Hide and Seek (Titan Protectors #1)

Prologue

Twelve Years Ago

Two men whom Grace Willoughby had known her entire life watched her and her boyfriend with undisguised scrutiny.

Of course they did. Her brother, Hayden, and his best friend, Callum, had never treated her like anything other than a kid.

Now that she lived on her own and had returned home with a boyfriend for her family to meet, both were making this family dinner more awkward than it already was.

Her boyfriend, Dominic Marino, sat at the outdoor table on her parents’ back deck.

Despite the fact that Dominic had insisted on meeting her parents, it was clear he didn’t want to be there.

If she were honest, their relationship was too new.

It’d only been weeks since he’d swept her off her feet.

Far too soon for family introductions, but Dominic always got his way.

She tried to ignore the small stirrings of doubt and found herself staring at Callum. She quickly jerked her gaze away.

Callum Hale. Broad shoulders. Powerful long legs. He wasn’t family, though he acted like it and probably believed it to be true as he sat next to Hayden and shot the shit with her dad.

She hadn’t seen Callum since he and Hayden had graduated from Army Ranger School.

His stormy eyes melted her insides, and when he turned his bourbon-brown gaze on her, she wanted to drag him to bed.

So she did what she did best: ran her mouth and rolled her eyes and tried her damnedest to treat Callum like Hayden.

It might have worked to the outside world but didn’t change the stupid-level of arousal that coursed through her veins when he smiled.

Her backup plan was to ignore him. Ignoring him was a talent she’d mastered over the years, because there was only so much world-class sass she could spew before her sarcastic well was depleted.

If she wasn’t able to shield herself from Callum, her insides turned into a gooey, upside-down tornado.

That would have been a terrible problem to have while standing next to her actual boyfriend.

And her actual boyfriend was a verifiable catch.

Handsome: Check.

Wealthy: Double check.

Polite—erm, well, half-check.

He gave excellent interviews, had topped more than his fair share of famous people lists of the likes of Forbes, Inc., and Bloomberg, and once had paparazzi in speedboats follow his yacht while he partied with nepo babies and Los Angeles royalty.

How could she compare Dominic to Callum, who literally never noticed that she had grown up from the kid next door to a woman with a figure that wasn’t all that bad?

Nice curves and a pretty smile, if she said so herself.

But nope. Not even so much as a second glance.

That was probably good, because if he had given her a fraction of a thought, he would have noticed that she’d pined after him from the moment she’d noticed boys.

Irony of all ironies, he noticed her now.

Or rather, he was noticing her sitting on a two-person bench with Dominic.

His steely eyes had tracked Dominic since the moment Callum eased into his chair, longneck beer sweating in hand, frowning in a way that said he clearly didn’t trust her boyfriend.

That was fine. Callum didn’t have to trust Dominic.

Dominic didn’t seem to notice Callum. He wasn’t fazed by the uncomfortable small talk or broiling summer heat.

In expensive khaki pants and a polo shirt, she wondered how he could look so cool and detached.

Hayden and Callum wore boardshorts and T-shirts and looked like they might walk to the neighborhood pool after burgers and beers.

She ignored them and focused on her boyfriend. “Do you want something cold to drink?”

Dominic’s flashy smile was one more layer of his put-together persona. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Killer smile. “I’m fine, darling.”

Darling. Was she a darling? It wasn’t the first time she’d asked herself that question. Darling always sounded like he was speaking to someone else. Just as “Mrs. Willoughby” would always be her stepmother, “darling” would be someone else.

Someone more blue-blooded or pretentious.

Someone who wore pearls and sweater sets.

Someone who looked like they should be on Dominic Marino’s arm.

The nickname would take getting used to. All new things had a breaking-in period.

Her dad returned to the deck with a tray of burgers for the grill. “These shouldn’t take long. Hope everyone is hungry.”

She was starving. Between the time zone change and flying into a private airport, she hadn’t grabbed a meal all day.

The flights were supposed to have been catered, but as best she could tell, that meant champagne, liquor, and charcuterie boards.

After more than a few olives and fancy deli slices, she agreed with Dominic that she’d eaten several days’ worth of calories.

She had still been hungry, but the flight attendant cleared the tray at Dominic’s request.

