Betrayal of the Dove (Men of Action) by Capri Montgomery

was doing his job too. He could multi task, but he also knew how to focus. When somebody was in the store he stayed vigilant. He had set up cameras in her store that covered every angle, and still managed to get clear images of the people passing by on the street. He set one up outside the back parameter as well. One could never be too careful in his opinion. When she was alone in the store, tinkering with a clasp on a piece of jewelry or working on something, even if she was just flipping through a catalog, he found himself watching her. Yesterday she had on a pair of black pants and a fitted red top. Today she had on white pants with a corset like spring green top. Her bare shoulders looked smooth like brown velvet and he wanted to reach out and touch them. Now wasn’t the time, but soon, he hoped; soon he would make his move.
     
    He zoomed in on the papers enough to know she was headed for trouble. Then, when she was having the conversation with her sister he heard every word, or at least her words. The walls weren’t thick and he could hear everything she said. Some people just couldn’t take rejection, but that wasn’t a reason for a lawsuit. He hoped the presiding judge would feel the same way and quickly dismiss the case otherwise Alyssa was in for a long battle with the man. She didn’t need this. She didn’t deserve it, but it was happening to her nonetheless.
     
    He watched her brush her hand through her hair, pushing the long wavy locks off her shoulder. Her hair was so soft that it just fell right back into place. She pushed it back again, this time looking more exasperated than she did just a few seconds earlier. He wanted to go out there and take her in his arms, settle her down with one smooth loving kiss, but he couldn’t—not yet. She wasn’t ready for that yet.
     
    When she took a rubber band from the drawer and pushed her hair back in a ponytail he knew it was time to get out there. She had left the store open and ran upstairs just two days ago for what she called an ouch less scrunchie because she didn’t want to use a rubber band in her hair, but here she was doing it today. He stepped outside of the room, letting the door close behind him. “Hey,” he said calmly. She looked up at him and he could see unshed tears in her eyes. She wouldn’t cry, at least not with him there because she was too stubborn to let any man know he’d hurt her. He gathered it had something to do with a previous heartbreak, but he wouldn’t know for sure because they hadn’t talked about it.
     
    “I’m being sued,” she said softly. “Can you believe that? It’s like, oh she didn’t hire me maybe I should sue her.” She shook her head.
     
    “Why didn’t you hire him?”
     
    “He had three months of experience. He was cheap and I thought about it, but then you walked into my store. You had so much experience, you were offering to help me get this place together and you came highly recommended—that is I know my brother had something to do with it and you wouldn’t have come in here if you weren’t qualified. I might be stubborn, but I’m not stupid. When help this good comes along for a price I can marginally afford I’m going to take it.”
     
    He nodded. “So when you go before the judge you tell him that. You had a more qualified candidate come along who was willing to take the pay you could afford and you hired him. It had nothing to do with the color of my skin, nor did your not hiring the other guy have anything to do with the color of his skin.”
     
    She nodded and smiled a weak smile. “Yeah, but I’m going to have to close the store and I just really can’t afford more closed days. I closed for Thomas’ wedding. Then my mom got sick not long after that. She had just gotten back to California from the wedding and she ended up in the hospital. She called me because she didn’t want to bother Thomas on his honeymoon, or Eve because she was already somewhere in Ireland, or Gavin