Betrayal of the Dove (Men of Action) (6 page)

As he drove down the back roads, avoiding some of the Interstate congestion he couldn’t help but think of Alyssa. She had blushed when she entered the bathroom and she had quickly set about trying to take her hanging panties and bras down. He tried, boy did he try, but he couldn’t resist taking a sneak peak at some of the pieces still hanging. She hadn’t seen him, which was good because she probably would have been red as a tomato if she knew he was enjoying the view. Mostly he was thinking about her curves filling out those feminine undergarments. He wondered if she had on lace or cotton now. He had imagined her in something blue, a deep blue to offset her blue eyes, and lace, definitely lace. Of course, those thoughts led to thoughts of stripping whatever she was wearing off of her and exploring the body that had set his libido into overdrive with just one look. She was five feet and petite and he liked what he saw. He liked the images that flittered through his head, the ones that involved kissing those perfectly voluptuous lips of hers, holding on to that finely toned waist and getting inside of her. “Damn,” he mumbled. It had been a long time since he had that type of instant carnal attraction to a woman. He hadn’t gone without, but hell, in the past few years he hadn’t wanted any woman as much as he wanted her.

At first he thought the attraction was just some sexual need to conquer her body, but then he found himself offering products and services for practically free. He wouldn’t have done that for any other client. He would have sent them a bill, but for her he found himself giving her the best of his equipment for free. He wanted her safe. And the moment he realized he was going above and beyond what the job required, he realized his attraction wasn’t just about sex. There was something about her; something instant; something that sucked him in like an endless black hole. The gravity, the magnetic pull of Alyssa McGregor had him sucked in and he didn’t want to escape. Instead, he wanted to get closer, go deeper. She was a friggin’ goddess and she didn’t even know it. Maybe that’s what drew him in even more. She was beautiful, but she didn’t wield it like a sword. It was as if she didn’t even realize just how hot she was.

“You’re in trouble now,” he told himself. She had initially looked at him as if she was ready to flirt, but then he handed her the CV and her reaction changed. She would be opposed to dating an employee, but he wanted her in his life, in his bed—he wanted her. “You’re going to have to work for her,” he told himself. He was going to have to pull out all the charm and finesse that made him Shane Maxwell, because this beautiful vixen was not going to come willingly into his lair.

Alyssa saw Shane’s truck ease past her store and then make a quick left into the drive that led to the back of her lot. She shook her head. “Sexy man is back,” she smiled. It ought to be illegal for a man to look that good. Forget the looks; the sound of his voice was going to be her undoing. He had that bedroom voice that made her want to close up shop and take him upstairs. “Not going to happen, McGregor,” she told herself. Who cares if he walked with confidence, was sexy as the day is long and drove a big truck. She laughed at her last thought. The size of his truck was not an indicator of the size of his…no, she couldn’t think of that right now. “It’s been too long,” she mumbled. “You really have to start dating again.” She saw him round the corner just as a group of women walked past her store. Until they saw him come inside she was sure they were going to keep on going, but they did a one eighty and came right back.

She shook her head at their high pitched voices. She couldn’t understand why women thought getting loud would equal getting laid. Blond, brunette, red head, and probably not all natural, she thought. “May I help you ladies?” She decided to ask because if they weren’t in there to shop for jewelry she didn’t want them in their shopping for a man—especially not this man.

“We’re just looking,” the red head said as she looked at Shane’s behind.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. She, too, was impressed with the man in front of her. He had changed clothes and while she thought he looked good in a suit she was doubly impressed with the fitted jeans and the body showcasing t-shirt.

“I’m going to get started in the back,” he said before taking his leave. She felt herself watching him as he walked through the door leading to the hall and the backdoor.

The moment he was out of sight the three women who had invaded her store decided to leave—without buying anything on top of that. She wanted to close up shop and go watch him work, but she wouldn’t. Nothing good could come of lusting after a man she couldn’t have because she had just hired him and she was now his boss. There would be no dating employees—none at all, she told herself.

She kept herself busy by organizing some of the jewelry in the case so that she could make room for a few new pieces that she had upstairs. She had a couple customers come in and make purchases. This was actually one of her slower days of the week, Tuesdays; she hated Tuesdays because they seemed to drag on forever. Monday’s were busy, Friday’s were really busy, and Saturdays were off the charts busy. Wednesdays and Thursdays were normal paced, but Tuesdays were like sitting in a cemetery watching the dead—Tuesdays were just plain boring…well, maybe not this Tuesday because this Tuesday had brought Shane Maxwell to her store and that, whether she would be dating the man or not, was definitely a plus in this Tuesday’s favor.

She wasn’t expecting Craig to find his way back in her store today, so when the door swung open and he walked in she was shocked. “Twice in one day,” she said, surprise registering in her tone.

“I brought you coffee,” he said as he sat a twelve ounce cup of coffee on her counter. She hated coffee. She hated the smell of it too, but since he had been so nice she decided she would just accept the gift. She could either pass it on to Shane or dump it in the sink upstairs.

“Thank you,” she forced a smile. He was trying to be nice and helpful, but the smell of that coffee was really starting to make her ill. Jeeze, what did he put in that cup? She didn’t think she had ever smelled coffee that wreaked that badly.

