Diamond Dust (3 page)

On the way to the door to put away the cart, she glanced outside and noticed the hot tub lid was out of place.

“Damned windstorm.”

She tucked the cart aside and dashed outside, attempting to tug the heavy cover back into place. Leaves floated on the surface and she muttered in frustration. Scooping out the debris was simple, until the wind picked up, swirling around the third-story balcony. The rubbish skittered away over the water’s surface, disappearing under the quarter section still covered by the bulky lid.

Times like this she regretted she wasn’t a shifter. Stupid, awkward, heavy contraption. She crawled onto the edge of the tub and put her feet against the cover, using her stronger leg muscles to thrust it out of the way.

The wind hit the French doors and they slammed against the doorjamb, the sound harsh and abrupt in the quiet around her. Caroline jerked in surprise.

“Crap.”

She inelegantly slipped off the smooth tub lip and under the warm water, the back of her head rapping the edge hard enough for her to briefly see stars.

Then darkness.

Chapter Two

Tyler stepped through the hotel doors and paused, partly out of habit to allow Justin to get into position, partly because the place was far beyond what he’d expected from a northern inn. Exquisite decorations filled the expansive front lobby, one entire wall a virtual wilderness with plants, rocks and a floor-to-ceiling waterfall dancing down the barrier.

“Mr. Harrison?”

Justin moved closer, but Tyler waved him down. The beautiful woman approaching him with an outstretched hand wasn’t a threat. “Gem Jacobs. How lovely to see you again, and in one piece.”

She smiled, turning to welcome Justin as well. “I’m glad your delegation chose the Moonshine Inn as a base. Did you have a good trip?”

Tyler nodded. “Uneventful. Not nearly as much excitement as you got up to earlier in the summer. My personal apologies for the terrible way you were treated by some of my fellow bears. Have you recovered from the mishap?”

“Completely. Please, don’t mention it any further. We all understand politics don’t always go the way we’d like.” She was the perfect hostess as she guided them through the grand foyer, pointing out carvings by local artisans, and Tyler hid his smile. He’d heard the southern belle was now Takhini pack, but seeing her in the setting was amusing. The last time he’d met her she’d been acting as hostess for her father in the far south of Georgia.

She turned from showcasing the lobby. “Do you gentlemen want to see your rooms or explore the town? We can arrange anything you’ll need for the duration of your time with us.”

“Thank you. If you could show us to our suite, that would be all,” Tyler answered.

Justin interrupted. “If you’d let me know where we can park our limo, I’ll inform the driver.”

She handed him two envelopes. “The blue is room key and information for your driver, the other is yours for the suite.”

Justin gave her a nod then turned to face Tyler. “You want to wait until I get back so I can escort you?”

The man was far too addicted to the guarding part of his job. “I think with Gem to protect me, I can make it to the suite without getting lost or shot.”

“Half of your delegation has already checked in. They seemed pleased with our arrangements.” Gem folded her arms prettily. “Let me assure you the Moonshine Inn is well protected. Between the security cameras and the pack presence, there’s no one on the premises we’re not aware of. Evan Stone takes safety seriously.”

In spite of her promise, Justin waited until Tyler motioned him away. “Go on. Deal with the driver. Oh, and grab the information the organizers said they’d have waiting at conference headquarters. I promise to be a good boy and stay in the suite until you get back.”

His guard nodded, leaving reluctantly.

Tyler offered his arm to Gem. “He’s far too interested in making sure I’m coddled.”

“It’s his job. You can’t blame him. This way, please.” Gem led him to the elevators and punched the button for the third floor. “Your initial security teams have already taken a look around the hotel and settled into their rooms.”

“Wonderful.”

She nodded. “Also, I’m supposed to pass on the message the Takhini pack is available for you. Anything you need.”

Interesting.

He’d give it more time, a few days at least, before seeking out the pack Alpha and getting a feel for where the man stood regarding the bear situation. Conclave wasn’t something Tyler wanted wolves poking their noses into, but with everything else his opponents had tried over the past weeks, he’d be stupid not to think they might also mess with the Whitehorse talks.

Someone might attempt to use the potentially volatile situation of two wolf packs in one place to set off some troubles in their favour. Having the ear of the ruling pack could help Tyler.

“Thank you for that. I’ll keep it in mind.”

She guided them to a single door at the end of the hallway, opening it before passing over the key. “I hope you have a comfortable stay with us, and successful meetings.”

“Pass on my greeting to your Alpha.”

She left him, and that sense of “wolf” faded as he watched her go. He slipped through the door, relaxing as he examined the space.

Other than a cleaning cart blocking one wall, the room was standard to what he was used to. He loosened his tie as he strolled in farther, peeking through the doors he passed to find a large bedroom with a decadent attached bath. There was a second matching door on the opposite side—he’d assume a matching bedroom waited there for Justin. Tyler stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it on the bed before wandering back into the main room.

The partially open French doors caught his eye. He dropped his tie, grabbed up an apple from the massive fruit bowl decorating the kitchen counter and ate it as he wandered to the balcony railing. An incredible view greeted him, with the mountains rising behind the city streets. The lack of skyscrapers added to the beauty, and he breathed deep to fill his lungs with fresh air.

A faint scent of human made him turn, but there was no one there. Only the door he’d left open behind him, and at the far side of the deck an open lounging area with a hot tub, the lid strangely askew.

