The Ring The Spaniard Gave Her - Lynne Graham Page 0,33

that was made on me. It turned me into a high achiever. It’s true that I don’t turn handstands in the middle of a work session, but I value the discipline I learned.’

In receipt of that crack, Suzy felt the hot colour of embarrassment flood her cheeks. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘No, it was refreshing. One minute you were in place and the next you were upside down on the other side of the room,’ Ruy pointed out with amusement. ‘I won’t get bored with you in the studio.’

Dinner was followed by the arrival of the jeweller complete with a security guard. Trays of rings were set out on the coffee table and Ruy closed a hand over hers and tugged her down beside him. ‘Choose,’ he urged calmly.

All Suzy could see was a crazy bank of glittering jewels. ‘No, you choose.’

‘Suzy,’ Ruy murmured with the faintest emphasis.

The heat of a long thigh was against hers, warming her entire body and tugging at that insistent ache that stirred in her pelvis whenever she got too close to Ruy. It made her want to melt into him, over him, any way she could, but she resisted the urge to leap away, reminding herself that this was supposed to be a joyful occasion for a couple and that in a sense she was on stage and expected to act her part. She reached for a solitaire ring in the very centre.

‘A most discerning choice,’ the jeweller told her, practically purring at that selection, which implied to her that it was a very, very costly ring. ‘The rarest of diamonds, a beautiful blue.’

‘Perfect,’ Ruy said, reaching for her trembling hand to thread it onto her finger, where it proved to be a little loose.

‘Are you sure you like it?’ Suzy prompted with anxious eyes.

‘It’s yours.’

Her finger was measured. The ring, she was assured, would be with them the next day. The jeweller and his guard departed.

‘The ring will be yours to keep,’ Ruy informed her.

Suzy froze in astonishment in receipt of that assurance, angry resentment flaring inside her. ‘No, you are doing it again—stop trying to buy me, bribe me, whatever you want to call it! I don’t want that! I don’t want you believing that you’re paying me for any of this, but you don’t listen, do you? Look, I have to collect my cases at home. I’ll call Dad to pick me up and I’ll go now, spend the night there,’ she completed doggedly.

Ruy stilled in front of her, so tall, so dark, so devastatingly handsome, her senses hummed that close to him. ‘Stay...’

And it disturbed her that she knew he didn’t want her to leave and that on some very basic level she was equally reluctant to move any great distance from him. Feeling that way was foolish and would hurt her, she told herself firmly. Was she planning to turn into some sort of clingy woman? That wasn’t her, would never be her. She was sailing too close to the wind, risking her emotions for a guy who had no serious intentions whatsoever towards her. She was forgettable, disposable as far as Ruy was concerned. He had not once referred to their fleeting encounter beyond quickly assuring her that he did not expect her to continue that intimacy. How often did a guy turn his back on the chance of sex?

A guy that wasn’t that keen, her brain told her bluntly, but then why was he so reluctant to let her leave his house? It was simple: Ruy wanted her to be on the spot and immediately available when the desire to sketch assailed him. Convenience meant everything to Ruy, who seemed to have a terminal objection to having to wait for anything.

‘I’ll run you back home,’ Ruy volunteered when she said nothing.

Suzy breathed in deep and slow to ease her constricted lungs, knowing that she needed a little space to figure out why she felt so tied to Ruy. Because he had been around to save her when she was terrified? Because he had advised and supported her and made her feel safe? Was her brain, were her very emotions, really that basic? Or was she catching feelings for a man who would never catch them back?

She sat up late with her father and then went through her cases, discarding anything that seemed superfluous. Her father took her back to Ruy’s the next morning and by then the wedding dress and her outfits had arrived and she went straight upstairs