The Purest of Diamonds? by Susan Stephens

would have been to strip Leila naked, drape her in jewels and have her on the table, but that was the wolf in him talking, and Leila was a lamb, vulnerable and far too honest for her own good. He had seen the longing in her eyes the moment she arrived on the island. He had finally deciphered what had made him edgy around Leila back at the airstrip, and it was that. And now he knew he couldn’t lead her on. They’d had one passionate night and that had been a mistake, a mistake he had no intention of repeating. Leila deserved someone better than he could ever be, someone without his baggage. She had tempted him, but that was over now and she was here to do a job. He would respect that. His father had used women as if they were nothing more than disposable toys, and he had no intention of becoming that man.
    ‘We’ve done enough for today,’ he said, his mind still lodged in the past.
    He’d done enough for today. He’d spent enough time with Leila, and he needed space from her now. Seeing her again had been a warning to him that, far from fading, his feelings for Leila Skavanga had only grown while they’d been apart.

CHAPTER SIX
    T HE NEXT FEW days passed quickly and things evened out between them. Their history was too complex for them to remain at daggers drawn for ever. Close proximity led to them swapping confidences and swapping jokes, but whether it was the intimate, confiding tone Raffa used to explain the provenance of one of the jewels, or whether it was simply his passion for his chosen subject and his vast store of knowledge, Leila had no idea.
    Perhaps it was the way he looked into her eyes in search of the same enthusiasm he felt for the treasures he was showing her, she really couldn’t say. She only knew she was losing her heart to him all over again, though they went to bed separately each night, and she slept fitfully, wondering if Raffa did too.
    As each day dawned she felt more and more convinced that if she could just hold on a little longer, the golden moment would arrive when she could tell Raffa about the baby and they’d both be happy about the news. Being pregnant was such a life-changing event she wanted to be sure she picked the right moment for him too. As she was dealing with a man for whom family life was anything but an attractive prospect, she wanted to make sure she didn’t blunder into the announcement.
    She hadn’t been expecting for them to work so closely in the physical sense. There were times when tension seemed to surge between them, and she wondered if they were both fighting off desire, and other times when she told herself not to be so stupid. Sometimes she found herself studying Raffa instead of the jewels... Diamonds or his sexy mouth? A polished emerald, or the gleam in the depth of Raffa’s eyes when he turned to confide some new fact, especially when he allowed his gaze to linger?
    ‘What are you staring at?’ he said one day, smiling.
    She’d always been a sucker for eyes that crinkled at the corners. ‘You,’ she admitted bluntly. ‘I was just thinking how different you are from the press you receive.’
    ‘We all have different faces we show the world,’ he said as he collected up the jewels for the night.
    ‘And you have more than most?’ she queried, laughing to make light of it.
    ‘Here’s one that might surprise you,’ he said as he closed the vault. ‘I’m immune to the charm of diamonds. I admire them. I admire the craftsmanship. And I know a good stone when I see one. But I prefer the simple things in life—like honesty and loyalty. I value those qualities far more than any hard, cold stone. Diamonds are just a means to an end for me. I make money out of them that allows me to support the causes I’m interested in.’
    Honesty and loyalty, she thought as Raffa called the elevator. Where would Raffa think she stood where honesty was concerned if he knew about the baby?
    ‘The exhibition you’re planning in Skavanga will be good for both