The Radcliffes

by T. J. Kline

  “Oh.” Anna looked away sheepishly. Alex looked from her to Fallon. Her sister crossed her arms and stared at Alex.

  “Well, what the hell did you think would happen, Alex?” Fallon asked.

  “I thought he’d be thrilled.”

  “You really thought he’d be thrilled you stole his idea for your own and offered him a tiny piece of the pie?”

  Alex looked at Anna for confirmation of Fallon’s assessment. She shrugged. “She’s right, Alex. It would be your place, not his. He would be an employee—not the owner—and that brings a certain dynamic to it that isn’t exactly conducive to relationships.” She glanced at Fallon. “Well, most of the time. But for Gabe and me, things went smoother once he remembered I was in charge of the floral shop and I let him take care of the vineyard.”

  Fallon patted Anna on the arm. “No offense taken. It’s hard. Travis and I still butt heads on issues. We’ve agreed that when it comes to the horses, I defer to his knowledge, and when it comes to money, he defers to me. You have to find a balance.”

  “Did I steal Nico’s idea?” Alex asked.

  “Well…”

  “Oh, I did.” Alex slapped a hand over her eyes. “What is wrong with me?”

  “Nothing,” Anna assured her. “Talk to him. Apologize. You can fix this.”

  Chapter 33

  Meet me at the old theater on 19th. Please.

  Nico stared at the message. It was the first one he’d received from Alex since he’d walked out of her house. He wasn’t sure how to respond. He wanted to see her. It hadn’t taken him long to realize how much he missed her.

  He didn’t just miss her. He wanted her. Needed her. For the first time in his life, Nico realized he cared more about her than he had anyone else.

  That’s love, idiot.

  Love? Could he possibly love Alex? As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was already at that point. But she’d made sure to avoid him when she was at the Radcliffe mansion and he wasn’t about to lose his job pursuing a woman who wanted nothing to do with him.

  He’d been naive to want more with her. They were too different. He’d known it from the first moment he’d seen her at Eco-Tech. But he’d let himself ignore reality and fall into the fantasy where he could have it all—the woman and his dream. Instead, he was no better off than when he’d first seen her walk into that conference room. And now, he couldn’t ignore the hollow ache that filled his chest each time he saw her.

  Nico?

  He could almost hear the soft husky sound of her voice saying his name. His entire body hummed with desire remembering the last time she heard him say it that way.

  “Shit,” he muttered. What harm could it do to meet with her? To find out what she wanted? To see her one last time. His fingers moved over his screen, sending her back a message: Tomorrow morning?

  Her response was immediate. Perfect.

  Chapter 34

  Alex shook her hands at her side, trying to rid herself of the nervous trembling. She hadn’t felt this worried since her very first deal. She mentally recited the speech she’d been rehearsing for days. It sounded so unemotional, as if she were talking about someone else. She needed something more; Nico deserved more. He needed to know the truth—that she cared about him more than any deal.

  Staring at the floor, Alex paced the main lobby that would start renovations next week. Soon, the tattered burgundy carpeting would be replaced with hardwood planks shipped from Italy.

  “Nico, I never meant to steal your future, your dreams,” she said under her breath. “It was yours to build and never mine to offer.”

  She frowned as the words came out of her mouth. They didn’t sound strong enough, vulnerable enough.

  “You’ve given me so much in such a short time, you’ve changed me for the better, and I wanted to thank you, to give you the one thing you wanted most. I didn’t realize that I was taking away one of the things I love most about you—your sense of pride from working hard to achieve your goals.”

  “One of the things you love?”

  Alex froze, rooted to the ugly carpeting, afraid to look up and see anger in Nico’s expression. Or worse, disinterest.

  “Nico,” she whispered before taking a deep breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Against her better judgment, she looked up at him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Alex.” He started toward her, his eyes filled with the same regrets she was feeling.

  She held up a hand. “No, wait! Let me finish. My plans went completely awry but I had the best intentions and I understand your reaction. I need to learn to express my support and appreciation for good talent better. You’re the reason this place is going to be a success. It has nothing to do with me. I want to change the way I look at life and at people.”

  A knowing smile curved his lips, making a slight dimple appear in his cheek. “I could help you with that. Whenever I’m with you, that’s the type of woman I see.”

  The breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding burst from her lungs in a rush. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “Can I come kiss you now?”

  “Not yet.” She hurried over to retrieve the file folder she’d laid on what had once been a ticket counter and set it in his hands. “This is for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Look at it.”

  Nico opened the folder and stared at the documents inside, flipping between the pages before his gaze leapt back to hers. “I thought you said you couldn’t convince the investors to do this.”

  Alex nodded. “I can be pretty convincing when I really want to be.”

  “Alex?”

  She could hear the doubt in his voice. The last thing she wanted to do was hide anything from him. “The deal didn’t work out,” she said with a shrug. “So I bought the property. The only other investors are my brother and sister, neither of whom want to be involved. All that lease needs is your signature. Any renovations you want can begin as early as next week and we’ll pay for them.”

  “Are you serious?” The shock in his face was beginning to worry her.

  She held up her hands, palms facing him. “The Don will be what you want it to be. You run it entirely on your own. It’s your dream. I will be completely hands off, other than taking care of the property.”

