The Flaw in His Diamond(27)

'I'm sure I shall be.' Her heart was beating so fast she wondered if it  would be possible to draw her next breath as Roman swiped his room card  in the control panel. 'The penthouse floor?' she confirmed.

'Unless you'd like to do some sightseeing along the way?'

He had already pressed the button to stop the lift, and before the  machinery even had a chance to obey his hand was on her and Roman was  undoing his zipper.

'Let me take them off,' she insisted, struggling frantically with the waistband of her briefs.

'I've got a better idea.'

She shrieked with excitement as they hit the floor.

'Don't worry, we'll add underwear to the dress order,' Roman soothed, pressing her back against the cool steel wall.

'Or maybe I'll just stop wearing underwear. I mean, what's the point?'

'No point,' he agreed, lifting her.

She barely had time to wrap her legs around his waist before he cupped  her buttocks and entered her, sinking deep to the hilt. She lost control  at once, and the enclosed space resounded with her screams of release.

'Greedy,' Roman murmured, moving steadily to get the best out of her.

'Are you kidding?' she said, having calmed enough to speak. 'I haven't even got started yet.'

Roman laughed, a deep, contented rumble she could feel through his polar jacket.

'Again,' she insisted in a fierce whisper as he made the mistake of reaching for the lift button.

He slammed into her and they used all their considerable combined  strength to reach the conclusion they both needed so desperately, as  quickly as they could. Her screams this time could probably be heard in  Rome. She didn't care. She was only glad Roman had the presence of mind  to take charge, and move the lift on.

'Before we break the cables,' he explained.

He let her down gently, steadying her on her feet as the elevator  started to move again. Retrieving her ruined briefs, she stuffed them in  her pocket as the steel doors slid wide. A small, private lobby,  elegantly decorated in understated Skandi-style, faced them as they  approached a sleek beech wood door leading into the penthouse suite.

'This door looks solid,' Roman murmured as he let them in.                       
       
           



       

'You're just taking advantage of the fact that I'm not wearing any  underwear,' Eva commented wryly as Roman tugged off his jacket and  tossed it on a chair.

'You bet I am.'

Yes, the door was solid. They proved that conclusively. And Roman was  efficient. With a few, deep, well-judged thrusts, he pushed her over the  edge again.

'This isn't fair. What about you?' she gasped, clutching him as she dragged in some necessary breaths.

'The floor?' he suggested.

'That rug looks soft,' she agreed. 'Like this?'

'Perfect,' Roman murmured, dropping to his knees behind her.

And, oh, it was perfect. She lifted her bottom as high as she could,  while he controlled her with his hands, taking firm hold of the soft,  plump flesh. She felt so gloriously exposed, and he was so gloriously  skilful. He sank deep, and knew just how to touch her.

'Open your legs a little more for me, Eva.'

She did so and let out a shaking cry as Roman found her with one finger and began to circle the most demanding part of her.

'So soon?' he demanded, knowing full well she couldn't hold on.

She didn't have time to answer him, and could only wail her  appreciation in time to the violent bolts of sensation, while she rested  with her face pressed into the soft fur rug.

'And now the bed?' she suggested when she could find her voice.

'It's too far away. And now the sofa,' Roman argued, tugging his shirt over his head.

Arranging her with her hips balanced on the very edge of the seat, he  knelt in front of her, and, lifting her legs onto his shoulders, where  the wide spread of his body kept them well apart, he braced his arms  against the back of the cushions.

'It's my pleasure to serve you,' he said, teasing her with just the tip.

'Serve away,' she encouraged, groaning with pleasure as he thrust  inside her and began to move. 'Again,' she screamed, losing herself in  the moment.

They almost made it to the bed, but not quite, as a console table with a  handy mirror on the wall behind it got in their way. It proved to have a  very firm surface indeed and provided them with a welcome diversion on  their way to more pleasure on the bed.

