by Nicola Marsh
She had the talent.
He had the cash.
Why couldn’t she sell her pieces if she had the right backing?
‘I’ve got an idea.’
‘Yeah?’ She sounded less than impressed.
‘How about Maroney Mine puts up the collateral for your auction? That way you can have your auction, sell your pieces and prove to everyone you’ve got what it takes to make a go of this.’
Her eyes widened and his throat constricted at the expressive gratitude he glimpsed.
‘Why would you do that?’
Because he cared, damn it, but no way would he complicate this situation with emotion.
‘Win-win. Maroney Mine gets some good publicity, you get your auction.’
She pondered for a moment before her mouth stretched in a wide grin that had him feeling as if he’d saved a crew of trapped miners single-handedly.
‘That’s a super idea.’ She flew at him, flinging her arms around his neck, leaping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’
She peppered her liberal thanks with kisses and he wished he could be this altruistic every day.
When she finally—and regrettably—stopped kissing him, she stared at him as if he’d given her the Hope Diamond. ‘I can’t believe you’d do this for me.’
His heart lurched and he covered his uncertainty with bluster. ‘I married you, didn’t I? That’s a way bigger investment than throwing a few dollars around.’
She tapped him on the nose. ‘That gruffness doesn’t fool me, mister.’
She slid her legs down and stood, still within delicious full-frontal contact, as she patted his shirt over his chest. ‘In here? Made of gold.’
He didn’t like being cast as tender and mushy. So he did the only thing possible to distract her.
He kissed her.
A kiss that quickly escalated out of control.
He’d hoped staying away from Ruby would cool his hunger. It had only served to fuel it.
Blinded by lust, he backed her up against the workbench, one hand cradling her head for better access to her mouth, the other splayed in the small of her back, dragging her closer. Pressing her into the evidence of how much he’d missed her.
Damn, he’d never been this crazy-turned-on. He craved sex like the next guy but this out of control, mindless need to be inside her now? Totally blew his mind.
‘God, I want you,’ he murmured, ravaging her mouth repeatedly until she clung to him, her moans firing him as much as her desperate hands all over him.
‘Right back at you,’ she said, sliding his jacket off and flinging it away. The sooner her clothes followed suit, the better.
‘Want to take this upstairs?’ She nipped the sensitive skin beneath his jaw line and he bit back an expletive.
‘I’m not waiting that long.’
He slid his hands beneath the T-shirt dress she wore and ripped off her panties to prove it.
She gaped for a stunned second before a debauched grin tilted the corners of her lush mouth. ‘Me either.’
His rash impulse set fire to their rampant need and they tore at each other’s clothing, not caring about ripped cotton or popped buttons or anything bar getting naked.
‘What is it about you that makes me so crazy?’ she said, cupping his cheek, her other hand skimming his waist, his abs, moving lower, and he stilled it before he lost it completely.
‘My unabashed charm.’ His lips skimmed the sweet-salty skin above her collarbone in the barest of kisses.
‘My debonair wit.’ His lips trailed between her breasts and she arched into him.
‘My irresistible talent for...’ His lips dipped towards her navel, his tongue snaking around it, before her hands tangled in his hair and she tugged gently.
‘This time, we’re together the whole way.’
As much as he yearned to pleasure her in the way he knew she loved, he couldn’t resist her sultry plea.
He stood, mesmerised by her swollen lips, her glowing cheeks, her passion-hazed stare.
This magnificent woman wanted him in a way that made him feel victorious in a way nailing the biggest business deal didn’t.
‘Together sounds good.’ He touched her lower lip with his fingertip, tracing the soft contour. ‘But we still do this my way.’
Her tongue darted out to lick his finger, starting at the tip and working its way to his knuckle, which she laved with relish.
He swore and her knowing smile served to ratchet up the heat.
He had to be inside her.
Now.
He snagged a swath of black velvet off a shelf and rolled it out on the floor. She raised an eyebrow and he murmured, ‘Go with me on this,’ as he lowered her onto it.
When she lay in the middle of it, her skin glimmering with the faintest sheen of perspiration, she was more beautiful than any gem set against that backdrop.
As he knelt beside her the twinkle of gold caught his eye over her left shoulder and he grinned as an idea popped into his head.
‘What’s that wicked smile about?’
His lips nibbled her ear as he whispered, ‘You’ll see.’
He snagged a velvet pouch from the clearly labelled stock and took his sweet time opening it.
She watched with wide eyes as he tipped a dazzling display of amethysts, rubies, sapphires and emeralds into his palm, weighing them carefully before sprinkling them across her belly.
She inhaled sharply as he spread them across her belly in a gentle sweep, the glittering kaleidoscope catching the light and refracting into rainbows scattered against her skin.
‘Do you know how much they’re worth?’
‘Not as much as the priceless canvas they’re lying on,’ he said, grazing her lips repeatedly until she sighed with want.
He toyed with the jewels, edging them around her navel, savouring the little shudder she gave every time one slipped into the dip and he scooped it out with a fingertip.
He lined up the sapphires while licking one breast.
He made patterns with the emeralds and amethysts while suckling the other.
