There wasn’t any time to make this a fistfight.
He slid the knife in his grip right across his opponent’s neck. The death he was going for failed as he made so much fucking mess.
“Bastard.”
He clocked the O’Leaves ink on the back of his neck.
“Fuck.”
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Rocco. “We’ve got a problem.”
****
All day long, Lemon had been looking forward to the end of her shift. She wanted to get to know Nate more. She liked him a lot.
Love was still out of the question. There was no way the house she lived in dictated who she loved.
She had asked Cindy, when they’d been put on produce together about it. According to Cindy, every single couple who lived in the houses she and Nate owned, had fallen in love. A few of the couples still lived in town, but Lemon wasn’t going to go ask total strangers about the potential curse being the reason they were together. It seemed tacky and rude.
It was pointless. And useless.
Houses didn’t bring people together.
So, she continued with her shift, knowing she liked Nate, a lot. It wasn’t love. She didn’t see herself with him in ten years, and certainly not fifty years.
Running fingers through her hair, she stifled a yawn.
Christmas was a busy time of year, and even though there were a few weeks until the big day, people liked to get their shopping done early. Empty shelves were a constant menace. She’d even started to dream about packing shelves. It wasn’t good when her dreams were against her.
Leaving the store, she walked the short distance toward Nate’s office. She’d never been inside, and she’d never seen him do anything related to the store. Part of her expected it to be closed, but as she stood in front of it, she caught sight of six men and different desks.
Two were reading through paperwork. Two more were on the computer, and another two were on the phone.
She stepped inside.
Lemon didn’t know what she expected to find, but it wasn’t a very neat and professional-looking business. This did surprise her.
The one nearest her had a badge on his jacket saying Carl. He got to his feet and came toward her.
“Hi, Nate said you would be here. Come with me. He told me to put you in his office.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I don’t mind waiting here.”
The office was silent, and as she turned to look, she must have been imagining it because the men got back to work.
Strange.
“He insisted. Sometimes what we do is a little more confidential.” He walked ahead of her without waiting for her to refuse a second time.
Gripping her bag tightly, she smiled at the men. They were all large, muscular, and they possessed this deadly look in their gaze, like they had seen death one time too many and rather than fear it, they loved it.
“The big guy will be back shortly,” he said.
The door to Nate’s office was closed and she spun around in a circle, a little perplexed.
There was a large desk, a computer, a telephone, everything he’d need to run a business. A couple of filing cabinets, artwork.
This was where the magic happened for him.
Lemon took a seat, nibbling on her lip and feeling a little awkward being alone in Nate’s office.
She got to her feet and walked over to a filing cabinet.
With her hand on it, she quickly pulled away. This was crazy.
She sat down, and just as her ass hit the chair, the door opened.
“You came,” Nate said.
“Was I not supposed to?” she asked.
“Yes. I wanted you to come. To see the place, but I got a call that needed attending to. I know my men can handle it, but you know clients. They want the best, which in this case is the boss.”
“Oh, right.” She chuckled. “I see. Well, if I was the one hiring, it would be you I wanted.”
Nate stepped right up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “So, what do you think of the place?”
“It’s very neat,” she said.
He laughed. “You’d be surprised how much my clients prefer cleanliness over everything else.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I had a place back in the city. It was a dump, and I had no choice but to clean shop. Within a week, I had more work than I cared to think about.”
“Must be nice to own your own place. To be your own boss.”
“You can do it too, if it’s something you want to do.”
She shook her head. “Nah, the only thing I can do is craft and make stuff. I have to pay to live. I don’t want to starve.”
“There are always options.” He moved her back until her ass hit the desk.
In one easy move, all his office equipment was on the floor, and he had her spread out.