To Love and Protect (Must Love Diamonds 4)

“Nope.”

She arched her brows in question.

Dev shook his head, keeping the secret as he reached for a cutting board. “Go. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

She went, and was halfway through her shower when she realized he’d left the folder in his truck. Was that what he had to get yet? Was that what they’d be working on after dinner? She turned to rinse the conditioner from her hair and closed her eyes as the hot water streamed over her body.

A tilt of her head and slight angling of her body had the water hitting the part of her shoulder between her neck and shoulder blade. What she really needed was a nice, firm massage. The thought of asking Dev to put his strong, warm hands on her skin sent a flash of heat from head to toe.

Seduce that man.

Raine’s suggestion sent another spear of heat much deeper. It lingered as she dried off and dressed. If her time with Dev was limited, she should make the most of the time she did have left. While she wasn’t nearly brave enough to dig the negligee from her suitcase, she did pick out her most clingy T-shirt with a low V-neck, and a pair of curve-hugging, hot-pink velvet lounge shorts that barely covered her butt.

Nerves tickled her stomach as she left her bedroom, even as the smell of chicken and spices had her mouth watering. Sounds from the empty fourth bedroom brought her to the doorway to find Dev unwrapping plastic from a section of gym mat he then lay next to another section already on the floor. One more to go, and the entire surface would be covered.

He shot her a glance, then did a double take, his gaze sliding from her damp, braided hair to her bare feet.

“What’s this?” she asked as her whole body flushed with heat from that one look.

He turned away and ripped the plastic from the last mat. “This is for after dinner.”

Confusion prompted a smile of bewilderment. “Are you going to make me do yoga? Gymnastics? Wrestling?”

A smile tugged at his mouth with all her guesses while he placed the last section. “I’m not going to make you do anything. But I am going to give you back some control.”

She eyed the cushioned floor with a frown. “How so?”

“I’m going to teach you self-defense.”

Chapter 18

Dev had a good half-dozen bites to go, and Shelby was already up at the sink rinsing her plate. He’d been a little nervous about his plan, but the moment he’d said self-defense, her eyes had lit up. She wolfed down her chicken stir-fry and rice and was raring to go.

Now, he was dragging his feet. Because how the fuck was he supposed to concentrate on teaching her when all he could think about was touching her? Every tempting, tantalizing, deliciously-scented inch of her.

He’d about swallowed his tongue when she’d appeared in the doorway after her shower—because imagining her under the steamy spray wasn’t bad enough. Under that tight gray T-shirt, he could see the faint outline of her dark bra. And those hot pink short shorts. They were just begging him to run his palm up her bare thigh to the curve of her ass cheek. He was dying to compare the velvet of the material to the velvet of her skin.

Clearly, after crossing the line last night when he allowed himself to touch her in the name of comfort, there was no going back. That fact had been obvious when he’d come up with this plan requiring all kinds of body contact and hadn’t even tried to reason himself out of it. At least by teaching her self-defense, he could pretend it was for an altruistic reason.

You know, idiot, you might just end up giving her the courage to sleep alone again.

That was the point, wasn’t it? Keeping her safe and making sure she felt safe was all part of the job. Even if the end result meant she didn’t need him tonight, boosting her confidence was more important.

Shelby paced back to the couch from the kitchen. “You eat like my Grandpa Ira,” she complained.

“You don’t want to start the second you’re done eating,” he reasoned. “You need to let your food settle.”

“It’s not like swimming.”

“You won’t be saying that when you throw up.”

“Okay, fine.” She perched on the edge of the cushions and gave him a sheepish smile. “I can’t help it. I’m a little excited.”

“Only a little?” he teased, even though her eagerness made his heart happy. It felt good to give her something back instead of only telling her what she couldn’t do.

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of something like this sooner,” she mused.

Dev shot her a sideways glance. “From what I saw today, you’re busy at work, and you’ve got more than enough going on with fam