She could see he was shocked. Perhaps she had gone straight to the heart of the matter. ‘Please take them back, Tino. I can’t take them. If I did want some new jewellery, I would buy it for myself.’
‘But it gave me such pleasure to buy them for you.’
Lisa almost smiled, but it would have been a sad smile. Tino sounded like a small child who couldn’t have his own way. They were both spoiled. They spoiled themselves. They had both reached a point where they could buy anything they wanted. And none of it mattered, none of it counted for anything. They were always flailing around thinking that the next purchase would fill the gap in their hearts, but it never did. ‘You bought the earrings for me? Did you pick them out yourself? Or did you make a telephone call, and have someone else do that?’
‘I took the jet.’ His mouth curved a little in wry appreciation of the privileged position in which he found himself.
‘So, you did choose them.’
‘Yes, of course I did—there’s no need to sound so surprised.’ Opening his fist, Tino stared down at the priceless gems nestled there. ‘I thought you’d like them.’
‘I do like them, but—’ How could she put her thoughts into words? They were both hopeless, both so clumsy when it came to managing the simplest of human relationships—and theirs was scarcely that. They matched perfectly sexually but something inside was broken—for both of them. ‘If you had wanted to give me a gift, why didn’t you give me some flowers from the garden, Tino? Like you did before…that would have been lovely.’
‘But I wanted to buy you something really special.’
‘The flowers were special…but emerald earrings?’ Lisa searched for the right words, words that would make sense to a billionaire to whom priceless emeralds would make no more dent in his bank account than another yacht. ‘I feel as if you’re trying to buy me, Tino—as if you’re trying to pay me for my services.’ She made a gesture of frustration.
‘Your services?’ Now he did smile. ‘Please.’ He held the earrings out to her again. ‘Take them back as payment on account.’
‘This isn’t a joke, Tino.’
‘I agree with you.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Take them, Lisa, I beg you.’
‘You beg?’ She shook her head. ‘Put them away before you lose them, Tino. They will have to be returned. I’m sorry, but you have flown to Athens for nothing.’
‘For nothing?’ His mouth tugged up wickedly at one corner. ‘Are you sure?’
‘The earrings must be returned to the jeweller, Tino. We’ve both made mistakes. We’re both useless when it comes to knowing what to do, how to behave in situations that don’t involve business.’
‘Is that what we have between us—a situation?’
‘Today is Wednesday and I’m going home on Friday. Let’s not make any more of this than we should…please, no more grand gestures, Tino.’
‘No more flying to Athens to buy you jewellery, you mean?’
As he gazed at her she saw a glint of humour had returned to his eyes. She pulled away. ‘You must be exhausted, after your journey.’
‘Not too tired to want you in my bed.’ He dragged her back into his arms. ‘And I will have my own way on this—with or without emerald earrings, you and I have an agreement to fulfil.’
He carried her upstairs, and, shouldering open the door to his suite, took her straight to the bed.
Lisa watched as he tugged off his shirt. ‘Tino, please, this doesn’t feel right.’
‘Why should we waste time when time is running out? We should make the most of it, don’t you think?’
‘I just can’t do this.’ Lisa tensed, expecting him to react to having his male pride badly dented, but instead he surprised her, coming to kneel at the side of the bed.
Taking her hand in his, he raised it to his forehead and closed his eyes. ‘Lisa, I’m so sorry… You’re right—we’re both hopeless cases. Can you forgive me?’ He looked up.
‘You’ll take the earrings back to the jeweller’s?’
‘If you really don’t want them,’ he agreed, searching her face. ‘I’ll do anything for you.’
Yes, but only for the duration of their agreement, Lisa thought sadly. And then Tino smiled at her, and the delicious curve of his mouth, and the laughter in his eyes, won her over.
She would have been frightened of a man like this at one time, Lisa realised, a man who could make her do anything he wanted with his strength alone, but it was the need she saw in him, the need that so perfectly matched her own that made her weaken…
He saw the change in her at once, and eased up from his knees. ‘You can’t resist me?’ he proposed wickedly.