Say It with Diamonds

by Lucy King

  The surge of triumphant satisfaction that had shot through him when she’d finally given in and slid into the car had long since vanished beneath a heat and a need that he’d thought he’d eradicated.

  Eradicated? Yeah, right. How he could have been so foolishly naïve to have thought that he had no idea. The minute she’d slammed the door and started peeling off her clothes every inch of him had leapt to attention, pulsating with an awareness that he couldn’t ignore, however much he’d like to.

  Bella’s case sat on the floor of the car that up until now he’d always considered to be quite spacious. Next to it lay her boots, which she’d unzipped and eased off a moment ago revealing shapely ankles and slim calves. She’d wiggled her toes and sighed in the kind of satisfied way that had Will instantly imagining a dozen other scenarios in which she might be sighing in a satisfied way.

  Now she was unknotting the belt of her coat and undoing the buttons and he had to curl his hands into fists to stop himself reaching out and helping her. Every movement she made sent a waft of her scent up his nostrils and frazzled his brain. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head back a little and it made him think of hot steamy showers and slick wet skin.

  As she twisted her hair into a thick dark rope her elbow briefly brushed against his shoulder and for one sizzling moment he thought he’d been electrocuted. His entire body burned as if it had gone up in flames and his heart practically stopped.

  Will stifled a groan and with mammoth effort switched his gaze to the shops sliding by. He might have decided he wasn’t going to pursue Bella but his body, stiffening and tightening and aching all over, clearly hadn’t got the message.

  Gritting his teeth as he forced down the desire he really ought not to be feeling, he dragged his mind back to his original intentions and cleared his throat. ‘I am sorry for leaving you alone like that,’ he said, forcing himself to glance over at her. ‘It was unforgivable. I don’t know what came over me.’

  Bella arched an eyebrow and flashed him a look that suggested she could think of a few things. ‘Did you solve the mystery of who’s been messing around with the jewellery?’

  ‘I did.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Turns out my aunt has a few … issues … but it’s a long and not particularly exciting story,’ he said, deliberately vaguely because, while he might be prepared to apologise for his failings, he hadn’t lost his mind to the extent that he’d go into Caroline’s.

  Bella went still and stared at him, her eyes widening. In the dim light inside the car he could make out the raindrops that still clung to her eyelashes and the flush on her cheeks from the stinging wind and it made his pulse hammer, despite his efforts to stop it. ‘Caroline is your aunt?’

  Will nodded. ‘My father’s younger sister. Older than she looks. Why? Who did you think she was?’

  ‘I had no idea,’ said Bella frostily. ‘You didn’t introduce her.’

  ‘No. I’m sorry about that too.’

  She shot him a look that he felt right in the pit of his stomach, and then nodded briefly. ‘Apologies accepted.’

  And didn’t that make him feel absurdly relieved?

  ‘How long did you wait?’ he muttered, wondering what it was about her in particular that got to him and why he was finding it so difficult to think straight.

  ‘Longer than I should have,’ she said, glaring at him for a second then folding her arms over her chest, crossing her legs and sitting back.

  Will rubbed a hand along his jaw, rapidly coming to the conclusion that, contrary to his earlier self-assurances, at some point over the last ten minutes he had actually lost his mind. Up until now he’d never considered himself to be much of a masochist but now he thought he might have to reassess his opinion. Because Bella, with her flashing eyes and pouty mouth and general air of stroppiness, was seriously turning him on.

  He glanced over at her and his blood heated. If it hadn’t been such a cliché and if he hadn’t thought she’d slap him, he’d have told her she looked beautiful when she was angry. And sexy.

  And as for her mouth, he thought, his gaze dipping to it, well, that was something else. His body tightened and his pulse hammered as the overwhelming need to know what it felt like, what it tasted like, spun through him.

  ‘Where would you like me to drop you?’ he said, his voice sounding strangely hoarse as he battled to bring his body under some sort of control.

