The Sheikh's Diamond (Sheikh's Wedding Bet Series Book 1) by Leslie North

tip of her tongue was one she wouldn’t dare say outright, so she pulled his head down and tried to convey everything she needed and everything she was feeling in that kiss. He reached between them to touch her sensitive nub, and she went off like a rocket. As all the needs and desires built up over the past few days broke free; she could do nothing but hold on for dear life.
    He buried himself deep in one final thrust and moaned her name. His whole body shook under her touch, and as she finally calmed down from her orgasm, he collapsed on top of her.
    When her heartbeat finally slowed and her breathing returned to normal, he moved so that he was propped up above her. “Maybe it’s the diamond of lust,” he muttered with a grin.
    The mention of the stone brought reality crashing down around her. She was defiling what could be one of the biggest archaeological finds of the year with a man she barely knew. The rocks beneath her bit sharply into her back as she tried to scoot out from under him.
    “Are you okay?” he asked in concern. He watched her like a hawk as she pulled her clothes back on.
    “Fine,” she lied. “The ground wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place. What did you do with the diamond?”
    He looked around absently before he spied it on the ground.
    “Really?” she snorted. “All this time looking for it, and you just tossed it on the ground?”
    “My mind was on other things,” he said with a small smile as he put the necklace in the pouch. “Come on. We should call everyone back to camp and pack up.”
    Anxiety seized her. “Actually, maybe we shouldn’t tell anyone that we found it. Is there any way you can smuggle it some place far away? We could pretend to look for another day while we throw anyone who might be following us off the trail?”
    He regarded her closely as he dressed. “Do you have any reason to believe that anyone is following us?”
    She turned her head so he couldn’t see her expression. “It’s just a precaution,” she muttered.
    Deafening silence fell between them. Closing her eyes, she waited for him to say something. “Fleur, I’m well aware that someone is following us,” he muttered finally, his voice tinged with anger.
    “Then why didn’t you say something?” she snapped as she whirled around.
    “Because I wanted to see how long you would lie to me,” he said roughly. “I wanted to trust you, Fleur.”
    “I didn’t think I needed to tell you. You got what you wanted.” Her cheeks flushed when she realized that her words had a double meaning. “So I guess trust doesn’t really need to be an issue.”
    He stared at her for a moment. “I suppose since you aren’t trying to steal the diamond from me that you didn’t send anyone.” Fleur wasn’t ready to throw Bruce under the bus just yet, but it was easy enough for Masoud to connect the dots. “Who did Bruce call?”
    “Let’s just get out of here,” she muttered as she reached down and grabbed her bag. “We’ll get the diamond out and then we’ll worry about who is following us. You’ll need to send someone else out to get water, right?” Masoud nodded. “Fine. Send the diamond out with him. We’ll fake it for another day. Pack up the cars in the morning, and we’ll explore more of the caves, which will give me more time to take a look at this place. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll get the hell out of Dodge.”
    There was nothing warm about him as he thought over her plan. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. But when this is all over, I plan to have a long talk with your stepbrother.”
    A cold shudder went through her. Anton was the immediate problem, but it looked like Masoud might be an even bigger one. Now that she had figured out how to get the diamond out, she’d need to figure out how to get Bruce out.
    And just moments ago, she had given Masoud absolutely everything.

Chapter Eleven
     
    Masoud let her lead them out and followed her at a close distance. He’d known she was lying to