Her Protector Billionaire Groom

by Taylor Hart

  She knew Jose was a very good Latin dancer. His skills in that area far outshone hers, and they certainly outshone his other qualities. Before she knew it, she found herself doing the cha-cha. Other couples soon joined them.

  “Seems like you’re enjoying the dance a bit too much there.” Parker spoke into her ear.

  She scanned the crowd and found him behind one of the drink tables, serving drinks. He must have put on a long, straight, dark brown wig to cover his blonde hair, then dawned the staff uniform. If she hadn’t been looking for him, she’d never have recognized him. His eyes met hers, and she smiled. She hadn’t realized he would be right here.

  He nodded.

  “Mi amor,” said Jose, whispering in her ear and stroking a hand down her back. “Shall we walk on the beach and keep you away from Carlos?”

  She didn’t want to, but she nodded, feigning enthusiasm. “Sure.”

  Before they left the dance floor, Carlos stopped them. “Wait. Where are you two going?” He barely acknowledged Lucia, who was clinging to him.

  Jose gave the man a tight smile. “For a stroll on the beach.”

  Carlos again looked Ari up and down, and then he cocked his head to the side. “Have we met before?”

  For the first time, Ari felt a surge of true fear. She forced her brain to work, trying not to blow her cover while she gave Parker the SOS. “I’m not sure. Maybe at the hot dog stand?”

  “Hold up, tiger. What’s happening?” Parker asked, sounding concerned.

  She didn’t know what to say. She coughed, trying to cover her panic. “I said, maybe over hot dogs?”

  “Are you okay, Ari? Do you need help?”

  Carlos frowned. “You’ve mentioned them several times this evening. Do you want a hot dog?”

  Ari flashed him a grin. “I’m fine. I mean, I love hot dogs, but I’m fine.” She waved a hand through the air. He couldn’t recognize her, could he?

  Carlos held her gaze. “A woman obsessed with hot dogs.”

  Lucia pressed herself against Carlos. “I love hot dogs, too.”

  “For heaven’s sake,” Parker whispered. “That’s a horrible way to use a code word.”

  “We have to go.” Jose pulled away, smiling too widely.

  Ari waved. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Carlos.”

  “Tomorrow,” he called out.

  As they walked out of the hotel and toward the beach, Jose was quiet. She didn’t know what to say, either, so she just held his hand and worried that Carlos had somehow figured her out.

  When they got to the beach, Jose bent to take off his shoes and socks and roll up his pantlegs.

  She followed suit, taking off her shoes and holding them in one hand.

  As they walked along the beach, he put her free hand on his arm. “Are you okay, mi amor?”

  “I’m fine.” She sucked in a breath and pretended to enjoy the ocean. “It’s beautiful here.” She’d enjoy it even more with better company.

  Faint noise drifted toward them from the pier, and they walked in the opposite direction.

  “It is. I just wish I didn’t have so many meetings. And I wish you weren’t of such interest to Carlos.” He cursed beneath his breath. “I shouldn’t have sat you so close to him.”

  Ari nodded sharply. She didn’t want to talk about Carlos.

  They strolled a bit longer; then Jose stopped and pulled her into a hug. It was a bit awkward. Sure, she’d strung Jose along, but she’d always known it was just temporary. She’d been looking forward to not having to be around him. Now, she had another week.

  Trying to get information while still playing dumb, she leaned into him. “Do you think that Carlos will really help California the way he says?”

  “I don’t know. I just need him to help my campaign.” His eyes trailed to her lips. He bent and kissed her.

  She didn’t allow herself to flinch or pull away, no matter how much she wanted to. She still needed him to trust her.

  After a few minutes, he trailed a hand down her arm. “Shall we take this party back to my room?”

  She hesitated. She’d never done that kind of thing with Jose, and she didn’t plan on starting now. She let out a light sigh, grateful she had an easy out. “I told my brother I would hang with him tonight.”

  “Good call,” Parker whispered into her ear.

