Jacqui pulled at his jacket, sliding it off his shoulders. With trembling hands, she unbuttoned his shirt so that she could touch him. Khizar hadn’t known that he could want someone’s touch so much, and he held himself still, barely breathing, while she caressed him.
She looked at him and smiled brilliantly, and Khizar caught his breath at the expression in her eyes. He let go of everything else, and kissed her deeply, laying her down on the blanket, losing himself in the moment.
Chapter 10
Khizar
Khizar absently brushed his fingers through Jacqui’s hair as they laid tangled together on the blanket. He hadn’t expected to feel this way. It was supposed to be all business, but he felt real emotion for this beautiful woman resting her head on his chest.
Jacqui was unusual, at least in his experience of women. She didn’t need constant reassurance or a lot of material things. Even though he showered her with gifts, she accepted them with a grace that said she would have been just as happy without them.
Khizar knew that Jacqui wanted him for him, and he felt guilty that he wanted something else from her. He cared for her, that much was true, but he still needed to find that diamond. He found himself even more committed to ensuring that, when he eventually left her alone, she would have everything she ever needed or wanted.
He had been so sure that what she needed couldn’t be him. But maybe, once he had the diamond, maybe he could change that.
“Thank you for the fireworks,” Jacqui murmured, tracing her fingers over his skin.
Khizar chuckled and Jacqui seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. She poked him in the side.
“Not those fireworks,” she blushed. “The sparkly ones.”
Khizar tried to sound offended. “I’m not sparkly enough for you?”
She poked him again. “You know what I mean.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t know. You got more than one sparkly thing tonight.”
Jacqui held up her left hand and admired the extravagant diamond ring. There was one large center diamond, with two almost as large diamonds on either side, set on a delicate platinum band.
“You’re right. This is definitely sparkly.” She sighed happily. “I rather like all my sparkly surprises tonight.”
He laughed. “I’m glad. I hated to be away from you for those days, but it took me some time to put everything together.”
Jacqui was quiet again. Khizar thought that she’d given him a good opening, and now was a good time to bring up William Bauer.
“I had to go make a special trip to one of my jewelers to get the ring, you know. And I had him make a few special changes to it.” He rubbed his finger over the ring, and her hand. “There’s not another ring like it in the world.”
“Thank you. It’s special and I love it.”
Khizar shifted a bit, like he had just thought of something.
“You know, it’s funny. He asked me who I was planning on giving the ring to, and I was telling him about you. I mentioned your name and that you were a baker living in Milwaukee. I was really surprised when he said he thought it was funny that I was proposing to William Bauer’s great-niece. I didn’t realize you were related to Bill.”
Jacqui twisted her head to look at him. “Who?”
“Bill Bauer. He mined diamonds—was one of the best ever at it, really. He actually owned a diamond mine in my home country.”
Khizar felt her head move against his chest as she shook her head.
“Sorry, Khizar, I don’t know who that is. He sounds interesting, though. Did you know him?”
Khizar’s head spun. How could she not know who Bill Bauer was?
“Yes, I met him several times. He was irascible, but he was one of the best miners out there. His workers swore that if he said a vein was good, it would pay out better than anything else out there. He was a good man too; I liked him.”
He was still confused. Jacqui sounded like she really didn’t know what he was talking about. But she had to have known him, even if she wasn’t in contact with him when he died.
“So, you’re not related to him?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t have any living relatives.”