Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle (15 page)

Another quick glance assured her the streets were empty. A key clutched in her right hand, Lynne skipped across the road. After six years, four months, and twelve days of putting the most diehard miser to shame, she placed the owner’s key for the Boutique into the lock. She let out a lover’s sigh when it clicked open.

Mine
.

The earthy scent of fresh flowers assailed her. Blush-colored tulip bouquets sat in homemade vases on tables around the store. The sun hit the multicolored glass, filling the room with iridescent rays. She toed off wedged heels and her feet sank into the beige carpet. A toe wiggle and another skip brought her to the cash register. She ran a hand along the counter and barely resisted the urge to twirl.

“Seriously, where are the woodland creatures when you need them?”

The bell over the door rang and Lynne snatched her hand from the cool surface. After lifting her gaze to glare at the idiot who stole her one moment of unadulterated happiness, Lynne froze.

“Oh,” slipped through her lips.

Life could not have gotten this good in twenty-four hours. A man stood at the glass doors. He had a tailor’s dream body. No need to make alterations to trick the eye into believing the man’s shoulders were broad or that his arms had lean muscles. A vest peeked underneath a well-constructed silk jacket that only enhanced an already athletic body.

She narrowed her eyes. She’d bet her bottom dollar those buttonholes were hand sewn. Cuff links caught the morning light as he moved to shut the door behind him. And, oh, even with the scowl slanting across his face, the hue of his mahogany-toned skin made her want to run her tongue along his Adam’s apple to see if he tasted as good as he looked.

Her libido took a backseat when he still hadn’t spoke. She crossed her arms, cleared her throat. Apparently the five minutes of non-cynicism were up.

“May I help you?” she asked while mourning the good part of her morning.

“Morning,” he said.

The scowl transformed into a smile that men in those kinds of suits shouldn’t be allowed to possess. He stuffed large hands into his slack’s pockets and stepped toward the counter. “Saw that you were open and decided to come in.”

The smile went up a notch, now selling scorching sex fantasies—no. Bridges. Selling bridges. “Nice store.” He paused. “Nice retail.”

This wasn’t the average customer. Customers didn’t say “nice retail.” Nice clothes or nice merchandise, maybe. Customers didn’t wear three-piece suits at seven o’clock in the morning. Not in Valley City where gossip might as well be the local newspaper. It’s why she loved it here. It’s why she narrowed her eyes and leaned back against the counter. The other shoe would likely drop in a big pile of dog crap.

“I’m sorry, but the store isn’t open yet, and, it won’t be open until ten.”

He walked to the wall of evening gowns and picked the most expensive dress. He tested the silk between his thumb and forefinger. The inspection could have been misconstrued as a caress. Just watching the intensity in his eyes change to appreciation made her ache low in her center. She shook her head and cleared her throat again.

He placed his hand back in his pocket. “Very nice retail.”

She knew flirting when it bit her in the butt. Normally, if he hadn’t ignored her implied demand, or even if they hadn’t been in the store this early in the morning, she might have flirted back.

Okay, it was the fact he had on a three-piece suit in the morning. No man like that would be interested in someone who had a noticeable love affair with hair gel. She didn’t fit into the uppercrust of society. This man probably rubbed elbows and platinum credit cards with those types of people. If he were a serial killer, she’d be dead by now. No, he was another kind of trouble.

She pushed down the attraction and asked, “What do you want? I doubt you’re here to buy something.”

“To the contrary. Would you mind giving me a tour?”

“I would mind, but I don’t think you’re easily deterred.”

He smiled again and she wanted to sigh. Not only had she been cheery this morning, but Lynne had also reverted to teenage years, sighing over the cute quarterback.

“Never deterred,” he said again. “For future reference. What do you say, a tour?”

Her father would say it was better to know thy enemy. The man hadn’t said he was one, but she didn’t have to get bitten by a snake to know it would hurt.

“Your name,” she demanded.

“Nathan Craine.”

She had expected Sin or The Second Coming. Didn’t either of those usually show up at your weakest moment? The name
Nathan
did no justice for a man who stood in front of her with such entitlement.

