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* * *
Max watched as Darcy inspected the trays of rings laid out for their perusal. He almost smiled at her overwhelmed expression. She had been pretty slack-jawed since they’d walked into the opulent Rococo interior of one of the oldest jewellery establishments in the world. A byword in luxury, wealth and romance. These jewellers had supplied jewels for all the major royal houses, iconic movie stars and heads of state.
But he was still curbing the irritation he’d felt ever since Darcy’s very stark insistence that they observe professional boundaries—marriage or no. Was the woman completely blind? All he had to do was come within two inches of her and the electricity was practically visible.
Even now he couldn’t take his gaze off the way her breasts pressed lushly against the edge of the glass case they were sitting in front of. He’d noticed the sales assistant’s eyes drop too, and had glared at the man so fiercely he’d almost dropped a tray of priceless rings.
Darcy’s reminder that she would have been long gone if not for this wedding arrangement caused another ripple of irritation. Max wasn’t used to things morphing out of his control. It was a sense of control hard won and fought for—literally.
But when Darcy looked at him with those huge blue eyes all he wanted to do was throw control out of the window and give in to pure basic instinct. And yet she had the wherewithal to sit there and draw a little prim circle around herself saying, Not over the line.
She looked at him now, and Max couldn’t imagine a woman looking less enthusiastic to be here.
He frowned. ‘What is it?’
She glanced at the assistant, who moved away for a moment, discreetly polishing a ring.
‘I don’t know what to choose—they’re all so ridiculously expensive... I mean, you’re going to insure the ring, right? I’d hate for anything to happen to it—especially when this isn’t even for real.’
Max saw the clear turmoil on Darcy’s face and it was like a punch to his gut to realise just how different she was from any other woman he might have brought to a place like this. They would have had absolutely no qualms about choosing the biggest and most sparkly bauble in the shop. And he would have indulged them without even thinking. It gave him a sense of distaste now.
He took her hand in his. It felt unbearably small and soft. ‘Darcy, you’re overthinking this. Just choose a ring. We’ll get it insured. Okay?’
After a moment she nodded, and then said, ‘Sorry, I’m probably making this boring for you.’
She looked back at the rings and some hair slipped over her shoulder, obscuring her face. Without thinking Max reached for it and tucked it behind her ear again. She looked at him and he couldn’t resist. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss next to the corner of that surprisingly lush mouth.
Immediately her eyes went darker, but then they flashed. ‘I told you—’
His hand gripped hers and he smiled as he said, ‘We’re buying a ring for our whirlwind engagement, cara mia, people are watching.’
She looked around quickly and then ducked her head, whispering fiercely, ‘Fine...just in public.’
Max said nothing, but vowed right then to make sure they were in public as much as possible.
* * *
Darcy looked at the ring on her finger from different angles as Max discreetly paid the bill. Someone had delivered her a glass of champagne and she sipped it now. Grateful for the slightly numbing sensation. Numbing her from thinking about how choosing the ring had impacted on her so much.
It had brought up all sorts of unwelcome and tangled emotions. As a small girl she’d used to love going into her mother’s jewellery box and looking at the glittering earrings and bracelets. But the engagement ring had been her favourite, made of nine baguette diamonds surrounded by sapphires and set in white gold.
Darcy had used to put it on, holding it in place and imagining herself in it, marrying a handsome prince.
And then one day it had disappeared. Darcy had asked her mother where it was, only to be told curtly that she’d sold it. That had been the beginning of the end of the fairytales in Darcy’s imagination, as her parents’ marriage had fractured and split apart over an agonising year of arguments and bitter recrimination.
Today the ring Darcy had chosen in the end had been far too close to something she might choose for real, but she hadn’t been able to resist—some rogue devil had urged her on. A rectangular-shaped diamond, surrounded by smaller baguette diamonds, set in platinum. It was positively discreet when compared with some of the other choices, but right now it felt like an unbearably heavy weight on her hand.
‘Ready?’
Darcy looked up to see Max waiting. She grew warm, thinking of him watching her as she’d been inspecting the ring, and almost sprang out of the chair.
‘Ready.’
Max guided her solicitously out of the shop and Darcy couldn’t help noticing a young couple as they passed, obviously head over heels in love. The pretty woman was crying as her boyfriend presented her with a ring.
Darcy caught Max’s look and raised brows and scowled as he tutted, ‘Now, that’s not going to convince anyone.’
Just inside the clear revolving doors Max stopped her and turned her towards him. ‘What—?’ was all she managed to get out before Max cupped her jaw in one big hand and angled her face up to his so that he could kiss her.
