by Various
David grudgingly sank back to the bed, and Diego followed after a trotting Titania.
“Hell,” Houston breathed. Diego winced, seeing the charred and raked door up close. “They better not try to make us pay for this,” he muttered. Diego slid past them under the door, entering the room first when Houston waved for her to go in.
Titania opened the door with her pass key, Houston only a pace behind her. Houston planted his palm on her stomach, slamming her back to the wall behind him, a startled squawk gasping out of her at the impact. Houston’s lips lifted in a silent snarl. “Someone’s been in here.” His gaze raked the room for the intruder.
Diego reacted, protective rage obscuring reason. In less than a second, he was visible, lethal. He launched at Houston, pinning him to the wall, his arm shoved against Houston’s throat. “Touch her like that again, and I will not just stop you,” Diego threatened, his voice low, vibrating with suppressed fury. “I will kill you.”
Houston snarled angrily even as Diego jammed his arm harder against his captive’s windpipe. Brown eyes narrowed heatedly while Houston’s fingers dug unnoticed into the arm that pinned him.
Chapter Six
Titania watched in horror, her knuckles shoved between her teeth to stop the scream fighting to get free. Her heart pounded, her throat burned in fearful surprise, but it all quickly changed to anger when Diego continued to hold Houston immobile to the wall.
“Diego! Stop it. Let him go.” She was shocked to find her voice steady.
Diego released Houston though it wasn’t done with any sense of expediency, sending one last warning glare as he did so. Houston ran a hand over his throat, swallowing once.
“Who the hell is he?” Houston snapped. “And how the hell did he get into your room?”
“I flew,” Diego replied in a flippant tone.
Houston’s eyes narrowed. “I bet you did.”
“Would you two quit it!” Titania glowered at the both of them. “Houston, I told you, he saved me from Thomas.”
“I’m hiring you that damn bodyguard. This is freakin’ ridiculous,” Houston said. Titania saw when Houston spotted Diego’s long jacket. “Leather. You!” Diego stood motionless at the accusation. Houston tensed, fists forming, and Titania threw herself between them.
“Stop it! Right now.” She saw Houston’s gaze grow heated, only able to guess at what was circling through Diego’s head.
“You know perfectly well. I will not let anyone harm you. Friend or foe.”
“Well, just quit it,” she snapped back with force, unaware she had done so. “Diego, you know Houston wouldn’t hurt me.” She shoved at him, though his solid frame didn’t move. He looked relaxed. As relaxed as a cougar with a sore paw.
When neither man relented, she purposely put a hand on each chest. “If you two don’t quit this posturing, so help me…”
“Cara, I do not posture,” Diego said in a purr. He lifted a hand to cover hers on his chest, and she felt a wave of comfort surround her. Titania felt a simultaneous vibration of disapproval under the fingers pressed into Houston’s chest.
“What’s going on in here?” Laney asked, rounding the corner. “I could hear you down the hall.” Houston took two immediate steps back and braced an arm around Laney, pinning her to his side, shielding her. His eyes never left Diego’s.
To Titania, it looked like battle lines had been drawn.
“How did he get in here just now? The room was empty,” Houston asked, a sharp demand in the words.
She sought Diego’s gaze, and he nodded once. She turned to say, “He’s gifted. Like us.”
“Not like us,” Houston told her coldly. “You’ve really done it this time, Tani.” She saw some of the heat leave Houston’s expression when he shook his blond head. “Christ, Tani,” he growled, shoving his free hand through his hair.
“Well, you think I need a bodyguard. He did help me once already,” she said, tossing out something to uphold her end of the argument. Houston’s fierce refusal was apparent in the tight hold of his shoulders, the grim slash of his mouth.
“Him? Are you kidding?” Houston stared at her, then narrowed his eyes back at Diego.
“I am capable,” he drawled in answer to Houston’s dark looks. “And no one would ever touch her again.” It was a promise, a threat of retribution should Houston ever dare to hurt her either. No one else would get the chance.
