Available. Why was he wallowing in the bitter past? And in some ways, telling Dani was kind of cathartic. She knew the man, knew his faults. She gave him a slightly different perspective.
Quinn would never forgive or forget, but he could let go a little more. That’s what time did. And the fact that she wasn’t Howard’s daughter had to be a good thing, right?
He set his glass down, sorry that he’d made her sad. He wanted the warmth of her brilliant smile back, and perhaps he wanted to warm her a little also. When he held out his hand to her, she smiled up at him and he saw understanding and empathy. When he bent to kiss the soft, fragrant flesh just under her earlobe, her skin steamed up quickly and her pulse quickened under his mouth.
This was about sex, he reminded himself. Unbelievable and uncomplicated sex. If it made them feel good and if no one expected anything more, where was the harm?
He lifted his head to see her mouth turned up in sultry understanding. Quinn resolved to give her as good as she gave.
He pulled her to her feet and downstairs to the cabin, peeling her clothing off on the way. The salt from her skin tingled on his tongue as he revealed and then tasted every delicious inch of her. He made her stand still, legs braced, and made love to her with his mouth. She rocked on her heels with the sway of the vessel under them, clutching his head. His bitterness and her insecurities melted away as he tipped her onto the bed, slid deep into her body and looked into her eyes, and they became one with the motion of the sea.
“How’s it going?”
Dani looked up from her workbench, where, days later, she was once again engrossed. “Today I start on the chain.”
She was working with platinum, always a challenge but one she enjoyed. Many jewellers found the metal too soft and dense to work with, but with practice, it got easier and the rewards were worth it.
“You chose diamond cut and not snake,” he noted approvingly.
Dani nodded. “It’s classic and doesn’t kink so much.” She picked up her torch again and resumed her work. Quinn pulled up a stool. It was becoming a habit of his to come in here and watch her work. He seemed fascinated by the whole process.
“It must be exciting to create something from start to finish and know it will outlive you.” He was flicking through her portfolio again, he did that a lot. On every page, he found something that interested him and would ask her how she decided on that particular combination of texture or colour. She broke all the rules, he told her, and yet her jewellery worked beautifully.
Dani was buoyed by his interest. He really seemed to get her, to share her vision of the relationship between gemstones and precious metals. Being a designer was a solitary occupation. Most people were only interested in the end product, not the journey of creation. It was nice to have someone to share ideas with for once.
Several days had passed since the boat trip, each one slightly cooler and calmer as the fitful cyclone season waned and autumn woke up. Dani barely noticed the weather since she only left the workroom to finalise a few last-minute wedding arrangements for Ryan and Jessica or to make love with Quinn.
She glanced over to where he sat at the desk, flicking through her portfolio. So far she’d shied away from badgering him on the intended recipient of the yellow diamond. He was an honourable man, despite the coercion he’d used at the start. She had to believe that. A loyal man who wouldn’t make promises and trifle with her feelings.
It wasn’t her normal way of doing things, but she had to be grown-up about it. One disastrous relationship had only added to her lifelong feeling of not being good enough, firmly entrenched in second best. But that wasn’t Quinn’s problem. They were from different worlds. This wasn’t a “relationship” so much as a “situation”—and as far as situations went, it wasn’t a bad one to be in.
So long as she didn’t try to make it into something else.
Her phone rang and she put her torch down. It was Steve from the shop to say Matt Hammond was there to see her. She gave him the beach house address and prepared to meet her cousin for the first time, face-to-face. Several minutes later, understandably nervous, she let Quinn answer the door while she hovered a few steps back.
“Danielle?” Matt Hammond looked from one to the other, a confused look on his handsome face. “I didn’t realise you knew each other,” he said, taking Quinn’s proffered hand.
Quinn stepped back and motioned her forward with a reassuring smile. “Dani’s doing a little designing job for me.”
She looked up into Matt’s face. He was nearly as tall as Quinn, leaner, with thick sandy hair and sharp grey eyes that reminded her of her mother’s.
“Come in and sit down.” Quinn led the way to the living area, offered refreshments and then discreetly withdrew.
Dani twisted her hands together, unsure of the reason for his visit, hoping it was a genuine overture to get to know the Australian side of his family. Her first tentative questions concerned Blake. It was a tricky subject after the months of speculation about his late wife’s infidelity and his son’s paternity. But when she asked if he had a photo, like any proud father, he produced several from his wallet.
The snapshots showed a dark, rather serious-looking little boy. “Three and a half,” Matt responded to Dani’s query about his age. She dredged up the courage to ask if she could have one to send to her mother and Matt readily handed over a couple.
“Are you here on holiday?”
“I thought it was time we met,” he said simply. “I also wanted to talk to Quinn, but had no idea I’d find you together.”
Dani felt her cheeks glow. “As he said,” she quickly inserted, “I’m helping him with a designing project.”
“Good for you.” Matt smiled. “A recommendation from Quinn Everard is a valuable thing in this business. I saw the catalogue for the February launch, by the way. Your pieces were impressive.”
Dani beamed. She’d had a lot of work as a direct result of the Blackstone launch, proving that Howard, who’d talked her into being the featured designer, had known his stuff.
But best not to mention that name in this company, she thought.
“And that is another reason I’m here,” Matt continued. “You’ve heard, I suppose, that four of the Heart of the Outback diamonds have been returned to me?”
Dani nodded cautiously, noting his use of the Heart of the Outback—the Hammond diamond—as opposed to the Blackstone Rose diamonds.
“I have an idea and I’d like you to be part of it.”
Her response was measured. Was this a ploy to upset the Blackstones? “In what way?”
“I want to make an heirloom necklace from the Heart of the Outback diamonds, to be kept in the Hammond family and worn by future Hammond brides.”
Dani’s mouth dropped open. “Matt, that’s a wonderful idea!”
“Hopefully my father will think so, too.”
She nodded. Bringing the Heart of the Outback stones—Jeb’s legacy—together again for the next generation of Hammonds would surely ease
