To Love and Protect

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  “Just hanging out with some buddies at the bar. You remember Jeff?” He gestured across the lobby to another of the guys from the campaign two years earlier. “He had a work thing down the road, so we stopped here after.”

  “Oh.” The Piñon’s upscale hotel lounge struck her as an odd place to hang out, but what did she know? Her life had been school and work for the past eight years.

  She took in his mussed blond hair and found herself thinking the style looked so much better on Dev.

  Chad dipped his light blue gaze down and back up. “You’re really dressed up.”

  “Loyal’s wedding.”

  “Ah,” he nodded. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Hey, you should come have a drink with us.”

  She forced her smile to stay in place, her cheeks about ready to cramp. “Thanks, but I should get back to the reception.”

  “Come on, just one drink,” he coaxed with a smile. “Jeff wanted to say hi.”

  Then Jeff should’ve come over.

  Surprised by the automatic retort, she bit her tongue to keep it inside. He was only being friendly. He’d only ever been friendly, even when they’d gone on their kind-of date last summer.

  He reached for her arm, and she couldn’t help an involuntary flinch from his touch. His brow pinched, eyes narrowing in a way that turned her stomach queasy. She took a step back, only to come up against a warm wall at the same time a deep voice sounded in her ear.

  “There you are, Bells.”

  Shelby froze at the voice, the nickname, and Dev’s thick forearm sliding around her waist while his breath stirred the loose curls softening her up-do. He’d stopped calling her Bells back about the time she turned thirteen.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  He had?

  She glanced over her shoulder in shock—and the sight of Dev’s stony expression belied his husky, intimate tone. His narrowed gaze didn’t waver from the man opposite them. When she turned back to face Chad’s polite smile, confusion kept her tongue-tied.

  “Excuse us.” Dev’s voice rumbled near her ear again. “They’re playing our song.”

  What. The. Hell?

  He made no move to lead her back to the ballroom, and when Chad gave a slight submissive nod of his head, it suddenly dawned on her what Dev had done. He’d come to rescue her. She was oddly relieved and offended at the same time. The warring emotions piled on top of her confusion.

  “It was good to see you, Shelby,” Chad said. “Tell Loyal I said congratulations.”

  “Yeah,” she murmured. “I will.”

  As he left, her entire being focused on the muscled chest pressed against the bare skin of her back where her bridesmaid’s dress draped down to her waist. Dev’s body heat seeped through the velvet material covering her butt, making her heart race as she struggled to draw an even breath.

  The first one she did manage to suck into her tight lungs had her closing her eyes in defeat. Of course he would smell divine. Strong and crisp, with a woodsy hint of outdoors mixed with citrus, there was nothing remotely feminine about the manly scent seducing her senses now.

  Before she could do something stupid like lean back against him, or stupider yet like turn into his arms, he slid his hand from around her waist to the small of her back and urged her ahead of him.

  Insistently.

  Jolted by the juxtaposition of his gentlemanly rescue followed by him literally pushing her along, she frowned and took a breath to protest, but his voice growled in her ear.

  “Where the hell is your bodyguard?”

  Chapter 7

  Dev nearly ran Shelby over when she put on the brakes.

  “How am I supposed to know?”

  Her annoyed retort spiked his anger enough to override the swift stab of pain in his thigh and knee at their abrupt halt. If she didn’t know where the guy was, she should know better than to go out into the lobby with no one to watch over her. “Damn it, Shelby.”

  Jaw clenched, he gripped her elbow and propelled her forward once more. At the ballroom doors, she jerked her arm free and turned left to stalk down the hall, toward the hotel guest rooms. He followed at a slower pace to ease the ache in his leg.

  “I’m not sure you understand how this works,” she said while pivoting to face him with a defiant tilt of her chin. “He’s paid to know where I am, not the other way around.”

  He wished he could argue that, but she was right. “How often does this guy not know where you are?”

  “How do you know he’s not watching right now?”