  ‘My shop would be fine,’ she said coolly. ‘I live above it.’

  ‘How convenient.’

  ‘It is.’

  ‘How long have you had it?’

  ‘Seven years.’

  During which she’d made quite a name for herself, according to Alex who’d heard it from Phoebe. ‘Bella Scott’ was apparently the place to go if you wanted a unique and unusual piece of jewellery designed.

  ‘What’s Bella short for?’ he asked in the vague hope that inane small talk might detract him from thinking about how unique and unusual she was and how much he’d like to haul her into his arms and kiss the life out of her.

  ‘What?’ She blinked and stared at him.

  ‘Your name. What’s it short for?’

  She bristled. ‘What does that have to do with anything?’

  ‘I’m interested.’

  She hmmed. Then lifted her chin and sniffed. ‘Belladonna, if you must know.’

  Will felt his eyebrows shoot up as a smile curved his mouth. ‘Unusual.’

  ‘Yes, well, unfortunately my mother has a long-standing obsession with homoeopathy.’

  She didn’t sound as if she thought much of that particular occupation and he fought back a grin. ‘And actually remarkably apt.’

  Bella frowned and glared at him. ‘You think I’m deadly?’ she said, the tone of her voice leaving him in no doubt about what she thought of that.

  ‘I think you’re beautiful,’ he said, wondering what on earth he was doing but finding it hard to care given the way his resolve was disintegrating beneath the overwhelming pressure of wanting her.

  Her reaction to his words was unexpectedly dramatic, the change in her palpable. For a moment there was utter silence. Then she let out a shuddery little sigh, her whole body softening and Will felt the slow beat of desire start up inside him as he realised with relief that she wasn’t going to slap him.

  In fact he got the heady feeling that she was going to do the opposite. He watched her swallow hard, her eyes beginning to sparkle and gleam in the inky darkness of the car. He could feel the heat radiating off her body, caught the flicker of interest leaping in the depths of her eyes and heard the almost imperceptible quickening of her breathing. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and his gaze lingered on her mouth, lust whipping along his veins and tiny fires igniting in the pit of his stomach.

  The atmosphere in the back of the car instantly thickened and vibrated and Will couldn’t resist any longer. ‘Although you’re pretty deadly too,’ he added softly. ‘You’re certainly killing me.’

  ‘Am I?’

  ‘You know you are.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘No.’ A slow seductive smile spread across her face and Will’s pulse raced at the hot knowing look that appeared in her eye.

  So Bella wasn’t fling material. So he shouldn’t go there. But what was one kiss? One simple harmless little kiss. It wasn’t as if he’d let things get out of control or anything. And he was willing to bet everything he had that she longed to know what it would feel like as much as he did.

  With his head spinning and his heart pounding Will leaned forward and pressed the button that connected the back of the car to the front. ‘Bob?’

  ‘Yes, sir?’ came the tinny voice.

  ‘Back to where we came from, please. And take a circuitous route.’

  As the partition separating them from Bob swished up Will turned to her, every inch of his body straining with desire.

  ‘I’m flattered you enjoy my comp
any so much,’ Bella said, her voice sounding all husky and breathy as she stared at him.

  Will reached out to take a lock of her hair and wound it around his fingers. His knuckles brushed against her cheek and he felt her shudder. ‘Not just your company,’ he murmured, tugging her slowly, irrevocably towards him.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BELLA’S last coherent thought as Will’s arm came round her and his head descended was that she was so out of her depth she might as well be sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic with lead weights attached to her ankles.

  The minute she’d got into his dry warm car, his eyes had been on her every movement and any control she’d felt, any spurious inch of moral high ground she might have occupied, had vanished.

  How she’d managed to peel off her sopping clothes with such shaking hands and trembling fingers she had no idea. When her elbow had accidentally brushed his shoulder she’d nearly leapt off the seat, so strong had been the electric charge that coursed through her body. The heat and attraction and need that had then gripped her had been so overwhelming, so alarming that she’d felt she had to cling onto her indignation as some kind of defence against him.

