by Taylor Lee
Ian guffawed. “For once I agree with you, Gray.”
Chapter 3
Ian waited until all of the agents had left and then led Diamond outside to the patio and over to a small table off under the arbor. He pulled out her chair and motioned to the waiter who had jumped to attention when Ian entered.
“Samuel, would you please bring Col. Davis and me a bottle of 2007 Gaja Barbaresco.”
The eager waiter nodded. “Absolutely, Sir. May I bring you anything else…dessert, perhaps or—”
Ian cut him off with a wave of his hand. “No, that will be all, Samuel. At least for now.”
Ian helped her into her chair and reached for the chair next to her, making a point of pulling it closer to her. When he sat down his knee brushed against hers. Diamond couldn’t suppress the shiver that raked across her thighs at what she was sure was a purposeful move on Ian’s part. His lip quirked up, confirming that she had read him correctly.
“I’m assuming that you like 2007 Gaja Barbaresco, Diamond?”
Riley gave a small snort and glared at him.
“And if I didn’t, Col. Ross? Would I still have to drink it?”
Ian smiled.
“It just so happens that I know you’re cultivating an excellent palate when it comes to fine liquors. I’m confident you will enjoy the 2007 Gaja Barbaresco.”
Diamond felt her cheeks flush. She knew he was right. Just as he was right that over the last year her “palette” had definitely improved. Once an equal opportunity drinker, she’d been satisfied with whatever booze she had in her liquor cabinet as long as the bottle was full. Now she admitted with a disparaging snort, through Ian’s refined tutelage she was becoming almost as much of a libation snob as he was.
Ian waited until Samuel returned with the ornate bottle, uncorked it and offered Ian a taste. At his approving nod, the waiter poured the aromatic liquid in the crystal glasses he’d placed on the table.
Ian raised his glass to her and sipped the potent alcohol. Diamond followed his lead and breathed an appreciative sigh at the pungent taste of the expensive alcohol.
Ian smiled at her obvious approval then reached over and took her hand. The moonless sky couldn’t hide the mischief dancing in his gleaming gray eyes.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you leave without responding to my proposition, did you, Col. Davis?”
Diamond scoffed. “Did I have a choice?”
“Of responding? Or of accepting my proposition?”
When Diamond didn’t answer and tried to extricate her hand from his, Ian’s lip quirked up at the corner. He tightened his hold on her hand and held her gaze, refusing to let her look away.
“The correct answer is both yes and no, Col. Davis.”
When she frowned indicating that she didn’t understand, Ian’s grin widened.
“No, Riley, you didn’t have a choice to leave without responding. And yes, Col. Davis, you will accept my proposition.”
Annoyed with his obnoxious assumptions and open teasing, Diamond huffed out a loud sigh and refused to meet Ian’s probing gaze. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Instead she determined to do her best to mimic Ian’s insouciance. She forced herself to concentrate on the Barbaresco, which she had to admit was truly was amazing. A hearty swallow of the pungent liquid burst on her tongue with an array of delightful tastes, some spicy, others fruity, still others tart—almost bitter. The flavors intensified as she delicately swirled the liquid in her mouth. When she finally swallowed the wine, the finish was surprisingly smooth. She closed her eyes to focus on the warmth that filled her throat marveling at what a lovely thing a fine wine was. She was embarrassed to admit it hadn’t been that long ago that, when a waiter asked her which wine she’d prefer, she’d simply declared white or red.
Still refusing to acknowledge the imperious man lounging next to her, Diamond concentrated on the sights and sounds of the darkening evening. As was true of most nights in the desert city, particularly in the higher regions surrounding the center city of Phoenix, it was surprisingly cool. It was as though the hard packed sandy desert soil couldn’t hold the intense heat once the sun went down, bringing an abrupt chill to the air. The light ever present breeze tufted the hair on her arms. Shivering slightly, she chided herself that as usual she’d been fooled by the 100 plus degree heat of the sunbaked day and hadn’t brought a wrap to ward off the evening chill.