  “Because if he was, he wouldn’t have let that guy in the lobby get within five feet of you. And he damn well shouldn’t have let me lay a hand on you.”

  “So you do know you’re acting like a jerk,” she snapped.

  Dev ignored that as he glanced farther down the hall, toward where the guest rooms started around the corner, about ten feet away. “I also saw him disappear a good fifteen minutes ago with that blond he was chatting up at the church.”

  Her eyebrows rose as she looked in the same direction. “Noelle?”

  Distracted by the soft, dark curls accentuating the graceful line of her neck, he muttered, “Whatever her name is.”

  “That’s my cousin.”

  That kind of rang a bell. “Of the D.C. Diamonds?”

  “Yeah.”

  He remembered how she and her brothers and sister used to joke about the D.C. Diamonds, the Dallas Diamonds, and the Denver Diamonds. They’d always seemed closer to the cousins in Dallas than in D.C.

  A slight frown dipped her eyebrows as she continued to stare down the hall. Even with a frown, she was beautiful enough to steal his breath away. At the church, he’d had to force his gaze to the stained glass windows when he noticed his sister’s too-perceptive FBI gaze shifting from him to the object of his attention for most of the ceremony.

  For years, he’d only ever seen Shelby with her long, dark hair in a sleek ponytail. As a kid, and on through her teens.

  But tonight, she was all woman—a fact that had slammed home when he’d slid his arm around her waist back there in the lobby. If he hadn’t been so focused on running Chad off, the feel of her lush body combined with the light, summery notes of her perfume would’ve had him hard in seconds.

  With the formal elegance of her upswept hair, a rich burgundy gloss staining her lips, and the way her shimmery velvet dress clung to her breasts and hips, she was classy and sexy. The seductive drape of velvet below her bare back got a man thinking about the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra as his gaze traced the line of her exposed spine, down to her perfectly shaped ass.

  How easy it would be to slip a hand inside the back of that dress and skim around to the front, sliding up over her ribs until he could cup the weight of her breast in his palm. If her nipple wasn’t hard already, a teasing brush or two of his thumb would do the trick—

  The rush of blood to his groin had him jerking his thoughts back to reality at the same time Shelby faced him again.

  Desperate to redirect his thoughts, he moved past her to look around the corner of the hall. Closing his eyes briefly against the scent of jasmine that teased his senses, he steeled his resolve and turned back to ask, “Who was that guy in the lobby? Do you know him?”

  She flicked her gaze in the direction they’d come from a few minutes earlier. “Chad Mayer. I worked with him on my dad’s campaign a couple years ago.”

  “I didn’t notice him at the church.”

  “Well, no, because he wasn’t invited.”

  Explained why he was dressed a hell of a lot more casual than the rest of the wedding guests. “Then what’s he doing here?”

  “He was with friends at the bar.”

  Disbelief arched his eyebrows. “In this hotel?” Where the drinks were at least double what they’d pay at a club?

  “He said one of the guys had a work thing nearby, so they came here after.”

  “Do you
actually believe that?” Because there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell he did.

  Her gaze wavered in a moment of hesitation. “I have no reason not to.”

  “How well do you know him?”

  She shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. “We hung out some during the campaign, and went to dinner this past summer after he helped me with some permit issues for my veterinary clinic.”

  The thought of her on a date with that guy made his gut twist.

  You’ve got no fucking say who she dates.

  He switched his focus to her reaction in the lobby. “Why don’t you like him?”

  A slight frown dipped her eyebrows. “What makes you think I don’t like him?”

  “Your face when you first saw him. The way you kept easing away.” Not to mention her swift jerk backward when the guy had reached for her arm.

  Speculation filled her brown eyes as she raised her gaze, and he realized what he’d revealed by letting her know how close he’d been watching.

  “You shouldn’t have been out there alone,” he said to redirect her attention.

  “I have tons of family around,” she protested. “It’s not like I’m in any danger with this many people here.”

