The Purest of Diamonds?

by Susan Stephens

  ‘Do you know? I think we’ve done our duty—’

  Leila gasped as Raffa took her hand to lead her off the dance floor.

  ‘I’m ready to leave,’ he explained as he forged a passage for them through the milling crowd.

  Oh, he was? ‘But the party’s just getting started,’ she pointed out, hanging back.

  ‘Haven’t you had enough? I know I have...’

  She could see the cabs lined up outside the hotel through one of the windows. Raffa wasn’t talking about the party, she realised, cursing herself for being such a dope. He’d had enough of her. She’d get her coat from the cloakroom, he would put her in one of the cabs and she’d be drinking cocoa before you knew it.

  ‘We’ll grab our coats before we go up,’ he said as they headed for the door.

  ‘Go up where?’

  ‘To my suite,’ Raffa said, frowning as if that were obvious.

  ‘Your suite?’ She sounded like a parrot now, which was hardly surprising when his suggestion had turned her brain to mush.

  ‘We need to talk,’ he said, ‘about the project for the museum? Your visit to the island to choose the gems, Leila?’ he prompted. ‘There are a lot of details we need to sort out before I leave Skavanga after the wedding tomorrow.’

  ‘But I thought that was—’ A joke, she had been about to add when Raffa turned away to speak to the cloakroom attendant.

  ‘Ticket, Leila.’ He held out his hand as she fumbled in her bag.

  So Raffa was serious about her visiting his island. Her throat dried at the thought of working with the man at her side. She wasn’t worried about the business side of things—she knew her stuff. But where anything else was concerned...

  There wasn’t going to be anything else, Leila reassured herself as Raffa handed over her jacket. And this opportunity to inspect his famous gem collection was too good to miss. If Raffa would allow her to display some of his world-famous pieces, it would really put Skavanga on the map.

  ‘Ready, Leila?’

  ‘Ready,’ she confirmed.

  This was her breakout year after all, she consoled herself as they walked towards the bank of elevators. And she was good at her job. What did she have to worry about? This was an amazing opportunity and she should seize it with both hands.

  Let the mouse roar?

  Yes. But couldn’t she have started at a lower volume with a milder man?

  It was too late to turn back now. Raffa was already swiping his card for the penthouse floor. ‘After you,’ he said as the doors slid open.

  There couldn’t be anything more to this invitation, could there?

  Almost certainly not, but as she stared into the small steel cabin she got the sense that once she stepped inside her fate was sealed.

  So go back home. Drink cocoa for the rest of your life. Resume mouse duties.

  She chose to be bold.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  LEILA SPENT MOST of the journey up to his suite rattling off her credentials, perhaps because she needed to reassure herself that her degree in Gemology and Business Studies was the only thing that could possibly interest him. She kept this going until the elevator slowed and he pulled away from the wall where he’d been leaning.

  ‘Very interesting,’ he assured her. ‘But the fact that you played hockey for the university team, and have Grade Eight piano with Distinction, isn’t really relevant to me.’

  ‘What is?’

  For a moment there was something in his eyes that really, really made Leila wish she hadn’t asked that question. But then the look was gone, leaving her wondering if she’d imagined it, as Raffa returned to being the soigné billionaire with the slanting smile that could conquer the world.

  ‘Your enthusiasm, Leila,’ he explained. ‘Your enthusiasm when you talk about the mining museum. Your plans for it, and your dedication to the work you’re doing there—with the children especially. You impressed me.’

  ‘Are you saying you were giving me a job interview all the time we were sitting in the lounge?’

  ‘You could put it that way.’

  ‘I see.’ Raffa’s job offer was no joke, she realised as her heart began to pound.

  ‘I’ll square it with Britt,’ he added as she frowned in thought. ‘I’m sure your sister can get someone to cover for you while you’re away.’

  Leila smiled at that suggestion. ‘I’ll square it with Britt. She is my sister, Raffa.’ And would have plenty to say about this plan, Leila was sure. ‘I should get word to Britt now, in fact, to let her know where I am.’

  ‘You don’t have to tell her everything tonight. I recommend choosing another time. You don’t want to spoil her party, do you, Leila?’

  Raffa’s eyes were dark and enigmatic as he held her gaze. ‘You can’t talk business tonight—or tomorrow at your sister’s wedding, for that matter,’ he pointed out.

  ‘You’re right.’ But she also knew her sisters would be discussing her right now. Does Leila have any idea what she’s getting herself into? she could imagine them saying as she left the ballroom. Should we rescue her or let her stew? For the first time in their lives, she guessed Britt and Eva wouldn’t have a clue what to do for the best.

  ‘Hey,’ Raffa murmured when she frowned. ‘Let your sisters sort themselves out for once.’

  No one had ever seen her as the pivot of the family before. Leila Skavanga, hub of calm, around which the whirlwind that was Britt and Eva spun?

  ‘What are you smiling at?’

  ‘Your comment about my sisters needing me to sort them out.’

  ‘Well, don’t they?’

  ‘Not all the time—’

  ‘All the time, I would say.’

