Vivian Arend - Diamond Dust

And there was his answer. “You know about shifters, then.”

She snorted.

His bear was far too charmed by her instant and honest response.

Caroline motioned upward. “Help me to my feet, and we’ll see how I do. Yes, I know about shifters. Half-blood family, actually. My stepdad’s wolf, so I’ve lived with pack most of my life.”

A human who grew up with shifters. This might be the solution to one of his problems during the upcoming conference days.

Not to mention a lovely distraction, as long as she hadn’t injured herself with that crazy fall.

He had her standing, his arms still around her in case she wobbled. Caroline clutched his shoulder momentarily as her knees gave way. He caught her around the waist and pulled her against him for support. She was tall enough to make him not feel quite as enormous as he usually felt around the ladies. Other than that, he was desperately beating back the bear, who had just suggested they should peel her out of her wet clothes to make sure she wasn’t hurt anywhere else.

“I think we should get that doctor in here.”

“No.” Caroline spoke firmly. “Damn, you shifters are all the same, bossy as all get out. I’m fine, and I really have to leave before your boss gets here.”

His boss. Oh right, his little name game. They could drop that ploy. “Actually, I’m—”

The door opened, and Justin walked in. His best friend froze in midstep as he took in the entire scenario. From the open door, the trail of water across the carpet, the wet and disheveled woman, and Tyler himself.

Caroline swore and to his great surprise, hid herself against his side, arms curling around his torso.

Justin’s eyes widened even farther.

Tyler had to say something before this got out of hand. Only with the reaction of the human, he didn’t want to embarrass her further.

It wasn’t his finest moment, but between his bear rumbling happily about having her in his arms, and everything else, Tyler made a snap decision.

Before his guard could speak and give him away, he opened his mouth and lied his ass off.

“Mr. Harrison, the room is fine, but one of the cleaning staff had a mishap. If you’ll excuse us for a moment.”

Caroline bit her tongue to stop from swearing like a fishwife. Way to make a great impression. Five more minutes and she’d have escaped without showing herself to be the total incompetent she felt at the moment.

Thank God for the sympathetic bear shifter she was unashamedly hiding behind. While he was damn impressive himself, a man who worked for a powerful man would understand some of what she dealt with on a daily basis, working with an Alpha. She felt a kinship, almost, with him.

Yet, gack , she must have hit her head harder than she thought. This wasn’t her, she never hid. Certainly not when there was no good reason. I.e., soaking wet shouldn’t be enough to make her lose her senses. Who knows, maybe being shifters they would think dipping fully clothed in pools was some weird human quirk.

She untangled her fingers from where they’d somehow become fisted around Justin’s used-to-be-pristine white shirt.

White…shirt. White , like the uniform top she wore.

Caroline tilted her head to examine the full extent of the damages, but it was pretty much what she’d grasped in that one moment of blinding clarity. Her shirt had gone see-through. Great day to wear the sheerest bra she had in her closet.

She looked up to see her big bear studying her, the faint smile teasing his lips vanishing as she caught him.

Good grief. “Don’t guys ever have anything better to do than stare at women’s breasts?” she whispered in annoyance.

He chuckled. “Occupational hazard of being male. They’re nice breasts.”

Shifters. They were all the same. After years of dealing with the far more relaxed wolf-pack sexual attitudes, it was clear bears were no different. Still, she was human, and he should know better, so she secretly dug her fingertips into his side out of Mr. Harrison’s view. “Stop it, and get me out of here without making a spectacle of myself.”

Her benefactor dipped his chin. “Deal.”

He tucked her behind his back, using his broad body as a block between her and the head of the Harrison delegation. Caroline peeked out, but Mr. Harrison seemed to have developed a great fascination in the carpet at his feet, strolling toward the bedroom without so much as a glance her direction.

She was across the room in seconds.

“I’ll be a moment,” the big guard announced. “Wait here.”

“I can wait in the hall—”

“Right here,” he snapped, still sotto voce, but despite the low volume it was clearly an order. “Or do you want to parade around the hotel in what you’re wearing?”

Good point. She nodded. “Fine. Staying.”

He grabbed her cleaning cart, rolling it over to the door. Then to her utter shock he stripped off his own shirt, broad chest revealed in a snap, plus the most incredible set of upper arms. Biceps like massive rocks, shoulders that could have been formed out of granite.

Caroline had seen her share of nudity, what with all the shifting going on from the earliest time she could remember, but this man wasn’t a wolf, and he wasn’t stripping to shift.

Her cheeks flushed. Whoa nelly, the man was built. She might have a bed partner, but she wasn’t blind. The zing of attraction was natural enough, but other than enjoying it right here and now, that’s all she planned on doing.

He thrust his shirt out, and bar being any ruder than she’d already been, she could hardly refuse. Especially when he was giving it to help deal with her frail human sensitivities.

His fingers slipped over hers. Caroline glanced up in time to catch him staring. Not like a guy merely fascinated with her boobs, but a strip her down and ride her expression on his face.

Oh hell, no. Not a complication she wanted to deal with in this lifetime, thank you. She might think he was a looker, but she didn’t cheat. Not on Evan, not on anyone .

Caroline turned her back as she tugged on the huge shirt, the tails falling to mid-thigh and more than adequately covering her important parts.

He opened the door and gestured her into the hall, dragging the cart with them.

She put the bulky thing as a block between them, self-defense kicking in. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Not so fast.” He tilted his head and eyed her. “I want a report that you’ve seen a doctor so I know you’re fine.”

She snapped off a salute. “Yes, sir.”

“Smart-ass little thing.” He laughed. “You’re not what I expected.”

Yeah. “I get that a lot. Please, extend my apologies to Mr. Harrison. I’ll send someone in to dry off the couch and—”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll sit on chairs until it air dries. Not as if we’ll have to sit on the floor or anything.”

“Thank you for being understanding.” She grabbed the cart handle and prepared to leave. “I’ll return your shirt as soon as possible.”

There it was again—she hadn’t imagined it. That red-hot flash as his gaze dropped over her, even though she knew damn well he couldn’t see any thing. “Fine.”

“You should go explain to your boss what happened. I promise you’ll have nothing else to worry about for the duration of your stay.” When he didn’t move, she jiggled the handle, making the cart bump him. She smiled hesitantly, not wanting to encourage anything she’d have to defend against, but trying to walk the line between polite and unavailable . “If I didn’t say it yet, thank you for saving me. I’m glad you came and fished me out of the tub.”

He dipped his head and stepped aside.