Instead of berating herself for her carelessness, Diamond instead breathed in the glorious evening. Without a doubt it was her favorite part of the day. She glanced up at the sky in wonder. The city lights dancing below couldn’t compete with the myriad stars lighting the sky. Before she’d moved to the Southwest, Diamond had always lived in huge cities blanketed with artificial lights that fought and usually won against the lights of nature. Not so in the desert. Whether it was the altitude or nearness to the equator, or god knows what geographic explanation, Diamond had never seen brighter or more copious stars than she saw every night in her adopted sanctuary city. Tonight as if the stars weren’t stunning enough, the moon had decided to come out to play. At that moment, the golden globe split the clouds, and shot a sparkling curtain of silver across the sky to the horizon below. Diamond couldn’t hold back a gasp of wonder.
“Oh my God. It’s…so…beautiful.”
She hated that her stammered remark was so inane, so unworthy of the glorious night. Feeing inadequate as she invariably did in Ian’s presence, Diamond shrugged and huffed a self-deprecating laugh.
“Sorry, the poets were distinctly absent at my birth. That’s the best I can do to describe this extraordinary night.”
She hesitated then added, “It’s my favorite part of the day.”
To her surprise, Ian didn’t counter with a poetic assessment worthy of the moonlit sky. Instead, his voice was soft, unexpectedly serious.
“Hmm, it is mine as well. And yes, I’m often speechless at the night skies that this complicated desert conjures up. I’m amused when I hear people describe the desert as a scalding arid sandbox incapable of nuance. If anything, the desert has more natural variety than most of the places I have lived. Indeed, its ability to surprise me is what draws me back when I could choose to live anywhere in the world.”
Diamond was surprised and grateful that his observation was thoughtful, absent the playful bantering he’d been assaulting her with since she’d arrived at the restaurant.
She glanced up at him to see if he was sincere or just setting her up for further ridicule. She quickly looked away when an obvious twinkle sparkled in his eyes. Before she could pull away, he’d grasped her hand and tugged her closer to him. His voice was soft but she was sure she heard a distinct teasing overlay.
“I would be remiss, Diamond, if I didn’t note, that while the poets may have been on sabbatical at your birth, the artists most assuredly were not.”
He gave a low chuckle then queried, “Tell me, Riley. How the hell do you get your hair this wondrous color?”
To her surprise, he lifted a handful of the heavy mass off of her neck and let the strands play through his fingers.
“Damn woman, even in the moonlight I can see at least twenty shades of gold, from almost silver to a dark sunburnt yellow. I don’t know how you do it, but you could make a fortune on the formula if you ever chose to market it.”
Diamond jerked back in surprise when he didn’t let go of her hair, rather used it to pull her closer to him. Not knowing how to respond to his aggressive move, she stared up at him in dismay. She’d longed to revel in the beautiful evening. The fragrance of a hundred night blooming flowers added to the magic of the star-filled sky and the moon darting in and out of the puffy clouds was stunning. Add to that a glass of wine that came close to the nectar of the gods and her night should have been perfect.
Rather than adding to the perfection, the man beside her seemed intent on challenging her. His amused teasing was one thing. She thought she could handle that. She knew from long experience how
to handle a man who thought he could come on to her. She had a virtual thesaurus of acerbic put downs that had most men-on-the-make scuttling rapidly off with their tails between their legs. But she didn’t have to remind herself that Ian Ross wasn’t most men.
Diamond knew that if she didn’t get control of the situation now, it was unlikely that she would. She toyed with the idea of leaping to her feet and tossing the rest of her wine in his face and storming off. But the stern intent she felt hovering just beneath Ian’s teasing gaze stopped her. Lifting her hand she swiped at his, freeing her hair from his grip. She rose to her feet, horrified that she knocked her chair over in her haste. Refusing to let her graceless motion deter her, she stepped further back and glared at him.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, Ian, except embarrass me.” Gaining courage she added dismissively, “If any of this was meant to charm me, let me tell you that you failed miserably. So before I leave—which I’m going to do in about thirty-five seconds—understand that no I do not accept your ‘proposition’ and no I will not go to Washington D. C. with you.”
