and fell off her body.
What the hell, they’d just have to get an eyeful. Maybe it would be an effective distraction, who knew?
Without missing a beat, she kept going and aimed the canister at the door of the suite. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Darius swung around to face her, his hands up in the air as if she was talking to him. His mouth fell open as he caught sight of her. He shook his head and mouthed something, but she was already glaring at the intruder behind him.
Intruders…plural.
A small group of people crowded in the doorway. One of them held a cake. Another had balloons. There was a bottle of champagne in there somewhere. And a lot of shocked faces that belonged to members of her old law firm. Danisse from accounting. Chad, the frat boy intern. Jamieson, her immediate supervisor.
Darius, bless him, took only a split second to step between her and her former colleagues. Never before had she been quite so happy about how damn big he was.
Bluff. She still needed to bluff her way out of this, even though it wasn’t quite the situation she’d thought she was facing.
“Hi everyone. Great to see you all. Ooh, is that cake?” she said cheerfully as she dropped the can of spray to her side and peered past Darius. “Aw, you guys shouldn’t have. This is just so sweet! The last thing I expected. Literally.”
Darius stepped toward her, filling her field of vision and shielding her from sight. “Why don’t you let me take this,” he murmured as he touched the hand holding the bear spray. “You’re making people nervous. Me, in particular.”
She let him claim the can. “I wasn’t going to use it unless I had to,” she whispered. “I’m not that reckless.”
“No, I’d say you’re the perfect amount of reckless.” The amusement in his voice brought a smile to her own lips. He shepherded her toward the bathroom, still blocking everyone’s view of her backside. “You thought I was in danger.”
“Obviously.”
“I’m deeply moved that you would try to save my life buck naked.”
They reached the bathroom, which felt like a heavenly haven of safety.
As soon as she stepped inside, the aftermath of all that adrenaline hit her. She started to shake.
“My coworkers just saw me naked,” she moaned. “I swear I’ve had nightmares exactly like that. Except usually there was a judge and a courtroom involved.”
“Shhh.” He wrapped his arms around her, the scent of his wool sweater blanketing her in comfort. It also reminded her that he’d had the good sense to throw on some clothes before confronting the world. “You have to remember something very important.”
“What?” she moaned, resting her forehead on his broad chest.
“You don’t work with them anymore.”
She tilted her head to gaze up at him. The silvery amusement shining in his eyes brought a bubble of laughter to her own lips. “That’s true. I work with Emma now and she’s seen me naked. When I was a baby.”
“My hockey team has seen me naked,” he added helpfully.
“Yes, but they were naked too.” Somehow it made a difference.
“Sweetheart?” He cupped his hand under her chin and caressed her face. “Everyone has seen naked people before. They’ll get over it. Want to know what I won’t get over?”
“What?”
“You and your hair all wet down your back and that fierce look on your face like you were ready to mow down anyone who got in your way.”
“I thought they were going to hurt you.”
He dipped his head and touched his lips to hers, a firm press of warm flesh that sent a sigh through her. Gently, he parted her lips to go deeper. She swayed against him, feeling desire stir again.
“Thank you,” he murmured. “I know who to hire if I ever need a bodyguard.”
She smiled against his lips. It was amazing how everything felt fine now. It didn’t even bother her anymore that she’d flashed her old coworkers.
Darius reluctantly pulled away. “Now where do you safely stash that damn thing? And where are your clothes? Do you want me to tell them to leave?”
“Only if they leave the cake and champagne behind,” she said cheekily as she kneeled down to search through her suitcase. “I think I’ve earned it.”
She rummaged for an outfit to put on—the less revealing, the better. She’d put on enough of a show for one night.
“How did they even know I was here?” she wondered aloud. “Only the key players were supposed