A Prize Beyond Jewels

The older man smiled up at him sadly. ‘Why do you think, Rafe?’

Rafe looked at Dmitri searchingly, not sure, uncertain still—

But he could hope, couldn’t he?

Yes, he could certainly hope that this was Dmitri’s way of letting Nina go. Of allowing her to have her own life at last. Of allowing her to live. To love.

Because Dmitri had realised, already knew, that Rafe was in love with her.

‘I realise that you and Nina still have a lot to discuss, Dmitri.’ He spoke huskily to the older man while all the time turning to look at Nina. ‘But would you mind very much if I were to steal her away for a few hours? I very much doubt she’s bothered to eat very much the last two days, so I could feed her lunch at least,’ he added ruefully as he saw Nina’s puzzled glance.

‘I think that would be an excellent idea, Rafe.’ Dmitri nodded. ‘And Nina and I have the rest of our lives in which to talk more of all these things.’

‘Nina?’ Rafe prompted as he held his hand out to her, holding his breath as he waited for her response.

CHAPTER TWELVE

‘DID YOU NOTICE that my father stopped Andy and Rich as they moved to follow us?’

Rafe glanced at Nina as she sat beside him in the passenger seat of his car, looking so vulnerable and young at that moment, her eyes slightly red from where she had cried earlier, her face completely bare of make-up.

‘I did, yes.’

‘It’s really going to be okay, isn’t it?’ she murmured shakily.

Rafe reached out to briefly squeeze her hand before returning his own hand to the steering wheel. ‘Yes, it’s really going to be okay.’

She relaxed back against the leather seat. ‘I’m sorry you had to listen to all of that.’

‘I didn’t have to do anything, Nina, I chose to do it,’ he corrected firmly. ‘And I think it’s time you stopped apologising. To me. To your father. Or to anyone else. Because you have absolutely nothing to apologise for.’ He glanced at her again, and saw the frown between those beautiful emerald-coloured eyes. ‘Do you have any idea how much I admire you right now?’

Rafe admired her?

It wasn’t exactly the return of her love that Nina longed for, she acknowledged ruefully, but it was high praise indeed coming from the enigmatic Rafe D’Angelo.

‘That’s nice,’ she accepted huskily.

‘Nice?’ he echoed dryly.

‘Very nice?’ She quirked a teasing brow, happier than she had ever been at this moment, just knowing there were no more misunderstandings, nothing left unsaid, between her and her father.

More importantly, she was with Rafe. The man she loved. A love that had grown deeper, even stronger, during this past hour as he gave her his strength to lean on.

Those chiselled lips twisted laughingly. ‘The first time I tell a woman I admire her, and all she can say is, “That’s nice,”’ he muttered disgustedly.

‘I did expand it to very nice,’ Nina reminded lightly, desperately trying not to read any more into his statement than Rafe actually meant. Because it would be all too easy for her to do exactly that, and the last thing Nina wanted to do was embarrass Rafe, or herself, by overreacting to his comment. ‘Isn’t admiration something you feel for talcum-powder-smelling maiden aunts?’

He frowned. ‘I don’t have any maiden aunts!’

‘That explains why you’ve never said it before, then.’ She nodded.

‘Exactly where are we going for lunch?’ She changed the subject to something less open to misunderstandings. Or hope, on her part, not Rafe’s.

Rafe bit back his feelings of impatience with Nina’s determination to keep their conversation lightly teasing.

He might have received Dmitri’s tacit approval just minutes ago, but it was too soon for Rafe to expect, to ask, for anything from Nina other than the physical attraction between them that she had never tried to deny. He sensed that was all Nina needed from him right now: to be able to lose herself in desire, passion and pleasure.

‘To the best restaurant in New York,’ he answered her lightly.

‘Am I dressed appropriately?’ She looked down uncertainly at the business suit she had worn to his office this morning. Like a suit of armour.

‘I thought we might go to my apartment. Do you think you’re dressed appropriately for there?’ Rafe prompted huskily.

Nina’s cheeks flushed a fiery red as she recalled that the last time she’d been in Rafe’s apartment she’d been completely naked! ‘I didn’t know you could cook?’