ow he was already waiting in the corridor. As always her tummy flipped when she saw him, but it was the burn building below her belly—that restless, hot ache—that was the real problem. She couldn’t look at him without that appalling temptation to slide closer, to soften completely and let him touch... She still couldn’t believe she’d made that embarrassing confession the other day. Her virginal status had surprised him and he hadn’t denied he was interested in her physically. But he could have any woman he wanted. So she needed to forget all that and remember that this was a job.
His appraisal of her was uncharacteristically serious—all jet-black eyes, square jaw and no dimples. She sensed his leashed power; after all, he was a man who could move mountains with the snap of his fingers.
‘Your hair’s down.’ He finally spoke. ‘I like it.’
‘I’m so glad to hear that,’ she muttered, letting her tension seep out with uncharacteristic acidity. ‘All I ever wanted was your approval.’
‘Excellent.’ He smiled wolfishly, soaking up her faux sweetness and ignoring the blatant sarcasm. ‘You have it. I knew you’d deliver.’
Gritting her teeth, she wished she wouldn’t react to his low chuckle but warmth pooled deep inside regardless. She liked it when he teased her with this sparkle-tipped talk that turned tension into bubbling moments of fun. The kind she’d never had with anyone before.
‘Ready to hold hands?’ He tilted his chin at her, his eyes gleaming with challenge.
‘To stop me running away?’ she cooed, then snapped on some seriousness. ‘Good idea.’
He took her hand in a firm grip and led her into a vast room filled with fascinating sculptures and books. She could lose herself happily in here for days but she barely had time to blink at all the gold-framed art on the walls because he swiftly guided her to a lamp-lit polished wooden desk. ‘Come on, you need to choose something.’
She gaped at the velvet-lined display cases carefully placed on the table before glancing up to see a liveried man with white kid gloves discreetly leaving the room.
‘Wow, you’ve presented so many options...’ She didn’t quite know what to say. There were dozens of stunning rings—diamond solitaires, sapphire clusters, ruby squares and others she had no idea of.
‘I’m hoping one will fit.’ Alek’s brows drew together as he looked down at her. ‘You have small hands.’
‘Did you raid all the jewellery shops in a thousand-mile radius?’
‘No, these are from the palace vault.’ He smiled at her horrified expression. ‘There are a number of things in there. You’ll choose a tiara for the wedding later this afternoon. We don’t have time for that right now and it’s supposed to be a secret from me, I think.’
There was a whole vault full of priceless treasure? She stared brainlessly at the tray, stunned yet again by the extreme wealth of his lifestyle—and of his ancient heritage, steeped in tradition. As impossible to believe as it was, she knew all those gleaming stones were real. Just as their impending marriage was real.
‘Which do you like?’ he prompted.
She shook her head, dazed. ‘Any of them. They’re all amazing.’
And it was impossible to decide. Still silence followed her comment, but she was frozen with fear and awe and stinging embarrassment.
‘Would you like me to help?’
She heard the smile in his voice but she couldn’t smile back. ‘You can just choose.’
‘You should have something you actually like,’ he said dryly and then lowered his voice. ‘You deserve something you like, Hester.’ He turned her to face him, making her look up to meet his gaze. ‘There’s no wrong answer here. You can pick whichever you want...’
It was very kind of him, but way too overwhelming. Pearls, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies...she was stunned and speechless and so deeply discomfited by his careful concern. It made it worse somehow—that he knew she wasn’t used to people consulting her on what she would like, or giving her beautiful rooms to sleep in, or choices of sublime designer gowns and now priceless, beautifully crafted jewels.
‘Why don’t you start by trying some on to see if they even fit?’ He plucked the nearest ring from the tray and grasped her cold hand.
Hester remained motionless as he slid the ring down her finger before removing it again and selecting another with rapid decisiveness. The enormous oval emerald was too enormous. The square ruby’s band was too big... As he tested and discarded several options, he kept a firm grip on her hand as if he thought she really might run away if he didn’t. Maybe she would’ve too, because her core temperature was rising and her breathing shortening. He was too near and she was too tense. She just wanted one to fit well enough so this could be done and she could get away from him.
‘This makes you feel awkward, Hester?’ he murmured, glancing up into her eyes.