Houston chose to ignore the other man. “Tani, come on. You don’t know this guy, anything about him. Let me get you a professional.”
“Don’t bother,” she replied, ignoring his cajoling tone. “You want me to have a guard dog. I found one. Don’t get all pissy because you don’t like him.” She crossed her arms, lifting her chin in defiance. It didn’t help that she had to look so far up to cross glares.
Houston raked a hand down his face. “Fine,” he relented after several tense seconds. “But the first time he screws up, he’s gone.”
Houston focused behind her, a deadly challenge in his brown eyes, and Titania just barely caught a toothy snarl from Diego. Great, she thought. Too much testosterone was not a good thing. Real soon, she was going to have to find out how two men could take such an instant dislike to each other.
Two nights later, Titania was ready to pull her hair out. Houston and Diego circled each other like junkyard dogs. Houston kept a football field between Diego and Laney, and whenever she tried to talk to Diego, Houston yanked her away on some emergency. And since Houston was suspicious, so were David and Justin. If anything, David had grown even more protective. In short, she was ready to scream in frustration.
Tani stared at the passing highway stripes through the tinted bus window, thankful to be alone for the moment. The dark night hours were soothing, calming her. She pulled up her legs, wrapping her arms around them. Laney had convinced Houston to take a private drive with just the two of them in Houston’s Ferrari. David and Justin were up front, driving the bus to their next show, which was just fine with her, since everyone was behaving as if she’d lost her mind.
So what if Diego was different? He didn’t have to be with her every single second. She understood that. What could happen to her in a moving bus, anyway? She rolled her eyes in blatant disrespect, remembering Houston’s warnings before Laney managed to drag him away.
Houston didn’t trust Diego at all, especially since he wouldn’t be traveling with them every single minute. But he would be with her when she needed him. Wasn’t that the most important thing?
How could she describe Diego’s abilities? She wasn’t sure it was even possible. His abilities were unfathomable. He had to be the most gifted person she’d ever run across, his strength unbelievable. He was even a little frightening at times. So what if he could just appear? She mentally shrugged. Houston probably just hadn’t seen him at first and couldn’t stomach admitting to it. She knew he hadn’t left the room, but even she hadn’t seen him when she’d checked before leaving with David and Justin. It really didn’t matter. Houston didn’t trust him. Somehow, the fact that he had saved her life didn’t hold any water now either.
That really irritated Titania. Ungrateful jerks, she silently cursed. If I had been in the hospital for a week, then everything would have been fine. She watched the winking stars in the sea of the night sky. I appreciate it.
“I am very glad to know you do.”
“Diego,” she whispered, and her eyes popped open with his sudden vocal reappearance. Her heart leaped at his return. She hadn’t realized until she heard him again that she had missed his unusual contacts. She searched the inner sanctum of the bus, but she was still alone. “Where are you?”
“In San Francisco.”
“Already?” She sat up, stunned.
“I had to ensure your arrival would be secure.”
She couldn’t miss the hesitation in his answer. “What is it?”
“Something does not feel right. It is not Brakka. But something… I will search more. Do not worry over it.�
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“I never worry,” she retorted with a defiant tilt of her chin.
“I did not mean to imply that you would, cara.” His voice warmed her, slid over nerves like hot honey. Her breathing grew ragged. How could he do that to her? And he wasn’t even there!
“I could be,” he replied, his smooth voice shimmering into her thoughts.
“No. No, that’s okay.” His haunting, masculine laughter reached her, reverberated between her ears. Her entire body hummed. Her forehead fell to her lifted knees. “Go away, Diego.”
“As you wish.” When he was gone, it left her feeling completely isolated. Bereft.
What was happening to her? How could this man be affecting her so deeply when no one ever had before? It was a good thing he hadn’t kissed her again either. She lost all her senses when he did that. It felt like her entire body was on fire. She shook herself. Hard. “Don’t think about it,” she admonished herself.