“Well,
Nathan
. Let’s begin with my nice merchandise.” She gestured to the evening gowns he still stood next to. “We don’t import any of our clothing. All the clothes you see are from local designers.”

“More expensive,” he noted almost to himself.

“The customers not only desire quality but want their clothes to have a special meaning when they put them on.”

“Quality doesn’t make good business sense when it pushes you into the red every month.”

“And who is to say I’m in the red every month? You’re assuming, Mr. Craine. You should know what that can make you.”

“Touche.” The smile remained on his face. “You don’t carry men’s clothing. Why?”

“It doesn’t make sense to do so in a town that’s more than half female.”

“You have the statistics? And the men here are just out of luck because you don’t find them important enough customers?”

“I live here.” Feeling defensive she added, “I did look into men’s clothing. For me, right now that’s too much of a risk.”

He made a noncommittal noise, and Lynne gritted her teeth. “The fresh bouquets are a nice touch, but, again, expensive.”

“Not when you get them at a discount,” she said.

His eyes glinted. Lynne suspected he was enjoying this byplay. “Let me guess, good friends with the owner of a local florist in town.”

“She invited me to her baby shower,” she said matter of factly.

He waved his hand in the air. “Isn’t that what they call nowadays BFFs?”

“No, it’s called networking.” Lynne smiled this time and hoped it appeared as disingenuous as she felt. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

He moved from the evening gowns to the other side of the room where scarves and costume jewelry dangled from the wall.

“No mirror for them to look at themselves.” He flicked his hand at a maroon scarf.

“I’m surprised about that.”

She bit back a comment on where he could put a mirror. “Have you seen all that you’ve come to see?”

It was his turn to smile, and for the life of her Lynne couldn’t stop the sigh.

“I could be a customer who prefers one-on-one meetings with the owner,” Nathan said.

“And I could be Gandhi reincarnated.”

She crossed the room to him. He was trailing his finger down a rhinestone necklace.
Would he stop touching things like that?
She fought the involuntary shiver. The attraction she had for him should have died the moment he said BFFs, but it hadn’t. She’d have to ignore it because this man was the Spawn of Satan. Had to be.

“I prefer we finish this talk in my office,” she said with steel in her voice.

Lynne had to tilt her head to meet his gaze, which probably killed her I’m-the-boss demeanor. If only she had kept on her wedged heels. She turned, and he placed a hand on the middle of her back. The heat of his palm emanated through the thin shirt. Dear baby Jesus, she wanted to hum. She wanted him to run his hand farther down. Lynne picked up her pace to escape the touch.

They passed the stock room and turned left to get to the office. Once there, she sat on the edge of the desk and gestured to the chair only a few inches away. Before he sat down, Nathan unbuttoned his jacket, but now he had to tilt his head to meet her gaze.

She smiled. He touched his thumbs together and steepled his fingers into The Mr. Burns. “Excellent,” she blurted out. “What part of the nether world did you come from?”

“That isn’t important.” He smiled again, but this time it didn’t reach his eyes. There were no lines around his mouth. Apparently he didn’t smile often, so why did he feel the need to do it with her?

Before she could ponder it further, he spoke again, “I own several businesses and I want to buy yours.”

“What makes you think I’m selling?”

“For the right amount of money anyone is more than willing to sell.”

“You have a point.”

She curled her hand into a fist to keep it from touching her chest. Men like this ate fear along side their caviar. They could walk into a crowd and the people would part like the Red Sea. Nathan Craine would expect no less treatment. For all of mankind she had to take him down a notch.

“Let me be frank,” she said. “I’m not one of those people. You can find some other sucker to sell to you, because, again, I won’t sell. You have nothing to offer me.”

He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and threw out an outrageous number. “That should cover how much you paid for this place plus a pretty good profit, including the retail you’ve already ordered for the next six months.”

If he really knew how much she’d paid for this place, he wouldn’t have offered her that number. Too high. Although, that chunk of money would be nice. She could open up another store—heck, several stores.