  He shook his head at her naiveté. “Your guard is completely down, Shelby. With the wedding and all the drinking, it’s a perfect opportunity for someone to make a move.”

  Someone like that Chad guy. From the moment he’d seen him watching her, Dev’s radar had been pinging like crazy. Maybe his buddy had had a work thing, but unless they were trust-fund kids, The Piñon Hotel was not a place guys in their mid-twenties would choose to hang out. Hell, even if they had millions burning a hole in their pockets, it still wasn’t the place to knock back a couple of beers after work. Unless you’d just completed a multi-million dollar real-estate deal. Or stock trade. Or some shit like that.

  Shelby crossed her arms over her stomach, her expression now haunted. “God, I hate this. The police can’t do anything, and Dad’s private investigator hasn’t turned up anything in the past couple of weeks. And what happens if he doesn’t? How long am I supposed to live with a shadow? How long am I supposed to look over my shoulder, jumping at every little thing?”

  Though he hated the anxiety and unhappiness in her voice, he didn’t sugarcoat his answer. “As long as it takes to make sure you’re safe.”

  She turned away with a shake of her head, then swung back to challenge, “And what do you care, Dev?”

  He gave a slight shrug. “We pretty much grew up together, Shelby. Of course I’d never want to see you get hurt.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing you walked out of my bedroom that day, isn’t it?”

  He stiffened at the not-so-subtle confirmation he’d hurt her. “I did that for your own good.”

  “You’re such a hero. Because every sixteen-year-old girl needs a good dose of humiliation to help her grow up.” Before he could respond, her attention shifted past him and she lifted her chin. “Since you’re all about what’s good for me, you can go now. Blake’s back.”

  Dev twisted around to see the bodyguard had just rounded the corner. The guy was in the middle of tucking in his shirt under his suit coat. His step hitched when he spotted them in the hall, but then he straightened, ran a hand through his dark hair, and gave a tug on the sleeves of his coat while puffing out his chest.

  “This guy bothering you, Ms. Diamond?”

  Dev stepped between them. “Don’t even bother, buddy. You’re fired.”

  Blake halted, his head doing a comical little surprised jerk. “For what?”

  “Fucking around on the job. Literally.”

  “Dev,” Shelby protested.

  The guy’s cheeks flushed even as he scoffed. “You can’t fire me.”

  Shelby’s blond cousin strolled around the corner. She tossed her long locks over her shoulder and put a little extra sway in her hips as she sauntered past with a grin for the bodyguard. Then she shot her cousin a smirk. “Thanks for the borrow, Bells.”

  Dev arched his brows at Blake. “You want to explain that one to Senator Diamond or are you just gonna go?”

  The guy clenched his jaw and strode forward to shoulder past with a hard jolt to Dev’s. A quick step back to keep his balance had him fighting a wince, even as he was relieved that was the extent of the confrontation when the jerk headed for the lobby exit.

  Though the guy had a good half-inch on him and a solid build that would make most guys think twice, three months ago Dev would’ve taken him down without blinking an eye. Now, he was still dealing with the limitations of his injury, and hated to admit the bodyguard might have had a chance.

  “That’s just perfect, Dev. He picked me up this morning. How am I supposed to get home now?”

  He turned to find Shelby glaring at him, head tilted, eyes narrowed, hip cocked. Her crossed arms pushed her breasts up to display a healthy dose of cleavage, and it took some effort to keep his gaze on her face.

  “You don’t have a room here for the night?”

  She shook her head.

  “Can’t you go home with your parents?”

  “I don’t live with my parents. Besides, they’re flying back to Washington after the wedding. Mom has a luncheon tomorrow she can’t miss.”

  Great. Maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut.

  No. The fact that Blake hadn’t even tried to apologize or plead his case to Shelby before bugging out more than confirmed he was a piss-poor bodyguard. Not to mention a poor excuse for a man.

  Which now left Dev no choice but to step up.

  “Fine. I’ll take you home.”

