Queen of Diamonds (Aces & Eights Book 4)

by Sandra Owens

  He’d forgotten how glittery these things were. Ball gowns sparkled with crystals sewn in the bodices and skirts, competing for attention with diamonds flashing on fingers and necks. Across the room he saw his mother chatting up one of Miami’s resident rock stars.

  “Oh, there’s Jonathan and Cynthia Johnstone. Do you know them?” Deidre asked.

  “I do.” He hadn’t seen the Johnstones in over a year. Not surprising since this was the first function he’d attended since Olivia had left him. Jonathan was okay, but Cynthia was all about status and how much money was in one’s bank account. He so badly didn’t want to be here.

  Deidre was lovely, blonde and blue-eyed, slim and pale. But she was made from the same mold as his ex-wife, and he couldn’t help comparing her to the black-haired, brown-eyed beauty he couldn’t stop thinking about. Apparently his taste in women had drastically changed.

  “Rand Stevens, you do still exist,” Jonathan said upon seeing him. He smiled at Deidre. “Hello, Deidre. How’d you get this guy to come out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in?”

  Deidre smiled back at Jonathan. “It’s my superpower.”

  She and Cynthia air-kissed, then Rand got air-kisses from Cynthia. The hell, he hated these things. He spied his parents headed their way, and he braced himself, knowing his mother would bestow her own air-kisses on him before she found something to criticize.

  “Hello, Randall,” his mother said after almost touching her lips to first one cheek and then the other. “You’ve gained a few pounds. You should let me make you an appointment with my personal trainer.”

  “Regina, leave the boy alone.” His father greeted Deidre and then Jonathan and Cynthia.

  Well, that was embarrassing, having his mother chastise him in front of the others and then his dad calling him a boy. But that was the way it had always been, and he should be used to it by now. Nor had he gained weight, and was, in fact, in the best physical shape he’d ever been in due to Nate’s insisting his agents spend time at the gym.

  “Mother, you look beautiful, as usual,” he said, not only because she expected the compliment but because it was true. Regina Stevens spent a lot of time and money to make sure she appeared a good ten or fifteen years younger in face and body than her fifty-five years. She graced him with a thin smile and then turned her attention to Deidre and Cynthia.

  As a boy he’d vied for her attention in every way he could think of, but had never gotten more than a few words or an admonishment to behave. Somewhere around his early teens, he’d finally accepted that she didn’t love him or his father. He still didn’t understand why his dad stayed married to her, but that was a mystery he wasn’t interested in solving.

  Bored with the chitchat, he scanned the room, stilling when he locked eyes with the woman who’d been haunting his mind. A smile teased her lips at seeing him.

  “Uh-oh. Marguerite Fletcher is wearing the same gown as Cynthia. That should liven things up when Cynthia notices,” Deidre whispered, leaning against his arm.

  Kinsey’s gaze flicked from him to Deidre, and her smile froze, then faded away. She turned her face toward the man standing next to her. It was the same man who’d almost left bruises on her arm when he’d gone to Summer Fashions. Why the hell was she with him? Rand crushed the growl forming in this throat.

  He glanced at Deidre to see her eyes dancing with mischief. She really was beautiful and amusing and nice. And she did absolutely nothing for him. There wasn’t even the slightest hitch in his breath when her breasts brushed against his arm.

  “So you’re predicting fireworks as a part of tonight’s entertainment?”

  She gave a soft chuckle. “I’ve always loved fireworks.”

  As if his eyes had a mind of their own, they drifted back to Kinsey. She was watching them, but as soon as their gazes met, she looked away again. He knew exactly what she was thinking, that everything he’d said to her had been a lie.

  And why was she with that douchebag?

  “Who is she?”

  Rand jerked his gaze away and turned to Deidre. “Who?”

  “The woman you’re staring so hard at. She’s very pretty.”

  He almost said, No one. But that wasn’t true. “Her name’s Kinsey Landon.”

  “I see,” she said, and he guessed she did because disappointment flashed in her eyes.