A hand draped over the far edge, just visible from his new position.

Hell.

Tyler raced forward, reached into the water and scooped up the limp body of a blonde woman. Her head had been resting on a drink holder, the only thing that had kept her from becoming completely submerged.

“Wake up, little mermaid.” Tyler cradled her against him. He nudged the door open and brought her inside, dripping wet, examining her face for a reaction. She was breathing, but shallowly. He lowered her onto the couch then pulled a handy throw blanket over her shivering torso. “Can you hear me?”

Her lips moved, eyelashes fluttering. Nothing but slight muttering to his question.

Damn it. He had to call someone, and now. He leaned over her to snatch the phone from the side table. Her arms flailed. In his unprotected position, one hand connected sharply with his nose, and he grunted in pain.

Ignoring the phone for a second, he tucked her in again, holding down her arms to stop her from hurting herself or taking more pot shots at his face. “You don’t need to hit me, I’m trying to help you.”

“
Bear
…”

The word whispered past her lips, and Tyler paused. Leaned in closer and sniffed.

The scent of wolves clung to his waterlogged woman, but she wasn’t wolf. Human through and through, yet the fact she’d just called him a bear?

Something was happening he wanted to get to the bottom of.

“Can you hear me?”

Her lips moved steadily, drawing his attention to them. For the first time he paused long enough to look the rest of her over. Her blonde hair stuck up in spots, the pale colouring all the way to the roots. Her skin was pale as well—whether from soaking in his tub or her natural colour, he wasn’t sure. The deep red of her lips contrasted sharply against her skin, a delicate pout forming on their soft surface as she attempted to speak.

Speaking of bears, his was at full alert. The beast bumped to the surface, keen on him shifting for some reason. While he was the bear and the bear was him, there was one part of his brain that remained independent. His human side reasoning, rational. His animal side more…well, animal. Earthier and more connected to the wilder roots of shifterdom.

He understood why his bear was interested. Pretty face and pretty body, the swells of her breasts rose and fell as her breathing evened out and grew stronger. That was the reason he was staring at her chest, to make sure she was recovering from her ordeal. Not because he could see straight through the wet shirt and the bra underneath it. Not because the lush redness of her lips seemed to be reflected in the tips of those breasts…

Tyler shook his head to make his brains settle back in place.

Damn bear.

His mystery woman sucked in a deep breath, her eyes opening all the way. “Frack.”

He soothed her, attempting to keep her horizontal on the couch without actually forcing her back. “You should stay still.”

Her gaze darted over his face, and this adorable little crease appeared between her brows. “Who are you?”

Caution made him word his answer carefully. If this was someone planted by another bear clan, he wanted to know, so he used the oldest ploy in the book. His friend would understand. “I’m Justin. What’s your name?”

“Caroline.” Her eyes widened. “Why am I soaking wet?”

“I found you in my hot tub. I hoped you could tell me—”

“Oh, shoot.”

She would have surged upward, and this time he made contact, hands to her shoulders, to keep her from jerking to vertical. “Don’t. You nearly drowned. Until you remember what happened, you shouldn’t move.”

The fabric separating his palms and her skin warmed, and the scent of her skin grew stronger. She relaxed onto the overstuffed fabric as she tentatively touched the back of her head.

“I remember. I was finishing cleaning the suite and slipped on the tub.” She moved her fingers slowly but still cringed in pain. “There’s a goose egg to prove it.”

Tyler settled on his heels beside her. Cleaning staff. Okay, that was a possible solution to the question without turning this into some kind of political intrigue.

“Do you mind if I check?”

“Be my guest.” She frowned. “You’re Justin? You’re the security man for Tyler Harrison.”

Cleaning staff who knew details of the room’s occupants? Tyler returned to being suspicious all over again.

He lifted her carefully until he could examine the back of her head. “I’m checking things out in the room. Everything seemed to be in order other than you doing unsupervised synchro.”

“Can you get me out of here before he arrives?”

“You sure you’re okay to move?” Tyler helped her upright, sitting next to her on the couch. He held one arm around her to stop her from shifting from side to side.

Caroline groaned lightly. “I’ll be all right. I’m not nauseous or anything, which is good. I would hate to throw up and ruin the great cleaning job I did.”

Tyler laughed. The conversation was far more blunt than he usually got to hear from people. “Well, yes. Let’s avoid vomiting, shall we?”

It was rather comfortable sitting with her. Far more comfortable than he should be after rescuing a strange woman in a strange place. He wanted to be wary, wanted to remain alert to the potential troubles in the situation, but with her wet body cuddled beside him, his damn bear seemed to have taken control of his mind.

Her shirt had separated from the waistband of her pants, and a sliver of bare skin rested under his fingers. The sheer willpower it took to keep from stroking that soft section of skin shook him.

His human side pushed forward in defense with logic. “I should call a doctor to check you out.”

She frowned. “I’ll go to the clinic. Let’s not have ambulances at the hotel today. It wouldn’t be a great way to start things off. Might set a damper on the meetings.”

Curiousier and curiousier. “You’ve obviously worked at the Moonshine Inn for a while.”

Give her a chance to admit she knew about shifters, and the game would change all over again. A tiny bud of a notion had burst forth in the last minute, probably planted by his bear, but damn if it wasn’t a working idea.

She nodded slowly, wincing. “I’ve been on staff for nearly five years. Since before the Takhini pack bought out the previous owners.”

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.