“Come see us again soon,” I call out to the customer walking out of the store. It’s been a busy morning since Roman dropped me off. The customer flow has been steady all day. When one walks out, it’s not long before a new one walks in. I pop my head up when the door chimes, signaling the pattern continues.

“Good morning,” I call out walking toward the door to greet the new customer. “Can I help you find—” My voice disappears as I watch Rafael tuck his sunglasses into his jacket pocket. Camille left to run a few errands and isn’t due back until later. An image of my cell phone sitting next to the register flashes in my mind. I tear my eyes away from Rafael, judging the distance between the register and me.

“Chiquita.” Rafael’s seductive accent makes me turn back toward him.

“Rafael.” His name comes out on a broken whisper. I try again, bolstering all the confidence I can muster. “Rafael, what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” Each step he takes toward me, I move back a step. Rafael smirks. “I came to apologize for my behavior the other night. May we go into your office?”

“No. I’m the only one here. I need to be out here.”

“You are all alone? That is dangerous.” Rafael moves closer to me but I’m rooted in my spot. “A little, innocent lamb all alone is the perfect time for a wolf to attack. Have you not read the children’s tales?”

“I’m only alone for a minute,” I lie. “My assistant will be right back. Roman is also meeting me here.”

The anger he tries so hard to conceal flashes in his eyes and his hands ball into fists at his side. He takes the last step, closing the distance between us. Sweat coats my palms when he brushes my hair behind my shoulder and skims his fingers along the strap of my top. “What will it take for you to choose me over Roman?”

“I’m not choosing either of you.”

“Chiquita.” Rafael’s patronizing tone breaks me from his hypnotic gaze.

“I don’t even know you,” I state, trying to take a step back, when the bell chimes on the door. “I have a customer, excuse me.” But Rafael’s hands on my shoulders hold me firmly in place.

“Sugar?”

I close my eyes and finally manage to step away from Rafael. This is not happening. I turn toward Roman, hoping to usher him into my office, but he’s already on top of me. Roman’s eyes are locked on Rafael over my head, and I turn to see Rafael with the same deadly stare. In this moment, they look so similar. I don’t know how I didn’t notice the similarities before this. Roman is taller and more muscular while Rafael is leaner but their deep, rich, tan skin tone is exactly the same shade. If Roman didn’t have the lightness playing with the darkness in his eyes, those would be the same, too.

I don’t waste time with introductions, taking a step back toward Rafael. “You need to leave.”

His eyes snap down to mine, and the anger and hatred brewing in them makes me catch my breath. If looks could kill. The roughness in the tone of his hissed whisper matches the anger in his eyes. “As owner of this building, I do not have to leave. I can, however, ban anyone I want from my properties.” His eyes dart back to Roman.

“You may own this building, but this is my store. I will not allow you to dictate who can or can’t come in here. That would be overstepping your bounds, Rafael.”

The anger that started to simmer in his eyes turns into fury before he reins it in to replace it with his mask. When he looks back to Roman, there’s nothing on his face. Rafael takes a step forward extending his hand to Roman.

“We haven’t been properly introduced. I am Rafael Bazán.”

Roman doesn’t accept his hand. “No introduction needed. I know exactly who you are. Stay the fuck away from Harper.”

Rafael smirks, dropping his hand. “She has not asked me to stay away. I will come around whenever I want and for as long as she is here.”

Roman growls, stepping forward into Rafael’s space. “If you come around her again, I’ll end you.”

The chime sounds on the door. “Stop it. Both of you. Rafael, please go. Roman, you can go, too.”

“As you wish, chiquita.” Rafael stops in front of me, brushing his knuckles along my cheek. “Think about what it will take to choose me. Let me know. Anything you wish, it is yours.”

He swiftly walks away, exiting the shop before I can reply. There’s nothing he could give me so that I’d to choose him. My heart made my decision when I was fifteen years old, the first time I saw Roman. He was a year older than I was and immediately stole my heart. I’m not ready to be with Roman. I know he’s going to leave again after whatever it is he’s doing here, but he took my heart when I was fifteen—then smashed it underneath his army boot. I still haven’t pieced it back together.

Roman comes up behind me, resting his hand on my hip.

“Please go,” I whisper, stepping out of his hold. “I have a customer. I have to work.”

“Not leaving, Sugar.” He turns toward the customer walking deeper into the store. “What can we help you with today?”

You’ve got to be kidding. He did not just greet my customer. As she steps around another rack of clothes, she spots us. Her eyes widen when she takes in Roman before a slow smile splits her lips. “I need a new outfit for a date. Harper always picks the best outfits.”

“That she does,” Roman agrees, as if he knows anything about clothes.

“Since she’s not here, maybe you can help me?” Her tone is seductive and implies she wants him to help her with more than just clothes. Seriously? An attractive guy stands in front of her and all of a sudden I’m invisible.

“I’m right here. Do you know where y’all are going tonight?”

She’s still ogling Roman and biting her bottom lip when she responds. “Mexican restaurant that just opened with the rooftop patio.”

Roman is looking over his shoulder, smiling at me. “Roman, why don’t you go wait for me in my office?”

“He can stay,” the customer insists. She’s been in my store several times, but I can’t remember her name right now.

“I’ll stay,” Roman says, looking at me. “I won’t be any help. Unless it’s Harper in the dress, I’m not the best judge. I want to see my girl work, though.” His girl. I ignore my stomach doing somersaults and my heart beating happily.

I roll my eyes, not wanting to fight with him in front of the customer. He can do whatever he wants.

“I think my ovaries just exploded,” the customer says. Roman’s grin deepens, still not looking away from me. My entire body starts sizzling under his stare. I shake my head, avoiding the ache between my legs, and get to work.

After she leaves with a gorgeous new dress for her date, I start wiping down the counters, evading Roman. He hovered the entire time she was in the store.

“That was fun,” Roman says, pulling a wipe from the box to wipe down the other side of the counter.

I scoff.

“Didn’t you have fun making a sale?”

“You only had fun because she was flirting with you the whole time. She has a date tonight. Why did she flirt with you?”

“Jealous?” Roman whispers in my ear. The wipe he was using is forgotten on the counter as he leans over me, smirking.

“Definitely not,” I say, walking around the counter, putting space between us. He follows me, not taking the hint, or bypassing it completely.

“I didn’t flirt with her.”

I groan. “I know.”

“The only woman I want to watch try on sexy dresses is right here. Lingerie would be good. I’d fucking love to watch you try on some lingerie. Something in red.”

A flush spreads up my neck to my cheeks when an image of me walking out of a dressing room in lingerie toward Roman flashes in my mind. When I snap myself out of the daydream, the same desperately hungry look is on his face.

“Yeah, a red just like this,” Roman whispers, caressing my flaming cheeks with the back of his fingers.

“Not going to happen, Roman.”

He stares hard at me for a long moment before changing the subject. “Why was he here?”

Crap. I was hoping he forgot about my visitor and we could just move on and forget it happened.

Deciding I don’t want to spend the next hour going back and forth, I tell him everything. From the moment he walked into the shop up until Roman arrived.

“You can’t trust him, Harper.”

I look Roman in the eye. “I can’t trust you, either.”