Sitting inside the empty office, Alicia wanted to be thinking about the questions she wanted to ask Lee, but all she could think about was Brad and what happened this morning in her kitchen.
He actually told her that he was falling in love with her. It was one way to think she might know something, but, it was totally different situation to hear Brad tell her the words with such a passion that it touched her and made her feel them.
God. How could she get anything done now with his confession running through her head? There had been so much going on at her house this morning that she thought she wouldn’t ever make it here on time. At least with Brad’s help they had found her car keys wedged between the sofa cushions.
While they were still at her house, she had tried numerous times to get Brad into a conversation, but he blocked her every attempt by bringing up a different topic. How was she ever going to be able to tell him she wanted to give it a try if he wouldn’t listen?
He wanted to be with her and she was slowly changing her mind about things. She wanted to see how it was to be with a man who cared about her so deeply that he wasn’t afraid to admit it to her.
The sound of the door opening and closing behind her made Alicia spin around in her seat and she found her best nemesis behind her. She swallowed hard as she found the most intimidating of the Drace brothers glaring at her. Lee really disliked her and he’d never minced his words about it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, but since you were a few minutes late I decided to take care of some other things,” Lee said as he moved away from the door and took a seat across from her.
Alicia knew that she hadn’t been late, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. Lee would still think he was right and she was wrong.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” she said, sitting up straighter in the chair as Lee’s gaze never left her face.
“Why are you leading my brother around in a circle? You have to know that he’s in love with you, but you constantly stomp on his feelings. Care to tell me why?” he asked smoothly, with no expression on his face.
Alicia’s body froze after Lee’s unexpected attack on her. She wasn’t prepared for the harsh words. As she slowly gathered her thoughts so she wouldn’t tell Lee, the arrogant ass, where to go, she was keenly aware of his scrutiny. It was like she had to pass some sort of a test she wasn’t aware she had to take.
“Lee, I’m here to get background info on you before I start the angle for my story. I’m not interested in talking about my relationship with Brad. However, if I was, I seriously doubt that it would be with you.”
“Why, because you know that I’d see through your lies?”
“I think it would be best if I…”
“Lee, will you stop attacking Alicia with all of those questions,” Cherise snapped as she came into the room through another door. “I was concerned when you told Brad you wanted to do this at home instead of work.”
Alicia noticed how Lee’s face went from distrust to love in a flash at the sound of his wife’s voice. Getting out of the chair, Lee rushed over to his very pregnant wife like Alicia wasn’t even still in the room with them.
“I thought you were going to take a nap. You know that you need all the rest you can get. It was doctor’s orders that you spend a couple of hours in bed every day,” Lee complained, kissing his wife on her cheek.
Cherise glanced around Lee and looked at her. “I was until I realized that Alicia was here and might need my protection and from the sound of your voice, I can tell that I was right.” Cherise patted Lee on his arm and moved away from him.
“Hello, Alicia,” Cherise said with a genuine smile on her gorgeous face as she walked towards her wearing a very expensive looking white maternity outfit. “It’s good to see you. Please forgive my husband for his lack of manners. How about we get something to drink and go out of the patio? I think I want to get interviewed first.”
Alicia glanced back at the Lee who glaring at her, then at Cherise who was grinning from ear to ear. “Are you sure about this?”
“Don’t let my husband’s mean look scare you. He isn’t going to fight with me. We can stop by the kitchen before heading outside to my flower garden that I started when I found out I was pregnant.”
“Cherise, I really think you should let me finish talking to Alicia. You need your rest.”
“Lee, I’m capable of talking to Alicia for a while. Besides aren’t you suppose to be meeting with Richard and Zack in ten minutes?”
“I won’t leave you here with her,” Lee said, looking in Alicia’s direction. “I don’t want her to upset you this close to your due date.”
“I’m not a she-devil. I wouldn’t think about hurting a pregnant woman.” Alicia couldn’t believe that Lee truly had such a low opinion of her.
“How do I know that?” Lee hollered back. “You keep hurting my brother every time you blow him off.”
What in the hell was wrong with Lee? How dare he keep tossing his unwanted and bias opinion at her? He knew nothing about her, but he voiced his belittling insults like he did. Well, he wasn’t going to get anymore free shots at her today. If he was in a bad mood for some reason, she wasn’t going to let him take it out on her.
“Cherise, thank you for your kind offer. However, I think I’m going to pass. I’ve better things to do with my day than to get insulted by Lee. I’ll come back another day when your husband is in a better mood.”
Walking past Cherise, Alicia went back over to her chair and gathered up her belongings. As she turned to leave she found Lee standing directly behind her.
“Ms. Hart, I’m shocked that you’re leaving in such a hurry. I thought you would be able to handle anything since you’re a reporter.”
Lord…didn’t this guy know how to give it a rest.
“Lee, stop being so mean to Alicia. You know that Brad is going to hit the roof when he finds out about this,” Cherise said, jumping into the conversation.
“If Brad learns about Lee being a jerk, it won’t be from me.” Alicia gave Lee a hard glare before she brushed past him and left the room slamming the door behind her.
On the way back home all Alicia could think about was how she’d allowed Lee to push her buttons once again. How was she going to handle interviewing him if he already had his mind made up about her because of Brad? Why should she tell him that she was starting to see Brad in a totally different light now? She looked forward to seeing him and missed him when she didn’t.
Lee knew zero about her feelings for his baby brother. He didn’t know how she was ready to give Brad a chance and push some of her fears about falling in love with him to the back of her mind. She was going to prove him and everyone else wrong.