  Jose frowned. “I thought he had moved to the broody, action movie phase.”

  She kissed him, holding him closer. “I’m sorry. I just never see him, but I promise, after this week … I will be yours.” Or really, completely the opposite: I won’t be yours at all.

  Jose pulled back, staring into her eyes. “You don’t know how I have longed to hear you say that.”

  She laughed. Oh yeah, she did. Slowly, she trailed her hand from his face down his lips to his chest. “Can you wait a little longer for me?”

  The man shivered and smiled at her, kissing her longer. He pulled back, kissing her hand. “I can. I will respect you with your brother here.”

  “Geez, what a gent,” whispered Parker.

  She couldn’t help but smile.

  “You are so beautiful,” Jose said, leaning in and kissing her yet again. She was finding it harder and harder to hold in her disgust.

  She pulled back. “I told him I would be back before midnight.”

  Jose let out a long sigh but nodded.

  “When can I see you tomorrow? Can we walk more on the beach?”

  Jose evaluated her, leaning in and smelling her deeply as they walked. “I wish, mi amor, but Carlos wants to talk business with the men.” Jose nipped her ear.

  She shivered despite herself.

  “So you have fun with your brother during the day, but maybe the nights … could be our nights.”

  She let out a little hiccup of a laugh.

  Silence reigned on the other side of the earpiece.

  As they got off the elevator and Jose walked her down the hallway toward their rooms, he held her hand close and kept trying to kiss her.

  She giggled and pretended she liked it. “I have to go find my brother.”

  “Bah, the couch-surfing brother. Why did he have to come now?”

  “That’s what couch-surfing brothers do: show up when you least expect them.”

  Jose’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and checked it, then cursed and scrunched up his face.

  “What?” she asked, uneasy.

  “It’s Carlos. Apparently, he really liked talking about Paris with you.”

  “Oh.” Her heart raced.

  “He, uh, wants to fly you to Paris tomorrow and take you to the Louvre.”

  “What?” She was shocked beyond the ability to form actual words.

  Skittering laughter went off inside her ear. “The man is an egomaniac,” Parker said.

  She focused. “Tomorrow?””

  Jose nodded, his face growing serious. He clenched a hand into a fist. “He thinks he can take my woman and go to Paris.”

  Her mind whirled with strategies. She knew how badly he wanted to be governor, and she knew how much Carlos Fuentes meant to helping secure him the spot—not just in funds, but in influence too. “I’d better go, then.”

  Jose jerked his eyes to meet hers.

  Calmly, she put a hand on his chest. “For you. For the campaign. For your election.”

  Jose simmered with anger. “I don’t know about this.”

  “I know, mi amor, but it is for the cause.” She leaned in, kissing his cheek.

  “Nice touch,” Parker said softly in her ear.

  She ignored Parker’s comment, focusing only on the situation. “I’ll go to Paris,” she told Jose, already thinking about how to tweak her exit strategy after she dealt with Carlos. She needed to talk to Parker about that. “I’ll be whatever Carlos needs me to be, and I’ll convince him to go along with all of your plans. To give double the money he was going to give.”

  Jose’s jealousy evaporated instantly and he kissed her lips. “You are
so smart.”

  She flashed him a grin, as if they were co-conspirators. “It’s all for you. When you are governor and I am your wife,” she said, taking his hand, “we will rule California.”

  He laughed. “My wife? Are you asking me to marry you?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t mean—”

  “I like it,” he said, interrupting her with a kiss. “Yes, I will marry you.” He searched her face. “With a woman like you by my side, how can I lose?”

  The door burst open. “Excuse me,” someone called out from the elevator.

  Both of them stopped and turned. Ari was surprised to see Carlos striding toward them, all by himself. Where was Lucia?

  Jose pulled back but kept Ari’s hand. “Carlos, what can I do for you?”

  Carlos gave her a blatant up-and-down, just as he had earlier that night. “I am sorry to bother you tonight, my friend. Unfortunately, Lucia had an issue and had to take her leave.”

