Nash started to argue, but the cop hauled him away, talking in low undertones, shutting the door behind them. Leaving her alone with this giant of a man.

Feeling raw and vulnerable, Maria wrapped her arms around herself. The sun had almost set, so even standing by the window didn’t warm her up. She just felt so damn cold. Because of the room and probably grief. And now to be faced with a dark reminder of her past was too much.

Excerpt from

Under His Protection

Red Stone Security Series

by Katie Reus

Copyright © 2014 Katie Reus

Julieta Mederos looked up from her computer screen as the bell above her shop door jingled. She inwardly cringed. She thought she’d locked the door. It was ten minutes until closing but as the owner of Julieta’s Silk and Lace she could make executive decisions. And it was Friday night, she was starving, and the employee she’d had scheduled to close this evening had called in sick. Again.

Since no one else had been able to come in, she’d been stuck covering. Again. She hated to let anyone go, but tomorrow morning she was making the call.

Shoving those thoughts away she smiled at the beautiful couple entering. “Hi, please feel free to shop around and let me know if you have any questions about anything.”

The woman was tall, slender and wearing a long, bright print Bohemian-style dress with simple gold sandals. She was truly stunning, the kind of woman Julieta wouldn’t be surprised to see gracing the cover of a magazine. She smiled back, her expression tentative. “I saw the hours on your door, are you sure you’re still open?” When she fingered the strap of her purse, the giant diamond on her left hand, ring finger glinted under the colorful track lighting.

Julieta nodded, already liking the woman from that one thoughtful question. “I’m Julieta so I can stay open as late as you’d like.” She flicked a glance to the tall, blond man standing next to her. He looked like a sexy Viking god. Well, a sexy, angry one. He was practically glaring at her. Okay then.

Maybe Julieta’s discomfort showed on her face because the woman nudged the male in the sharp black suit next to her. “I’m going to shop and my friend here is going to sit right over there.” There was an edge to her voice as the woman pointed to a plush couch next to a glass-cased display of discreet sex toys.

Practically growling, the man went to stand next to the couch, turning his body so that he had a view of the front door and the rest of the shop. As Julieta watched him she realized just how huge he was. Most people were taller than her anyway, but with broad shoulders and a muscular body even a suit couldn’t hide, a sliver of anxiety threaded through her veins. She’d never been robbed before, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think it couldn’t happen to her.

Julieta sold high-end lingerie, but she also sold affordable, quality fashion jewelry and sex toys. Some days it amazed her how many toys she sold. Remaining where she was, she placed her hand on the silent alarm button under the display case. “Just let me know if you need help.” She made it a point not to crowd her customers unless it was clear they needed assistance and she wanted to keep some distance between herself and the big man in case he tried anything.

“I actually do need help. My friend Elizabeth Porter recommended this place to me,” the woman said as she strode farther into the shop, her gold bangles jangling around her wrist noisily.

“Lizzy?”

Smiling widely, the woman nodded. “Yes. We’re new friends actually. I just moved to Miami a month ago and my fiancé works for the same company Lizzy and her husband do.”

Julieta let her hand drop from hovering over the silent alarm. That explained the man’s military-style stance as if he was guarding or casing the place. She tilted her head to the man standing stiffly in the front of her store. “He’s with Red Stone too?”

She nodded. “Yes, but he’s not my fiancé. That’s Ivan Mitchell. He’s my personal guard.”

Julieta started to raise her eyebrows then caught herself. “Well I’m more than happy to help a friend of Lizzy’s. Our mothers go way back and I’ve known Lizzy since we were kids.”

The woman smiled. “That’s what she said. She said she’s a couple years younger than you and used to follow you around like a puppy dog whenever your parents got together.”

At that, Julieta let out a sharp bark of laughter and rounded the counter, all anxiety about the sexy Ivan dissipating. “I don’t know about that, but she was quite attentive.”

The woman’s shoulders relaxed slightly, her sun-kissed arms a nice bronze. “I’m Mina.”

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Jules. Why don’t you tell me what I can help you with?”

The woman flicked a glance to the front of the store. Julieta followed her line of sight to see the sexy Viking watching them intently again. She squirmed under his glare. It was like he expected her to pull out a weapon at any moment.

Not liking the way he watched her, she turned back to Mina. The tall woman bent slightly, as if wanting to tell her a secret. “I didn’t want to bring him but he insisted on coming inside.” She let out an annoyed sigh before continuing. “Lizzy said you sold the best lingerie in town and that you sold fun…toys,” she said in a whisper. Her cheeks tinged crimson and Julieta bit back a smile.

It was always fun to introduce women to their first sex toys. Sadly for her, toys had been her only form of companionship the last three years. Gah, she couldn’t even think about that. Nodding, she said, “Are you looking for solo toys or something you can use with your fiancé? Maybe as a surprise for him?” She was just guessing but she’d gotten good at reading her customers the past couple years.

“Definitely with him. And yes, it’s a surprise.”

“If we can move your scary bodyguard away from the case up front, I think I’ve got a few things that might interest you. If you decide you like something, I can have it delivered or you can take it with you today—discreetly packaged. And if you don’t find anything you like, I have a catalogue you can check out too.”

Relief bled into Mina’s dark green eyes. “My fiancé, Alex, is coming back tonight from an out of town trip so I’m sure I’ll find something.”

Julieta nodded and forced herself to ignore the intent stare from the blond-haired, blue-eyed god standing up front as she led Mina to the display case. She’d met enough judgmental men to last a lifetime, thank you very much. Maybe he didn’t like the fact that she sold sex toys. Heaven forbid women please themselves on their own. Whatever his problem was, she didn’t give a crap. He wasn’t her customer and she didn’t have time to worry about it.

Acknowledgments

A great big thank you to my family for putting up with my hectic schedule. Your patience is so appreciated! I’m often saying thanks to the usual crowd and this time is no different. Thank you to Kari Walker for her help getting this book just right, Joan Turner for copy editing, Jaycee with Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs for her wonderful cover, and Amy with Author E.M.S. for always fitting me into her schedule. To my readers, thank you for reading this series. I hope you enjoyed Roman’s story! As always, I’m so thankful to God for being a continuing presence in my life.

Complete Booklist

Red Stone Security Series

No One to Trust

Danger Next Door

Fatal Deception

Miami, Mistletoe & Murder

His to Protect

Breaking Her Rules

Protecting His Witness

Sinful Seduction

Under His Protection