It wasn’t fair he had lips like that. It just wasn’t. They had to be a package deal with those eyes. She melted whenever she looked at them, and his gaze could see right through her. She knew he could. Piercing, bright. Bold. Just like the man.
She sighed. Then her eyes shot wide. Just how strong were his abilities? How strong was he, period? He could talk to her so effortlessly, and she had witnessed his physical strength, lifting Houston like a bag of cotton balls. Houston stood six-foot four if he was an inch. Diego was as tall with a muscular, defined strength. He exuded power without being huge. It was subtle. He brought to mind the strength of the Roman and Greek sculptures. His shoulders were the most remarkable thing about him, commanding and broad.
She rubbed her chin on a raised knee. Was she being too lax? Was she taking his help for granted? Did Diego have a motive, a plan? Was Houston right to be distrustful? He’d never acted like this before. Houston liked everyone.
Tani tried to remember how it had felt when he had treated her. Everything about that night was fuzzy, the attack and what had followed just a gray memory. Had he done that? Had he manipulated her thoughts somehow? Could he do that? She swallowed, once, slowly, as she strained to try to remember. It frightened her to realize no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember the details. How many times had he been in the same room with her after all, then? She leaned back, pushing herself further into the cushions of the bench, her arms tightening.
“I am stronger than you will ever know. Quit trying to scare yourself. You are getting upset over nothing. You will never be in danger from me.”
“How do you know what I am thinking about?” she asked before she could restrain the impulse to know, feeling out the pathway and following it outward.
“I have discovered that when it comes to you, it is best to be prepared,” he teased. “You are becoming very adept. I am impressed.” There was a hint of pride in his response.
She gasped, burrowing tighter still into the corner of the bench. “I’m not speaking! How am I doing this? How am I talking like this?”
The warmth of fingers curled around her throat in delicious torment, making her blood pump through her body with a molten ache. “Something I have been considering for several days as well. I must be rubbing off on you,” he joked warmly, beneath his calm reassurance. “You were not even aware the first time it happened. You took me by surprise, and as always, stole the air from my soul.”
Her hand lifted, covering the sensation, unconsciously holding it closer. “How can I feel you?” she whispered cautiously in her mind. There was little doubt it was him.
“That, cara, is all me.” She had the sense of a male grin, pleased with himself.
“Stop patting yourself on the back.” “Men,” she groaned. Her hand dropped.
“No, honey. Only one man.”
That was when she began to believe she was in deeper than she had ever imagined.
When the bus arrived at the hotel, Diego waited for her, standing tall and forbidding in the drive. With his black leather trench coat, Titania thought he looked like he could be the mob all by himself. There was something very lethal about him. People walking around the hotel skirted him, giving a wide berth. None of it mattered. His complete attention remained focused on the bus and the three occupants.
“Where are Houston and Laney?” Tani asked, hopping down to his side from the last step. David and Justin paired up behind her and Diego.
“They left for dinner.” He glanced down at her. “You need to eat.” His stride matched her shorter ones.
“I’m not hungry,” she said. Her brow furrowed. “Actually, I haven’t felt hungry in days. I hope I’m not getting sick. That would just make my life so perfect right now.”
Titania was aware several women and many more men noticed her entrance, and if only David and Justin had been with her, she would’ve had to fight off at least a few autograph seekers. With Diego, no one dared approach. Intimidating. That was the word.
She was blessed with silence until the elevator. “You will try to eat something this evening.”
“I am not a baby,” she argued back, not thinking about the intimacy of the mental path as her ire rose. It was definitely easier when she couldn’t answer outright. “I’m fine.” She gave him a sugary smile. A dark brow arched in answer.
“Little liar. You are tired this evening. You need to eat.”
She sighed.
* * * *
“Tani? You feeling all right?” David asked, resting a hand on her hip. She didn’t resist when he pulled her closer for a hug.