  Jose frowned, his face turning compassionate. “Is everything okay?”

  Carlos waved a hand through the air. “Fine. Fine.” He sighed. “But I just wanted to make sure our plans are on schedule.”

  “Dang, this guy is pushy,” said Parker in her ear.

  Jose dropped her hand. “We have all the important people we need for your …” He glanced at her. “We have everything in place for tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, my friend. It will be a good day.” Carlos picked up Ari’s hand and kissed the back of it.

  Jose bristled, but he let out a long breath and put up a hand. “No worries, my friend. I will handle things here.”

  Carlos grinned at him, and the men fist-bumped.

  “But,” Carlos said, his eyes immediately flashing to Ari, “you’re good to come?”

  Adrenaline coursed through her. She should have brought her gun. “I would be honored to go with you.”

  Her eyes met Carlos’s, and the gleam she saw there told her that he wanted her. He really, really wanted her.

  Jose looked miserable. “What time will you be back?”

  Carlos shrugged. “Whenever we’ve had our fill of the city of love.” She could tell that it didn’t matter what Jose thought. If Carlos Fuentes decided he wanted something, he took it.

  “Enough,” Parker growled from the earpiece. Abruptly, the door to her suite flew open and he burst through. He held an ice bucket and wore the same wild Hawaiian shirt. “I thought I heard talking out here. Sis, you’re back! Good, I was getting ice and I just popped popcorn.”

  Carlos pulled away from her, giving Parker an angry look. “You must be her brother.”

  Appearing oblivious, Parker put one hand on Carlos’s shoulder and the other on Jose’s. “Did I hear something about Paris?” He flashed a grin at her and tapped the wall. “Walls are thin.”

  For a brief moment, there was hesitation in Carlos’s eyes.

  Jose grunted out a laugh.

  Carlos forced a grin. “You want to come?”

  “Heck yeah!” Parker let out a loud whoop.

  Ari grinned and nodded, giving Carlos her best puppy dog eyes. “Please.”

  “Why not?” Carlos said, relenting.

  Parker acted all silly, doing little jumps like he was a sorority girl. “Mom would have loved this!”

  She laughed and felt herself ease. Still, she could tell that both Carlos and Jose were unamused by Parker’s antics.

  Parker moved past her. “Yahtzee’s all ready if you guys want to join.”

  Jose went rigid and was clearly ticked off. Carlos didn’t seem to mind Jose’s discomfort but seemed equally displeased with Parker’s presence. “My private jet leaves at nine. I will be at your room at eight. Sleep well, American dream girl.”

  Revulsion swept through her. “Thank you.”

  He nodded, turned, and left without even acknowledging anyone else.

  Stiff, angry, and looking like he wanted to throw something, Jose watched Carlos disappear down the hallway. He put a hand through his hair. “I never should have let you sit by that man tonight.”

  She put a comforting hand on his arm. “It will be fine, Jose.”

  Jose grabbed her by the wrist. “Will it?”

  She knew what he was asking. He wanted to make sure she would be loyal to him. And she wasn’t even nervous about what that might mean for her future. What did that say about her? “It’s one day in Paris.” She turned and walked through the door, pulling it open. “One day.” She winked at him. “Then we have the rest of our lives together. Plus, my brother is coming. What could go wrong?”

  Jose nodded, looking slightly mollified. “Okay.”

  She shut the door, and Parker was waiting right behind her. The look on his face told her he didn’t like this situation one bit.

  “Yeah.” He turned away from her, talking into his phone. “Chuck, I need you to bring all of that over right now so we can be prepped to leave in the morning.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, she moved past Parker and into the little kitchen. Every part of her buzzed with angst and excitement. Even though she hated Carlos, she would get to see Paris, and she’d always dreamed of that. She pulled open the fridge and took out a water, guzzling it in one go.

  She heard Parker get off the phone; then he was there, sitting at the barstool closest to her. “Well, I guess that went better than we hoped.”