She backed up and sneered at him, pointing to her half empty glass of wine. “It’s a pity because this may be one of the finest wines I’ve ever tasted. But, please, feel free to share it with one of your dozen sycophantic women who I’m sure would be delighted to be your flavor of the week. Or is it, of the evening?”
Diamond reached for her purse and said as she turned toward the parking lot, “Now if you’ll excuse me…”
To her surprise Ian was suddenly standing beside her. Even in her stiletto heels he towered over her. Grasping her arm he jerked her next to him pressing her back against the edge of the table capturing her body between the table and his powerful thighs. The rest of her sentence stuck in her throat unable to get past the rush of sensation that flooded her.
He put his lips next to sensitive skin below her ear and said in a low raspy murmur, “Ah, Diamond. Surely you jest. You think for one moment that I will excuse you? And allow you to leave before you hear my full proposal?”
Chapter 4
Ian guffawed then leaned in closer, his lips tenderly brushing against Riley’s earlobe.
“Really, my dear. I gave you a proposition that I’m confident you will accept. Perhaps I should apologize for my peremptoriness, my teasing you. It’s just that you are so serious, so ‘buttoned up.’ Frankly you’re so ‘teaseable,’ it was hard to resist. But let’s face it, Col. Davis. We currently are business partners in the best sense of the word. Add to that, I am your financial backer. We both know that when I ask you to partner with me on an important mission that you will accept my proposal.”
Positioning her in front of him, he held her chin, not allowing her to look away. His voice was soft, with a slight edge that was confirmed by the steel in his eyes.
“I have a suggestion, Col. Davis. Let’s…how about we start this discussion over? Instead of propositioning you, I will simply ask you to partner with me on an upcoming mission.”
His quiet entreaty calmed her somewhat. At least it melted her anger. Unfortunately it did nothing to quiet the sensations raging in her groin. But then how could it given the fact that Ian’s strong thighs were still firmly pressed against hers. Trying to ignore the heady musk of Ian’s exotic cologne, Diamond slammed her eyes closed unable to stop her legs from shaking or her heart from pounding against her chest. As if suddenly aware of their closeness and her shaky response, Ian’s lip quirked up at the corner.
Backing away slightly, he murmured, “Perhaps you will be more amenable to my proposal if I stop manhandling you, and allow you to sit down and hear me out.”
He reached over and picked up her overturned chair. Setting it next to his he firmly maneuvered her back onto her chair and then sat down next to her.
Reaching for the bottle of wine that Samuel had carefully placed in an ice bucket at his elbow, Ian refilled both of their glasses. He lifted his and waited until she picked up her glass and met his gaze.
“To you, Col. Davis, who I hope will be my partner on an upcoming mission.”
He touched her glass with the rim of his and then took a hearty swallow. Diamond hesitated then did the same. Instead of savoring the wine she took a bigger gulp than she’d intended and choked on it, spraying the costly wine across the table.
Ian laughed softly as he gently pounded on her back.
“Now, now, Diamond. There’s a lot of things I will tolerate but chugging a glass of ’07 Gaja isn’t one of them.”
Diamond did her best to laugh but only served to choke again on the wine. Shaking his head, Ian reached for the carafe of water in the center of the table and poured her a glass.
“Here, try this. Obviously, I shouldn’t try to force expensive wine on a woman who is debating whether she will ever to speak to me again. How about a truce? I will apologize for teasing you as long as you agree to be my partner on the upcoming operation. How about it, Diamond, will you do that.”
Diamond sipped on the water grateful when she was able to swallow without coughing. She couldn’t look at Ian, she was too embarrassed. God, how could the night have been any worse? She’d known before she came that it would be a disaster. How could a dinner to celebrate the upcoming bliss of all of her best friends be anything else? Then if that wasn’t bad enough she’d been unable to deal with Ian’s obvious teasing and made a complete fool of herself by throwing a tantrum. It also didn’t help that when he moved against her she’d given in to a massive sensual response that he was gentleman enough to ignore. And finally, she’d choked on a $500 bottle of wine.
