Her old friend stepped forward and enveloped Kat in a huge hug. When she pulled back Kat saw the bodyguards hovering protectively and said faintly, ‘It’s fine... I know her...’
She looked back at her friend and to her horror felt emotion threaten as remorse gripped her. Remorse for cutting her friend off after the accident. Cassidy had tried to contact her on numerous occasions, but Kat hadn’t been capable of talking to anyone.
‘I’m so sorry, Cass... I should have been in touch...’
Her friend took her hand and shook her head, ‘No, Kat, you don’t have to say anything. It’s enough to see you now...’ The stunningly beautiful Irish model, with her dark red hair, pale skin and blue eyes, smiled crookedly, ‘But, God, I’ve missed you on the circuit.’
Kat smiled back, squeezing her friend’s hand, appreciating this acceptance of her behaviour. She knew it was down to Zafir that her emotions were closer to the surface than usual, but that didn’t help much.
Far too belatedly she spotted a tall, imposing man at her friend’s side. He was dark and stern-looking, with compelling dark brown eyes. He also looked vaguely familiar... It was only when Zafir stepped up to Kat’s side again that she saw it—a distinct resemblance.
She also noted how this man slid his arm possessively around her friend’s waist. Clearly they were lovers. He was looking at Kat’s necklace and said in a deep and slightly accented voice, ‘So this is the famous Heart of Jandor?’
Kat resisted the urge to touch the stone. ‘Yes, it is.’
Then Zafir surprised her by saying, ‘Welcome, Riad. Kat, this is my very distant cousin, Riad Arnaud, a descendant of my French great-grandmother who was gifted this very diamond. And this is Kat Winters, who I’m sure needs no introduction.’
Riad inclined his head towards Kat, and then he drawled, ‘Some might say I have a claim on this diamond.’
Zafir responded, sounding unperturbed. ‘It belongs to Jandor—as you very well know. Left to us by your ancestor.’
Zafir’s cousin looked as if he was considering this, but then he smiled and his face was transformed from stern to gorgeous. The tension dissipated as he clapped Zafir on his shoulder and said, ‘You do know how I like to wind you up about the diamond, and it never fails.’
Zafir let out a short laugh. ‘It’s good to see you, Riad. It’s been far too long.’
&n
bsp; Kat turned to Zafir then, and said, ‘This is Cassidy O’Connor—an old friend of mine. We modelled together.’
Cassidy stepped out of Riad’s embrace to shake Zafir’s hand. Kat noted with interest how Riad’s face tightened as he watched the two greet each other. There was something very proprietorial in his dark gaze and he quickly drew Cassidy back to his side. For a moment Kat felt a twinge of envy.
Riad was saying something about arranging a meeting and stepping back, but Kat’s friend stepped forward to hug her again. She whispered into Kat’s ear, ‘Is everything okay? You look great, but...different.’
Kat pulled back and smiled weakly. ‘I have a lot to tell you, Cass. I’ll call you when I get home?’
Cass took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Promise me you will. I don’t want to lose touch again.’
Kat nodded and said, ‘Promise.’ Then she added impulsively, ‘And you, Cass, are you okay? Are you both...?’ She trailed off ineffectually.
To her surprise her friend paled slightly, but then she smiled brightly and said, ‘I’m fine. And we...well, I’m not quite sure what we are, to be honest.’
And then her friend was gone, sucked back into the crowd with her brooding and enigmatic lover by her side, leaving Kat pondering that perhaps all was not as straightforward as it had seemed between them.
A while later, after a seemingly endless round of being introduced to people and being stared at, Kat’s nerves were on end and she felt close to breaking point—physically and emotionally.
As if sensing her vulnerability, Zafir took advantage of a moment when they were alone and bent down to say, sotto voce, ‘It’s going to happen, Kat. Tonight.’
Those words...said with such implacable arrogance after his mixed messages pushed Kat over the edge of her control. She hissed up at him. ‘No, it’s not, Zafir. It’s really not.’
She walked away as steadily as she could and felt his gaze boring into her from behind. She went through the open French doors and breathed in deep, hoping the cool air would calm her down.
Dark storm clouds were gathering on the horizon and she heard a distant crack of thunder. She was aware of someone hovering nearby—a bodyguard. And now she felt foolish for stalking off.
She wished in that moment that Zafir had never reappeared in her life. And then the thought of that made her suck in a pained breath and put a hand to her belly as if someone had just punched her.
Taking another deep breath, and assuring herself that she still had everything under control, Kat turned around and walked back into the room—only to see Zafir smiling indulgently down into the upturned face of a famous French actress, a renowned beauty, who had her scarlet-tipped nails firmly on Zafir’s arm as she told him something undoubtedly scintillating and hilarious.
As if feeling the weight of her gaze, Zafir turned his head for a second and looked straight at her, with no expression on his face, and then he deliberately turned his back on her and his attention to the other woman.