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She was silent and she moved only her eyes to look from him to Caldwell.
“You feel it, too, don’t you, Alicia?” Caldwell asked.
“I do,” she whispered, and it seemed to Monroe that saying those words and admitting to feeling the attraction hurt for her to say it.
“You’re not heading to a death sentence, Alicia. This is a good thing, you’ll see.”
“I don’t know. I’m not really the relationship type and I have so much going on right now. Besides, you two want to partner up and work a business deal with me. Things will go wrong. You’ll hate me.”
“No. That’s not going to happen. We’ll put in any safeguards you want and feel comfortable with,” Monroe told her.
“Alicia, maybe if you explain about your bad business experience it may help us understand your concerns. Can you share it with us?” Caldwell asked, sitting up. Monroe did the same as Alicia sat up, too, and crossed her legs.
She looked away from them and took a few breaths. Monroe could see that Caldwell was becoming impatient. Thank goodness Max weren’t here or he would demand answers. His brother had the least patience of the three of them.
“I had a boyfriend and we went into business together. I had saved a lot of money and fronted most of the cost for the small store. It was in a great location on a tourist strip in Dallas. We sold lots of cool items from local artists and we were doing great. He had some ideas that were different from mine. I knew a successful business required a hands-on approach to ensure things got done and the store was successful. He enjoyed spending money we made and well, cheating on me.”
“What?” Caldwell asked and Monroe was at a loss for words.
She scooted down off the lounge chair and stood up fixing herself.
“Well, long story short, he sold the business out from under me. So he screwed me over, broke my heart, left me broke and financially unstable, and blamed it all on me. I never saw a penny of the payoff which supposedly was a loss but that was bullshit. I trusted him with more than I’ve ever trusted anyone in my life. So you see, it’s not a good idea that you guys want to do business together.”
Monroe stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Baby, we’re not like your ex-boyfriend. That guy sounds like a total asshole. No offense.” She chuckled and turned away.
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work out any way we look at it. I’ll finish up the job today with the stained glass in the winery, but I think it’s best if we remain friends.”
“Not happening, Alicia,” Caldwell said and walked around the lounge chair and took her hand, pulling her close.
“Alicia, it’s time to move on and put the past behind you. Give us a chance to show you how real men treat their women. We’ll work out the details of the business deal. We could hold a loan and act as a bank for you and you can make payments to us, no interest.”
Her eyes widened and Monroe had to hide his smile. Never in a million years would Caldwell make such an offer. He would charge interest. That was what kept them making money.
“You would do that for me?” she asked, her voice soft and timid. Monroe placed his hands on her shoulders from behind and now she was sandwiched between them.
“That’s an offer I’ve never given anyone. But for you, I’d do it if that would show you how trustworthy my brothers and I are.”
“So what do you say?” Monroe asked her.
“I should think about it.”
“No, you should jump on the offer because it’s only on the table right now.”
She smiled. “Then yes, I accept.”
“Wonderful. Now let’s seal it with a kiss,” Caldwell told her.
She ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders to stand on her tiptoes, but he still had to lower slightly. “Is that legal Caldwell?” she teased.
“It is when it’s your lips pressed against mine, Alicia.”
Caldwell kissed her and Monroe smiled wide. This was going to work out just fine.
“This is going to be the beginning of a very special partnership,” Monroe said and after Caldwell released Alicia’s lips, Monroe kissed her next.
Chapter 5