He made a heart out of rubies while whispering in her ear what he was going to do to her all night long.
‘There’s something infinitely decadent using gems as foreplay,’ she said, her voice hitching as the back of his hand skimmed her bikini line.
‘Wait ’til you see what I have in mind for the gold bar.’
She laughed out loud at his innuendo and rolled onto her side, carefully gathering the jewels into a pile before scooping them up and depositing them back into a pouch.
‘You’re something else,’ she said, the admiration warring with heat in her eyes a powerful aphrodisiac for a guy who sure as hell didn’t need one.
‘And you’re stunning,’ he said, diffusing the emotion-laden moment by deliberately concentrating on the physical. Bad enough he was losing his mind over her, no way would he let his heart follow.
‘You had your fun with the jewels, now it’s my turn.’ She took their foreplay to a whole new level by lowering her head to his erection.
The eroticism of watching her, blonde hair draped over his thighs, the glint of priceless stones in the background framing her beautiful body, as her head bobbed up and down, almost blew his mind.
But he had other ideas of where this interlude would finish, just as she’d wanted at the start, and it involved him inside her, now.
He fumbled for his trousers, grabbed his wallet and a condom, before easing her away.
She watched as he sheathed himself, as he reached for her, as he held her hips and guided her down onto him slowly, excruciatingly slowly.
With the velvet cushioning his back, his hands spanning her waist, he gazed at her lifting up and sliding down on him. Over and over.
Erotic. Exquisite.
He thrust upwards, deeper, harder, and her head fell back, exposing the long column of her neck, her breasts pushing forward.
The sounds of their ragged breathing mingled with her escalating moans as the pressure built and all he could think about was her, him, wet, wanting.
Watching her, wild and wanton, feeling her clamp around him, he finally lost it.
He cried out her name at the same time she clenched around him repeatedly, her face contorted in ecstasy, before she gazed down at him and smiled.
The sinful smile of a sated woman.
The merchandise in this room might be worth millions but what they’d just done?
Priceless.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RUBY crossed her fingers behind her back as the last necklace went under the auction hammer.
Not that she needed luck. Every single Seaborn signature piece had sold tonight, the crowd outbidding themselves in a frenzy that made her ears ring with imaginary ‘ka-chings’.
‘You did good, kid.’ Otto squeezed her arm and she placed a finger to her lips, shushing him.
He laughed. ‘We’re backstage. No one can hear us.’
‘I want to see how much this one goes for,’ she whispered, standing on tiptoe to see the auctioneer start the bidding.
‘Relax. It’ll sell for a squillion just like the rest.’
She elbowed him as he muscled in next to her, trying to see for himself. ‘Don’t jinx it. This yellow diamond choker is my favourite and the most expensive. Maybe no one will bid?’
As several paddles shot up in the air for an opening bid, he elbowed her back. ‘You think?’
The bidding quickly escalated and she held her breath as the auctioneer’s gavel fell for the last time.
‘Yes!’ She fist-pumped the air, tolerating an impulsive hug from Otto, wishing it’d been from her husband, who was manning the foyer.
The Melbourne Town Hall had come through for them in a big way, once Maroney Mine had thrown their sizeable financial weight behind her auction.
The grand old dame of the city had been the perfect venue for the biggest jewellery auction Melbourne had ever seen.
And she owed it all to Jax.
Otto tugged on her arm. ‘Come on, time to mingle.’
She followed him down to a side annexe, where wait-staff were already easing through the milling crowd, offering champagne and canapés.
Another ingenious idea of her husband’s, to give the ravenous bidders an excuse to hang around and discuss her exquisite work, maybe commission similar pieces to those they’d missed out on.
She bit back a grin as Otto stepped into the room, clapped his hands to gain attention and proceeded to introduce her with a half-bow–arm-flourish.
Applause rang out as she rolled her eyes at Otto, who smirked, and entered the annexe. People swamped her immediately, gushing over her pieces, demanding she make more.
She nodded and smiled and air-kissed, all the while keeping an eye out for Jax.
This reception was so different from the Spring Seaborn launch she could hardly believe it. Were these people so desperate to one-up each other they’d buy anything?
Not that she was complaining, for the money raised tonight would go a long way to easing Seaborn’s plight. In fact, with Jax also easing back on undercutting their mine, the Seaborn bottom line was looking better by the minute.
She’d done it.
Proved to everyone, including herself, she wasn’t some fluffy airhead good for nothing but designing.
So why the strange hollowness?
She knew.
Now she’d got what she wanted, would Jax walk away?
The thought shouldn’t affect her but it did, making her stomach churn and her palms sweat.
Though it wasn’t the thought of him leaving her that made her feel sick. It was more than that. Much more.
She wouldn’t feel nauseous unless his leaving correlated directly with her growing fondness for her husband.
Fondness? Was that what they were calling love these days?
For that was exactly what had happened over the last week.
She’d fallen a little bit in love with her husband.
Through all the strategic planning meetings—for finances, PR, even catering—Jax had been by her side, supporting her, encouraging her.