  Raffa didn’t give her chance to argue. She drew in a shocked breath as he dipped his head to brush her lips with his. It was such a gentle kiss it disarmed her completely. The thought of such a big, brutal-looking man being able to kiss like that was beguiling to the point where she had to tell him. ‘You’re not supposed to kiss like that.’

  ‘How am I supposed to kiss?’

  Heat flashed through her veins as Raffa demonstrated another, more insistent variation on a theme that sucked the breath from her lungs. It wasn’t a case of when she roared now, but only how loud.

  The elevator slowing to a halt broke them apart, giving her a moment to compose herself before the doors peeled back on a brightly lit Scandi-style corridor.

  ‘We need to get into that detail fast,’ Raffa said, throwing her with his change of gear. He stood back, allowing her to go ahead of him. ‘I need all the loose ends tied up before I go.’

  ‘Of course.’ How stupid was she, thinking Raffa was bringing her upstairs for some sort of romantic tryst? Closing her eyes, she took a moment to reason that at least he was being honest with her. This was all about business. The kiss was just a kiss. Raffa probably handed kisses out like candy. They meant nothing to him. Sexy confidence was simply his default setting. But then he turned, and she hesitated as he held out his hand. It was a moment of decision. There was no mistaking the look in Raffa’s eyes. He definitely wanted to sort out the business side of things, but, unless she was very much mistaken, he was offering to sort her out too.

  She’d never had a one-night stand. She’d never had any sort of casual relationship. But she would like more of those kisses. And when Raffa smiled into her eyes, as if he were challenging her to go or stay, she was torn between retracing her steps and being bold. The elevator doors were still open. In a couple of steps she could be whisked down to the lobby, where normal service could be resumed: no excitement, no risk, lots of cocoa...

  Slipping the lock, he backed Leila through the door of his suite. The bedroom was close, but the sofa was closer. Lowering her onto the cushions, he joined her. She was tiny beneath h
im, but responsive to the point where she was fierce. He hadn’t expected Leila to show quite so much passion, or that she would use her sharp white teeth to nip his skin, and then pluck off her clothes with such abandon. Tugging impatiently at his shirt buttons, she was like a tigress set free from a self-imposed cage. She was innocent, yet deeply sensual, and when he dragged her close and kissed her again her mouth opened under his.

  ‘Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?’ he said as she whimpered, wanting more when his stubble raked her skin.

  She pulled her head back to look at him. ‘Do you have any idea how cheesy that sounds?’

  He laughed. ‘And you’re the quiet sister?’

  ‘Before you came along—’

  He didn’t let her finish and as his hands mapped the lush curve of her breasts and the smooth line of her thighs she writhed impatiently beneath him. ‘Did you wear this underwear with the sole intention of driving me crazy?’

  As Raffa was teasing her nipples through the fine fabric of her bra it took her a moment to answer him, and when she gazed down and saw the red filmy lace, she had to admit, ‘I’d forgotten that I bought this to...’ To build her confidence to face the party, she remembered.

  Raffa, dropping kisses on her neck, drew a groaning response from her throat, and, lacing her fingers through his hair, she kept him close. ‘Oh...that’s so good.’

  ‘How good?’ Raffa demanded, pulling back to look at her.

  ‘Good enough for you not to stop.’ Arching her back, she thrust her breasts towards him, wondering what else he could do for other parts of her body. She’d never had such erotic thoughts before and a deep throb of pleasure followed each wicked thought. ‘I need you,’ she gasped out at one point, hardly knowing what that meant.

  ‘I think I’ve got that,’ Raffa whispered, and when he shifted position she felt how much he wanted her...and when he slipped his fingers beneath the edge of her thong...

  ‘It’s almost a shame to take this off.’

  ‘Please don’t let that deter you,’ she whispered against his mouth.

  ‘That’s very forward of you, Leila Skavanga.’

  As Raffa was stroking her to a leisurely rhythm, she had no intention of distracting him with any sort of conversation.

  ‘You don’t have to do anything,’ he promised as he removed what few remaining clothes she had on.

  Sounds good to me, she mused, lost in an erotic haze.

  ‘You can safely leave everything to me.’

  Safely? And Raffa? Her brain examined this notion sketchily and then drifted away. Leaving everything to him was so good, as was leaving reality behind to pick up another day. Theirs was such a crazy pairing she knew it could never happen again. By the time she visited his island it would be all about business. They’d forget this had ever happened.

  Hopefully.

  She sighed with pleasure as Raffa feathered kisses down her neck, to her nipples and on to the area marked danger at the apex of her thighs. She had never been so aware, or so aroused before. And when Raffa teased her lips apart with his tongue...and when he tumbled her beneath him... ‘You’re impossible,’ she exclaimed softly when he did something amazing with his hands.

  ‘So I’ve been told,’ he agreed, sounding not one bit concerned about it.

  ‘I don’t want to hear what anyone else said.’

  ‘There is no one else, Leila.’

  ‘For now.’

  ‘There is no one else,’ Raffa repeated, staring her straight in the eyes.

  ‘And I’m in control.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Raffa confirmed as she did battle with his belt.

