Diamonds Are For Lovers: Satin & a Scandalous Affair. Yvonne Lindsay

before you go out?”

       Ten

      The day of the wedding had finally arrived.

      Quinn knocked on her door to say the car was here. Dani was on edge, swimming in questions. Would he like her dress? Would her family like him, and vice versa? What was Jake doing up here? Why were the media swarming all over town, sipping coffee in the cafés, propping up the bars everywhere she turned?

      And Quinn’s sudden turnaround about accompanying her to the wedding. What was that about?

      She made a final adjustment to the chiffon scarf she had cleverly twisted into her long French knot, picked up her purse and joined Quinn downstairs, loving the light in his eyes as he watched her descend.

      And would he leave for good once she finished the necklace? Dani worried about that most of all.

      They were driven to a helicopter port and, minutes later, were lifted up and over the rain forest to a beach just a few miles south. Dani had inspected the premises previously but was unprepared for the beauty of the place from the air.

      The entire van Berhopt Resort hovered above an unsurpassed vista of rain forest and sea. Built on a raised knoll, the lodge appeared to be suspended over the secluded beach below, like a bird about to launch into the air. With a body of glass and steel, somehow it merged with the surroundings, complementing the bird’s-eye view. For one breathless moment, Dani thought they were going to land on the massive curved roof that arced above the building, its eaves on all sides overhanging and imposing.

      “Spectacular!” Quinn breathed in her ear as the helicopter thankfully set down a couple of hundred metres away from the lodge.

      Dani could imagine the reaction of the wedding guests as they were flown in pairs to this incredible secluded paradise. Golf carts took them up to the house. The reception was to start at four-thirty with cocktails and nibbles, then the marriage ceremony. Afterward, there was a sumptuous buffet, featuring the best the tropical north could offer. Only the bride and groom would stay the night here, with the guests being ferried back to their hotels in Port by limousines. It was a small gathering of only twenty family and friends.

      In his platinum tux and mahogany-and-silver-striped tie, Quinn Everard was the perfect escort for a tropical, late-afternoon wedding, sophisticated and breathtakingly handsome. His cool against her flamboyance. Dani proudly took his arm and walked through the lobby out to the pool area where the guests were already gathered. Ryan and Jessica had arrived first to settle into their suite. Several other couples lounged around the pool, being served by white-jacketed waiters with silver trays that glinted off the blue water. Dani waved at Sonya and Garth on the other side of the pool and prepared to present Quinn to Ryan Blackstone.

      “Well, well,” said Ryan as they approached. “Quinn Everard, I presume.” He held out his hand. “Welcome to the lion’s den.”

      Quinn smiled and took the proffered hand. “Congratulations, Ryan. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

      Jessica offered Quinn her cheek. “How lovely to see you, Quinn.”

      “Jessica, you look stunning.”

      And she did. The bride glowed in a jewel-encrusted champagne gown, a stunning clasp of rose-gold and pink diamonds in between her breasts. “A gift from Ryan,” she whispered to Dani, who was so taken with the brooch, she instinctively reached out and touched her fingertips to it. The lovely gown flattered her rounded belly and no amount of sparkle could eclipse the proud smile on Jessica’s face or the warmth in her beautiful brown eyes.