Diamonds Are For Lovers: Satin & a Scandalous Affair

“Would I spend the night with him otherwise?”

Her mother’s piercing gaze made her feel about ten years old, as usual. She reconsidered her defensive attitude. It had rarely worked in the past. “I suppose. But he’s out of my league.”

Sonya raised her aristocratic nose. “Must be hard to walk with that huge chip on your shoulder.”

“You haven’t met him. He’s smooth.” And sometimes rough … “He owns himself, very self-assured. Supremely comfortable with himself, his place, his ability. And he manages to convey all this without making the minions around him feel inferior.” She rolled her eyes ruefully. “Even though it’s painfully obvious that’s exactly what they are.”

Her mother rested her chin on her hand, a faraway look in her eyes. “You do like him,” she said softly, and a silence descended as Dani tried and failed to think of a suitable rejoinder.

“Why don’t you both come to dinner and the theatre with Garth and me tonight?” her mother asked.

Dani shook her head, somewhat relieved. “He won’t be back until late.”

“Oh.” Sonya looked disappointed. “You, then.”

“I’m not playing gooseberry.” She was pleased her mother was stepping out but one tiny part of her wanted to think about this for a while. Dani had few enough absolutes in her life already. To think that she may never visit her mother at Miramare again was a sobering thought. “I have heaps to do on this flying visit, honestly,” she lied, and decided to change the subject. “You’ll never guess who came to visit last week. Matt Hammond.”

Sonya’s eyes lit up, just as she’d known they would. Dani rummaged through her bag for the photos of Blake that Matt had supplied. Her mother fell on them.

“What’s more,” Dani added, “he wants me to make him an heirloom necklace from the Blackstone Rose diamonds, though I’m not sure if that’s for public consumption just yet.”

“I can’t believe it! What’s he like? Tell me everything!”

“Nice.” At least, she had thought so, thought they clicked, but that was now coloured by the conversation she’d overheard. “Really nice.”

“You don’t sound convinced,” her mother said dubiously.

“Oh, I am, it’s just that Quinn was there and they were talking business.”

The doorbell rang downstairs and Sonya’s face fell. “Not now.” She grimaced at Dani, obviously wanting to hear more about her nephew. “That’ll be Ryan.”

“Don’t tell him about Matt,” Dani whispered.

Ryan looked pleased to see her and they spent a couple of minutes discussing the wedding plans. She was thrilled to see how utterly happy he looked. He and Jessica were expecting twins in a few months. Jessica was blooming, Ryan told her, but worried she’d already outgrown her wedding dress.

“What brings you to Sydney?” Ryan asked.

“I needed special shoes for my dress,” she explained.

He rolled his eyes at Sonya. “God help us….”

Dani’s fashion sense for these big occasions was legendary. “Don’t be mean,” she grumbled. “I’ve gone to a lot of trouble for this wedding. Keeping it quiet has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Moving into Quinn’s house, his bedroom, exploring his body, welcoming his touch … and all just to keep their wedding under wraps.

Dani smiled, suddenly feeling quite kindly disposed to Ryan Blackstone. “Quinn was coming down for a funeral so I tagged along.”

Ryan’s brows rose. “Sonya told me you’re doing a job for him. I was surprised, given your history.”

She shrugged away a pang of hurt. “Client’s request.”

“Jessica knows Quinn slightly, likes him, I think.” His face lapsed into a smile she had never seen on him before. “Still, she likes everyone these days.”

Dani’s eyes nearly misted over as she witnessed Ryan’s happiness. He’d always been a troubled soul. His brother’s abduction and mother’s suicide were enough of a burden. Add to that the offhand way Howard treated both him and Kimberley, consistently choosing Ric Perrini over Ryan when it came to Blackstone Diamonds. She crossed her fingers under the table and silently wished Ryan all the happiness in the world.

“Who died?” Ryan selected an olive and a slice of cheese from the table. “Quinn’s funeral?”

“Jake Vance’s mother.”