  The leather was like butter and she freed the tine in seconds. Whipping the belt from its loops, she was left with a classy horn button and a zipper to tangle with...

  ‘Giving up so easily?’ Raffa mocked when she pulled back.

  ‘Just taking a moment.’

  In control? Her shaking voice gave her away. She was losing courage with every second that passed. Raffa was so experienced. And she wasn’t even a bit experienced where this was concerned.

  ‘Take as long as you want,’ he suggested. ‘It all adds to the suspense.’

  It might take rather longer for the pay-off than he imagined.

  ‘Or would you rather be seduced than be the seducer?’

  Thankfully, Raffa didn’t wait for her answer. Swinging her into his arms, he carried her into his bedroom, where he laid her down on his enormous bed, his laughing eyes smiling into hers as he kissed her neck...

  * * *

  It was even better when he pinned her wrists above her head. Leave it all to him? She was more than happy to do so.

  It wasn’t so much a case of seducing Leila, but more of holding her back. His lightest touch sent her over the edge. She was so aroused he had to curb his intentions and go as slowly as he could, which wasn’t as easy when Leila Skavanga was the most desirable woman he’d ever known. Her hunger added to her seductive lure and fired his appetite, so that what had begun as an intriguing encounter was transformed into a challenging exercise in restraint for him. His only regret was that there wasn’t enough time for them to enjoy each other for as long as he would like.

  ‘Don’t stop! Don’t you dare stop,’ Leila warned him when he drew back. Guiding his hand, she was quite open about what she wanted. He could feel the heat of her need without exploring, and he had to tell her to slow down as he felt around for his jacket.

  ‘I said, don’t stop,’ she complained, grabbing on to him impatiently.

  ‘And I say we need to take a minute.’

  He kissed her into compliance, but he was lost too. He wanted this woman—and not just for easy sex. His hunger defied reason. Wanting Leila had hit him like a freight train. He had never felt this with any woman. And he wanted Leila to want him as he wanted her. He wanted to ride her into Hades and back as he watched pleasure unfold on her face and felt her body bloom beneath him. He wanted to burn his brand into her mind, so there could never be anyone else—

  ‘And I’m bad?’ he murmured, when, finally losing patience with him taking so much time to protect them both, Leila grabbed hold of his hand to urge him on.

  ‘You make me bad.’

  ‘Weak argument,’ he countered, feeling dangerous heat rush through him as Leila laced her hands around his neck, trusting him with that one small gesture.

  ‘We make each other bad,’ she amended, smiling as he drew her into his arms.

  Now that he wouldn’t argue with. There was something between them he couldn’t explain, a fire like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He’d barely touched her before she flew screaming over the edge again, forcing him to hold her firmly in place as, lost to pleasure, she bucked mindlessly beneath him. When she’d calmed down, he smiled. ‘This could be a long night, Señorita Skavanga.’

  ‘I certainly hope so,’ she said groggily, but then, slowly coming round, she pulled back to look at him and her cheeks flushed red.

  ‘There’s no need to apologise for enthusiasm where sex is concerned,’ he assured her, kissing her to reassure her as he stroked her hair to soothe her down. ‘But if you’d like me to stop—’

  ‘No,’ she said fiercely. ‘Don’t you dare stop.’

  Laughing, he dropped kisses on her mouth. This was turning from intriguing to extraordinary. Leila was unique in his experience—unique in the way she made him feel. Why shouldn’t they make a habit of this? She should come to his island and stay there.

  And he needed a complication like that?

  No. But when Leila nestled into the crook of his arm, she was so alluring he had to remind himself forcibly that he’d seen the damage relationships could cause firsthand—the boredom setting in, the unreasonable ties people put on each other, the tragedy of chi
ldren no one had planned and no one wanted. To see those children shunted back and forth, never really spending time with their parents, but just living their lives with a series of childminders and nannies—

  ‘Raffa?’

  ‘I’m still with you,’ he confirmed with a wry smile.

  Seeing Leila resting so trustingly in his arms with her eyes full of concern for him prompted him to drop a kiss on the tip of her nose. It was hardly the prelude to a night of wild sex, but, for once in his life, he wasn’t sure that was what he wanted, though he had never wanted a woman more.

  What was he thinking? Leila had no place in his highly engineered existence, a life that he had polished to his liking over all his adult years. He had created the world’s largest chain of fine jewellery stores, with offices across the world, and thousands of people depended on him to get it right. He couldn’t afford to squander time on a woman, any woman, even if that woman was Leila Skavanga—especially Leila, who was so young and trusting, and who had her whole life ahead of her. So whatever he imagined he was feeling for her at this moment, he had to remember that his heart was an engine to power his body and nothing more. There was no room in that heart for feelings let alone a self-indulgence like Leila Skavanga. But before he had chance to think about the consequences of involving his emotions, Leila surprised him again and he sucked in a sharp breath as her small hand found him, guided him. Where was his much vaunted self-control now?

  ‘Are you sure?’ He felt bound to ask her.

  ‘I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life,’ she said, her gaze steady on his.