Roman shrugged as he walked deeper into the room. 'Come work for me,' he said as if this were the most obvious solution in the world. 'You don't want to be a freeloader. And I'm not trying to buy you. So pay your way. That's fine by me. My aide Mark pulled your CV and I've read it. Your qualifications are every bit as good as Britt's, so why have you never used them? What's your problem, Eva? What are you frightened of?'
'I'm not frightened of anything,' she scoffed, blushing as she turned away, but curiosity got the better of her in the end. 'What type of job?'
'Well, let's see now,' Roman murmured as he flicked through the dresses on the rail. 'I think this one. What do you think?' He held up an elegant dream of a dress in navy blue silk. 'I think this colour would look wonderful with your hair.'
'You haven't answered my question.'
'I've got some good ideas, and that's all you need to know right now. Try this on. We can talk about work over supper.'
'You talk and I listen, presumably?'
'We'll both talk and we'll both listen,' Roman countered, holding her gaze. 'I thought working on behalf of the mine was what you wanted, Eva?'
'I'll listen to what you have to say. Of course, I will,' she added, wanting to sound receptive rather than belligerent for once in her life. She didn't dare to hope that tonight her wishes could all come true at once.
* * *
Roman had judged the supper perfectly. He had a deft touch when it came to matching setting with mood, and had chosen a warm little womb of a place where it was impossible not to feel relaxed. Bustling and busy, the decor, in shades of red and old gold, was slightly old-fashioned and slightly shabby and all the better for it. The owner greeted Roman in a way that suggested he had been eating in the same place for years, and there was an air of confidence about the restaurant that suggested it had been in the same family for generations. There were quiet booths, soft lighting, and a jazz singer performing wistful songs at low volume at a piano in the corner. Eva and Roman occupied an end booth where they had more privacy than most.
'I couldn't eat another thing,' she assured him when the waiter brought their coffee. The food had been delicious, but it was hard to concentrate on anything other than the fact that they were sitting across a narrow table from each other with their knees almost touching.
'You look lovely, Eva. I'm glad you like the dress.'
Almost without realising it, she smoothed the skirt. She had never owned anything quite so elegant. She lived her life in jeans or polar trousers, so the dress was quite a departure from her usual style. She was glad he didn't gloat that she'd given in. There were battles worth fighting, she had learned, and others where no one lost by backing off.
'You're frowning again.'
'Thinking about that job you mentioned,' she admitted. 'Are you serious?'
'Never more so. You have qualifications in land management, specialising in polar regions, so why haven't you put them to use?'
'I had family commitments-and I don't want to talk about that now.'
'So I talk and you don't? I don't think so, Eva. That's not how it works.'
'This was your idea, and either you have a job for me or you don't.'
Roman looked at her ruefully. 'You might want to think about how that sounds to a prospective employer. Relax, Eva. This isn't a test. It's a serious offer. Maybe the consortium needs your particular local experience and expertise. Have you considered that?'
Her heart wrenched as she realised she was back into the old combative ways, trying to destroy something before she had given it a chance. Was she going to throw this away too? 'Sorry. I'm just-'
'Confused by being thrown into a whole new world of possibility? I know. I know you need time, but there is no time, Eva. We both know the mine is at a turning point, and I'm determined it's going to survive. Now, either you want to be part of that or you don't.'
'Can you tell me something about the job?'
'I want you to work with me.'
'What? Work with you? Doing what?' She had imagined some office job low down the pecking order-something to keep her off his back, yet under his thumb. 'I don't know anything about polishing diamonds.'
'Fortunately, I hire many experts who do,' Roman explained. 'That isn't the opportunity I'm talking about. I don't just plunder mines, Eva. I repair the land and improve it where I can, and that's where you come in. Sit on our advisory board. You're the best qualified person I know to offer local knowledge.'
She drew her head back in astonishment. 'You really are serious.'
'Absolutely,' Roman confirmed. 'Work with me to restore the land after the drilling has established the main shaft. I'd also like you to think about creating a mining museum, something of interest to all those eco-tourists you're so keen to attract.'
Her heart leapt in all sorts of directions. This was a dream come true, but with a catch. Could she work with him? Could she see Roman every day and not want him? Could she watch him get on with his life-get married eventually, and possibly have children? Could she do all that for the sake of Skavanga?
She had to. She must.
She remained mute and thoughtful as Roman paid the bill and exchanged pleasantries with the owner.
'Time to leave,' Roman murmured, making her jump. 'You can decide on the way.'
'About the job?' she said, frowning. 'You're not giving me much time.'
'What else would I be talking about?' Roman demanded, but there was a wicked glint in his eyes that she could hardly miss, and her wilful body responded as he knew it would, right on cue.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THEY WALKED BACK to his apartment from the restaurant. It was one of those warm, velvet nights when it would be a crime to sit in a limousine. He wanted to walk through the city he loved, and he wanted to share the experience with Eva. He wanted to prolong the evening and that was rare for him. What Eva thought about his city mattered to him, and as he watched her she reminded him of when he was a boy, and Rome had amazed him. He hadn't always been as sophisticated as she thought him. He'd grown up wild on a tiny island, but he'd made his first fortune here by wheedling himself into the employ of one of the top jewellers by touting the title he'd never used before. That had been his first taste of a world that thought a lot of titles, whereas he knew from his blood father's example that a title added nothing to the quality of a man. Roman hadn't been too proud to use that title-not if it got him where he wanted to be. He believed it was the least that was owed to him by the man who had sold him to a mafia don.
'I love this city,' Eva breathed as they strolled past the Coliseum. 'There can't be anywhere else like this place on earth.'
Eva was an easy companion and he wasn't used to that. Most women were in a rush, either to get into his bed or into his wallet, but Eva was different. She was like a plant that had been buried beneath polar ice, and was only now pushing a few tentative green shoots towards the sun. Yes, he wanted her. And no, he wasn't usually this romantic where women were concerned. In the past he had always made it clear that neither love nor romance, let alone marriage, would ever be on his agenda. He'd seen where love took people, and it wasn't pretty. He preferred to make a straightforward pact where each party got what they wanted from the other. And that had always been enough for him.
'Well, we're here,' Eva said, slightly anxiously, he thought as they reached the entrance to his home.
The customary duo of men with earpieces and suspicious bulges beneath their jackets was leaning back against the wall. He nodded to them. They nodded to him. He didn't pause to speak. There was something he couldn't wait to do, and he didn't need an audience for that.
'What are you doing?' Eva gasped as he swung her round and backed her against the door as soon as he had let them both in. 'Where's the butler?' she added nervously, gazing about.
He laughed. 'Only you could worry about the butler at a time like this. If you want a drink, I'll get it for you,' he added huskily.
'I don't want a drink.'
She was a little breathless, a little flushed. She was perfect. 'I think I prefer this new, bashful Eva-'
'As opposed to the old grouch I used to be?' she cut in, giving him one of her wry smiles. 'Just because we've had a nice supper, doesn't give you the right to insult me.'
'But it does give me the right to kiss you.'
'Says who?' she said, frowning a warning at him.
'Says me. And don't worry,' he added dryly. 'You can be as uninhibited as you like. I gave the staff the night off.'
Arrogant, her narrowed eyes told him. 'I've heard something like that before,' she said.
'And as I remember, you weren't too displeased with the outcome.'