Page 8

Joelle

The second week of December started with snowfall.

It snowed incessantly for days.

Joelle sighed in disgust as she saw acres of snow-covered ground through the living room window.

She hated the stuff with a passion. It’s no surprise her mood dropped. It was a day that needed more color.

All summer long, people complained and prayed for colder weather. Well, she hoped those people were happily frozen now. Who would exchange serotonin-boosting sunshine for the dreary wetness? Nothing made her sadder than the winter months.

Turning from the window, she padded through to her walk-in closet, choosing the brightest sweater she had. A blended mix of red and silver. After slipping into a pair of jeans, she laced up her knee-length, off-white ski boots with the fur around the trim.

The only thing she tolerated about the yucky season was the gorgeous fashion. Teamed with the light gray woolen trench coat, going outside soon would be bearable.

It was one of those days when she had to eat breakfast with everyone in the family dining room. Her parents were already there and halfway through their food. Her father looked over his copy of the Financial Times. He grunted hello and returned to the news. Her mother was the first to speak.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Where are you off to today?”

After kissing her mom’s cheek, Joelle collected a plate and helped herself buffet-style from the side table. She chose poached eggs and a much-needed coffee.

“I have a few errands I need to run in town and a last couple of gifts for Reeves to pick up.”

Joelle didn’t have kids of her own yet or even a pet, so Reeves was who she spoiled rotten. He may no longer believe in Santa Claus, but would have everything on his wish list under their tree. Or near enough. She wouldn’t buy him a Maserati, no matter how much he begged.

As usual, conversation around the breakfast table was sparse. She didn’t know why her father insisted they eat together. He left, soon after, for the office, and her mother was organizing an extended family dinner this weekend, so she’d be busy most of the day.

Knowing she’d have to be shadowed by Titan, as she had several times last week already, Joelle expected to see him standing in the entryway.

The bodyguard couldn’t be considered friendly, with only a few monosyllabic grunts. But she came up short when it wasn’t Titan looming by the front door.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Diamond, whose eyes had zeroed in on her the second she stepped into the foyer. “If you’re looking for my father, he’s already left for work.”

“I already saw him, and it’s not him I’m here for.”

Realization landed heavily in Joelle’s chest.

This was the last thing she needed today, to have him crowding behind her.

“Where’s Titan?”

His jaw was set tight. “It’s his day off.”

“I didn’t know round-the-clock security got days off,” she remarked, buttoning up the coat.

Like he was born avoiding questions, he asked one of his own. “Where are we going?”

Joelle tried not to notice how good he looked today. His blond hair, clipped short around his head, appeared slightly damp, as though he’d only had a shower recently. And his leather jacket was all dinged up and sexy, fitting him perfectly.

If there was a handbook on how to appear masculine without trying, she bet Diamond’s face was on the cover.

Now, she was mentally trying to decide if she could cancel what she had to do today and wait for Titan to return from his day off. Knowing Diamond was trailing behind her didn’t fill Joelle with seasonal happiness.

“I have errands to run in town.”

“Okay, we can take my truck.”

Her eyes widened. He didn’t show up on his bike? Ah, of course not. It would be risky for two-wheeled vehicles to navigate the snowy roads.

“I’m not going with you.”

“Joelle,” he sighed, his eyes so intense, like she exasperated him.

She snapped to attention. “Only friends and people I like use my name. You can address me as Miss Snow.”

His lips tightened. “You’re still pissy after what I said the other day.”

She didn’t dignify him with a response; instead, she pulled open the door and left him standing there. Out in the snow, she navigated to her parked car, depressing the locking mechanism.

He was behind her.

She heard his heavy footfalls on the crunching snow.

“Get over it, Joelle.”

“Miss Snow.” She corrected over her shoulder. “I don’t know you and don’t want to get to know you, either. Titan is nice. He at least stays quiet.”

“Titan has a woman.” He grated, and that’s when Joelle whirled around to glare at him.

Of all the nerve.

“You think I’m chasing your employee just because I admire how he keeps his opinions to himself?” She huffed, steam coming out of her lips. Joelle pushed a strand of blue hair away from her eyes and glared up at the behemoth man with a low opinion of her, which she couldn’t fathom. Maybe he was a born woman hater, or she just brought it out in him.

Lucky her.

“And even if I was chasing him around the furniture and locking him in the pantry to enjoy stolen kisses, it’s none of your business.”

There was a fire in his eyes. It flashed like lightning, and Joelle shivered. It must be because of the snow. Not because a hot guy was angry.

