To Love and Protect (Must Love Diamonds 4)

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.