The Collector's Edition Volume 1 by Emma Darcy Read Free Book Online Page B

sapphires fool you. Even queens are second-class citizens in Omar’s world.’
    ‘Will you stop this!’ Jayne cried in exasperation. ‘It’s not going to happen.’
    ‘Well, you might be prepared to chance it. I’m not. You got me into this and now you’re stuck with me. Take it or leave it. Here’s Lin Zhiyong coming back if you want to tell him the deal’s off. Of course, I’m now persona non grata in Morocco after this little altercation with Omar, but Baby and I are quite happy to travel on to Mozambique. We certainly don’t need this aggravation.’
    Having neatly established himself on the moral high ground, Dan adopted a lofty air of distancing himself from her decision. It stirred a maelstrom of violent feelings in Jayne. She dearly wanted to kick him. The almost overwhelming urge demonstrated how deeply Dan could still get under her skin.
    She looked up at the full moon sailing serenely across the heavens and thought Chang Er probably had herself a good deal. In her lunar isolation she didn’t have to put up with men!
    Jayne was acutely aware she was playing with fire having anything more to do with Dan. Yet if she didn’t stand up to him now, what was her much vaunted self-determination worth? If he was prepared to live together on a platonic basis, her pride insisted she could do the same. After all, it would surely be the ultimate testing ground of what they meant to each other.
    Out of the corner of her eye, Jayne saw Lin Zhiyong stepping onto the bridge. There was no time left for further consideration. ‘All right,’ she conceded. ‘We live together. Monty and I were sharing a two-bedroom apartment. You and Baby can have Monty’s room.’
    Dan favoured her with a look of pained resignation. ‘I do hope it’s not too cramped. I wouldn’t want Baby to disturb your sleep.’
    It wouldn’t be Baby disturbing her sleep. Knowing Dan was occupying Monty’s bed with only a wall between them was going to stimulatememories that were guaranteed to keep her awake and restless. His apparent sangfroid over the en-forced proximity did nothing to allay her newly aroused awareness of the husband she had striven so hard to forget. She found it galling, especially since she had been unable to maintain any coolness herself from the moment of seeing him again.
    ‘If you’d like to suggest some other accom-modation?’ she offered tightly.
    ‘No. If it suited Monty, I daresay it will suit Baby and me well enough,’ he said reasonably. ‘I was merely considering you, Jayne. But if you’re satisfied, I’m satisfied.’
    She stared at him, almost certain she saw malicious devilment dancing in his eyes, but his general demeanour was stand-offish and he swung his gaze away from her as Lin Zhiyong arrived beside them.
    ‘Is His Excellency travelling straight back to Beijing?’ Dan asked.
    ‘He did not say,’ Lin Zhiyong replied. ‘I am informed that His Excellency has rooms booked in the same hotel as yourself, Mr. Drayton. In Xi’an.’ He hesitated, looking sharply at Jayne before addressing Dan again. ‘You are not thinking of changing your mind over…?’
    ‘Most assuredly not,’ Dan replied emphati-cally. ‘However, I am intent on safeguarding my wife from Omar El Talik’s unwelcome attentions. Would it be possible to arrange to have myluggage collected from my hotel and delivered here so that I can accompany my wife straight to her apartment at the completion of tonight’s festivities?’
    ‘It is no problem at all. Leave it with me,’ Lin Zhiyong instantly obliged. ‘And may I say, Mr. Drayton, how pleased I am to have your services in resolving our difficult problem.’
    ‘You owe that outcome to my wife,’ Dan said dryly.
    ‘Yes,’ Lin Zhiyong agreed, bowing in respect to Jayne. ‘Miss Winter is, indeed, a lady to be counted.’
    Dragon Lady.
    Jayne felt a bubble of hysteria rise in her throat and hastily swallowed it down. Not only had she saved face tonight, she had probably