  Ha. Defence? It was becoming pretty clear that she had absolutely no defence against Will. He’d told her he thought she was beautiful and that had been that. The last smidgeon of resentment still bouncing around inside her had evaporated and she’d crumbled.

  Somewhere in the hazy fog of desire that had replaced her brain she was dimly aware that she was once more being skilfully manoeuvred. Not that her melting, quivering body seemed to care. No. One touch, and her fickle body decided that the more skilfully Will wanted to manoeuvre her, the better.

  Bella stared at him, her mouth going dry and her heart beginning to gallop. Her breathing shallowed as if he’d stolen her oxygen and at his heat, his scent, his proximity and the intensity of the look in his eyes, her insides liquefied.

  She held her breath as his head moved lower, closer. His scent engulfed her and she went dizzy. Her mouth actually watered. The slow steady beat of desire began to drum through her and something inside her melted.

  She’d spent every second since she’d met him desperate to find out what he tasted like, and it had been driving her nuts. Frankly, she was through with guessing. And through with waiting.

  It was only a kiss, after all, and how could one little kiss hurt? She’d had countless kisses and none of them had ever hurt. Why should this one be any different?

  Bella parted her lips, felt their breaths mingle for a second and then she moved forwards and settled her mouth on his.

  She felt him jolt. Tense a little, and she wondered if he’d jerk back. But he didn’t, so she closed her eyes, ran her tongue along his lower lip, revelling in its firmness and heat, then slid inside.

  And immediately lost all sense of reality.

  Sensations cascaded through her as she gave up to the deliciousness of his mouth. Liquid fire replaced the blood in her veins. Pounding desire filled every cell of her body and her insides began to quiver.

  Oh, God, Bella thought as their tongues tangled languidly. Now she knew what he tasted like. He tasted of excitement. Arousal. Wickedness. And she was utterly intoxicated.

  Unable to prevent it, she sighed into his mouth and he responded instantly, moving the hand that wasn’t caressing her hip to the nape of her neck, sliding his fingers through her hair and angling her head to deepen the kiss. And then he was back in control, claiming possession of her mouth, her lips, her senses.

  She clutched at the back of the seat for support with one hand and curled the other into a fist, digging her nails into her palm in a desperate attempt to focus on something other than the desire clawing at her stomach. But at the devastation he was wreaking on her, at the mercy of such exquisite need, she didn’t stand a chance. She groaned and leaned into him, and then Will was hauling her onto his lap, pulling her closer and anchoring her against him as he devoured her mouth.

  Bella twisted slightly so that her torso was plastered against his, wrapped her arms around his neck and felt her mind go blank. All that existed was the two of them on the back seat of his car and the scorching heat they seemed to generate.

  He broke away and slid his mouth along her jaw to her ear. ‘This was just supposed to be a kiss,’ he whispered raggedly.

  ‘It still is.’ And as long as it stayed that way she’d be fine.

  ‘You think?’ The warmth of his breath on her skin made tiny shivers scuttle all over her.

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘So stop me,’ he muttered, tugging at the tie that secured her dress so that it loosened enough for him to slip a hand beneath the flimsy fabric to find her breast.

  Bella gasped as his hand cupped her there and his thumb brushed over her nipple. ‘In a minute.’

  ‘In a minute you might not be able to,’ he said, dropping a trail of searing kisses down her neck and over the slope of her chest. He pulled aside the lace of her bra and took her nipple in his mouth and Bella bit her lip as a million tiny electric shocks shot through her veins.

  And it was all too much. The feel of his body hard against hers and the wet heat of his mouth devastating her senses. The sizzling of her skin from where he’d kissed it. The scent of him winding up her nose and the rocking motion of the car. The way he’d been utterly impervious to her stroppiness and the confident ease with which he’d been prepared to apologise. And the fact that despite all earlier appearances to the contrary he seemed to want her as much as she wanted him.