  He was sorry for putting it there, but he had no intention of letting her think he’d be seeing her again. A waiter with a tray of champagne appeared, and after the others took a flute, he quietly asked for a club soda on ice with a lime. He’d learned that if he had one of those in his hand, people assumed it was a drink and wouldn’t ask him questions he didn’t want to answer.

  His dad held out his arm. “Shall we go mingle, darling?” he asked his wife.

  “Yes. I see Mayor Torres and his wife. We must say hello.”

  “They’re a lovely couple,” Deidre said after his parents wandered away.

  Rand almost snorted. “Aren’t they, though?” His parents, especially his mother, were very good at acting the loving couple when in public.

  His gaze drifted back to Kinsey. She wore a black dress that hugged every delicious curve, but unlike the other women in the ballroom who were draped in diamonds and jewels, her only jewelry was a pair of silver dangling earrings and a silver comb holding one side of her hair above her ear. She was by far the most beautiful woman in the room, and she took his breath away.

  It had been almost a week since he’d left her to think about them, if there was a them, and she hadn’t called. He took that to be her answer. As much as it hurt—and the thought of not seeing her hurt a lot—he couldn’t blame her.

  The man she was with caught Rand watching them. Recognition flashed in his eyes, and he smirked. Holding Rand’s gaze, the man trailed his fingers down Kinsey’s arm. More than anything, Rand wanted to break those fingers.

  “You should probably stop staring at them,” Deidre whispered in his ear. “You’re only encouraging him to piss you off.”

  Rand sputtered a laugh. He tore his gaze away from Kinsey. “Did you just say ‘piss’?” Women of their world did not say words like piss.

  She slyly smiled. “I know even naughtier words, Rand. You’ve pegged me as a clone of women like your ex-wife, and yes, I know Olivia. I was always a little rebel, much to my parents’ chagrin.” She darted a glance at Kinsey. “If she hadn’t already stolen your heart, I think you and I could have rebelled together and had a shitload of fun doing it. But she has, and I don’t settle for second best.”

  He didn’t know what to say to that, but he decided he liked her, which he hadn’t expected.

  “Left you at a loss for words?” she said, amusement in her eyes. At his nod, she smirked. “I seem to have that effect on people. So, since we’re not going to burn up the sheets together after our duty here is done, what can I do to help?”

  “Help?” He was starting to sound like an idiot.

  “Yep. I do love happy endings, and because I believe you’re a good man, Rand Stevens, I think you should have yours. What’s the problem? It’s not that she doesn’t want you. She can’t stop sneaking peeks at you, and she doesn’t like seeing you with me. So the reason the two of you are miserable because you’re not together is…?”

  “She wants children, and I don’t.” And why was he telling Deidre his personal problems?

  “Ah, I see.” She slipped her arm around his and pulled him over to a side wall, away from other people. “That’s a hard problem to fix.” Sympathy softened her eyes. “I have a tendency to stick my nose in other people’s business, so forgive me if I’m stepping in where you don’t want me.”

  When she paused, seeming to wait for him to tell her to either continue or shut up, he said, “And?” He wasn’t sure why or even if he wanted to hear what she had to say, but he was curious enough to listen. If he’d met her before Olivia, he thought his life might have turned out entirely different.

  “I hope I’m
doing the right thing here.” She glanced away, as if reconsidering, then met his gaze. “Okay, here it is. I met Olivia shortly after your divorce. A friend of mine who knew her invited her to have a girls’ night out with us. After a few apple martinis Olivia got chatty, telling us about her divorce. She blamed it on you. She told us how your daughter died, said you couldn’t get over it to the point that it was just too depressing to be around you.”

  Even though he knew Olivia blamed him for that very reason, anger heated his blood. How was he supposed to get over losing his baby girl? And how had it been so easy for Olivia to do just that?

  “I had to about bite my tongue off to keep from calling her a cold bitch.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m going to share something very personal with you. I can’t have children. The reason why isn’t important, but if that gorgeous woman over there shooting daggers at me with her eyes because we’re over here in the corner and I’m touching you hadn’t already won your heart, I’d be the perfect woman for you.” She chuckled. “That was an aside, not the message I’m trying to get across.”

