He had no interest in getting to know her beyond the superficial and while she should be happy about it, she'd moved past delusional.

  She should've known she couldn’t wake next to a warm body after sharing her troubles with him, and remain immune.

  Her fatal mistake had been telling him the truth this morning.

  They'd been driving back from Crown Towers and he'd asked her how people had accepted their marriage. She could've lied but she didn't. She'd been the brunt of a lie by omission—thanks to Sapphire keeping Mum's confidence the last year—and it sucked.

  Besides, considering Denver had embezzled millions from his friends, she'd hazard a guess Jax hated lies.

  So she'd told him the truth.

  How people were suspicious of their marriage and what motivated it, how they were reluctant to trust him because of his father's sins.

  Jax had taken it surprisingly well. Then again, it would've come as no shock, considering he'd been fobbed off repeatedly when he'd tried to set up vital business meetings.

  By the time he'd dropped her off here, his expression had been as black as his mood.

  Wait until he heard her news.

  "Want to talk about it?" Opal asked.

  Ruby shook her head, wishing every emotion didn't play out across her face like a feature movie.

  "Thanks, Opal, I appreciate the offer, but I'm busy."

  She turned back to her workbench, hoping her cousin would get the hint.

  She didn't.

  Opal leaned in closer. "What are you working on?"

  "A canary diamond parare. I've finished the necklace and partially done the earrings, with the brooch and bracelet to go."

  Opal hooked the necklace, her favourite dog collar style, and held it up to the light, the brilliant cut diamonds refracting the light. "Wow, Rubes, you just get better and better."

  "Would be better if I had a pre-order for it," she muttered, making a mental note to return the twelve phone messages Opal had left on her desk earlier.

  It had been a long time since she'd received five phone calls a day, let alone twelve. She assumed it might be the gossipmongers from last night wanting the low-down on her marriage, but what if they were orders?

  Unfortunately, she knew those calls wouldn't be from the event planner she'd met with this afternoon to organise the auction, the same one who had turned up his nose at her proposal.

  "Damn, I almost forgot." Opal replaced the necklace on the velvet and snapped her fingers. "You've been commissioned for a pink diamond engagement ring. White gold, fantasy cut, three carat."

  Ruby whistled. "Did you quote a price?"

  Opal nodded, her grin superior. "Yep, and they didn't baulk or quibble. Placed the order on the spot."

  "Wow."

  Ironic, if she had to choose an engagement ring, she'd go for the same thing. She loved the fantasy cut, faceting stones using freeform angles. It freed her creativity in a way nothing else did, and to work on a pink diamond of that size with the option to do whatever she wanted…

  She could see the design in her imagination, utilising a brilliant cut to maximise the stone's natural fire. A stone of exceptional clarity, minimal inclusions. Maybe a claw setting, white gold prongs gripping the stone without metal underneath to highlight the stone itself. Or perhaps a Tiffany setting, high six-pronged?

  Opal laughed and tapped her on the shoulder. "I can see you're already imagining what this ring looks like, so I'll leave you to it."

  "When do they need the ring by?"

  Opal's smiled faded. "Uh… a pretty short timeline. I agreed to it because I know we need the work."

  "How long?"

  "Two weeks?"

  "That's ridiculous—"

  "Will it help if I burn the midnight oil alongside you? I'll bring you coffee and muffins and those white-choc brownies you love."

  Ruby shouldn't be complaining. The sale of this ring would take Seaborn one step further out of the red and heading towards the black.

  "Fine. Arrange a fitting."

  Opal shook her head. "No can do. The guy said it had to be a surprise. He gave me the lucky girl's sizing, and said that would have to do."

  Ruby frowned. "You know I don't like working on mega pieces like this without ensuring the sizing is right from the start."

  "I told him, but the surprise was a deal-breaker…"

  Stupid romantics. As long as this guy didn't come whining to her when his bride-to-be didn't like the design or the ring didn't fit.

  "No worries, I'll just have to make this the best ring ever," she said, giving Opal a gentle shove in the direction of the door. "Now scoot, I've got work to do."

  Opal left, but though Ruby tried to concentrate on putting the final touches on the dog collar, ensuring the short, multi-strand choker sat flat, she couldn't help but think about the pink diamond engagement ring and how she wished she had a guy who loved her enough to surprise her with something similar.

  Chapter 25

  Jax stayed away from Ruby for two days.

  Their wedding reception might’ve been a stepping stone to launch his business career in this city, but it had been his downfall in every other way.

  Namely, his susceptibility to his bewitching wife.

  He'd let her into his heart a little that night and he hadn't recovered since.

  She'd seen too much—his innermost fears, his vulnerabilities—and he needed to erect some kind of barrier between them before he lost his mind and blurted the entire sorry tale of his life.

  Since that night, he'd deliberately set a manic work schedule. Forty-eight hours of back-to-back meetings, outlining new proposals, and drafting a new company mission statement for when they went global.

  Definitely when. He wouldn't consider if.

  Despite the city's power brokers still stalling, now that he'd calmed down after his initial fury over their continued shunning of his proposals—and the fact he'd dragged Ruby into his mess by association—he realised his acceptance wouldn't happen overnight.