* * *

They made it to the party. Just. Eva in an ivory silk off-the-shoulder  dress that made her feel like a princess for a night, and Roman in a  dark dress suit that still managed to make him look like a marauding  pirate with his thick ink-black hair, deep tan and disreputable stubble.  There had barely been time for bathing, dressing, hopping round on  spindly heels while she tried to arrange the ankle strap on each foot,  before Roman yelled that it was time to leave. And as for him-just  enough time to rake his still-damp hair as they waited for the elevator  to arrive, and there had not been time for him to shave. Not that she  was complaining. She loved him just the way he was, and looked on  proudly as, after hugging Eva as if they had been parted for years,  Britt introduced Roman as a leading member of the consortium responsible  for reviving the fortunes of both the mine and the town that bore their  name.

'And none of it would have been possible without the Skavanga  Diamonds,' Roman finished up by saying. 'And I'm not talking about lumps  of carbon we claw from the earth, but these girls: Britt, Leila, and  Eva Skavanga, without whose dogged determination I might never have  parted with so much money.' And as everyone laughed, he added in a  murmur to Eva, 'Or my heart.'

'And as proof positive that the consortium couldn't possibly work as  well as it does without the Skavanga sisters, this is the right time for  me to tell you that from now on Britt Skavanga will be the President of  Skavanga Mining, while Eva Skavanga will officially be our roving  consultant when it comes to ecological concerns and cultural  development,' he ended to a chorus of enthusiastic cheers.

As everyone peeled away and the band started to play, Roman drew her aside.

'Did you consult me?' she said.

'Do you want the job or not?'

'Are you kidding? You know I do. It's all I've ever dreamed of.'

'That's what I thought.'

'And sometimes it's nice to get a surprise,' she admitted.                       
       
           



       

'Well, I'll have to see what else I can do to surprise you.'

'Please,' she said.

'The first thing is this,' he said, delving in his pocket.

'Your gold chain?' She was speechless.

'I think it will look better on you than it looks on me.'

'Oh, Roman...' Emotion overcame her and she was lost for words for a moment as he fastened the precious chain around her neck.

'I've got something else for you.'

'And what's that?' She frowned as Roman drew her deeper into the shadows at the side of the impromptu stage.

'Your bonus,' he said.

'I thought I already had that,' she teased as they smiled into each other's eyes.

'It is usual to reward particularly successful staff.'

'I'm very glad I pleased you, sir,' she said, bobbing him a mock curtsy.

'Oh, you did. You do. So now I want you to accept this.'

'What is it?' she said, unfolding the sheet of paper.

'A flight plan to Rome.'

'Are you serious?'

'Never more so. I love you, Eva Skavanga. I love you more than life  itself. And I did warn you what would happen if you tossed that coin  into the fountain. We have to go back to Rome. What? You don't want to?'  He was surprised by the look on Eva's face.

'Can't you get someone else to fly the plane?'

'Yes.' He frowned. 'Why? Don't you trust me to get us there safely?'

'Of course I do, but I've got plans for you, and, adventurous though we  are, I don't think we should risk the cockpit. You never know what I  might sit on.'

'I've got a pretty good idea.' And taking hold of her hand, he held her  gaze with his wicked eyes as he raised her fingers to his lips.





EPILOGUE

BEING CONTRARY, EVA got everything the wrong way around, and so they  took a honeymoon in Rome before they got married on the island. They  travelled in Roman's private jet and, as planned, they sampled every  surface that would support them along the way, and a few that threatened  not to do so, especially when turbulence intervened, tipping them both  up hard against the bulkhead.

'Remind me never to listen to your suggestions again,' Roman said as he  picked her up and set her down on his knee. 'These are perfectly decent  seats. Why don't we use them?'

'All of them?' Eva raised an optimistic brow as she glanced around the cabin.

Roman shot a look at his watch. 'There should be time.'

'Don't you dare short-change me,' she warned.

'And don't push me, lady, or I might have to work on instilling more discipline into you.'

'Than you already have? Oh, please,' she purred. 'Discipline's exactly  what's been missing from my life all these years, but thankfully that's  changed now. Shall I position myself over your knee?'

'Later, I think. There's something I must do first.'