“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”

Oh no. This was not what she wanted to have happen. She had been avoiding this conversation since she met him. “Craig…”

“I’m a good guy,” he pointed to his badge. She smiled. She still didn’t want to date him.

“It’s just that I’m coming out of a bad relationship.”

“So maybe now’s the time to enter into a good one.”

“I don’t want to,” she admitted and she wasn’t lying there—not completely anyway. A part of her had thought about having a relationship, but in all honesty, she hadn’t thought about doing it until Shane walked into her store. “It’s just not the right time for me.” The words, “but we can still be friends,” were on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained from actually uttering them. They weren’t friends now. They had a passing acquaintance, one that he seemed to be trying to make into something more regular.

“Maybe you just really need to get back on the horse, so to speak.”

The man just couldn’t seem to take a hint. Okay, so maybe she should be more direct. “Craig. I’m not—”

“You have a minute…Oh, sorry I didn’t realize you were busy,” Shane said in a tone that told her he wasn’t happy about their current visitor—or more like, her current visitor. She got the feeling earlier that Shane didn’t like Craig, and right now she was sensing the feeling was mutual.

Petrof had come in earlier, right before Shane left to pick up the supplies he needed. Shane had given him a visual appraisal, but he didn’t stay inside the store long enough to be privy to the entire conversation. Petrof had told her, and a slowly passing Shane Maxwell, that he was “just dropping off some bagels.”Shane just nodded and kept on going through the door.
 
“Craig told me you’re updating your security and deciding to have protection. I think I need to do the same myself. What company did you use? They don’t have very friendly employees,” he had said as Shane closed the door to the hallway behind him.

“A friend’s,” she had said with a smile on her face before changing the focus of the conversation. She wasn’t thrilled that Craig had gone off telling everybody of her new security. It wasn’t that she didn’t want people to know she had somebody there; it was just that she didn’t need Craig going to all the shops and spreading her business. It wasn’t any of their business who she hired, or his for that matter. Yet he had told their local bistro owner prompting an information quest visit under the guise of a fellow Row business owner bringing bagels. Petrof was in her store, with his spiked blond hair and his deep-set onyx eyes shining bright that morning, and never once did Shane give the impression that he felt the need to stay in the store throughout the entire conversation. Petrof was a lady’s man, as in all the ladies flocked to him, but not necessarily vice versa. Shane didn’t seem half as worried about that man as he did Craig. She wondered if Shane was a little jealous over the attention Craig showed her. While Petrof was gorgeous and nice, he wasn’t flirty. There were a few rumors as to why Petrof did not get too friendly with the ladies. Rumors did not equate to truth but she didn’t feel a need to ask for verification to determine the validity, or lack thereof, of the rumors. It wasn’t any of her business really. Besides, she rather liked that he didn’t flirt with her because she never wanted him too. Craig, however, was definitely flirting—throwing on the charm so thick that it was starting to scare her.

“Yes, I have a minute.” She directed her attention back to Shane and tried to keep her mind off his possible reasons for interrupting them. Maybe she was a little grateful because she really did want Craig to move on already—not just move on out of her store, but move on as in find another woman to like. There were plenty of beautiful women walking up and down the Row nearly every day. Why couldn’t he pick one of them to fawn over? “Just let me lock up. I need to take lunch anyway.” She walked Craig to the door before locking up and flipping her window sign to closed.

“That man likes you,” Shane said in a tone that was laced with something she couldn’t quite place.

“Yeah, he just asked me out,” she mumbled as she picked up the coffee. “He brought me this too. Do you want it?”

“Giving away a gift?”

“I hate coffee,” she said. “He would have come out better bringing me a banana nut muffin. Do you want it?” She held it out toward him.

“I’ll pass,” he mumbled.

“Guess I’ll dump it upstairs,” she sighed. “It really stinks,” she wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah, I can smell it over here and it smells like there’s something more than coffee in there.”

She shrugged. “Maybe it’s one of those exotic flavor things. He did get this from
Heaven in a Cup
down the street. That coffee shop has the weirdest combinations of drinks, but they do have really good muffins.” She smiled coyly. “I love my sweet treats in case you haven’t noticed.”

He laughed. “Nothing wrong with that.”

“So what did you want to show me?”

“Your new lock.”

“Already?”

“It’s just the back door, and it doesn’t take that long to fix it up. I’ll work on the upstairs while you eat lunch and then I’ll go to work with fixing up the security room. If you don’t mind, I can work after hours on the camera system.”

“Wow,” she shook her head. “You’re quick, and dedicated. I’m glad I hired you,” she smiled at him. “You can stay as late as you need tonight, just be careful when you’re leaving.” She saw the look on his face, the one that told her he couldn’t believe she was trying to protect him, but she was. All of the robberies had happened at night, after the shops had closed and if he stayed late then there was a possibility that he could be putting himself in danger out there. “Let’s go look at that lock so I can dump this out.”

Shane hadn’t exactly gone for style with the lock, but functionality was a ten plus, not that the look was unstylish it just wasn’t exactly a soft and subtle addition to her space. She had a salad and a turkey sandwich for lunch and fixed him the same meal. He hadn’t eaten, and she was sure he hadn’t grabbed a bite to eat while he was at home because he arrived back at the store too quickly for that—unless he had practically inhaled his food, which she had doubted.