  She forced a smile. “I guess it did.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t think Fuentes would so blatantly come after you, but you handled it well.”

  She let out a light laugh and walked out next to the window, loving the way the moonlight was hitting the water. “Not really.”

  Parker followed her to the window. “You okay?”

  She wanted to tell him she wasn’t okay at all. That she never thought she’d be in a situation like this. She wanted to confess all her hopes and dreams and losses. But they had a mission. The past had to stay in the past.

  “Ari?”

  She turned and searched his gorgeous face. This was the real Parker—serious, not a buffoon. Gently, she put her hand on his cheek. “I know it’s not ideal, but I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for watching my back.” She pulled her hand away and stared at the ocean. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

  Parker let out a breath. “We’ll get him. We’ll get him and put him away for a long, long time.”

  She knew Parker believed it. But if she didn’t get what they needed, Carlos was still dead. She would see to it personally.

  Parker searched her face, then let out a light laugh, taking her hand in his. “You still want to kill him, don’t you?”

  The fact that he could read her so easily was unsettling. She didn’t respond.

  He dropped her hand and put his over his head, letting out a long breath.

  “Of course I want to kill him. And if he knew who I was, he would kill me. Seems fair.”

  Parker hesitated, then nodded, stepping back and crossing his arms.

  “I need to change.”

  Before she could walk away, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “Have you ever killed anyone?”

  She looked down at their joined hands.

  Parker must have realized what he’d done, because he dropped it. “Have you?”

  “The file didn’t tell you?”

  He grunted. “No.”

  She thought of all the nights she’d held the gun in her hand beneath her pillow. “No, I haven’t. But I won’t blink an eye if I have a chance to kill that man.”

  They stared at each other for a while. He could tell she was serious.

  Finally, Parker said, “There’s light in people’s eyes. This …” He gestured to his eyes. “The light that makes us who we are. Our essence. I know how you feel, because believe me, when I’ve been faced with a situation where the only option was to kill one of the dregs of society that I was after, I did it and it was fine. But I’m not going to lie. Sometimes their faces flash into my mind. Sometimes I have wo
ndered if I would have wanted someone else to be the one who killed them.”

  Her brow furrowed. “What are you saying?”

  He lifted and lowered one shoulder. “I would prefer to do this the right way—the way that gets him a trial and in jail.”

  “The way that got my father killed.”

  He shut his mouth, his jawline flexing.

  “Do you understand that this started a long time ago? My mother was killed by Marco Fuentes because she wouldn’t sleep with him? And then my father was killed by Carlos—because he testified against Carlos in court.” Her eyes stung with angry tears. “That man—” she pointed to the door with a shaking hand, “—that man would kill me if he had the chance. If he knew who I am.”

  Parker took her hand again. “All I’m saying is, I will kill him if it has to be done. Let me do it.”

  With those words, all of the walls and the training and the practice were gone. She was naked, vulnerable, the same girl she used to be when they were young. A tear leaked down her face, and she cursed. “Don’t do that, Parker.”

  “Do what?”

  “You don’t have to take care of me.”

  “What if I want to?” He asked it so genuinely, with such sincerity, all of her resistance faded in a second.

  “You would kill him for me?”

  The side of his lip curled up. “I would kill him anyway, but I would definitely kill him so you don’t have to.”

  She fell into him. “Don’t be the hero.”

  A smile filled his face. “You used to tell me I was the anti-hero in high school.”

  She let out a light laugh. “No, my father used to say that. And, to a teenage girl, you kinda were.”

  “Why?” He put his hand to his chest and gave her an innocent look.

  She laughed again. “A hot guy with a motorcycle and a bad attitude. Yeah, you were my father’s worst nightmare.”

  He flashed a grin.

  She softened. “Then you really turned into the hero, didn’t you?” Her lip trembled and she thought of how afraid she really was.

  He wrapped his arms around her. “Shh.”

  She let herself be held, let herself cry.

  For a long time, neither of them spoke.