  His dad had fleeced these people, had ruined reputations and families. He couldn't fault them for being wary. He'd be the same, especially when it came to investing money. He didn't give a toss what they thought of him personally, but as they continued to eschew his well-formulated, lucrative business strategies, it rankled.

  So he did what he did best. Ramped up the pressure. Continued to set up meetings. Refused to back down.

  He'd been busy trying to barge his way through the giant corporate door in Melbourne and hadn't had time to follow up on Ruby's auction idea.

  His excuse, he was sticking to it.

  So what was his excuse now, as he reluctantly used the key Ruby had given him to let himself into her showroom?

  An honest man would admit to missing her. Missing her exuberance, her bluntness, her optimism.

  Even when he'd been on the verge of chucking in this whole fiasco at their wedding reception, she'd come up with something innovative and he'd allowed himself to be distracted.

  Simply, his wife intrigued him on so many levels he didn't dare venture beyond their business marriage.

  He'd been kidding himself, thinking he could remain immune to her. He should've known how much trouble he’d let himself in for from the moment she dared him that first night, all sass and challenge.

  He admired so much about her. Her dedication to her work, to her company, to her family. Her ability to make the best of any situation, to see the best in anyone.

  Including a repressed emotion-phobe like him.

  He followed the sound of metal clinking coming from her workroom, smiling at the kooky Do Not Disturb sign with a cartoon skull and crossbones forbidding entry.

  After ignoring the driving need to see her the last two days, that wouldn’t stop him.

  He slipped behind the curtain, content to watch her work. She’d pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail, tendrils framing her face as her tongue poked out between her lips as she concentrated on twisting metal with a pair of delicate pliers.

  On the third attempt, she flung the tool down and swore. Maybe not the best time for an impromptu visit.

  "Hey."

  Her head snapped up and she frowned when she caught sight of him.

  Definitely not the welcome he'd anticipated.

  "You’ve caught me at a bad time." She gestured at the work bench, before she pinned him with a steely, narrow-eyed glare. "And what happened to the rule about waiting to be invited to use that key?"

  And he thought he'd been grouchy the last few days.

  "Want me to leave?"

  He expected her to nod. He didn't expect her sensual mouth to droop as a glimmer of tears eradicated the battle gleam he'd glimpsed in her eyes a moment ago.

  "What's wrong?" He crossed the small space in three strides and hauled her into his arms.

  She snuggled into him, the snuffle of soft sobs making him want to pummel whoever or whatever had made her cry. He'd seen her many things—defiant, quirky, challenging—but never defeated.

  When she quieted, he awkwardly eased her back, unsure how to handle this.

  "The auction's a bust," she muttered, her lower lip quivering. "Apparently the PR people won't take a risk on promoting something so valuable without a reasonable investment of cash to back it."

  She shook her head, a strand of hair getting trapped in her mouth and she angrily swiped it away. "Cash I don't have."

  She shoved him away and he let her go, aware she needed to vent. He understood her frustration; boy, did he understand. The excitement of devising a new deal only to have it flounder because the right people wouldn't come to the party.

  Her arms flung wide. "Take a look at this place. You'd think it would be enough, right? Seaborn, all it stands for." She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "Apparently not."

  "Is there anything I can do?"

  Just like that, all the fight drained out of her and she sagged onto the stool in front of her workbench.

  "No, I'm just offloading." She kicked the rung of the stool with her heel. "It just makes me so mad. People have this preconceived notion I'm the ditzy, inadequate Seaborn."

  Regret mingled with sadness tightened her mouth and he reached out but she held him off.

  "They don't take me seriously. I want to make a go of saving this place, but how can I when they won't give me a go and nothing I do seems to work…" She trailed off, darting a concerned glance his way.

  "Hey, this marriage is working." He reached out and smoothed her hair back. "It may be unconventional but we're doing the best we can."

  "I guess," she muttered, her sceptical tone less than convinced.

  Sadly, it looked as if it would take them a while to get what they wanted. Unless… his gaze fell on the exquisite pieces she'd made, laid out in black velvet boxes on steel shelving next to her workbench.

  She had talent.

  He had cash.

  Why couldn't she sell her pieces if she had the right backing?

  "I've got an idea."

  "Yeah?" She sounded less than impressed.

  "How about Maroney Mine puts up the collateral for your auction? That way, you can have your auction, sell your pieces, and prove to everyone you've got what it takes to make a go of this."

  Her eyes widened and his throat constricted at the expressive gratitude he glimpsed.

  "Why would you do that?"

  Because he cared, damn it, but no way would he complicate this situation with emotion.

  “It’s a win-win. Maroney Mine gets some good publicity, you get your auction."

  She pondered for a moment before her mouth stretched in a wide grin that had him feeling as if he'd saved a crew of trapped miners single-handedly.

  "That's a super idea." She leaped into his arms, linking her hands around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

  She peppered her liberal thanks with kisses and he wished he could be this altruistic every day.

  When she finally—and regrettably—stopped kissing him, she stared at him as if he'd given her the Hope Diamond. "I can't believe you'd do this for me."