“Try not to crowd me if you insist on following me. I have a reputation in this town, and I don’t need you sullying it.”

She was talking nonsense and being disobedient. However, people would be shocked to see her gallivanting with a known biker.

She said nothing else to him for the rest of the morning.

But she was aware of Diamond driving behind her in his big F150 truck. And every time she stepped out of her car, he was mere feet behind her, shadowing her steps.

She remained silent while gathering Reeves’ presents. But he was there to unburden her with the packages and to place them in the trunk.

Nor did she tell him why she stopped at the animal sanctuary and the local children’s society to drop off her donations. She didn’t speak to Diamond when she parked outside a library with two enormous boxes of donated books. When she’d attempted to lift them out, he was there, taking over, carrying both boxes of heavy books at once like they weighed nothing. Though sighing, she let him help, but nearly bit off her tongue to stop herself from thanking him.

She was a spoiled rich diva, wasn’t she? According to him. Divas didn’t show their gratitude.

After talking to the manager for a while, it was heavily snowing when she came out of the library. With his eyes fixed on her, she couldn’t help but be fully aware of the ominous shadow by the doorway.

“Damn,” she muttered as she squinted against the bleak whiteness.

Determined not to give him any excuse to call her privileged or pampered, she ordinarily would have called Kenneth to pick her up. Driving in the snow was a nightmare come true, but she climbed behind the wheel, not glancing at Diamond. She’d have him out of her hair in just a short while. She could endure a snowstorm until then.

But she nearly came out of her skin when he knocked on the window. She whirred it down.

“You’re not driving in this, Joelle. I’ll take you home in my truck.” He said.

Joelle wasn’t a stubborn woman. She knew her strengths and was well acquainted with her weaknesses; she could admit she was wrong and was always quick to apologize when she meant it. But looking up at that stern jaw and seeing the blueness of Diamond’s eyes against the snow made every stubborn bone in her body roar awake.

It was on her tongue to tell him she didn’t need his biker help. This diva could get herself home through a snowstorm without winter tires and with less visibility than a house fly had. The words were right there, but he got there first.

“Don’t be a stubborn ass, Joelle. I’m taking you home. Get out of the car.”

He really was showering her with sweet names, wasn’t he?

“I can’t just leave my car here.”

“It’s a private parking lot. It’ll be fine for now. I’ll have it picked up. Keys.” He demanded, and she handed it over for some strange reason. To a virtual stranger slash pain in her ass.

The snow was whipping around them, though it was only a couple of feet from his truck. Joelle felt like she’d trekked through Antarctica, protected from the brunt of it by Diamond’s body so close to hers.

“I need Reeves’ gifts,” she said as he opened the passenger door.

“I’ll get them. Get in.”

With his truck elevated about fifty feet, he had to help her up, holding onto her waist. Joelle’s skin sizzled at the touch through three layers of clothing, keeping her chin up high and her breezy attitude in place as she watched a dark blur through the swirling snowflakes retrieve the packages from her trunk. The interior was neat, not even an empty takeout box, and it smelled like Diamond’s cologne. Once he climbed in, the inner cab grew even smaller by his proximity, and she sat with her spine ramrod straight and her eyes forward. Without warning, Diamond stretched across her and buckled her in.

He drove carefully with skill. It must have taken three times as long to reach the house, and she was relieved when she could climb down from the truck.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, though she hadn’t wanted to thank the bodyguard for anything. Despite her attempt to assist by retrieving the packages from the backseat, he insisted on getting them all, resulting in another muttered thank you.

Kenneth was waiting at the door, smiling at the pair of them. She was taken aback when Diamond followed her inside.

Even so, she told Kenneth. “Can you arrange a hot drink and something to eat for Diamond? Thanks, Kenneth.”

“It’ll be my pleasure.”

She didn’t wait around for Diamond’s refusal. He could eat or not, not her problem. But her traitorous eyes looked back once she was on the first-floor landing and found his head tipped up, watching her.

It wasn’t exactly animosity. It was something else.

If it were another man, she’d swear it was attraction, but there was no sign of it from him in their limited interactions.

Yeah, she was holding a petty grudge; his snap criticism hurt her feelings, and she couldn’t let it go.

Thank god Titan would be back tomorrow.

Without giving Diamond a wave, she headed up to her section of the house.

* * *

What the hell?

Where was Titan?

She’d been stuck at home for two days while it snowed, the kind of snow to trap people in the wilderness.

