Wanted: A Baby by the Sheikh(14)

“It’s none of your business. My father gave it to me when he knew he was dying. He’d always wanted me to wear that piece on our wedding day. It was mine to do with as I wished. Mine to give away if I wished.”

“You gave it away?” He asked the question not truly believing she had.

She began to walk toward the door. “As I say, it’s none of your business.”

“It’s all about business.”

“Yes, of course it is. The lovemaking? Business. Wasn’t it, Daidan? Are you using me again? Is that why you want the Kielo necklace so much? Ownership? Business?”

He ground his teeth, not daring to open his mouth and tell her the truth. It was about business. But there was no way he could show he didn’t care for her. Not when he felt her in every nerve cell in his body, in every breath he took. She so consumed him that he didn’t know what he felt any more.

“So… you won’t tell me where the necklace is?”

“No.” She smiled that polite cocktail-party smile she seemed to have developed since she’d been away.

Her distance fired his anger. He took a step closer and was rewarded with a flicker of something that briefly cracked her façade, like the ripple of heat across a desert, a mirage revealing an image otherwise hidden. It didn’t matter which was the real Taina—it was enough to see the dichotomy, the confusion that lay beneath that pristine exterior. “You would never have lost something that was so precious to you. You’ve given it to someone. Who, I wonder?”

She bit her lip and he could see that he was on the right track. Or the wrong track. Because the thought that he’d stumbled on the truth made his heart sink.

“You won’t tell me, hey? And why’s that? Do you think I’m going to beat a path to the door of the lover you gave it to and pick a fight with him? Risk my reputation, my business, everything I’ve worked for?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

There! It was confirmed. She’d given the priceless necklace to a lover. How could he have been so stupid? So dumb as to allow her into his bed, treat her like the woman he’d loved, and all the time she’d been deceiving him. But he refused to be the man she imagined him still to be—jealous and controlling.

“I’m not the same man I was before.”

“Not jealous anymore? I can hardly believe that.”

“I didn’t say I’m no longer a man capable of jealousy. Merely that I have to be in love to be jealous.” He saw the effect of his words on her face. That was fine with him. He wanted to hurt her as much as she was hurting him. The flare of anger in her eyes, followed by the upward tilt of her perfect chin. “If you really don’t have the necklace, then you’ve simply made yourself more work. We need a centerpiece for the Northern Lights Collection. The design of that necklace informed and inspired all of your mother’s work. It was the key piece. You and the designers are going to have to come up with a new focal point for the collection.”

“And you expect me to do that in the time available?”

“Yes. You have the resources and you’ve inherited your mother’s design skills—”

“Ha! I went straight from design college to marriage. I’ve nothing to show for my so-called design skills.”

“I remember the design portfolio you produced—it was sensational. Just pick up where you left off. And you have a team of designers at your disposal to work with. Between you all you can do it. So make it happen.”

“The launch is only months away.”

“Taina, if you hadn’t given away the Kielo necklace to some lover, or lost it, or whatever happened, you wouldn’t have this problem. As it is, you do have the problem. Because like it or not, the launch is fixed for July at our castle. There will be fifty VIPs from around the world coming to our island home. And, if you haven’t understood it yet, it’s very important for the future of the company. It’ll establish us at the forefront of the diamond industry. Your family connections are vital for this, vital for the brand.”

“I’m just a ‘brand’ to you, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.” She looked at him with eyes so wide and clear of obfuscation for once, that it nearly undid him. But there was too much confusion raging within him for it to be cleared with one look of her violet eyes. “No, you’re more than a brand. If you still want me to keep my end of the bargain, you’ll continue to be my lover.”

He hated seeing the look of shock enter her eyes, as she turned away. “Of course. I’ll keep my end of the bargain and you keep yours.”