Teri Wilson - It Started With A Diamond

Heiress Nabs Polo Star

A Page Six Exclusive Report

Stunning world-class equestrian Diana Drake’s stayed out of the family business for decades. But now Diana has the inside track on a coveted diamond...not to mention a polo-playing partner in crime in Franco Andrade. And after mere weeks, the city’s most eligible bachelor is engaged to the jewelry heiress! Still, this whirlwind romance may not be as glittering as the jewels in Drake’s. After all, we hear that Franco’s first love has always been the polo team that unceremoniously sacked him. And Diana’s still recovering from the loss of the sport she’s always cherished. Can the handsome Argentine help his new fiancée capture the diamond of the century...and in the process repair her shattered heart?

This isn’t real.

It wasn’t real, but it felt real. It even looked real.

Diana was dressed in a strapless chiffon gown, midnight blue, with a dangerously low, plunging neckline. A glittering stone rested between her breasts. A sapphire. The sapphire necklace from the photo shoot.

“Please stop staring.” She turned and met his gaze. At last.

Franco’s body hardened the instant his eyes fixed with hers. As exquisite as the sapphire around her neck was, it didn’t hold a candle to the violet depths of those luminescent eyes. “You’re lovely.”

She stared at him coldly. “Save it for the cameras, would you? There’s no one here. You can drop the act.”

“It’s not an act. You look beautiful.” He swallowed. Hard. “That’s quite a dress.”

“Just stop it, would you? I know we’re supposed to be madly in love with each other in public. But in private, can we keep things professional? Please?”

Something about the way she said please grabbed Franco by the throat and refused to let go.

Had he really been so awful to her all those years ago?

Yes. He had.

* * *

Drake Diamonds:

Looking for love that shines as bright

as the gems in their window!

It Started with a Diamond

Teri Wilson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

TERI WILSONis a novelist for Mills & Boon. She is the author of Unleashing Mr. Darcy , now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Teri is also a contributing writer at HelloGiggles.com, a lifestyle and entertainment website founded by Zooey Deschanel that is now part of the People magazine, TIME magazine and Entertainment Weekly family. Teri loves books, travel, animals and dancing every day. Visit Teri at www.teriwilson.netor on Twitter, @teriwilsonauthr.

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

For Brant Schafer, because naming a polo pony after me will guarantee you a book dedication.

And for Roe Valentine, my dear writing friend and other half of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Veuve Clicquot.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Heiress Nabs Polo Star A Page Six Exclusive Report Stunning world-class equestrian Diana Drake’s stayed out of the family business for decades. But now Diana has the inside track on a coveted diamond...not to mention a polo-playing partner in crime in Franco Andrade. And after mere weeks, the city’s most eligible bachelor is engaged to the jewelry heiress! Still, this whirlwind romance may not be as glittering as the jewels in Drake’s. After all, we hear that Franco’s first love has always been the polo team that unceremoniously sacked him. And Diana’s still recovering from the loss of the sport she’s always cherished. Can the handsome Argentine help his new fiancée capture the diamond of the century...and in the process repair her shattered heart?

Introduction This isn’t real. It wasn’t real, but it felt real. It even looked real. Diana was dressed in a strapless chiffon gown, midnight blue, with a dangerously low, plunging neckline. A glittering stone rested between her breasts. A sapphire. The sapphire necklace from the photo shoot. “Please stop staring.” She turned and met his gaze. At last. Franco’s body hardened the instant his eyes fixed with hers. As exquisite as the sapphire around her neck was, it didn’t hold a candle to the violet depths of those luminescent eyes. “You’re lovely.” She stared at him coldly. “Save it for the cameras, would you? There’s no one here. You can drop the act.” “It’s not an act. You look beautiful.” He swallowed. Hard. “That’s quite a dress.” “Just stop it, would you? I know we’re supposed to be madly in love with each other in public. But in private, can we keep things professional? Please?” Something about the way she said please grabbed Franco by the throat and refused to let go. Had he really been so awful to her all those years ago? Yes. He had. * * * Drake Diamonds: Looking for love that shines as bright as the gems in their window!

Title Page It Started with a Diamond Teri Wilson www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author TERI WILSON is a novelist for Mills & Boon. She is the author of Unleashing Mr. Darcy , now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Teri is also a contributing writer at HelloGiggles.com , a lifestyle and entertainment website founded by Zooey Deschanel that is now part of the People magazine, TIME magazine and Entertainment Weekly family. Teri loves books, travel, animals and dancing every day. Visit Teri at www.teriwilson.net or on Twitter, @teriwilsonauthr .

Dedication For Brant Schafer, because naming a polo pony after me will guarantee you a book dedication. And for Roe Valentine, my dear writing friend and other half of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Veuve Clicquot.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.”

—Dolly Parton

Diana Drake wasn’t sure about much in her life at the moment, but one thing was crystal clear—she wanted to strangle her brother.

Not her older brother, Dalton. She couldn’t really muster up any indignation as far as her elder sibling went, despite the fact that she was convinced he was at least partially responsible for her current predicament.

But Dalton got a free pass. For now.

She owed him.

For one thing, she’d been living rent free in his swanky Lenox Hill apartment for the past several months. For another, he was a prince now. A literal Prince Charming. As such, he wasn’t even in New York anymore. He was somewhere on the French Riviera polishing his crown or sitting on a throne or doing whatever it was princes did all day long.

Dalton’s absence meant that Diana’s younger brother, Artem, was the only Drake around to take the full brunt of her frustration. Which was a tad problematic since he was her boss now.