Stony Creek Hero [Stony Creek 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free PDF Page B

gorgeous breasts bounce around in that little scrap of nothing.”
    Lizzie opened her mouth but shocked them both as nothing would come out for once. The blush that had finally settled down returned with a vengeance as she cast her gaze downward and sat.
    “Okay,” she said quietly, suddenly seeming very submissive as a result of his overtly sexual interest.
    Not sure if he should be pleased or not now that he knew jumping would not be part of conversation, Ben soldiered on.
    “I have worked hard for a long time like you, Lizzie. I know you. I know how hard you have always worked, even before your father passed. If I thought you would actually just take money from me, well, then I would push the issue. However, I have no desire to have some hundreds shoved down my throat for my next delectable meal from the café. Instead, I have had a need for a while to do something with my money as an investment. I practically live at your restaurant and know firsthand how amazingly you cook and run the place. There is no reason to even question whether it will be open in twenty years from now, providing you aren’t too stubborn and proud to make a good choice.”
    Lizzie sat silently trying to control her need to yell out at him that she didn’t need anyone’s help. Billie had tried to offer her a loan last month only to have their first fight of their friendship even though Lizzie knew it was offered out of love. She just didn’t want to feel like she couldn’t handle things, like she was failing regardless of that it was her father’s mistakes and not hers. Lizzie knew that Billie had a rather large inheritance from when her husband had passed and she was the also the town’s physician but that didn’t matter. She couldn’t accept the help regardless of the love behind it. She would figure it out somehow by herself.
    “Okay, Ben. I am trying to listen. I cannot promise I won’t bite your head off but I will try not to jump on you yet.”
    Ben’s look of concern momentarily changed into an impish grin as he murmured, “Jump on me all you like. It won’t bother me one bite. In fact, I can promise I will probably like it. A lot.”
    With a laugh, Lizzie retorted, “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I am going to try to actually listen, Ben.”
    “Well, thank you for not ignoring me completely ahead of time, baby.” He laughed out. She looked at him again and had to laugh herself. He was right. Maybe he did know her better than even she realized. All those days that he sat in the café all quiet-like, he must have been observing her quite a bit, she mused.
    “So this is what I suggest. I am going to be your silent investor. I would like to be your partner in the business aspect. Let’s say twenty-five percent so you could still have a very large majority. I would buy in and give you one quarter of a year’s profits in cash to pad the business while taking twenty-five percent of the bills away from you. It would ease your burden and allow you to continue to own both the business and your home. My money would be in a solid investment that we could pay out quarterly and with little stress to you or the restaurant. We would both win.”
    Lizzie sat there speechless for a moment. “Why? Why would you do this for me, Ben? It makes no sense. You could just as easily, if not more, invest in something through the bank and Mr. Davis. I don’t understand.”
    Ben eased his big body back in her delicate kitchen chair, which groaned under his weight. He cocked his head to the side and appeared deep in thought for a moment before he answered.
    “First of all, there is no way I am going to do anything with Mr. Davis except to have a talk with him tomorrow. I am going to deal with him from now on, a non-negotiable part of my twenty-five percent control. If he so much as lays a finger on you, he is going to have it broken off and shoved down his throat.” Ben raised his voice in barely contained anger.
    “How do you know