  His heart lurched, and he covered his uncertainty with bluster. "I married you, didn't I? That's a way bigger investment than throwing a few dollars around."

  She tapped him on the nose. "That gruffness doesn't fool me, mister."

  She slid her legs down and stood, still within delicious full-frontal contact as she patted his shirt over his chest. "In here? Made of gold."

  He didn't like being cast as tender and mushy, so he did the only thing possible to distract her.

  He kissed her.

  A kiss that quickly escalated out of control.

  He'd hoped staying away from Ruby would cool his hunger. It had only served to fuel it.

  Blinded by lust, he backed her up against the work bench, one hand cradling her head for better access to her mouth, the other splayed in the small of her back, dragging her closer. Pressing her into the evidence of how much he'd missed her.

  Damn, he'd never been this crazy turned on. He craved sex like the next guy but this out of control, mindless need to be inside her? Totally blew his mind.

  “Fuck, I want you," he murmured, ravaging her mouth repeatedly until she clung to him, her moans firing him as much as her desperate hands all over him.

  "Right back at you," she said, sliding his jacket off and flinging it away. The sooner her clothes followed suit, the better.

  "Want to take this upstairs?" She nipped the sensitive skin beneath his jaw line and he bit back an expletive.

  "I'm not waiting that long."

  He slid his hands beneath the T-shirt dress she wore and ripped off her panties to prove it.

  She gaped for a stunned second before a debauched grin tilted the corners of her lush mouth. "Me too.”

  His rash impulse set fire to their rampant need and they tore at each other's clothing, not caring about ripped cotton or popped buttons or anything but getting naked.

  "What is it about you that makes me so crazy?" She cupped his cheek, her other hand skimming his waist, his abs, moving lower, and he stilled it before he lost it completely.

  "My unabashed charm." His lips skimmed the sweet-salty skin above her collarbone in the barest of kisses.

  "My debonair wit." His lips trailed between her breasts and she arched into him.

  "My irresistible talent for…" His lips dipped towards her navel, his tongue snaking around it, before her hands tangled in his hair and she tugged gently.

  "This time, we're together the whole way.'

  As much as he yearned to pleasure her in the way he knew she loved, he couldn't resist her sultry plea. He stood, mesmerised by her swollen lips, her glowing cheeks, her passion-hazed stare.

  This magnificent woman wanted him in a way that made him feel victorious in a way nailing the biggest business deal didn't.

  "Together sounds good." He touched her lower lip with his fingertip, tracing the soft contour. "But we still do this my way."

  Her tongue darted out to lick his finger, starting at the tip and working its way to his knuckle, which she laved with relish.

  He swore, and her knowing smile served to ratchet up the heat.

  He had to be inside her.

  Now.

  He snagged a swathe of black velvet off a shelf and rolled it out on the floor. She raised an eyebrow and he murmured, "Go with me on this," as he lowered her onto it.

  She lay in the middle of the velvet, her skin glimmering with the faintest sheen of perspiration, more beautiful than any gem set against an ebony backdrop.

  As he knelt beside her, the twinkle of gold caught his eye over her left shoulder and he grinned as an idea popped into his head.

  "What's that wicked smile about?"

  His lips nibbled her ear as he whispered, "You'll see."

  He snagged a velvet pouch from the clearly labelled stock and took his sweet time opening it.

  She watched with wide eyes as he tipped a dazzling display of amethysts, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds into his palm, weighing them carefully before sprinkling them across her belly.

  She inhaled sharply as he spread them across her stomach in a gentle sweep, the glittering kaleidoscope catching the light and refracting into rainbows scattered against her skin.

  "Do you know how much they're worth?"

  "Not as much as the priceless canvas they're lying on," he said, grazing her lips repeatedly until she sighed with want.

  He toyed with the jewels, edging them around her navel, savouring the little shiver she gave every time one slipped into the dip and he scooped it out with a fingertip.

  He lined up the sapphires while licking one breast.

  He made patterns with the emeralds and amethysts while suckling the other.

  He made a heart out of rubies while whispering in her ear what he intended to do to her all night long.

  "There's something infinitely decadent about using gems as foreplay," she said, her voice hitching as the back of his hand skimmed her bikini line.

  "Wait until you see what I have in mind for the gold bar."

  She laughed out loud at his innuendo and rolled onto her side, carefully gathering the jewels into a pile, before scooping them up and depositing them back into a pouch.

  "You're something else," she said, the admiration warring with heat in her eyes a powerful aphrodisiac for a guy who sure as hell didn't need one.

  "And you're stunning," he said, diffusing the emotion-laden moment by deliberately concentrating on the physical. Bad enough he might be losing his mind over her, no way would he let his heart follow.

  "You had your fun with the jewels, now it's my turn." She took their foreplay to a whole new level by lowering her head to his cock.

  He blew out a breath as she closed her lips around him, taking him in as far as she could, before she started to move. Sucking him hard. Swirling her tongue over the tip. Driving him wild.

  The eroticism of watching her, blonde hair draped over his thighs, the glint of priceless stones in the background framing her beautiful body as her head bobbed up and down, almost blew his mind.