The Flaw in His Diamond(28)

'Won't it wait?'

'Straddle me and find out.'

'Must I?'

'I think you must.'

She heaved a sigh. 'How do the cabin attendants know when to make themselves scarce, by the way?'

'There's a call button?' Roman informed her patiently.

'We haven't given them much to do.'

'If you're hungry-'

'Oh, I am,' she assured him. 'But I very much doubt they carry what I need in the galley.'

'Almost certainly not,' he agreed. 'Are you sitting comfortably?'

Her answer was to throw back her head and sigh with delight.

'Then I'll begin...'

* * *

They travelled by private launch to the island, where they were to get  married at sunset on the beach, surrounded by friends and family. Leila  was the first person to greet them on the jetty. Eva's younger sister  seemed flushed and unusually animated as they hugged, and it didn't take  Eva long to work out why. The answer came at supper that evening, when  the sisters and the three men in the consortium met for a celebratory  meal on the night before the wedding.

Sheikh Sharif was of course married to Eva's sister Britt, and Roman  was definitely spoken for, but Raffa Leon, the frighteningly  brutal-looking Duke of Cantalabria, was reportedly unattached, and it  made Eva's heart judder with apprehension to see her gentle little  sister choose a seat opposite the grim-faced duke.                       
       
           



       

Why? Eva wondered as she watched Leila field the duke's acerbic  commentary with thoughtful observations of her own. Why must opposites  attract?

The tension between Leila and the duke was like a blazing flame that  would consume her sister. Eva wanted someone softer and more compliant  for quiet little Leila, not some rampaging barbarian from a rugged  mountain range in some far distant corner of Europe. The duke might be  an aristocrat, but in name only, in Eva's opinion. His eyes were hard  and unforgiving, and his manner was borderline aggressive. His manners  were good enough, but she soon worked out that everyone, apart from  Roman and Sheikh Sharif, was more than a little wary of the Spanish  grandee. And with good cause, she thought as Raffa pushed away from the  table with some cursory excuse.

And good riddance to you, she thought, irritated to see Leila's gaze  follow the Spanish duke to the door. The other two men soon found a  reason to join him and leave the Skavanga sisters to discuss the  wedding.

'Let me see your ring,' Leila begged.

Telling herself to calm down, and that her sister was a big girl now,  who could take care of herself, Eva refocused on the most important  event of her life. 'I don't need a ring to get married. That's such an  old-fashioned concept.'

'Uh-oh, what's wrong?' Britt stared at Eva. 'I can't believe you just  said that. You do know what industry we're in? We mine diamonds?' Britt  exchanged a concerned glance with Leila. 'So what do you mean, you don't  need a ring, Eva?' Britt demanded, flashing her own multi-carat  whopper. 'What's going to happen when the official asks for the rings to  marry you?'

'Well, I've got Roman's ring here,' Eva protested, revealing the plain platinum band she and Roman had chosen together.

'Yes. Very nice,' Britt agreed, 'but what about your wedding band?'

'Or are you going all Boho, and using a lock of his hair to tie around  your finger?' Leila suggested, flashing anxious glances between her  sisters.

'Don't be so ridiculous,' Eva flared. 'I only need Roman.'

Eva felt her throat dry on the lie, realising the subject of her  wedding band hadn't even figured in her discussions with Roman. It  seemed they had both forgotten. In her heart of hearts she had been  hoping for a surprise, but it was too late for that now.

* * *

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and sunny, and, though it  seemed a long time until the sunset ceremony on the beach, the day was  packed with so much to do that it seemed five minutes since Eva had last  caught sight of Roman as he left after supper the night before.

'I wish you had a ring,' Leila fretted, always the one to think of  other people before herself. 'Are you sure you're not upset about it?'

'Not a bit,' Eva said briskly.

'Anyway, it's too late to worry about it now,' Britt observed as she  tweaked the hem of Eva's ankle-length ivory silk dress. 'You look  beautiful, by the way. And you're right. You don't need a ring. All you  need is the man you love.'

'Says you, with a hand you can hardly lift up, it's so weighted down by diamonds,' Leila observed wryly.

'And any man who can tame you, Eva, should be thinking in terms of  fur-lined handcuffs and other delicious devices to bring you back into  line when you get in one of your moods, not just a ring,' Britt  continued unabashed.

They all laughed wildly-a little too wildly, quite possibly in Eva's  case. Wedding fever, she convinced herself as she led the procession of  Skavanga sisters towards the flower festooned canopy set out on the  beach. She had no intention of sharing her intimate bedroom secrets with  anyone, not even her sisters.

Roman was waiting for her, looking more gorgeous than ever, if such a thing were possible.

'And the rings?' the woman who was going to marry them prompted as Eva handed her bouquet of orchids to Leila.

Leila bit her lip and heaved a worried sigh as she carefully positioned  the platinum band Roman would wear on the crimson velvet cushion.

The woman waited, and then prompted, 'May I have both the rings, please?'                       
       
           



       

'Oh, forgive me...'

All three sisters turned to look at Roman, who was rummaging in his pocket. 'Will these do?'

Eva gasped as Roman tipped two fabulous rings onto the cushion.

'I'm sorry there's been a delay,' he explained discreetly, 'but you  know I'm a stickler for design and cut. The stones are the finest  quality and have the distinction of being amongst the first batch to be  taken from the Skavanga mine. You do like them?' he prompted when Eva  remained speechless.

She wondered if her voice would work. The rings were fabulous. There  was a slim platinum wedding band encrusted with diamonds, and a truly  incredible solitaire cut in the shape of a heart. It was not what a  tomboy would automatically choose, but it was a far better choice than  she could ever make. 'It's... They're... Sorry...I'm just lost for  words.'

'The only thing that matters is that they fit,' Roman exclaimed with relief as he placed the wedding band on her finger.

'It's so beautiful,' Eva breathed, holding her hand up so that the diamonds flashed fire.

'And the finishing touch,' Roman reminded her as he slipped the diamond heart on her wedding finger. 'Not too much-'

'And definitely not too little,' Britt piped up as they all stared in awestruck wonder at the fabulous gems.

'I love you, Eva Skavanga,' Roman declared, bringing her hand to his lips. 'And no jewel could ever be good enough for you.'

'You may kiss the bride,' the official said.

And as everyone stood back and applauded, Eva murmured, 'I love you  too.' But as their kiss grew more heated she found a moment to whisper  discreetly, 'Can't we just slip away to bed?'

'When I tell you...you can,' Roman promised wickedly in the same muted tone.

'I might right here,' she warned him.

'What's your hurry, Eva?' Roman murmured. 'Haven't I taught you the  benefits of delay? It's not like we're short of time. We've got for  ever. Remember?'

'For ever isn't nearly long enough,' she complained, but Roman wasn't  in the mood to let the old Eva Skavanga raise her fiery head, and so he  drew Eva into his arms and silenced her the best way he knew, which was  very thoroughly with a kiss.