Diamond in the Desert

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HE LEARNED MORE about Britt during the first few hours of their expedition than he had learned in any of the reports. She was intelligent and organised, energetic and could be mischievous, which reminded him to remain on guard.

She had called him at five-thirty a.m.—just to check he was awake, she had assured him. He suspected she hadn’t slept after their encounter, and guessed she was hoping he’d had a sleepless night too. He gave nothing away.

It couldn’t strictly be called dawn when her Jeep rolled up outside his hotel, since at this time of year in Skavanga a weak grey light washed the land for a full twenty-four hours. Only Britt coloured the darkness when she sprang down and came to greet him. He was waiting for her just outside the doors. Her hair gleamed like freshly harvested wheat and she had pulled an ice-blue beanie over her ears to protect them from the bitter cold. Her cheeks and lips were whipped red by the harshest of winds, and she was wearing black polar trousers tucked into boots, with a red waterproof jacket zippered up to her neck. She looked fresh and clean and bright, and determined.

‘Britt—’

‘Emir.’

Her greeting was cool. His was no more than polite, though he noticed that the tip of her nose was as red as her full bottom lip and her blue-grey eyes were the colour of polar ice. She gave him the once-over, and seemed satisfied by what she saw. He knew the drill. He might live in the desert, but he was no stranger to Arctic conditions.

‘Was the hotel okay?’ she asked him politely when they were both buckled in.

‘Yes. Thank you,’ he said, allowing his gaze to linger on her face

She shot him a glance and her cheeks flushed red. She was remembering their time in the boardroom. He was too.

She drove smoothly and fast along treacherous roads and only slowed for moose and for a streak of red fox until they entered what appeared to be an uninhabited zone. Here the featureless ice road was shielded on either side between towering walls of packed snow. She still drove at a steady seventy and refused his offer to take over. She knew the way, she said. She liked to be in control, he thought. Except when she was having sex when she liked him to take the lead.

‘We’ll soon be there,’ she said, distracting him from these thoughts.

They had been climbing up the side of a mountain for some time, leaving the ice walls far behind. Below them was a vast expanse of frozen lake—grey, naturally.

‘The mine is just down there,’ she said when he craned his neck to look.

He wondered what other delights awaited him. All he could be sure of was that Britt hadn’t finished with him yet. She liked to prove herself, so he was confident the test would include some physical activity. He looked forward to it, just as he looked forward to a return bout with her in the desert.

Emir seemed utterly relaxed and completely at home in a landscape that had terrified many people she had brought here. She knew this place like the back of her hand, and yet, truthfully, had never felt completely safe. Knowing Emir, he had probably trialled every extreme sport known to man, so what was a little snow and ice to him?

‘Penny for them,’ he said.

She made herself relax so she could clear her mind and equivocate. ‘I’m thinking about food. Aren’t you?’

She was curious to know what he was thinking, but as usual Emir gave nothing away.

‘Some,’ he murmured.

She glanced his way and felt her heart bounce. She would never get used to the way he looked, and for one spark of interest from those deceptively sleepy eyes she would happily walk barefoot in the snow, which was something Emir definitely didn’t need to know.

‘The food’s really good at the mine,’ she said, clinging to safe ground. ‘And the catering staff will have stocked the cabin for us. The food has to be excellent when people are so isolated. It’s one of the few pleasures they have.’

‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that,’ he said dryly.

‘There are separate quarters for men and women,’ she countered promptly—and primly.

‘Right.’ His tone was sceptical.

‘You seem to know a lot about it,’ she said, feeling a bit peeved—jealous, maybe, especially when he said,

‘It’s much the same for people who work in the desert.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘Good,’ he said, ignoring her sharp tone and settling back. ‘I’m going to doze now, if you don’t mind?’

‘Not at all.’

Sleep? Yeah, right—like a black panther sleeps with one eye open. There was no such thing as stand down for Emir.

Emir could play her at her own game, and play it well, Britt realised as she turned off the main road. She could be cool, but he would be cooler, and now there was no real contact between them as he dozed—apparently—which she regretted. He wanted her to feel this way—to feel this lack of him, she suspected.

‘Sorry,’ she exclaimed with shock as the Jeep lurched on the rutted forest track. The moment’s inattention had jolted Emir awake and had almost thrown them into the ditch.

‘No problem,’ he said. ‘If you want me to drive …?’

‘I’m fine. Thank you.’ She’d heard that the ruler of Kareshi was introducing change, but not fast enough, clearly. Emir probably resented her running the company too. He came from a land where men ruled and women obeyed—

She gasped as his hand covered hers. ‘Take it easy,’ he said, steadying the steering wheel as it bounced in her hands.

‘I’ve been travelling these roads since I was a child.’

‘Then I’m surprised you don’t know about the hazards of melting snow.’

He definitely deserved a session in the sauna and a dip in the freezing lake afterwards, she concluded.

‘We’re nearly there,’ she said.

‘Good.’

Why the smile in his voice? Was he looking forward to their stay at the isolated cabin? She squirmed in her seat at the thought that he might be and then wondered angrily why she was acting this way. It was one thing bringing her city friends into the wilderness for a rustic weekend, but quite another bringing Emir down here when there could only be one outcome—

Unless he had had enough of her, of course, but something told her that wasn’t the case. She’d stick with her decision to enjoy him and get him out of her system, Britt concluded, explaining that the nearest hotel was too far away from the mine to stay there.