Once he’d thrown Maroney Mine behind her auction she hadn’t looked back and he’d been with her every step of the way.
He’d said he was doing this for good PR but there’d been times when she’d caught him looking at her, when he’d touched her hand in encouragement, and she’d wondered if he felt the same way about her.
Otto tapped her on the shoulder. ‘I have someone who wants to congratulate you himself.’
‘Who?’
He winked. ‘Your husband. He’s dealing with a slight catering problem but said he wanted to see you.’
She didn’t need to be asked twice.
* * *
After dealing with a shortage of sushi, Jax went in search of Ruby.
However, he hadn’t set two feet into the annexe when Harrod Meyer, CEO of the Global Mining Corp, waylaid him.
The guy he’d been trying to schedule a meeting with for months. The guy who’d been instrumental in stalling his efforts at every turn.
‘Good job.’ Harrod held out his hand and Jax knew he’d continue to play nice despite the urge to tell him where he could stick his long-overdue handshake.
He’d been fruitlessly trying to get a meeting with Harrod ever since he’d arrived in Melbourne—before, if he counted the number of failed Skype conferences he’d tried to set up.
Harrod and his cronies had blocked him at every turn, had ignored him at the Seaborn launch and the races, and had barely managed a civil congratulations at his wedding reception.
So the fact the big guy had sought him out? Vindication he must be doing something right.
‘Thanks, but, actually, Ruby did well.’
Harrod smiled, his fondness for Ruby evident in the warmth lighting his eyes. That glimpse of real emotion went some way to soothing Jax’s resentment. He didn’t care what this guy thought of him but the fact the judgemental old buffoon had genuine feeling for Ruby mattered.
‘She sure did. Though from what I’m hearing, you had a major hand in helping her along?’
‘I did what any husband would do—support her.’
Harrod nodded, his expression pensive. ‘Must say, you’ve surprised a lot of us.’
Why, because he was nothing like his dad? Because he was successful and powerful in his own right? Because the guilt-by-association brush they’d tarred him with had been washed clean by virtue of his marriage to one of their own?
Maroney Mine needed what Harrod had to offer but Jax couldn’t respect him. Narrow-minded, shallow, waverer, vacillating over Jax’s social standing now he’d done well by a Seaborn rather than taking his credentials at face value.
He didn’t want to ask, wasn’t interested in anything this guy had to say unless it involved a meeting with Maroney Mine, but alienating Harrod wouldn’t help anyone, least of all his entrepreneurial wife. ‘How so?’
Harrod hesitated, tugging at his cuffs, before squaring his shoulders as if coming to a decision. ‘Many of us here have watched Ruby grow up. Our kids went to school together. We look out for each other.’
Tell him something he didn’t know. Their high-society clique was a close-knit bunch that wouldn’t let anyone in, let alone the son of a criminal.
‘Throw in the fact your father screwed over many of our friends, and we had our doubts about you. Serious doubts.’ Harrod frowned and Jax braced for a moral lesson.
‘However, the way you’ve rallied around our Ruby...well, let’s just say we’re willing to re-evaluate our opinions.’
Bully for you. Jax gritted his teeth, hating how he had to take this condescension from a pompous jackass for the sake of his business.
‘In fact, why
don’t we schedule a meeting for you to present your plans to the mining corporation? Say Monday?’
Jax mentally fist-pumped the air. About time. A legit chance to wow the corporation with his soundproof strategies for taking his mine all the way to the top.
Maroney Mine, going global.
‘Sounds good. Who do I contact to co-ordinate?’
He wanted details here and now, not wanting to give Harrod a chance to back out. He didn’t trust a guy who’d abruptly turn around like this—though in reality there’d been nothing abrupt about his gradual acceptance—not in the business world.
He relied on facts and figures. Something he’d prove to Harrod and his cronies come Monday.
Harrod fished inside his top pocket and pulled a business card out of his wallet. ‘Here. Ring my PA and she’ll set up a meeting.’
‘Thanks, shall do.’ Jax held out his hand and this time, unlike at his wedding reception, Harrod shook it without hesitating.
When the CEO moved away, Jax stared at the card, flipping it over between his fingertips.
He’d done it. Found an in.
The irony? The only reason he’d married Ruby was for this: to use the long-standing class attached to the Seaborn name and gain business entry into the inner sanctum.
But his motivation for helping her out with this auction? That had been way beyond business.
He’d done it because he cared about her, because he hated to see her self-doubt.
He had nothing but admiration for the way she was tackling a difficult situation—a designer taking on financials—and he wanted her to succeed.
He knew what it was like for everyone around you to doubt you and that was exactly what had happened with Ruby.
No one gave her credit beyond the jewellery she created. Now they would and he’d been glad he’d been a part of that.
Gaining entry into Harrod’s inner circle? A bonus.
He entered the numbers into his smartphone before slipping the card into his wallet. No way would he let Harrod back out of this now.
As he slid his wallet back into his jacket pocket he caught sight of Ruby heading his way and something shifted in his chest, proving, whatever was going on here, he’d moved past simply caring for her.
He met her halfway, catching her as she flung herself into his arms.