Page 14 of The Tycoon's Diamond Demand

She shrugged, and, when his eyes dropped to her chest, realised that the movement showed more of her cleavage than she’d intended. ‘I was ready, so I came down.’

‘You look amazing,’ he told her, his voice gruff. His compliment was unexpected. ‘Nice dress.’

‘Your stylist came over ninety minutes ago, with six dresses, matching shoes and bags, a hairdryer, a straightener and a bag full of make-up and went to work.’ Maja gestured to her dress. ‘This is all her.’

Maja noticed the heat in his eyes and her cheeks reddened. Caught up in his admiration, she lifted her hand to straighten his tie and cursed herself.

Keep your hands off him, Maja!

But why did he always have to smell so amazingly good? Masculine but sexy, fresh and, yes, fantastic.

Keep your eye on the ball, dammit!

He was blackmailing her into doing what he wanted, but that didn’t mean she had to make the process easy for him by falling into his arms. She’d be polite when she received congratulations on their engagement, but she sure as sugar had no intention of pretending she was over-the-moon happy. She wasnotgoing to make this situation easy for him.

The rather large fly in her wine glass was her still bubbling desire for the man. She might think he was a ruthless emotional guerrilla whose moral code was incredibly flexible, but he made her blood run hot and her stomach squirm. When he looked at her with fire in those navy eyes, when they accidentally touched, she morphed into a force field of magnetism and electricity, sparks flying from her. She wanted him...

More than she ever did before.

Jens lifted his thumb and brushed it over her jaw and Maja shivered. ‘You are going to act the happy fiancée, aren’t you, Maja?’

She lifted her chin. ‘Is that what you expect me to do?’

‘That’s what I expect,’ Jens replied, his voice soft but infused with determination.

‘Just to be clear, tonight will also require some PDA.’

PDA? It took her a moment to work out the acronym. Right. They were going to sell their engagement with public displays of affection. Heat pooled between her legs at the thought of Jens’s hand on her bare shoulder, her spine, on her lower back. If he kissed her, even lightly, she might dissolve on the spot. If he did more, she would find herself in a load of trouble...

Bed trouble. Naked trouble. Make-her-scream trouble.

Maja dropped her eyes from his and swallowed a sigh. Young Jens, six years older than her, had had way more experience than her, and he’d been an amazing lover. But Maja suspected his bedroom skills were now as sharply honed as his boardroom skills. Under his hands, she’d melt and murmur, scream and squirm, and possibly even leave burn marks on the sheets. She so wanted his hands on her body, his mouth over hers, her naked breasts pushing into his hot chest...

She wanted him. Almost as much as she didn’t want to want him.

Jens looked at the open front door, where a hired-for-the-night butler stood just outside, waiting for the first of the guests. ‘The guests will be arriving soon,’ Jens stated, pushing his hand into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket. ‘You’ll need this.’

He thrust a classic red ring box at her, with gold detailing, and Maja’s eyes shot up when she saw the familiar logo on the outside of the box. She flipped open the box and saw a square-cut, deep blue stone. It was huge and set in a delicate platinum band.

‘It’s a fancy vivid blue diamond, just under ten carats,’ Jens informed her. ‘You’ll be asked.’

‘Would your guests really be that rude?’

Jens nodded. ‘Yes. And no, you don’t know how much it cost, you didn’t ask.’

She knew blue diamonds were exceedingly rare and was pretty sure the ring must have cost seven figures, and she was terrified to wear it in case something happened to it. Unfortunately, she loved it far more than she should. ‘It’s stunning.’

‘People expect a ring,’ Jens gruffly stated. ‘You didn’t get one the last time around.’

She hadn’t expected one, had told Jens to put the money into the business or save it for their honeymoon. She hadn’t needed fancy back then...she needed it less now, but a big engagement ring made a statement.

Jens plucked the ring from the box, snapped it closed and tossed it into the drawer of the hall table. Picking up her left hand, he slowly slid the ring onto her finger, and she watched his tanned fingers as he moved the diamond ring up her finger. Was he thinking about the last time he’d proposed, how she’d laughed, then cried, how his eyes had looked a little moist? How they’d made delicious love for the rest of the night? How happy they’d been?

How had it all come to this? So complicated, so chaotic.

‘By the way, your reviews are amazing, Maja. Congratulations.’

Her eyes flew up and she didn’t pull her hand from his. ‘You read them?’ she asked, surprised.

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