She was sure she’d see the quieter bodyguard when she went downstairs, but there Diamond stood, waiting by the door.

“Isn’t Titan coming?”

A twitch in his jaw nearly made her laugh.

He really didn’t like her mentioning his employee.

“He’s been reassigned.”

She blinked. “Reassigned, why? Because I was difficult? Did he tell you I was difficult ?” Oh, and to think she would’ve gifted Titan a box of sugar cookies for Christmas because he hadn’t been a demanding, bossy jerk like the man standing before her.

“If he did, he’s lying. I’m a freaking angel. A paragon of delight to guard. I hardly gave him any work at all.”

Diamond’s lips twitched, and she felt a softening in her chest as his eyes lit up with amusement. She was glad someone was amused.

“His woman is close to giving birth, and he wanted to be nearer home.”

“Oh.” The wind went out of her sails. “Then who else have you got?”

She didn’t mean it in the way it came out, but Diamond interpreted it negatively with how the smile dropped off his face.

She just meant she didn’t want to be a bother to him .

“It’s me or no one.” He rasped.

“It’s fine. I can do what I need to do online. I’ll stay home.”

As she started to climb the stairs again, she heard his stormy sigh. When she glanced behind her, Diamond had his hands resting on his hips, staring at her.

It was his fault if he was frustrated. He could have sent someone else to secure her.

No, it was her father’s fault for not making this stupid mess disappear. Between her father and a biker, they were causing her all kinds of infuriation.

The following two mornings, Joelle discovered Diamond waiting in the foyer, looking like he was chewing on rocks, oh-so-thrilled to be on Joelle Snow duty.

She frowned and tossed her coat over the newel post.

“I changed my mind,” she told him.

His eyes flared.

The day after that, she tried to sneak out before he usually arrived at eight a.m. She thought she was being sly and tittered as she skipped down the stairs before seven. Only to nearly take a header down the rest of them when she saw him at the bottom.

Before she could headbutt the marble staircase, a sturdy pair of arms grabbed her and put her right on her feet. She hadn’t even seen Diamond moving, but there he was, playing Superman.

“Going somewhere?” he husked, looking her dead in the eye. That look dared her to say she was hoping to go out alone.

“I didn’t know you were here. Don’t you usually come at eight?”

“I get here at six thirty.” He smirked. “Your cook feeds me before you come down.”

“Oh,” she murmured, realizing she still held onto Diamond’s forearms. She stepped back or tried to, but the stairs nearly made her tumble backward.

If not for the hero breaking her fall. Again.

“Careful, Bluebell.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She muttered, walking down the stairs this time without doing a forward head roll. Her legs usually worked just fine when he wasn’t around.

“I guess I don’t need to go anywhere today.” She informed. But it was a lie. She’d be considered a shut-in if she stayed home much longer.

“Goddammit, this has gone far enough.” He snapped, and Joelle’s eyes went as round as a beach ball hearing his raised tone. Her shock continued when Diamond took hold of the top of her arm and all but marched her into the adjourning reception parlor her mother used for greeting guests. It had vintage furniture, a cozy fire, and thick curtains from Paris, and it was decked out for the holidays with a tree and twinkling lights.

Before she could admonish him for the manhandling, however good it had felt, she whirled around and found Diamond standing in her personal space.

He topped her by a foot or more, so she had to tip her head back to glare at him right in the eyes. He had a severe expression, and his jaw muscles were ticking.

“You need to get over it.”

“Get over what?”

“Babe...”

Joelle’s stomach whooshed. That gravel voice could cause forest fires. “I’m not your babe.”

Diamond’s eyebrow winged up. “But you don’t mind being called Bluebell?”

Huh? He had her there. “Bluebell is cute and personal to me. Babe is generic and could be for every woman. And I ask again, get over what?”

“You didn’t like how I spoke to you last week. You’re holding onto your hurt feelings. You gotta move on. I’m here for the long haul.”

Oh, goody. She rolled her eyes, even as excitement tightened her throat. How would it feel to see this roughened biker every day? Stalking through her house with his incredible boots, broad shoulders, and swaggering walk. Diamond and his staff had brightened the place up. They descended on the kitchen like they’d never known food before. The cook was having a great time feeding them.

“Are you always this smart-mouthed?” he asked, almost softly.

“Not until recently.” And that was the truth. “You rubbed me wrong, judging me. It was rude.”