  Chapter 8

  Hands firmly planted on her cousin’s waist as the rowdy dance line wound through the tables, Shelby swung her hips side to side while “The Locomotion” pulsed through the speakers.

  After they passed where Dev was sitting, Raine turned her head to speak over her shoulder.

  She leaned closer to hear over the music. “What?”

  “I said, you should ask Devante to dance. He’s been watching you all night.”

  Shelby snorted. “He’s only watching because he got rid of my bodyguard.”

  “Why’d he do that?”

  “He said he was doing a bad job.” And technically he had been. But it hadn’t been Mr. Neanderthal’s place to make Blake leave.

  “Interesting.” Raine shot Dev another glance before the line wound the other direction.

  “Annoying,” Shelby corrected above the music.

  “You should still ask him to dance. On the next slow song, of course.”

  Shelby shook her head. Giving Dev a chance to reject her in any shape or form wasn’t going to happen ever again.

  She resisted Raine’s not so subtle nudges, and as the final song of the night faded a half-hour later, she exited the dance floor with the last of the guests who’d stayed after Loyal and Roxanna had said their thank yous and goodbyes. Other than her parents, the rest of her immediate family had gone home, but she purposely stayed to the very end just to spite Dev. Hell, she’d stay another hour if she could—and have another glass of champagne, even though she’d reached her limit one glass prior.

  She wasn’t drunk, but the alcohol helped ease her annoyance over Dev’s overbearing attitude. The whole time she danced, she was acutely aware of his gaze watching every move from his table near the dance floor. The intensity of his blue-green eyes made her self-conscious and nervous, so she’d over-compensated with the champagne while shaking her ass every chance she got.

  Now it was time to go home.

  With him.

  Her stomach flip-flopped at the thought of being alone with the sexy veteran for the ride home. And the walk to her door.

  Oh stop. It’s not like you’re on a date and have to worry whether or not he’s going to kiss you. Because you already know, he’s not.

  She hugged Raine and Noelle goodbye until the gift opening tomorrow, and her cousins headed toward the
guest rooms arm in arm, heads together as they leaned on each other.

  Dev rose and limped to her side. “You ready?”

  She wished there was someone else she could chat with, but the room had mostly cleared out. Darn it. “I just have to get my coat.”

  When she angled past him for the coat room, a graze of fingertips at the small of her back made her pulse jerk. A moment later, the warmth of his touch disappeared, and he followed a few steps behind.

  Had he touched her on purpose and then thought better of it? Or had it simply been an instinctive move—a gentleman’s move.

  She snorted under her breath. Dev had proved time and again he wasn’t a gentleman.

  Her dad was slipping her mom’s coat over her shoulders when Shelby entered the alcove off the ballroom. Dev leaned a shoulder against the wall at the entrance.

  “You guys off to the airport?” she asked.

  “Yes,” her mom confirmed with a tired smile. “Though, I would have much rather spent tomorrow here with all of you.”

  Sunday brunch would be extra full with aunts and uncles and cousins while her parents were dealing with politics in Washington. Despite the inconvenience of this one time, she knew they both loved it.

  Shelby pulled her knee-length, black wool coat from the hanger and slipped it on as she followed her parents out to the lobby. They made small talk with Dev for a moment before her dad gave the area around them a sweeping glance.

  “Where’s Blake?”

  She offered a grim smile while knotting the belt of her coat with a firm tug. “Dev fired him.”

  His gaze swung to the man beside her, a frown darkening his face. She didn’t feel the least bit bad for ratting him out—but then again, Dev didn’t bat an eye at the displeased look her dad gave him.

  “He let you fire him?”

  “Tells you the kind of job he was doing,” Dev stated.

  Her dad’s gaze narrowed. “Since you took it upon yourself to fire him, I expect you’ll do better?”

  “Yes sir.”

  Shelby stiffened as she glanced from one to the other. “No,” she protested with an adamant shake of her head. “Dev’s only driving me home tonight. You can hire someone else tomorrow.”