  He couldn’t help darting a glance at Kinsey. As soon as their eyes connected, she turned her back to him. He shifted his attention back to Deidre. “I’m not connecting the dots. Are you telling me to go after her or to forget her and choose you?”

  She shook her head, wrinkling her nose at him. “I already told you I don’t do second best. My point is, you knew the kind of love, a parent for a child, that I’ll never get to experience. How can you deny yourself having that kind of love and joy in your life again? Is that what your daughter would want for you?”

  “I don’t—”

  “I’m not finished. Quite honestly, I think you’re being selfish. To her”—she tilted her head toward Kinsey—“and to the children you’re not going to have because you’re too afraid. Stop being a coward, Rand, and go yank your woman away from that asshole. As for me, I’m going to go talk to that cute bartender.”

  Stunned, Rand watched Deidre glide away. He wasn’t being selfish, and he wasn’t a coward. Was he? He slipped his hand into his pocket and touched Zoe’s necklace. For a year he hadn’t left the house without it in his pocket, as if it was a link to her. But it wasn’t. It was just a necklace, a present he hadn’t had a chance to give her.

  Stop being a coward. Deidre’s accusation echoed off the walls of his brain, growing louder with each bounce. “I’ll always miss you, baby girl,” he whispered, then let go of the necklace. As his gift for Zoe fell back into his pocket, a weight lifted, from his heart and from his soul. It was the first time he believed, really and truly believed, that he wouldn’t betray his little girl by loving another child.

  His gaze sought out Kinsey. She said something to the woman he’d left Kinsey’s apartment keys with, and then she walked out of the ballroom. The man Kinsey had told him was the boss’s son, the one Rand had the urge to kill, watched her leave. When she was out of sight, a look that was too cunning for Rand’s comfort crossed his face as he eased away from his group and followed her.

  Kinsey put her hands on the counter and closed her eyes. It had taken every ounce of her willpower and acting ability to stay in the ballroom and pretend she wasn’t dying inside when she’d seen Rand with that woman. Whoever she was, she was stunning and everything that Kinsey wasn’t. Willowy, blonde, blue-eyed, and a flawless creamy complexion. What her mother had always called peaches and cream. When her eyes refused to stop seeking him out, she’d fled to the restroom.

  Considering his date tonight and the picture she’d seen of his wife, that was obviously the type of woman he preferred. She lifted her eyes to the mirror and studied her tan skin and body that definitely wasn’t willowy. Had he only been toying with her, wanting a little taste of something different before he went back to the type of woman he preferred?

  Every day for the past week she’d picked up her phone at least once an hour to call him, to tell him she wanted him no matter his conditions. Yet each time she’d paused, thinking of the children she’d never have if their relationship progressed to the point of marriage.

  Seeing him tonight with another woman brought a revelation. She was in love with him. But in love enough to never hold her child in her arms? She could have him but no children or have children but not him. How was she supposed to choose between those two things?

  It was too late, though, wasn’t it? As hard as she’d tried not to watch him with the woman, her eyes ignored her wishes. They’d been cozy off by themselves, touching, their heads close together while deep in conversation. It hurt to see them together like that.

  The restroom door opened, and she turned her back to whoever was coming in and grabbed a paper towel to wipe away the tears falling down her cheeks.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” Sebastian said, slipping his arms around her and pulling her against him.

  “The hell, Sebastian. Get your hands off me.” She tried to push his arms away, but he tightened them. He’d never scared her before, only creeped her out, but now she was frightened. There had to be a hundred women in the ballroom. You’d think one of them would need to use the restroom, but apparently not.

  “Aw, come on, babe. Stop being a tease.” He put his hand on her breast and squeezed.

  “That hurts. If you don’t get off me, I’m going to scream.” She fisted her hand and tried to punch his face, but he laughed as her fist only grazed the side of his neck.