“Babe,” he grinned then, and his entire face changed, morphing into a god of a man. Joelle had to swallow and move her feet, taking her away from him so she could inhale without smelling his evocative fragrance. “Can you say you didn’t judge me when you walked into your father’s office that day?”

“Only because you were glaring at me like I’d just lifted my leg on your granny!” she huffed, and he burst out laughing.

“That was the first analogy you came up with?”

“Well, yeah. It was the worst thing I could think of. And besides, my assessment was more of a shock. Not every day do you see an esteemed justice taking a private meeting with...” She hesitated to finish because she didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make him angry again.

“Go on...” his eyebrows were high on his forehead now, and Joelle met Diamond stare for stare.

Fine. She wouldn’t back down.

“Meeting with bikers known not to be law-abiding citizens.”

“Diplomatic, Bluebell.” He chuckled, leaning his ass on her mother’s antique fainting couch. “You gonna move on now and stop acting like a brat so we can leave this fucking house before the scent of pine gives me a brain aneurysm?”

She couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles at the imagery of him dramatically fainting.

“I never knew bikers could be dramatic.”

“You never met Splice then.” He muttered.

“Ohh, who is that?” her ears perked. She had to admit that ever since Diamond and his employees had been around the house, she’d become increasingly fascinated by bikers and their culture.

His smile dropped.

Good heavens, what had she said now?

“You won’t get to meet him, so he doesn’t matter.” He said through his teeth. Warningly.

“You’re being rude again. Are you even aware you’re doing it? Is it medical? Do you have a note from your specialist?”

His lips split wide again, giving his face a softer edge. “You’re funny.”

Joelle rolled her eyes but smiled. “Sure, I should be in a circus.”

It could have been the heat from the fireplace, but Joelle suddenly felt a sizzle over her skin. Lifting her eyes, there was a jolt in her limbs, finding Diamond staring at her.

No, not staring.

Checking her out.

Running his eyes up and down her body. Unbridled. Unfiltered. His eyes had been painted in red hotness, and the attraction bounced between them.

And then it was gone in a blink, shutters came down over his vision.

The calm and collected biker was back in the room.

But boy, had that gaze left her feeling shaken to the core.

She hadn’t imagined it this time.

Joelle knew what she was working with. She saw her body more than anyone else did. There was a time when she resented her inability to be as skinny as other women. She’d never be a size two. Her framework wouldn’t allow for it.

With a lot of time, aging, and being gentle with herself, she’d learned to appreciate her body. She felt confident about her looks and had been praised for her beauty. Her confidence stemmed from the way her curves flawlessly fit into every pair of pants. Her curves and voluptuous figure exemplified femininity. Even though her belly was soft and jiggly, Joelle never hesitated to wear a bikini during her summer vacations. She refused to resent her body or delay happiness until she was perfect, knowing life was too short.

She’d rather live today and enjoy every second before it was over.

Maybe it was her confidence that made her attractive. She didn’t know, but her skin was still sizzling under Diamond’s admiring stare.

She cleared her throat. “I guess if you’re not busy, we can leave. I have a few things I need to drop off at a local art store.” She was selling a few pieces of her work. It had been over a year since she’d offered any of her older paintings. The store owner was a friend and art collector and often begged Joelle to give him more because the last shipment sold out in days.

She’d lost her confidence in her talent until recently, when she’d been doing much more painting. She wouldn’t delve into why, but she side-eyed the biker as she heard him push off from the couch and follow her. It might have something to do with him.

Artists needed pretty muses around them, and the handsome biker became hers.

“Thank fuck.” He said. Getting into step with her. He grabbed her coat over the newel post and held it out. Surprised, Joelle turned around and slid her arms in. “We’ll take my truck. It’s still icy.”

“This isn’t your normal duties, is it?” she asked.

“Nope.”

She grinned. “I thought so. You’re bored out of your mind guarding my family, aren’t you?”

He only cocked his eyebrow.

“It’s okay. I don’t run to my father to report the bodyguard’s behavior.”

“Not a bodyguard, babe.”

“Bluebell.” She corrected him and then cursed. “Shit, I mean, Miss Snow.”

Diamond only chuckled and held the door open for her to walk through first.

“Whatever you say, babe. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

With a tiny pep in her booted step, Joelle led the way over to Diamond’s parked truck, waiting patiently for him to help her inside again.

The eagerness wasn’t anything to do with wanting him to touch her, even for a second. No, nothing to do with that at all.

But she was still shivering from the contact once inside the cab as she watched him rounding the hood to climb in.