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She shook her head. “Amazingly, no.”
“An admirable and uncharacteristic show of restraint.”
She looked at him shrewdly. “Perhaps he was afraid of undermining you.”
Sawyer merely laughed, and then reached up to smooth back the hair that had fallen over her shoulder.
She stilled as he touched one of her dangling earrings, set with amethyst stones and Swarovski crystals.
“Is this another of your creations?”
She nodded, and then asked boldly, “Examining your investment?”
He caressed the line of her jaw. “Yes, and it’s lovely.”
Oh.
Tamara looked away in confusion, and was saved by the approach of a waiter who asked if they would like anything to drink.
After inquiring if wine was her preference, Sawyer smoothly narrowed the choices with the waiter to one, and then turned back to her and settled his hand on her thigh beneath the table. “Does that meet with your approval?”
Feeling the warm weight of Sawyer’s hand moving along her thigh, she stuttered assent.
Sawyer looked at her innocently. “Is there something else you’d like, Tamara?”
“What?”
Sawyer’s eyes laughed at her. “Is there something else you’d like to drink?”
She looked up at the waiter. “No—thank you.”
When they were alone again, Tamara frowned at Sawyer. “What are you doing?”
“You mean this?” Underneath the table, Sawyer’s hand clasped hers, and then with his other hand, he slid a ring on her finger.
Tamara felt her heart slow and beat louder.
“A gift from the family vault,” Sawyer said. “I hope you like it.”
She swallowed and searched Sawyer’s gaze, but she read nothing but unadulterated desire there.
She knew, of course, that she and Sawyer were engaged—in a manner of speaking. But the weight of the ring brought the reality of it forcefully back to her.
Slowly, she lifted her hand and rested it on the tablecloth. A beautiful diamond ring in an open-work setting twinkled in the light. Two sapphire baguettes and two accent diamonds adorned either side.
It was a breathtaking piece of jewelry. The diamond was large and undoubtedly flawless, and the open design gave the ring a deceptively modern feel.
“It’s a good complement to the earrings you’re wearing,” Sawyer said with studied solemnity. “It’s not a modern piece, but I hope you like it.”
She looked up. “Really, it isn’t necessary for a pretend marriage—”
“Yes, it is,” he said firmly. “The only question is whether you like the ring. I know your tastes tend to the contemporary.”
“I love it,” she confessed. “It’s a creation that any designer would be proud of. The lattice work is timeless and beautiful.”
Her response seemed to satisfy him. “I’m glad. The ring was a gift to my great-grandmother, but I had it reset. The original center stone was a sapphire.”
Tamara looked down at her hand again. The ring was a tangible sign of her bargain with Sawyer.
“You’ll get used to it,” he said.
Startled, she glanced up.
He appeared amused for a moment. “I meant the ring. You’ll get used to the weight of the ring.”
Tamara rued the fact that Sawyer looked as if he’d guessed what was on her mind.
She angled her hand back and forth. “It’s exquisite.”
“As is its wearer.”
She shifted in her seat. She was uncertain how to handle Sawyer. Was he just practicing his romantic technique for the benefit of onlookers?
She wanted to make some acerbic reply about leaving his false devotion for an occasion when they had a real audience, but somehow the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she found herself succumbing to the effect of his nearness and seductive words more than she cared to admit.
“What was the occasion for the gift originally?” she asked, striving to keep the conversation on an even keel.
Sawyer looked suddenly mischievous. “Do you really want to know?”
She raised her brows inquiringly.
“The birth of my great-grandmother’s sixth and last child.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, well…”
“Quite.” His eyes laughed at her. “One doesn’t get to be the twelfth in a direct line of successive earls without ample fertility along the way.”
“Perhaps you should be seeking a woman who will better accommodate you in the…fecundity department.”
His eyes crinkled. “Perhaps you suit my needs just fine.”
She was unsettled by his cryptic reply, but before she could respond, he picked up her ring hand and raised it to his mouth, kissing the pad of each finger individually.
Her eyes widened as a shiver chased through her.
“Someone I know just walked into the restaurant,” he murmured, a twinkle in his eyes.
She shot him a skeptical look. “Of course.”
“You doubt me?”
She extracted her hand from his loose grip. “Should I?”
Sawyer chuckled, and just then a waiter materialized with a bread basket, followed by their regular server with their wine.
When they were both sipping Pinot Grigio, Tamara attempted to put their conversation on a more businesslike footing. “Tell me about the details that you’ve obviously called me here to discuss.”
He arched a brow. “Your patience has run out? Very well, let’s start with Pink Teddy Designs. How much is your lease costing you?”
She relaxed a little, lowering her shoulders. So Sawyer had come here to make good on his promises.
“Too much,” she repeated.
“It’s a fashionable address—an astute business move.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll cosign your lease renewal.”
Her eyes widened. “How did—?”
He looked at her quizzically. “How did I know the lease was your most pressing concern, you mean? A few discreet inquiries to the landlord netted information on current rents—and the fact that they were going up.”
“Lovely,” she said acerbically. “I didn’t realize my lease was information available to the press!”
Sawyer’s lips twisted wryly. “It’s not, but I happen to know the head of Rockridge Management.”
She made a disgruntled reply.
“You’ll also need a cash infusion.”
Tamara compressed her lips. Knowing it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, she forced herself to hold her tongue.