From the intent expression on his face, Diamond knew that he wasn’t going to let her off the hook, to go home gracefully without agreeing to discuss his proposal. She gave a resigned sigh and shrugged.
“I’m sorry that I’m such a klutz. The…wine is wonderful. I’m just…I’m obviously not at my best tonight.”
She could have added ‘or any night’ as long as this confident debonair man was sitting inches away from her, a smile lurking in his knowing gray eyes.
Ian shook his head and held up his hands in dissent.
“Au contraire, my fair lady. You have held up amazingly well, given the circumstances. Tonight was bound to be trying for those of us who are bent to live our lives outside of the lair of marital bliss. Obviously I’m happy for the joy that our agents have found in one another. I’m particularly grateful that my beloved niece is as blissful as she is. But let’s face it, it’s a challenge for determined loners like you and me, to spend an entire evening in the face of such syrupy joy! Which brings me to my proposal.”
When Diamond didn’t answer, Ian continued.
“I believe you heard me talking to Noah about his father’s behavior in the current campaign. Noah has reason to be concerned. The campaign is far more heated than it should be at this stage of the game. I thought that Senator Walker’s confrontational behavior was due to age or stress. Unfortunately there is more to his rancor than fatigue with the process of campaigning. He called me last night and asked me to come to D.C. Said he’s been receiving threats that apparently are well beyond what one can or should expect. He’s determined that neither Noah nor his own wife knows the seriousness of the issue. While I profoundly disagree with the idea of not talking to Noah, I agreed to meet with the Senator and then decide how to proceed.”
Diamond perked up relieved to know that Ian was serious about wanting her to partner with him. The two of them had never worked on a mission together and she had to admit the idea was intriguing. However she couldn’t hide her unease about not bringing Noah into the discussion.
“I’m interested, Ian, yes. But not including Noah? I’m sure he won’t be happy when he learns that you excluded him.”
Ian nodded. “We agree. I told the Senator as much. However I did agree to hear him out and then decide when to bring Noah in. Meantime, from what Senator Walker has told me I want to meet with him as soon as possible. I don’t li
ke what I am hearing. At least in my view the threats pose a real danger.”
“How would I be involved?” Diamond asked.
“For one, I need a partner who can go places and ask questions that I can’t ask. An election is always volatile. But the threats the Senator is receiving go beyond the usual confrontational rhetoric. Then there is the fact that not only is the Senator my friend but also the father of one of my most revered agents and a friend to boot. Given that, I need a partner whose discretion I can trust. For obvious reasons I can’t ask Noah and I don’t feel comfortable bringing in any of the others at this time.”
Diamond didn’t want to ask, but she couldn’t ignore Ian’s earlier the question. Forcing herself to confront the issue that had her gut tied in knots she screwed up her courage and asked, “What… did you mean when you asked me if I would be your lover?”
Ian started and then grinned.
“Ah, yes. There is that part of the equation. I’ve decided that the best cover we can have is to present ourselves as a couple, lovers if you will. That will allow us to be together at all the events, stay in the same suite at the hotel and…”
He stopped mid-sentence and met her gaze head on then reached out and stroked her cheek with one long slender finger.
“How ’bout it, Col. Davis? You think you could tolerate being my lover for a couple of weeks—or perhaps a bit more?”
Chapter 5
“Wow. That’s interesting, Diamond. I saw Ian capture you last night as we all were leaving but who woulda thunk it? He wants you to go to D.C.? With him? And you’re going to be away for how long?”
Diamond felt her cheeks heat but did her best to appear nonchalant. She threw Ruby an annoyed glance and shrugged.
“It’s hardly a big deal, Ruby. Ian has some meetings with potential clients that he wants me to meet. Conceivably some of them will be interested in hiring LOTN; I assume none of you will object to having more operations.”