She wanted to disagree, but her boyfriend had a weird way of finagling her agreement. Manipulating? No, that didn’t sound right, but Grace could never pinpoint how it happened.

“Hayden says you work in finance,” Callum said.

“I do.” Dominic’s lips curved into that effortless smile he used in board meetings and when schmoozing clients. “Crypto. Bitcoin. I specialize in blockchain technology.”

“That’s, like, pretend money, right?” Distrust tightened in the corners of Callum’s eyes. He tilted his head toward her brother. “Everything in Las Vegas is fake.”

Hayden’s gaze narrowed as well. “Think so.”

Dominic didn’t spend all his time in Las Vegas. She wished she hadn’t told Hayden and Callum that they were flying in from there. It raised too many questions about where Dominic lived. Las Vegas. New York. Miami. Washington, DC.

Dominic chuckled good-naturedly, as if Hayden and Callum weren’t acting like overprotective buffoons. “The business opportunities in Las Vegas are as real as the money in my bank account.”

Hayden snorted, Callum rolled his eyes, and Grace blushed.

Talking about money like that was crass.

Then again, it was his money that had been whirling her around the country, gifting her with over-the-top bouquets of flowers, dining her with unbelievable meals.

She literally couldn’t catch her breath under the weight of his attention.

Who was she to judge when Dominic was lavishing her with attention in a way she hadn’t known was possible?

Her stepmother shot a warning glance at Hayden and Callum. “That sounds exciting. Don’t mind them.”

Dominic hooted as though they were all in on a funny conversation. The hint of his thinly veiled condescension echoed with his laughter. If she heard it, Hayden and Callum did as well. Her stepmom, who always saw the best in people, probably didn’t.

“No, it’s fine,” Dominic said. “Digital assets are a complex market. Hard to understand. Takes a lot of understanding. Not for everyone.”

Her stomach churned. Dominic’s snarky side comments wouldn’t help everyone get along. Wasn’t that what she had wanted? For everyone to get along? For her family to be swept off their feet by Dominic as she had? Yes? Yes. That was why they were here.

She should have known it had been too early for him to meet her parents. Much less Hayden and Callum. She’d never brought a guy home before, and the timing of Hayden and Callum’s leave from base was unfortunate.

Wait—what? She never wanted to miss a chance to see her brother and Callum, and nearly exploded from excitement that Callum—that both of them—would be home.

Callum is only a family friend, she reminded herself.

She’d let go of her dreams of him years ago, and Dominic had treated her like a precious possession since the moment he’d swooped into her life.

She’d never had to fight for Dominic’s attention.

Never second-guessed what his intentions were.

Dominic cared about her, wanted a future with her. Why shouldn’t they all meet?

“The thing you have to understand is,” Dominic continued, “the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.” He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and secured her close with a possessive hold. “It will definitely provide for a great life.”

The churning in her stomach intensified.

Her family never shied away from public displays of affection.

Dad and Mari snuggled, held hands, and did everything in their power to be near one another when lounging around the house.

Theirs was a comfortable love. Terrific role models.

Dominic’s hold on her now wasn’t comfortable.

His arm around her shoulder was more a message to her brother and Callum than anything indicative of their relationship.

She wanted to inch away. She needed breathing room.

But Dominic didn’t do breathing room. He’d barely let her catch her breath since they first met.

Las Vegas and New York City. Fancy dinners and shopping.

A declaration of love on their third date.

Her boyfriend drove fast cars, owned a private plane, and lived life to its fullest. Now she was, too.

Callum’s face tightened. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He glared at Dominic’s hold. “How long did you say you’ve been dating?”

“A few weeks,” she managed.

“That’s pretty fast.” He took a pull from his longneck without taking his eyes off of her.

“Why waste time when it’s the right woman?” Dominic asked.

She blushed again and couldn’t hide her smile. This gorgeous man adored her. He’d offered her the world. Everything had been so right, so absolutely overwhelmingly amazing, that she couldn’t see how it could go wrong.

Hayden grunted his skepticism.

“Come on, boys, give the kids a break.” Dad flipped burgers on the grill. “We’re glad the timing worked so that everyone was here at once.”