She broke the eye contact and glanced at the wall next to her. The candid photo of Megan and her stared back. Before Lynne had come into Megan’s life, the woman didn’t smile. Scratch that. She smiled, but only in business situations.

Lynne’s gaze strayed to the next photo. A family portrait, or at least the closest to family Lynne would ever get. In order to get a family photo, everyone had to be present. Megan, her husband Aiden, Megan’s mother, Nicole, and Shep, her mother’s husband, Aiden’s mother, and even Butch were squished together while Lynne took the photo.

Her family had entrusted her with the store. No amount of money could ever mean more than these walls. She glanced back at Nathan while he waited, and since he didn’t, she smiled, and knew it didn’t reach her hazel eyes. And, if he were as smart as she suspected, he would see the glint.

“It’s still early in the morning. I’ll be polite. No, thank you.”

His lips quirked. “Where were you going to tell me to put my offer?”

“Use your imagination.” She did her own version of the Excellent Steeple. “I’d say I enjoyed this conversation, but we both know that would be a lie.”

With his voice low and rough, he said, “You’re not even tempted?”

She was tempted all right, but it had nothing to do with his business offer. “When it comes to the Boutique I can use your words: never deterred.”

She crossed her legs at the knee, and for less than a split second his eyes followed the motion. So, there was a man beneath the horns. Interesting.
No
. She sucked in a breath.

Don’t think about it
.

But then his eyes traveled up her leg, to her breasts, and then her eyes. She now knew what a hot flash must feel like, because every inch of her body burned.

“I should let you know something,” he paused. “You intend to make this a fight, and I won’t do any dirty business. It’s not my way, but don’t think because you are a woman I’m going to make it easy for you. You will sell me your store. Willingly, or because you have to sell to me. The choice is up to you.”

The certainty in his voice should have put the fear of God in her heart, but she’d learned long ago God was a woman with a horrible sense of humor. “Then I should let you know something.” She pushed back her shoulders. “You better be ready.”

“You run a nice little shop, Ms. Kelley.”

She jolted. “How do you know my name?”

“I know everything about you.” He smiled another genuine smile, but this time it gave her a chill. “It’s best to know your opponent. The next time I make you this offer it’ll be for considerably less money, and barely enough to buy your way out of debt.” He flexed his hands. “Let me give you another piece of advice.”

“Aren’t you generous?”

If she hadn’t been sitting down, her knees would have given out. So, yes, that’s the best Lynne could come up with.

“You should look me up. Craine, LLC. Google or Search It.”

Lynne frowned. He would know the newest search engine. Would have made sure every time someone searched his name a picture of horned demons popped up to scare anyone willing to say no to his offer. “Why do you even want my store? It’s in a little nobody town that’s never going to make millions of dollars.”

“It could. This city has an untapped potential. I see this all the time. People are comfortable in doing okay. Getting by. I’m here to change that.”

“So you think you are God’s gift to Valley City?”

“I know a potential profit when I see one.”

He had a point. Valley City was less than twenty miles from beachfront property. It’s the reason she survived. And survival was why she narrowed her eyes.

“Let me see you out,” Lynne said.

When he stood, he buttoned his suit jacket. Businessman through and through. Lynne was in deep shit. She forced another smile and led him back out to the front of the store.

He stopped at the glass doors. The morning sun peeked over the building across the street. His shadow darkened the floor in front of him. Yes, Lynne’s feelings were ominous at the moment, so when he spoke she jolted again.

“You should also know I’ll be opening a men’s clothing store next door. It should be ready by next week. You’re invited to the grand opening.”

Thankfully his back was turned when her mouth fell open on as he exited. No, strutted away. All in a day’s work. Scare the locals. Threaten business owners with offers penned in the blood of innocents.

Lynne was in very deep shit. She would have wallowed in it, but Jeremy came in just then. The man hadn’t met a novelty shirt he could walk away from. Today’s saying: “Great Scott!” She could relate, all right. Stepping into his space, the smell of Stetson cologne soothed her. She would have laid her head on his lean shoulder, but it was still spinning.