  God, it was all much too much. She wanted him to touch her everywhere. Needed him to touch her everywhere. ‘In a minute I might not want you to,’ she said hoarsely, somewhere in the depths of her mind thinking she must be mad but too far gone to care.

  And then as lust began to pound through her Bella gave up thinking and gave in to instinct. She threaded her fingers through his hair and dragged his head up. Their mouths met and a shower of sparks darted through her as his tongue delved between her parted lips and tangled with hers.

  Her hips twitched and she tilted them closer. When she felt the hard length of his erection press into her she moaned and the kiss spiralled out of control in seconds. The back of the car filled with her breathy groans and Will’s ragged pants and the sounds made her excitement rocket.

  He put his hands on her knees and slid them beneath her coat, beneath her dress and up her thighs and Bella shivered.

  Until he stopped, jerked back and muttered a low oath.

  ‘What?’ she said, pushing her hair back and dragging in a ragged breath.

  ‘Stockings.’

  ‘Is that a problem?’

  ‘I didn’t think of stockings,’ he muttered.

  ‘Huh?’

  Colour slashed along his cheekbones. ‘Nothing.’

  Will made an aim for her mouth but she moved back out of reach and tilted her head. ‘Tell me.’ He might not have been thinking about stockings but he’d definitely been thinking about something else involving her in this kind of a scenario, and the knowledge unravelled what was left of her brain.

  He gave her a smile that she could feel right in the marrow of her bones, while his fingers continued to create havoc on the bare flesh of her upper thighs. ‘On the way to the bank I imagined you doing this.’

  Bella’s eyes widened. ‘You did?’

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘But you were on the phone.’

  He arched an eyebrow. ‘Why do you think I was on the phone?’

  She blinked. He’d felt it too? Way back then? So she hadn’t imagined that flicker of desire in his eye when she’d stumbled …

  The realisation that he’d been thinking about this as much as she had made her brain start up again and absorb this revelation. Her pulse leapt. All relationships had to start somewhere, didn’t they? And yes, maybe dinner, a date or two, was the conventional method, but where had conventionality got her? Higher up the shelf, that was where. Her heart began to hammer as a
thrilling notion planted itself in her head and took root. She’d done demure and sensible, and she was still single so why not throw caution to the wind, locate her inner vixen and start with sex? She couldn’t end up any worse off, could she?

  ‘So you imagined me like this?’ She arched her back and gazed down at him.

  Will nodded, his eyes glazing over. ‘I did.’

  ‘What else was I doing?’

  ‘Writhing,’ he muttered. ‘You were writhing.’

  Writhing she could do. ‘Like this?’ she said, rotating her hips and rubbing her breasts against his chest.

  ‘Exactly like that,’ he said hoarsely.

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘You don’t want to know.’

  ‘Maybe I do.’ And, heaven help her, it was true. She was burning up. Everything inside her had melted into a boiling quivering mass of need and she couldn’t back out now even if she’d wanted to.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Will’s hand moved higher.

  ‘Absolutely.’ She bit her lip as a thought popped into her head. ‘Bob?’

  ‘Soundproofing.’

  ‘Effective?’

  ‘You can scream if you like and no one would hear you but me.’

  Ignoring the little voice in her head that wondered how he knew a thing like that, Bella lowered her head and gave him what she hoped was a seductive smile. ‘Make me.’

  His body churning and aching with need, Will stared at Bella and wondered how he could have got her so wrong.

  Someone who wanted the whole relationship works, the whole ‘for ever’ nightmare, would never sit astride a man she’d only just met, give him a smouldering smile and basically order him to ravish her, would she?

  No, a woman with a long-term relationship on her mind would be scrambling for the door handle and tumbling out of the car in her haste to escape. And Bella definitely wasn’t showing any signs of wanting to escape. Instead she’d ensnared him with her body, her scent and her devastating mouth until he’d begun to feel as if he was the one who was unable to escape.