Free A Reputation to Uphold by Victoria Parker Page B

bottom was adhered to the leather, making her feel all kinds of stupid. What on earth was wrong with her? You’d think she was walking down the aisle to wed the devil himself, not buying a fake engagement ring.
    ‘Eeeva?’ he ground out.
    ‘Yes, I know. I know.’ Swallowing around the lump lodged in her throat, she shimmied across, took Dante’s proffered hand and plastered a smile on her face that would place the Cheshire cat in the unemployment line.
    A rotund grey-haired man hovered at the open doorway, bowing to Dante with a smile almost as big as hers. Although she doubted it was costing him the same extortionate price—three years’ worth of facial tightness at least. When Dante squeezed her hand with hot, virile strength and stroked a seductive circle over the plump ball of her thumb a ripple danced along her veins and she boosted that estimation to ten.
    ‘Good morning, Edward,’ Dante said. First-name terms. She should’ve guessed.
    ‘Sir, it is an honour to see you again.’
    Again? Oh, great . He must’ve brought Rebecca here for her fake ring too. Humiliation nipped her cheeks and she wished there was a crack in the paving to slither through. Being one of many was not a condition she’d ever strived for. And for some reason she wondered if her father had taken all his wives to the same shop for multi-purchase discount.
    Edward welcomed them into his dark lair with quiet aplomb and Eva twisted her wrist this way and that, attempting to wriggle her hand from Dante’s hold. Nada. So, with her free hand, she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, tugging him back a little so she could hiss a violent whisper. ‘We should’ve gone to a different shop. The man’s going to think you’re a serial fiancé!’
    ‘I could not care less,’ he said, his dark voice booming down the hall, making her wince.
    ‘Shh.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because...well...’ Yes, Eva, why ? If he didn’t care what people thought of him, why should she? He was so unapologetic. She should hate that, she really should. Her brain was obviously warped because she found it hot. Sexy as hell. Not a good sign. ‘You’re right,’ she muttered so only he could hear. ‘Who cares if you escort two fiancées here in one week?’
    They were shown into a large lounge area, the walls adorned with sensual boudoir-type prints that sent heat, fast and furious, coursing through her body. Oh, boy . What with the erotic red walls, enormous black velvet couches, seductive mirror-top tables and the low crystal chandeliers bouncing shards of shimmering light off every surface, she began to wonder if this place sold more than jewellery. Never in her life had she seen such carnal opulence. It was seriously evocative, yet bizarrely romantic. Dizzyingly so.
    ‘I want a diamond, Edward.’ Dante’s unyielding command knocked the air from her lungs so, by the time he encouraged her to sit upon a velvet sofa, she could do nothing more than obey with a slump. Dante shot her a quizzical glance as he sat beside her.
    Too close. Oh, boy , was he trying to sit on top of her?
    ‘I want the most beautiful diamond in the world, Edward. For the most beautiful lady, wouldn’t you agree?’
    ‘Absolutely, sir.’
    Oozing deference, Edward slid a small tray in front of them and Eva’s eyelids fluttered as sweat prickled behind her knees. She inhaled a deep stuttering breath.
    ‘Eva?’ Dante said, a tinge of concern in his voice colouring the question. And still she kept breathing, trying to work out what was bothering her so much. The room? Dante?
    Then his scent—so dark, so rich—drifted up her nose, wrapping around her senses, so when he nuzzled her neck she curled her face towards him with a basic instinct. Wanting to be closer. To relieve the need pulsing through her body, thrumming against the lace of her knickers.
    Dante dropped an open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder...tugged gently on her earlobe with his front