  “Go ahead and fight me, little witch. That only turns me on more.” He rocked his groin against her butt. “See how hard I am for you?”

  Panicking now, she tried to twist around. If she could face him, she could knee him in the balls. He laughed, keeping a strong grip on her with his right arm. He circled her throat with the fingers of his left hand and squeezed tight enough to make it hard to breathe.

  “You scream and it’ll be the last sound you make. I’m tired of you teasing me.” He rocked against her again. “I mean to get a piece of this sweet ass tonight. I’ve tried to be patient and romance you into my bed, but time’s up, babe. I booked a room, so be a good little girl and come along quietly. If you try to call out to anyone, you’ll be very sorry.”

  There wasn’t a chance in hell that she was going anywhere with him. When he stuck his tongue in her ear, she thought she might vomit. She did the only other thing she could think of to do. She lifted her leg and aimed the spike of her shoe at his knee.

  “Goddamn bitch! You’ll pay for that.”

  Suddenly he was gone. He’d let go of her so fast that she stumbled forward, hitting her forehead hard on the wall. White stars blasted off behind her eyelids, and she sucked in a breath as excruciating pain throbbed through her head and down to her jaws. God, that hurt, but she’d freed herself from his hold, and now she had to get out before he got his hands on her again.

  “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

  Rand? She turned and sagged against the wall. She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. A blurry image of two men wrestling on the floor danced in front of her eyes. She tried to swallow, but that hurt, too.

  The door opened, and a woman rushed in. Kinsey squinted. Oh, it was her, Rand’s girlfriend. She added sadness to her pain, then gave in to the black void seeping into her head.

  12

  “Stop it, Rand. You’re going to kill him.”

  Rand tried to shake off the hand that was tugging on his arm. He had every intention of killing the son of a bitch.

  “Rand! Stop. Kinsey needs help.”

  Kinsey? At hearing her name, the bloodred rage that had taken over when he’d seen that hand around her throat lifted fractionally, just enough for him to see past the haze. To see her crumbled against the wall.

  “Kinsey,” he whispered. He looked down at the man he straddled. His nose was bleeding and appeared broken. His right eye was beginning to swell shut. Good. He deserved every bruise and more.

  “You’ll be sorry, asshole,” the man grunted past a split li
p. “My father—”

  “You just tried to rape a woman, and then you assaulted an FBI agent. You have the right to remain silent, so not another word out of you.” Rand swung his fist down one more time, knocking him out. He crawled over to Kinsey. “Sunshine, wake up.” He wanted to pull her onto his lap, but he was afraid to move her. There was a large bump on her head from hitting the wall, and it was possible that she’d also hurt her neck. He growled at seeing the fingerprints on her skin.

  Deidre leaned over his shoulder. “Is she going to be okay?”

  He put two fingers on her neck, felt a strong pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief. “For his sake, she better be.”

  “I’m sorry, but you can’t come in right now.”

  Rand glanced over to see Deidre blocking whoever was trying to come in.

  “You can’t just hog the restroom,” a female voice said.

  “Actually I can,” Deidre said, then put her back against the door and pushed it closed.

  He had to get Kinsey help. “Is there a lock on the door?”

  “Unfortunately, no.” She huffed a breath, stiffening her back when the woman tried to push in again.

  “Hold tight if you can.” He retrieved his phone from his pocket and called his father. “I need you to come to the ladies room just outside the ballroom right now.”

  “On my way.”

  “Kinsey? Sweetheart, open your eyes.” He rubbed his fingers over the top of her hand, afraid to touch her anywhere else. “Thank you,” he said, glancing over at Deidre. “You had good timing.”

  She shook her head. “No, I saw her leave and him follow. Then when you headed after them, I thought there might be trouble. That you might need my help.” She gave him a little shrug as if her actions were insignificant.

  They weren’t, and he owed her big. If not for her stopping him, he might well have killed the man in a blackened rage, but wanting to do it and actually doing it were two entirely different things.

  A knock sounded at the door. “Rand?”