not quite right.”
He bit back the words before they tumbled from his mouth. “With us, you mean?” Where the hell had that thought come from? Whatever he did, he could not get into a deep and meaningful conversation after half a bottle of cognac. He dipped his hand into the steaming water and rubbed his face. “I probably deserve suspicion.” After all, he had blackmailed her about the wedding in the first place.
When you thought about it, he deserved to be hung, drawn and quartered for all the lies he’d told, all the secrets he withheld. Layer upon layer of secrets. Just when he’d decided he might take a chance on her, look ahead a little—kapow! And then kapow again. First Sir John, and now Jake. What next? And however could he justify it to her?
She looked up at him thoughtfully. “I didn’t think you would contact the media. I just …” She sighed and reached to the side for a sponge, her knee bending up out of the water. “I just so want this day to be perfect for Ryan and Jessica.”
Perfect? Quinn knew what was perfect. A smooth pink knee foaming with bubbles. He felt hard as a rock suddenly and licked his dry lips. “Jake,” he croaked. “The press will be after Jake.”
She looked up at him, a relieved smile forming on her delectable mouth. “You think?”
“He attracts attention wherever he goes. You planning on finishing that?” He nodded at the sponge resting on her knee. The thought of it was attracting all sorts of attention in all sorts of places.
“What was he doing here, anyway?”
Quinn reached out and took the sponge from her hand, his fingers digging into its soft porous depths. “Business. Lift your leg.”
“My leg?” Dani hesitated, probably expecting a more expansive reply to her question about Jake’s unexpected visit.
Quinn’s eyes shifted to hers, challenging her. He had business in mind, all right. Funny business.
And he didn’t want any more questions—or any more guilt.
Holding her gaze, he moved his hand into the water and soaked the sponge. Sultry understanding glowed in her eyes. Forget Jake. A trickle of steamy sweat slid down his temple. Forget Blackstone and the press and the shares. Forget life-altering secrets. The swish of streaming water filled his ears as her shapely, heat-flushed thigh rose up from the foam, and then her calf and foot flexed prettily. Quinn caught hold of her foot, washing it while she squirmed.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking, may I change my mind and come to the wedding, after all?”
The little smile that curved her lips warmed him. “I’d like that,” she said slowly, watching as he dipped the sponge and stretched her leg out. “I’ll set it up tonight,” she promised.
Quinn stroked the back of her calf and thigh with the sponge. Water dripped down his forearms and onto his thighs and he thought he must be one sick unit because the warmth and wetness of it only fuelled his desire more.
“Exactly how long do I have to get you clean before you go out?”
Ten
The day of the wedding had finally arrived.
Quinn knocked on her door to say the car was here. Dani was on edge, swimming in questions. Would he like her dress? Would her family like him, and vice versa? What was Jake doing up here? Why were the media swarming all over town, sipping coffee in the cafés, propping up the bars everywhere she turned?
And Quinn’s sudden turnaround about accompanying her to the wedding. What was that about?
She made a final adjustment to the chiffon scarf she had cleverly twisted into her long French knot, picked up her purse and joined Quinn downstairs, loving the light in his eyes as he watched her descend.
And would he leave for good once she finished the necklace? Dani worried about that most of all.
They were driven to a helicopter port and, minutes later, were lifted up and over the rain forest to a beach just a few miles south. Dani had inspected the premises previously but was unprepared for the beauty of the place from the air.
The entire van Berhopt Resort hovered above an unsurpassed vista of rain forest and sea. Built on a raised knoll, the lodge appeared to be suspended over the secluded beach below, like a bird about to launch into the air. With a body of glass and steel, somehow it merged with the surroundings, complementing the bird’s-eye view. For one breathless moment, Dani thought they were going to land on the massive curved roof that arced above the building, its eaves on all sides overhanging and imposing.
“Spectacular!” Quinn breathed in her ear as the helicopter thankfully set down a couple of hundred metres away from the lodge.
Dani could imagine the reaction of the wedding guests as they were flown in pairs to this incredible secluded paradise. Golf carts took them up to the house. The reception was to start at four-thirty with cocktails and nibbles, then the marriage ceremony. Afterward, there was a sumptuous buffet, featuring the best the tropical north could offer. Only the bride and groom would stay the night here, with the guests being ferried back to their hotels in Port by limousines. It was a small gathering of only twenty family and friends.
In his platinum tux and mahogany-and-silver-striped tie, Quinn Everard was the perfect escort for a tropical, late-afternoon wedding, sophisticated and breathtakingly handsome. His cool against her flamboyance. Dani proudly took his arm and walked through the lobby out to the pool area where the guests were already gathered. Ryan and Jessica had arrived first to settle into their suite. Several other couples lounged around the pool, being served by white-jacketed waiters with silver trays that glinted off the blue water. Dani waved at Sonya and Garth on the other side of the pool and prepared to present Quinn to Ryan Blackstone.
“Well, well,” said Ryan as they approached. “Quinn Everard, I presume.” He held out his hand. “Welcome to the lion’s den.”
Quinn smiled and took the proffered hand. “Congratulations, Ryan. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
Jessica offered Quinn her cheek. “How lovely to see you, Quinn.”
“Jessica, you look stunning.”
And she did. The bride glowed in a jewel-encrusted champagne gown, a stunning clasp of rose-gold and pink diamonds in between her breasts. “A gift from Ryan,” she whispered to Dani, who was so taken with the brooch, she instinctively reached out and touched her fingertips to it. The lovely gown flattered her rounded belly and no amount of sparkle could eclipse the proud smile on Jessica’s face or the warmth in her beautiful brown eyes.
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