Dared she tempt the fates and hope that fantasy would become reality? The diamond she could do without. All she wanted was for Bastien to—
‘There you are.’
The rumble of his voice stopped her wishful thoughts. He came forward, and her heart clenched tighter at the look on his face.
* * *
‘I wasn’t sure whether you wanted a drink or not.’ Bastien held out a glass of wine and watched her walk towards him.
His senses roared to life at the sight of her. The four days he’d been away felt like a lifetime. A lifetime during which the fear that he could lose Ana had been a living thing inside him.
For the first few hours after he’d arrived on his parents’ doorstep he’d remained in shocked limbo, reliving the bleak memory of Ana walking away from him over and over. Ironic that the one place he’d striven to stay away from all these years had been the one place where he’d been able to find answers that might help him win back the woman he loved.
‘I...I’m glad you’re back.’
He focused on her, drank her in, imprinted her on his senses. Tried not to reach for her. ‘Are you?’ He needed to be sure.
Watching the rough cut of the ad campaign on the plane, especially that final take filmed in this room, had lodged a heavy stone in his gut.
His rational mind knew it was acting. But watching Ana in the arms of another man had been...difficult. Difficult? It had been hell!
It had also brutally brought home to him that everything had changed. He was no longer detached, no longer able to hold his feelings at bay.
Their pasts were inextricably linked. And, as much as he’d fought it before, he wanted their futures to be linked too.
All he knew was that he wanted Ana. No. It was more than that. He yearned for her. Against everything he’d fought against...every precaution he’d taken...he’d fallen under her spell. And he was ready to fight hard and dirty if need be.
‘Robin tells me you came up with most of the ideas for the ad campaign. That the slogan—“Diamonds by Heidecker...for the Woman Worth Waiting For”—was your idea. Why didn’t you tell me?’
Surprise lit her face, followed by a blush. One shoulder lifted in a shrug. ‘Because it wasn’t. Not entirely, anyway. I just came up with the idea to make it into a...a meaningful story rather than just another run-of-the-mill depiction of a woman wearing expensive diamonds.’
‘“A meaningful story”? You mean a romantic story.’
Her chin tilted. ‘What’s wrong with that? It works, or you wouldn’t have given it your seal of approval.’
‘I like the idea. What I don’t like is the subterfuge.’
A glimmer of hurt crossed her face. ‘There’s no subterfuge, Bastien.’
‘I didn’t see your name anywhere on the script. So someone else is taking the credit for your idea.’
She shrugged. ‘It really is no big deal, Bastien.’
He stepped closer, drawn like a moth to a seductive flame. ‘It is to me. It should be to you. Fight for what you’re owed.’
She licked her lips. ‘Why?’
‘I don’t like the thought of someone taking advantage of you.’
‘Are you putting yourself up as my protector?’
‘Would that be so bad?’ he asked.
Her breath caught. Bastien stared down at her, words crowding his brain. She stared back, her brown eyes deep, probing, breathtaking. Every breath, every nerve, every sinew clamoured for her. He wanted to pull her to him, to feel the soft suppleness of her body against his, to hear her breathe his name.
‘Thank you for hiring the lawyer for me.’
‘It was nothing less than you deserve. I’ll always look out for you.’