Innocent in His Diamonds by Maya Blake Page A

the stewardess announced that they were landing in fifteen minutes.
    The plane had barely taxied to a halt when Bastien looked up and issued a command in French to the stewardess. She retreated to the back of the aircraft and returned with a long, faux-fur-lined coat, which she handed to Ana.
    It was only after she’d gratefully shrugged into the warm coat that a distasteful thought occurred to Ana.
    â€˜Who does this coat belong to?’ she asked past the inexplicably jarring thought that it might belong to someone he’d been with, perhaps even touched with the same hunger he’d touched her with on his boat.
    The sensation was so strong that she was halfway to tearing off the garment when his voice stopped her.
    â€˜Mathilde keeps a selection of clothes to accommodate the different temperatures around the world. I suggest you wipe that sour look off your face and show some gratitude,’ he mocked.
    Heat suffused Ana’s face. ‘I’m sorry...’
    He waved her away. ‘Save it, Miss Duval. You can’t help who you are.’
    Without waiting for the pilot Bastien reached past her, pulled down the handle and thrust open the heavy plane door. Cold air rushed into the cabin, accelerating the freeze seizing her insides.
    She rushed after him. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
    He turned and immediately the cold receded. She felt hot, stung alive by the heated censure blazing from his eyes.
    â€˜You breathe your sexuality. I offered the use of my shower and immediately you thought of us, wet, sharing that confined space. When I came to the bedroom door your pulse thundered, and if I were a betting man I’d wager that you couldn’t keep thoughts of us in my bed out of your mind. Even sharing a meal with me just now got you so hot and bothered you couldn’t formulate a civilised conversation. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.’
    She gasped. ‘Yes! No! That’s totally out of— I dare you to tell me you weren’t thinking those same thoughts!’
    Surprise preceded a flare of heat across his cheekbones. Then he shrugged. ‘Perhaps. But I’m better at compartmentalising my emotions than you are. I don’t rush to assumptions.’
    â€˜Oh, really? You’ve rushed to find me guilty of everything so far.’
    â€˜Because I can’t ignore the evidence. To overlook it would be extremely naïve. And that is one thing I’m not.’
    Her fingers clutched the lapels of her borrowed coat at her throat, as if she would keep his sharp words out. ‘Of course not. You’re above reproach, above temptation, unlike the rest of us mere mortals. But you know what suppressing your feelings does to you eventually? It deadens you inside.’
    His brow quirked in silent mockery. ‘You think I’m dead inside?’
    He seized one of her hands and laid it flat against his chest. His heart beat heavy and steady beneath her palm before he drew it slowly down, past his belt, to the thick evidence of his manhood.
    â€˜I don’t think you want a reminder of how quickly I can refute that statement,
cherie
.’
    She heard movement behind her and wrenched her hand free as the pilot and Mathilde approached. Bastien grasped her arm and propelled her down the short steps.
    Ana forced one foot in front of the other, reeling from Bastien’s words as they approached a black Bentley waiting on the tarmac.
    â€˜Our last encounter confirmed to me that you’re an intensely sexual creature, Miss Duval, with impulses that define who you are,’ he whispered into her ear.
    The sound of her name on his lips, spoken with that sexy French lilt, caused her stomach to flip in the most alarming way, making her miss the actual words he’d uttered.
    â€˜Don’t presume that you and I are the same.’
    Anger finally loosened her tongue. ‘That’s great—because I wouldn’t wish to be anything like