Addison Fox - The Rome Affair

After a small cough the proprietor gestured to the velvet square on the table. “Perhaps we can look at some of the diamonds, and then we can return to the question of which setting is ideal.”

Kensington slipped the ring off and laid it on the velvet square. “By all means.”

The owner busied himself with the loose diamonds he’d laid out earlier, displaying them in a single row on the black velvet. Jack marveled how something so small could command such a premium. Even at six carats, the relative size of each diamond was tiny.

Yet despite their size, wars were fought over them and funded by them. Rulers had gone to battle to possess them. Thieves made their lives—or lost them—stealing them.

Gemstones were man’s folly. Beautiful baubles that often owned the possessor’s soul far more than the possessor owned them.

It made Kensington’s reaction to the ring that much more interesting. She appreciated the ring; that was evident. But where most women would be preening under the charade, he sensed a distinct discomfort at the extravagance of the piece.

The jeweler extended a loupe and Jack leaned forward to inspect one of the loose stones. He listened intently as the jeweler described various properties before handing the loupe to Kensington. Their fingers brushed, and Jack held his hand against hers a moment longer than necessary.

The woman was intoxicating.

He’d heard of her, of course. Although the House of Steele hadn’t been in business all that long, the Steele siblings had created quite a name for themselves and their family enterprise. Add on that the family name was well-known to begin with and it had been easy to find out more about the delectable Kensington Steele after their first encounter about a year ago.

She was cool, yet he wouldn’t go so far as to say icy. Rather, she had a calm, stoic demeanor that didn’t ruffle easily. That she’d shown even the slightest stammer over the ring was out of character.

And it gave him a tiny bit of hope things truly weren’t one-sided between them.

Which, Jack had to admit, was a rather large change. He’d spent the first thirty-five years of his life diligently avoiding romantic entanglements, so the fact that he was even toying with this strange attraction to the woman was more than a bit unsettling.

“What do you think, Mr. Andrews?”

Jack pulled his errant thoughts off of the soft sweep of hair that fell over Kensington’s shoulder and the graceful arch of her neck and turned to face the jeweler once more. “I think it’s time for Ms. Steele to decide.”

Her head snapped up from where she viewed one of the diamonds. “Jack. Are you sure? We just started this process.”

“When you know, you know.”

“But—”

He smiled and tapped on the counter. “Please, darling. You’ve already made me the happiest man on earth. Now select something that makes you happy.”

He didn’t miss the ever-so-slight raise of her eyebrow, or the hard glint in her crystal-blue gaze, but to her credit, she gave nothing else away.

“I like this one.” She pointed to a stone on the edge of the velvet. “It’s magnificent.”

“As are you.”

Without waiting for any further encouragement, he leaned in and captured her mouth for a kiss. The slight “oof” of surprise was the only clue that his actions caught her off guard, and he used that small moment of shock to press his advantage.

The hard wall of the glass counter pressed into his hip and Jack turned them both so they were flush against each other. His hands drifted to her waist and he pulled her flat against him, satisfied when her arms lifted to wrap around his neck.

The tilt of her head and the soft acquiescence of her lips opening under his gave him the second opportunity to press his advantage. His tongue met hers and a wave of heat and need crashed through his system so hard he had to wonder how he was still standing upright.

He might not have expected her oversize ship captain’s desk. And he might not have figured the roses would set her teeth on edge.

But he had imagined the power of her kiss.

Rich. Lush. Enticing.

Reality was so much better.

A light cough pulled them both from the moment and he lifted his head and smiled at her before shooting a broad wink to the jeweler. “I’m sure we’re not the first ones to do that, are we?”

“Not in the least, sir.”

The proprietor’s ready sense of humor went a long way toward diffusing the raw need that had gripped him with iron talons. “So what’s next?”

“It’s time to select a setting.”

“Darling.” Kensington’s voice was a low purr. “Perhaps we can set an appointment and do that tomorrow. This has been the highlight of my day, but this trip was an unexpected surprise. You need to get back to work.”

He made a show of checking his watch before nodding. “You’re right, as always.”

“I’ll just wait over there while you finish up.”

Her tone was low and quiet, but he took great delight at the small quaver that tinged the edges.

* * *

“Slam dunk.”

The cold wind wrapped around them once more as she and Jack fought the Midtown rush of humanity. She could practically feel the excitement vibrating off of him. “What could possibly make you think it was a smart idea to spend so much money?”

He shrugged, the casual move at odds with the gravity of what he’d just done. “I can always resell it.”

“That diamond was crazy expensive.”

“So?” A genuinely puzzled expression filled his features. “It’s certainly not going to lose its value.”

“Yes, but—” She broke off, well aware she was veering dangerously close to harpy territory. What did she care how he spent his money? And he had a fair point—the diamond could always be resold, so his overall risk was minimal.

A small kernel of disappointment unfurled in her stomach like the first shoots of spring, and she resolutely tamped it down. Today was a charade, nothing more.

Reading anything more into it wasn’t only stupid, but it also was a recipe for professional disaster.

Whatever Jack Andrews wanted from her, these strange sparks of emotion that kept swamping her certainly weren’t it.

“I just want to know why you ended the fun so soon.” He wrapped his arm around her once more as they got to a corner crosswalk.

Shaking him off would be petty, she reasoned, so she stayed put as they waited for the light to turn. “By leaving, now you have a chance to go back. We certainly couldn’t ask him his opinion about diamond smuggling on our first visit.”

Admiration filled his face in the subtle crease of his smile. “Excellent point.”

“Bet you didn’t think I had it in me.”

“Oh, I had no doubt about that part. I just wanted to see the amazing and awesome Kensington Steele in action.”

The light changed and the people around them began to move, but Kensington planted her feet against the onslaught. “Are you teasing me?”

“Hardly.”

“Then what did you really think about our visit to the diamond district?”

“I think that you really are amazing and awesome.”

“Would you be serious?”

“I am serious, but—” He reached for her hand and pulled her along through the crosswalk. “I think we also learned several very valuable things this morning.”

“Such as?”

He dug a folded-up piece of paper from his pocket. “Take a look at the provenance on this diamond.”

The thin sheet flapped in the breeze as Kensington took off her glove before reaching for the paper. She scanned the contents quickly, not sure of what had him so pleased. “It’s got all the basic details of the diamond. The four Cs, its ownership.”