“I’m fine,” she replied, looping arms comfortably around his shoulders. “Just stressed out. I had no idea saving this one was going to give me so much trouble.”
David laughed, brushing her trademark black hair from the side of her face. “Who could stop you? Houston calls you an angel in disguise, and he’s right,” he told her warmly. Tani really had no idea how beautiful she was, how entrancing she could be when she smiled. Lately she glowed, seemed to be even more beautiful than David had ever thought her to be. David loved Titania like a sister, but when she looked at him with those beguiling eyes of hers, sometimes he wondered if she would ever think of him as something more. He knew how sensitive she was to emotions and intentions so he always held those thoughts close, kept them hidden behind his fun laugh, the one she knew and trusted.
His quiet chuckle died a fast death though when he glanced up and found Diego’s stare aimed at him. Even in the dimness of the elevator, he could feel the weight of her new bodyguard’s intent. Houston didn’t trust this guy at all. David had faith in Houston’s judgment. Now he was positive Houston knew what he was talking about. This man was walking death. Cold seeped into David. Instinctively, he wanted to pull Titania closer, to protect her as if danger was imminent.
“David?” Her voice dragged his attention to her own questioning blue eyes. “You paled. Are you feeling all right? I was just wondering if I was catching a bug.”
He blinked, coming back to the elevator where they all were. He placed Titania away firmly, and instantly the cold, oppressive weight disappeared. He swallowed, his laugh shaky. “No. I’m fine. Just wandered off there a minute. Hey, here’s our floor.” He focused on the doors to distract himself.
Leaving the elevator, Diego placed a hand on her lower back, his actions intent and immediately protective as he guided her to her room. David and Justin always roomed together, as Houston did with Laney. It had never bothered David before that Titania slept alone.
David understood that no one with a brain cell of sense would harm her with her bodyguard around. But as he watched a final chilly stare reach him from the dark, brooding expression of the other man as the door closed behind them, David wondered who was going to protect her from Diego.
* * * *
“Does he always touch you like that?” Diego stopped just within the door as Titania reached for her suitcase next to the bed.
“Who?” She started sifting through clothes. “Oh, David? Yeah, I gu
ess so. Why? He’s like a brother. We’re family.”
Diego pinched his mouth shut. Possessive heat burned through his veins. David had almost died on that elevator, and Diego was sure he knew it.
“We have a room for you,” she said, pulling out a change of clothes.
“I will not be needing it, but thank you.”
She jerked up. “You can’t stay here!” A telltale rush made her pulse leap. Her lips parted as her breathing increased to a shallow pant. His body ached in reaction. Not a flicker of his response showed in his expression.
“I will be with you during all hours of the night. Brakka is a threat, as is the one I detected when I first arrived. I could not locate the source. You are not safe here. When I am not available, you must stay with Houston.” There was no room for argument. The threats he had encountered were real and dangerous. There had not been enough time to narrow the hunt to the source before their arrival that night.
Titania’s fists rose to her hips while her chin tilted in challenge. “You’re real good at making the rules, aren’t you?”
“When it involves your safety, yes. That is what I am here for,” he pointed out.
“Well, look. I want to shower, so make yourself scarce.” She waited and then frowned when he didn’t move.
His gaze drank her in, her defiant stance, her glowing beauty. He met her frown with one of his own, finding hunger beating at her, beating at him. “You will eat when you are finished.”
“Stop ordering me, and we’ll see,” she retorted. “I told you, I’m not hungry.”
Diego strode across the room, his long legs demolishing the space between them. “Maybe I am not making this clear enough. I am not ordering. I am ensuring your survival. Even now, I can feel the fatigue in you. You have no idea whatsoever of what Brakka is. You believe he and I are alike, and that is very close. If you are weak, he can control your mind more easily. You have felt him once already, fought against him. You know I am telling you the truth.” Blue eyes flashed with the sapphire fire he was coming to expect from her. “There will be no compromise.”