Yes, because he was standing so close and it felt too intimate, not the businesslike process it ought to be. Her imagination was working overtime, reading too much into every look, every word—that he was subtly teasing her by lingering as if he knew how much his proximity affected her and he was playing on it.
‘Of course it does.’ She tried to match his careless confidence but her voice wouldn’t get above a whisper. She fell back on practicalities to answer half honestly. ‘I’m going to be too scared to go anywhere with something like this on my finger. What if I lose it?’
‘You only need to wear it to the events today and the wedding ceremony. The rest of the time, it’ll remain safe in the vault.’
Okay. Good. That made it a little better. So she nodded and held still as he tried another that had a too-large band.
‘You don’t have a favourite colour?’ he asked as he cocked his head to study how the next option looked on her small hand.
She shook her head, too embarrassed to articulate anything. It was impossible to think when he was this near to her and holding her with firm gentleness.
‘Okay, then I’m going to decide,’ he said. ‘And you’re not getting any say.’
She would’ve laughed if she weren’t so flummoxed by his intense effect on her. With exaggerated movements he angled his body to hide her own hand from her. She felt the sensuous slide of his fingers down hers as he tried a few more rings. But his broad shoulders and masculine body blocked her view. Then he slowed, trying one, then another—then another and taking far longer with one. All the while she stared at the fine stitching on the seam of his jacket.
He turned his head to glance at her, a smile flitting around his lips in a mysterious way. ‘I’m done.’
With a flourish, he pivoted to face her, sliding his hold to the tips of her fingers so she could see the ring he’d placed on her.
‘What do you think?’ he gently prompted.
She just stared. But inside while her heart pounded, her brain was starved of anything useful. It was stunning. One she’d been unable to see at first glance because she’d been blinded by so many gleaming options. It was a fine gold band and a solitary diamond. But the massive stone was cut into a teardrop shape—it didn’t glitter brilliantly, wasn’t gaudy, but rather the multifaceted cut ensured it gleamed and gave it a depth she’d not thought possible from a mere mineral. She could get lost looking into it. It was exquisite and delicate and moved her unbearably.
‘Hester?’
Unable to resist responding to that commanding thread in his voice, she glanced up. Her tongue was cleaved to the roof of her mouth. Her pulse thudded through her body with such ferocity she had to stay completely still to control it—to stop that overwhelming emotion exploding out of her in an ugly mess. It was too risky to reveal anything vulnerable—that something might matter to her. But the warmth in the backs of Alek’s eyes was different now. There wasn’t only that flicker of flirtation and teasing awareness. There was something deeper than both those things and as the seconds passed in silence i
t only strengthened.
‘It’s fine,’ she croaked.
She knew her response was so woefully inadequate it was almost rude, but no way could she utter the incoherent, incomplete thoughts battling in her head amongst the swirl of confusion. She expected him to either frown or tease, but he didn’t. His face lit up and he smiled. Her heart stopped. Those dimples were going to be the death of her.
‘Yes, it is.’ He curled his arm around her waist and walked her towards the big heavy doors at the other end of the room. ‘I’m glad you like it.’
Like it? Total understatement. She couldn’t help sneaking peeks at it as she walked with him into a reception room that had been prepared for the interview, but she still couldn’t verbalise the hot mess of feeling inside.
The journalist was waiting with only two crew—one for camera, one for sound. Hester perched on the edge of the sofa and hoped her nerves didn’t show too much. Alek kept one arm around her and drew her closer to his side while holding her hand throughout. She was so aware of his heat and strength and his smile melted everything and everyone else away until somehow it was over and he was laughing and releasing her only to shake hands with the presenter.
‘You did well,’ Alek said as he escorted her through the palace maze back to her apartment.
Hester couldn’t actually remember a word she’d said in response to the questions, she’d been too aware of him and the slippery direction of her private thoughts. ‘Oh, yes, I was amazing. I don’t think I said more than three words.’
‘Are you fishing for compliments? That wasn’t enough for you?’ He whirled to face her. ‘Ask me for more.’ He dared her up close. ‘You have no idea how much I want you to ask me for more.’ His smile deepened as she gaped at him. ‘Oh, you’ve gone silent again.’