To Love and Protect (Must Love Diamonds 4)

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.”

Her father raised his arm to look at his watch. “It’s already tomorrow. He’s hired.”

“Dad.”

He raised his eyebrows at her one word protest, but before she could add more, her mom stepped forward to pull her into a hug. “I’m sorry, honey, but the plane’s waiting. We trust Devante will do a good job.”

Resentment bubbled inside as her dad gave her a hug and kiss next. Then he turned to extend a hand to her newly appointed bodyguard. “Call me later and we’ll discuss the particulars.”

Dev shook his hand with a curt nod.

Shelby held tight to the ends of her knotted belt, her jaw aching from her clenched teeth even as she noticed her dad do the whole hand at the small of her mom’s back as they left the lobby.

On the way out to Dev’s big, black pick-up truck, she wished she’d have asked Raine if she could crash in her hotel room for the night. Then she could’ve called her dad in the morning to talk about getting a different bodyguard instead of being stuck with Dev.

He moved ahead to open the passenger door, and she gathered the long skirt of her dress so she could step onto the running board and pull herself up into the truck. As she settled in and turned to click the seatbelt in place, she spotted his cane leaning against the console on her side of the cab.

A quick glance caught him as he rounded the back on the driver’s side. That hitch was there in his gait, same as it had been all evening. She didn’t think he was any less of a man because of it, but God forbid she even glance below his waist.

He got in and secured his seatbelt before starting the engine. “What’s your address?”

“What happened to your leg?”

His gaze jerked to hers, his surprise evident in the dim light from his dashboard. Yeah, she hadn’t expected that blunt question either. But she brushed aside a twinge of guilt for asking. So what if her question didn’t fall in line with polite etiquette? He’d bossed her around and made decisions about her life tonight without once asking her what she wanted.

Dev looked away, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “You don’t think I can protect you?”

Under the tightness in his defensive voice, there was a hint of vulnerability she was sure he would not want her to identify. As if maybe he had his own doubts. That made her feel bad enough she had to bite her tongue on an apology. He’d always been confident, strong, and capable, and after nine years as a Special Forces soldier, it would take a lot more than a limp to make her doubt his ability to keep her safe.

“That’s not what I asked.”