Page 6 of Their Diamond Ring Ruse

A flash of surprise was quickly covered by a polite smile. ‘You must not attend enough of these things, then.’

Her voice was lower than he’d expected and he immediately craved hearing it again.

‘Julian Ford.’ He extended his hand.

She laughed—a delicate, musical sound that crept under his skin—and all he could do was stare.

‘I know who you are,’ she said, her eyes twinkling. ‘And I’m—’

‘Lily Barnes-Shah,’ Julian responded, looking down at her diamond-shaped face.

The rich warm tones of her skin glowed in the bright light. Her espresso-coloured eyes were bottomless depths...black mirrors that sparkled. They were coloured with a hint of sadness her smile couldn’t cover, and there was no discernible point where her irises ended and her pupils began.

Heaven help him if they weren’t the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.

Lily took his hand in a surprisingly firm grip. A spark unlike anything he had felt before flared at the touch, and a jolt of pure want went right through him. He looked into her eyes and saw surprise and heat there. Julian could only assume it reflected his own.

What the hell was happening to him? No one ever affected him like this, and he was never deprived of female company. He could have anyone he wanted, when he wanted—although admittedly that had occurred with less and less frequency since those interactions had grown tiresome.

He wasn’t expecting and wasn’t prepared for Lily to jumpstart his need with nothing more than her presence and a handshake.

And he wasn’t the only one affected.

He had heard her gasp. Could see the flush now creeping up her skin.

Gently, she pulled her hand away—delicate and small in his—and as if someone had flipped a switch the people around them seemed to move once again. The hum of voices filled the air. His lungs began working once more, but the atmosphere remained charged. He half expected to see the crackle of electricity zapping between them.

Lily cleared her throat, turning towards the bartender, a pulse fluttering at her neck.

‘A Cabernet, please,’ she said.

Julian tipped his empty glass, indicating that he wanted a refill, then leaned on his elbow and crossed one foot over the other as he turned towards Lily.

‘I wouldn’t have expected you to know me,’ she said.

‘Should I be insulted? You don’t know me, and yet you’re already making assumptions.’

She let out a soft chuckle. ‘I suppose you’re right.’

Their drinks were placed on the bar and he watched her lift the red wine to her full lips, his cruel imagination making him think of all the things he’d like to do to those lips.

Get it together! he chastised himself.

‘Shall I just assume you know everyone in this room?’ she challenged with a cocked brow.

‘Yes,’ he answered simply.

‘I suppose I should expect nothing less from the wunderkind of the Bay Area.’

She took another sip. It was driving him crazy.

Julian’s genius had been extensively covered by the media. When you were an industry-leading innovator, with a rags-to-riches story, you were newsworthy material. He had learned to live with it, but hated the idea that one day someone was going to share the entire story of his childhood. The idea made him burn.

‘Not just the Bay Area,’ he said.

‘Wow, you certainly don’t have any issues with confidence.’

The teasing smile on her face made him eager for the next one that would appear.

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