A Prize Beyond Jewels

‘An aberration?’ Rafe repeated ruefully as he fought back the urge to chuckle.

Which, considering the circumstances, was again more than a little unexpected!

Rafe had been rendered breathless by Nina’s appearance when he’d arrived for dinner earlier this evening. He had spent several hours over that dinner politely but nevertheless verbally fencing with her father while unable to take his eyes off Nina, only for Dmitri Palitov to take off the gloves completely at the end of the evening and issue him an outright warning in regard to Rafe staying away from his daughter.

The latter had annoyed Rafe intensely, so much so that he had intended to just walk Nina back to her apartment and then leave, before congratulating himself on being well rid of all of the Palitov family. Apart from their business connection, of course. An intent that had disappeared the moment they had arrived outside Nina’s apartment and Rafe had realised he wasn’t ready to say goodnight to her quite yet.

‘Yes, an aberration,’ she insisted firmly. ‘I want you to know I’m certainly not in the habit of allowing random men to make love to me.’

‘“Random men”?’ Rafe couldn’t hold back his amused chuckle this time. ‘Is that how you think of me, Nina, as just some random man you happened to make love with?’

She frowned her irritation at his humour. ‘I obviously drank far too much wine with my dinner.’

‘And I believe you’re being deliberately insulting now, Nina,’ Rafe drawled knowingly.

Yes, she was, Nina acknowledged heavily. Because there was no way she could explain her wanton behaviour just now to Rafe, of all people. To do so would be to admit that he had got under her skin, past her guard, and made her long for things, for the freedom to give in totally to this attraction.

‘Maybe,’ she allowed tightly. ‘But I would like you to leave now.’

‘And do you always get what you want?’

Hardly ever, Nina acknowledged ruefully.

Oh, materially she could have anything she wanted; her father’s wealth had always ensured that. But she’d had such dreams and plans for her future when she’d returned home from Stanford three years ago, clutching her degree proudly in her hands. Of starting up her own design business. Of making a success of that business. Of meeting a man she could love, and who would love her. Of marrying and one day having a family of her own.

And instead she had been sucked straight back into her father’s reclusive and overprotective lifestyle.

No, that was unfair to her father; she was the one who had allowed herself to be sucked straight back into her father’s life of bodyguards, who hadn’t fought hard enough for the things she wanted for herself.

Because her father had looked so much frailer than when she had left him three years earlier. Because he had obviously needed to have her close to him again and know she was safe. So Nina had put her own dreams and hopes on hold, so much so she had all but forgotten about them until now.

Until Rafe D’Angelo and this attraction she felt towards him had forced her to remember them.

‘Nina?’ Rafe prompted softly at her continued silence.

She gave a deep sigh. ‘Thank you for your dinner invitation, Rafe, but I would rather not.’

‘Why not?’

She eyed him irritably. ‘Do you usually ask a woman that when she says no to you?’

Those chiselled lips curved up into a smile as she turned his earlier remark back on him. ‘That’s a little difficult to say, when I can’t remember it ever having happened before.’

Nina frowned. ‘Well, it’s happening now.’

The smile slowly disappeared as he looked down at her searchingly. ‘But for all the wrong reasons,’ he finally murmured softly.

Her eyes flashed in warning. ‘Don’t pretend to know the first thing about me, Rafe!’

He shrugged. ‘Deny if you can that it’s just easier, because of your father, if you refuse to go out with me.’

It was easier. Not only that, Nina knew it was the right thing to do. Except she wanted to accept. This attraction she felt for Rafe made her want to rebel against the limitations her father had imposed on her life.

‘And what are your reasons for asking, Rafe?’ she asked cautiously. ‘Are you asking me out to dinner because you like me, and want to spend time with me? Or are you asking me out to dinner because you’re annoyed with my father, because of his warning earlier, and you just want to annoy him back?’

‘That isn’t very flattering, Nina. To you or to me,’ Rafe drawled huskily.

She shrugged. ‘Not if the latter is true, no.’

Rafe eyed her thoughtfully, not sure if he felt more irritated by Nina’s suspicions regarding his dinner invitation, or by the reality of the life she must have led to make her draw those conclusions in the first place. Either way, he had no intention of backing off. ‘It isn’t,’ he bit out economically. ‘So, is your answer to be yes or no, Nina?’