You’re wasting your time with me.”

He looked hurt, and I instantly regretting saying it. He turned away, his hair shining softly in the moonlight. “I see that you doubt my motives. You think me a base cad. I assure you, angel, that I long to steal nothing from you but your heart.” I blushed and trembled.

“What?” I murmured, at a loss for words.

He turned back to me suddenly, his face intense with emotion. “You, angel, are unlike any other. You’ve captivated me, and I long just to be in the presence of your radiance.” He stepped closer to me, and I felt frozen to the spot. He brought his face close, and spoke again. “Angel…your loveliness overwhelms me,” he whispered softly, and brought his lips within an inch of mine. I shuddered and flushed, feeling a little like I would faint. I closed my eyes, and waited…

But nothing. I fluttered my eyes open. He had pulled away, and that intense emotion had overcome his face once more. “I have to prove myself to you, angel, before I am worthy to touch those lips. So, for tonight, I bid you au revoir.” He took a couple of steps backwards into the darkness, and he was instantly gone.

I just had to stand for a few minutes, regaining my composure. What had just happened? I finally shook my head, and returned home.

The next day, I was surprised to see Flora, the archeologist’s assistant, approaching my farm. She waved, and once she was close enough, began to speak. “Jill, Carter and I have just gotten a letter from the Phantom. He says that he’s going to strike our tent at midnight, and steal away valuable artifacts.” I flushed at the mention of Skye, and Flora continued. “Muffy told me that you were a big help when he hit their place, and so I thought maybe you could come down and help us tonight.”

I just stared at her. “Muffy said I was a big help? All I did was sit there while he stole two bottles of liquor.”

Flora nodded. “Yeah, but she said that if you hadn’t been there, he might have stolen money from the register, or even more bottles. So, will you help us?”

I was a little reluctant, not sure what it was that they expected me to do, but I agreed anyway. I wanted to see him again.

I met Carter and Flora in their tent at 11pm that night. We sat around and waited, but midnight came, and nothing happened. Carter suddenly spoke up, his face red. “I just realized something! This was a distraction! He wanted us to stay here and guard the tent, so that he would be free to pillage the dig site to his heart’s content!”

Flora gasped. “Oh my, you’re right! Let’s go!” She and Carter hurried out of the tent. Flora issued a command back at me as she left. “Stay here, Jill. Just in case.” I just nodded, then I threw up my hands. These late night stake outs were always so ridiculous.

Not a minute had passed before I heard the tent flap rustle. The Phantom himself stepped in, smiling slyly. My heart beat faster, but I stood my ground. “So, you really were going to steal things from the tent!”

Skye shook his head, waggling a finger at me. “Oh, no, angel. That was merely a ruse. I have no interest in such rubbish. My true intentions were to draw you out tonight.” I blushed. “For you seem to always be there when I announce my arrival, so I was hoping with all my heart that it would hold true once more.”

I trembled and flushed, and tried to speak. “But why? What do you want with me?”

He opened his eyes wide at me. “Just to enjoy your loveliness. I was hoping that you would accompany me, and spend a little time with me tonight.”

I suddenly felt nervous. “What kind of time?” I imagined him getting me into a dark corner and putting heavy moves on me, and the idea was a bit overwhelming.

He approached me, taking one hand and lifting it to his lips. “I assure you that my intentions are good, angel,” he said as he pressed his lips to my hand. His lips were soft and warm, and I couldn’t help but sigh a little.

“Um, okay…” I managed to agree, and followed him out of the tent. He walked swiftly through the night, and I kept up with him the best that I could. We ended up on the beach, standing at the shore, watching the tide ebb and flow over the sand.

“Do you like to cook, angel?” he suddenly asked me. It was such an unexpected question that I laughed. He smiled at me. “Oh, angel, I had no idea cooking was so humorous to you.”

I waved my hand. “It’s not. Ah, anyway, I do like to cook. Er…what about you?”

His eyes sparkled. “I greatly enjoy the culinary arts. I’ve learned to make many different curry dishes by sampling curry from all over the world, and experimenting with ingredients.” He paused, and then sighed. “However, I can’t get the taste just right. It does have a good flavor, but there’s always something missing.” He sighed again. “I wish I could figure out what it was.”

I shrugged. “Hmmm…well, sometimes when you’re just cooking for yourself, it’s not as good as when you cook for other people. You know, because you really throw your heart in it when you know it’s going to be tasted by someone else.”

He smiled and winked at me, tapping one finger to his temple. “Oh angel, you’re both beautiful and wise.” I felt my face get hot, and he continued. “Maybe if I could make it for you, then my heart would be truly in it.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah…okay…I do like curry.” I remembered how often I had been craving it lately, and I actually felt a rather intense craving right then.

“That’s wonderful. I hope to be able to cook for you very soon.” He winked at me again, and I couldn’t help but read a double meaning in the words. He stepped closer to me, and stroked my bangs out of my eyes. “Angel…angel…” he breathed. “Your beauty simply devastates me…” He traced one fingertip over my lower lip, and I shuddered hard.

He laughed softly, and stepped away. “But I mustn’t rush things. It would be terrible to scare my darling little angel away.” He turned to go. “I’d love to escort you home, angel, but nice girls like you shouldn’t be seen out at night with a thief like me. I’ll count the minutes until we can meet again…” And with that, he disappeared into the night.

I just stood on the beach, feeling the warm salty breeze tousling my hair, and suddenly felt very hungry for curry.