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‘Um...yes.’
‘Then you will choose mine,’ he said simply.
She wasn’t going to tell him that part of the decision for the stunning ring set that adorned her finger was simply statement-making. The other part had been expediency. The jeweller, who had been there for her selection the day before they married, smiled in a way that made her think that he was reading a far too romantic connotation behind Zeph’s request.
As to what her husband was thinking, she chose not to probe too deeply.
Staring down at the display, she dismissed the heavy gold bands and the super-thin titanium ones that were all the rage. She cast a discreet glance at Zeph’s hands, the long, slightly callused capable fingers with a thick broad palm.
Her gaze zeroed in on a brushed platinum band with a row of tiny black diamonds dissecting the middle and her heart skipped a beat. Even before she reached for it, Imogen knew that it was the one. Hoping he wouldn’t see the slight tremble in her hand as she reached for it, she drew it from its slot and held it out to him.
Zeph shook his head. Then slowly he extended his left hand to her, fingers outstretched. ‘You do it,’ he instructed thickly.
It was all so surreal.
As if she were caught up in a secret fantasy she couldn’t extricate herself from even while her rational mind knew that it was a scene that would never come true.
But once again she was faced with a situation she couldn’t refuse. So, sliding her fingers beneath his, Imogen slid the wedding ring onto her husband’s finger. It settled easily and snugly, as if it was meant to be, and her breath caught over again as she saw it there, resting against his tanned skin.
With a compulsion she couldn’t deny, she glanced up at him to find burnished flame heating his midnight-blue eyes. Eyes that seared hers for several moments, then dropped hungrily to her lips. And stayed.
The heavy sigh from the romantic jeweller was an effective sound that shattered the far too charged atmosphere. Dropping her hands, she aimed a smile at the short man. ‘Thank you so much for coming on such short notice.’
He shook his head and waved her away. ‘Anything for you, Mr and Mrs Diamandis. I’m only glad I was able to be of service.’
His hand dropping to his side, Zeph nodded at the hovering crew member. ‘Goodnight. You will be seen out.’
As the man was escorted off the deck, she turned to find Zeph examining the ring on his finger. Moments later he looked up at her, and pinned her with his gaze.
‘Now you have a means to find me should I ever stray from your side.’
They were matter-of-fact words, a practical solution to something that would probably never happen again. And yet her foolish heart leapt again. Unnerving her with the notion that a change was happening sheshouldn’twant and yet couldn’t seem to stop herself from responding to.
She was still grappling with that growing problem when he placed his hand on the small of her back again and led her off the deck.
Realising that they were heading downstairs to the staterooms, Imogen scrambled to gird her loins for what was coming next.
Another debate about the sleeping arrangements? Or an interrogation about why they were sleeping apart in the first place.
But once again, he took the wind out of her sails by pausing in the hallway. ‘Which one is yours?’ he asked, indicating the stateroom doors.
She looked up, surprised, and he smiled. ‘I’m not going to push myself on you or assert my marital rights, if that is what you’re expecting.’
Because he had a headache or his instincts were reminding him that there had been no attraction between them before?
When one hand rose to clutch the back of his neck, Imogen abandoned trying to work it out. ‘Two doors down,’ she murmured.
With a curt nod, he led her to her door and turned the handle. After several seconds spent tracking every inch of her space, he turned to her. ‘Kalinychta,matiamou.Sleep well. Tomorrow is another day.’
She watched him walk away, the dull thudding of her heart taunting her with the notion that she had expected a different outcome. Shaking her head, she shut the door and slowly walked across the carpet to her dressing room.
Her senses were still darting all over the place as she disrobed and slipped on her silk dressing down. Eyeing her bed, she knew sleep would be out of reach, at least for the moment, so she turned on her laptop and tackled the many items on her perpetually full to-do list.
An hour later she stood and stretched her back, a little irritated with herself when she noted that sleep was still out of reach. Going to bed would only result in tossing and turning and getting more annoyed.
She toyed with calling for a cup of chamomile tea and discarded the idea, settling instead for a glass of cold water from the chilled cabinet that contained an assortment of drinks in her room.
The small private balcony attached to her stateroom beckoned with the promise of fresh air. Opening the door, she stepped out, sighing at the cool marble floor beneath her feet and the light breeze that soothed her heated skin.