“I’d heard Everard and Vance were chummy. Has Quinn said anything about Matt Hammond sniffing around?”

Dani shook her head, not looking at Sonya.

“Apparently Hammond was in town last week seeing Vance. The rumour doing the rounds is that Hammond and Vance are out to set up a corporate takeover of Blackstone. Seems Matt’s been polling all the shareholders for support.”

Sonya opened her mouth. Dani shot her foot out and connected with her mother’s ankle. What good would it do for him to know Matt had been in Port talking business with Quinn, too? He’d turned him down.

Sonya prudently said nothing, and she and Ryan dropped Dani at the bus stop for the central city and headed off to their real estate appointment. But even the prospect of shoe shopping did little to quell a growing disquiet. Should she warn the Blackstones about the Jake-Matt-Quinn connection? Was she being disloyal to the family who had provided for her all her life?

She let herself in to Quinn’s apartment using the key he had given her. Her feet ached and all she could think about was his large Japanese bath, so it was an unwelcome surprise when the sound of loud voices greeted her.

Four people stood around the island in Quinn’s kitchen. A pretty woman with long, tied-back greying hair, looked up first. A tall, lean man stood beside her with one arm draped loosely around her shoulders. Quinn, too, had his arm around someone’s shoulders. Someone beautiful, in a lilac suit, with a chic blond bob and striking eyes.

Dani couldn’t really take in much more than that.

But then Quinn’s eyes beat a path to her face and she felt the energy as if he’d shone an intense spotlight onto her.

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to intrude.” God, what must they think? She had his key. “I thought you’d still be out.”

Then Quinn dropped his arm from the blonde’s shoulders and walked toward her. His eyes shone as he drew her into the circle. There was no mistaking the warmth in his voice as he said, “This is Dani,” as if he’d been waiting for her to come, dying to introduce her.

As it turned out, this was much better than her anticipated bath. She shook hands with his parents, Gwen and Joseph, and with Lucy, his foster sister, who had the most beautiful, sad violet eyes.

They were ribald and rowdy, and so close, they finished one another’s sentences. It was incredible to see Quinn in this light. Outside of the bedroom, his reserve set him apart from everyone; he seemed untouchable. His parents were nothing like that, and when he was with them, neither was he. There was so much warmth, humour and concern for one another in this kitchen. She loved her mother dearly but she’d never stood around a kitchen counter with her family members, drinking, joking and sharing memories.

Yes, it was a sad day for the Everards, but as often happens with funerals, the relief of getting through it sometimes manifests itself in a need to drink. “Especially when you’re Irish!” Joseph intoned, holding out his glass for a top-up, while Quinn shook his head at her, mouthing, “He’s not Irish.”

Dani thought back to the tensions that had accompanied Howard’s funeral; the reserve, the constant media crush, everyone watching one another to make sure they didn’t fall apart, or wondering who knew what about Howard’s eventful life.

That all seemed a million miles away. Corporate takeovers, too, seemed a million miles away. She swapped blueberry muffin recipes with Gwen, had an eye-popping dance with Joseph to a Leonard Cohen song, and Lucy confided she had discovered Dani’s knickers under the couch.

“Must be his other girlfriend,” Dani told her. “I never wear them.”

“I don’t think so.” Lucy laughed. “Quinn never invites a woman to stay over here.”

Everyone left a couple of hours later and Quinn ordered in pasta, which they ate in his tub. She lay across from him as he struggled to keep his eyes open, and cautioned herself to guard her heart. Her expectations of people were too high. A throwaway remark by Lucy, the warmth in his eyes when she crashed their party … there was danger in allowing herself to hope she could ever be admitted to the circle of love she had just glimpsed.

Her fingers swirled the water in front of her, making a whirlpool, and Dani recognised she was in an uncontrolled spiral. She was falling in love, and not only with Quinn, but with the idea of his family, too.

Quinn came into his living room to see Dani standing in front of the window looking out at Sydney’s skyline, her bag by her feet.