‘You don’t have to explain to me, Britt. I like it here. You forget,’ Emir murmured as she drew to a halt outside the ancient log cabin, ‘the wilderness is my home.’

And now she was angry with him for being so pleased with everything. And even angrier with herself because Emir was right, the wilderness was beautiful in its own unique way, she thought, staring out across the glassy lake. It was as if she were seeing it for the first time. Because she was seeing it through Emir’s eyes, Britt realised, and he sharpened her focus on everything.

‘This is magnificent,’ he exclaimed as they climbed down from the Jeep.

She tensed as he came to stand beside her. Her heart pumped and her blood raced as she tried not to notice how hot he looked in the dark, heavy jacket and snow boots. Emir radiated something more than the confidence of a man who was sensibly dressed and comfortable in this extreme temperature. He exuded the type of strength that anyone would like to cling to in a storm—

He looked downright dangerous, she told herself sensibly, putting a few healthy feet of fresh air between them. But the lake was beautiful, and neither of them was in any hurry to move away. It stretched for miles and was framed by towering mountains whose jagged peaks were lost in cloud. A thick pine forest crept up these craggy slopes until there was nothing for the roots to cling to. But it was the silence that was most impressive, and that was heavy and complete. It felt almost as if the world were holding its breath, though she had to smile when Emir turned to look at the cabin and an eagle called.

‘I’ll grab our bags,’ he said.

As he brushed past her on his way to the Jeep she shivered with awareness, and then smiled as she walked towards the cabin. She was always happy here—always in control. There would be no problems here. She’d keep things light and professional. Here, she could put what had happened between them in the boardroom behind her.

Emir caught up with her at the door, and his first question was how far was it to the mine? With her back to him, she pulled a wry face. Putting what had happened behind her was going to be easier than she had thought. They hadn’t even crossed the threshold yet and Emir’s mind was already set on business.

Which was exactly what she had hoped for—

Was it?

Of course it was, but she wasn’t going to pretend it didn’t sting. Everyone had their pride, and everyone wanted to feel special—

Hard luck for her, she thought ruefully.

‘So, how far exactly is it to the mine?’ he said. ‘How long will it take by road?’

‘Depending on the weather?’ She turned the key in the lock. ‘I’d say around ten minutes.’

‘Is there any chance we can take a look around today, in that case?’ Emir asked as he held the door for her.

He was in more of a hurry than she’d thought. Well, that was fine with her. She could accommodate a fast turnaround. ‘The mine is a twenty-four-hour concern. We can visit as soon as you’re ready.’

‘Then I’d like to freshen up and go see it right away—if that’s okay with you?’

‘That’s fine with me.’ She had to stop herself laughing at the thought that she had never met anyone quite so much like her before.

As she used to be, Britt amended, before Emir came into her life. Taking charge of her bag, she hoisted it onto her shoulders. ‘Welcome,’ she said, walking into the cabin.

‘This is nice,’ Emir commented as he gazed around.

He made everything seem small, she thought, but in a good way. The cabin had been built by a big man for big men, yet could be described as cosy. On a modest scale, it still reflected the personality of the man who had built it and who had founded the Skavanga dynasty. With nothing but his determination, Britt’s great-grandfather had practically clawed the first minerals out of the ground with his bare hands, and with makeshift tools that other prospectors had thrown away. There was nothing to be ashamed of here in the cabin. It was only possible to feel proud.

‘What?’ Emir said when he caught her staring at him.

‘You’re the only man apart from my brother who makes me feel small,’ she said, managing not to make it sound like a compliment.

‘I take it you’re talking about your brother, Tyr?’

‘My long-lost brother, Tyr,’ she admitted with a shrug.

‘I can assure you the very last thing on my mind is to make you feel small.’

‘You don’t—well, not in the way you mean. How tall are you, anyway?’

‘Tall enough.’

She could vouch for that. And was that a glint of humour in Emir’s eyes? Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all. Maybe bringing him to the cabin wasn’t the worst idea she’d ever had. Maybe they could actually do business with each other and have fun.

And then say goodbye?

Why not?

‘Are you going to show me to my room?’ Emir prompted, glancing towards the wooden staircase.

‘Yes, of course.‘

Ditching her bag, she mounted the wooden stairs ahead of him, showing Emir into a comfortable double bedroom with a bathroom attached. ‘You’ll sleep in here,’ she said. ‘There are plenty of towels in the bathroom, and endless hot water, so don’t stint yourself—and just give me a shout if you need anything more.’

‘This is excellent,’ he called downstairs to her. ‘Thank you for putting me up.’

‘As an alternative to having you camp down the mine?’ She laughed. ‘Of course, there are bunkhouses you could use—’

‘I’m fine here.’

And looking forward to tasting some genuine Nordic hospitality, she hoped, tongue in cheek, as she glanced out of the window at the snow-clad scene.

‘Britt—’

‘What?’ Heart pounding, she turned. Even now with all the telling off she’d given herself at the tempting thought of testing out the bed springs, she hoped and smiled and waited.

‘Window keys?’ Emir was standing on the landing, staring down at her. ‘It’s steaming hot in here.’

Ah… ‘Sorry.’

She stood for a moment to compose herself and then ran upstairs to sort him out. The central heating she’d had installed was always turned up full blast before a visit. She could operate it from her phone, and thoughts of turning it down a little had flown out of the window along with her sensible head thanks to Emir. ‘I suggest you leave the window open until the room cools down.’ Fighting off all feelings about the big, hard, desirable body so very close to her, she unlocked the window and showed him where to hang the key.