  “What if I don’t want your hands off?” His voice was a husky rasp as he moved closer.

  A sizzle traveled through her limbs as he reached for her hand, tugging her into his arms. Her hands landed on his biceps as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Then you’ll need to tell me where you want me to put my hands.”

  “We’ll figure that out as we go.” He leaned forward, his lips brushing against hers. Yearning swelled within her. “You really think we can do this together?”

  His hand slid up to cup the back of her head and she sighed in the sheer pleasure of his touch. “I know we can. But from now on, we work as partners.”

  He thrust out his hand. “Put ’er there, partner.”

  “Screw that.” She reached for his hand and yanked him forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and covering her mouth with his.

  His kiss was hot and feverish with denied longing.

  After he pulled back, he murmured, “I’ve never signed a deal that way.”

  Her laughter bubbled out and he pressed a kiss to her forehead with a smile he didn’t bother to hide.

  “I think I’m falling in love with you, Alex.”

  She looked up at him. “Really?”

  He nodded, lifting a hand to cup her cheek. “I know it’s fast, but—”

  “Thank goodness I’m not the only one.”

  He laughed. “So, where does this leave us?”

  “Partners,” she suggested.

  “Partners,” he promised. “In everything.”

  Chapter 35

  “Nico, where are we going? We should be at Anna and Gabe’s rehearsal dinner by now.” Alex tried to lift the blindfold he’d i
nsisted she wear.

  He laid his hand over hers, not allowing her to remove it. “We’re not going to make it.”

  “What are you talking about?” She reached for the blindfold again.

  “Trust me.”

  He’d been planning this moment for the past three months. Twelve weeks of renovations. Ninety days of working side by side, perfecting their partnership in both the business and their outside life.

  He’d quit his position at Martinelli’s and moved into her house, getting up early each morning to make her breakfast before she headed to the office. She’d spent most of her time restructuring Eco-Tech to increase profitability while keeping the company an employee-friendly technology firm.

  As a result, stock prices had skyrocketed. Other firms approached her for funding and new investors were ready to throw their money behind her projects, including the transition of Radcliffe Shipping to an air-sea-and-land operation. Somehow, she’d managed to convince her grandmother to let go of the reins enough to let Alex recruit a new CEO to take charge, proving Alex’s theories and breathing new life into the family legacy.

  Alex had found her niche and, while she credited Nico, he knew better. He’d simply given her the push she’d needed to open herself to being vulnerable. She’d released her grasp on the bottom line and allowed herself to become the intuitive woman he saw each night. And it was a beautiful sight, watching her metamorphosis.

  He unlocked the front door of the Don, which had transformed. Her Louboutin heels clicked on the imported plank flooring as he led her to the table set in the center of the room. After seating her, he lit the candles in the center.

  “Okay, you can take it off now.”

  She slid the blindfold over her head and looked around the room, gasping slightly before smiling at the work he’d done. This was the first time she’d seen the finished product.

  “Do you like it?”

  Marble pillars separated several rooms, blending with the traditional murals on the caramel-colored walls as the candlelight flickered. Greenery gave the entire room the feel of dining al fresco. The room felt refined and elegant.

  “I love it. It’s incredible.”

  He ran a nervous hand through his shorter hair, still unaccustomed to the style. He knew it gave him a more professional appearance. As if reading his thoughts, Alex winked at him. “I miss your curls, but it looks good on you. You’ll look amazing at the opening Monday.”

  “I love you.”

  She smiled at him. “I love you, too.”

  Relief filled him. He had no doubts that what he was about to do was the best idea of his life. Reaching for the bottle of champagne he’d arranged on the table, he opened it with a loud pop. “Let’s toast.”

  “To the opening.” She reached for her glass and he felt his stomach tighten. She held it up for him to fill and frowned suddenly. “What—”

  She reached into the crystal champagne flute, her fingers trembling, and withdrew a one-carat, princess-cut solitaire.

  It wasn’t big, but it was the best he could afford. She deserved so much more, and he would give her everything he had.

  Nico reached for her hand, setting the bottle on the table, and dropped to his knee. “Alex, I had this entire speech planned for tonight but I can’t remember a single word of it. But I do know that I love you so much that you take my breath away. Will you marry me?”

  She stared at him, her shaking fingers raising to her mouth. “Nico.”

  “I know I can’t give you big houses and fancy cars. I can’t even give you a big ring.”

  “This ring is the only one I want.”

  “Are you really going to make me ask twice?”

  She laughed before cupping his face between her fingers. “Yes.”

  “Yes, I have to ask twice, or yes, you’ll marry me?”

  “Both!” She pressed her lips against his, sharing his breath of relieved delight.

  “Alex Radcliffe, you’re my partner at the restaurant and in the outside world. Say you’ll be my bride and my partner for the rest of our lives?”

  “Why, Mr. Donacelli, are you sure you want to mix business with pleasure?”

  “Every damn day, as long as I live.”

  About the Author

  T.J. Kline was training horses and competing in rodeos at fourteen, but writing romance has always been her first love. She is the author of the Rodeo series and the Healing Harts series.

  tinaklinesmith.com

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