In the middle of taking another customer’s order, I looked up to see the man beelining toward me with a stern expression on his face. He weaved effortlessly through the crowd, cutting to the front of the line.
“What the hell, dude?” I asked. “Did you seriously just cut in front of all these people who’ve been waiting?”
The other customers were shocked, making noises of annoyance. The man didn’t pay them any mind, however, keeping his attention focused on me and me alone.
“Ava Jenson?” he asked. “I need to speak with you.”
His accent was strange—not American, that was for damn sure. It struck my ear as a combination of German and French, stern and sophisticated all at the same time. Also, it was impossible to ignore how sexy it was. His voice itself was deep and resonate, powerful and commanding, so much so that my pussy clenched at his words.
None of that mattered, however.
Looking him straight in the eye, I placed my hands on my hips. “There a reason you think you can just butt in front of all these people?”
The crowd let out “yeah’s!” and “what the hells?” I could sense they were more than happy that I was sticking up for them.
The man appeared surprised. Not in the sense of shocked or offended, but more like he was confused that I was standing up to him.
“It’s important that you and I speak,” he said, his composure quickly returning.
My curiosity was beginning to fade, replaced by anger and annoyance.
“Who the hell are you? The IRS?”
He sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t have time for this nonsense.”
“That makes two of us, bud.”
“I demand that we speak. Close your little truck for a few minutes and come with me.”
That right there tore it. Cutting the line and being a dick was one thing, butdemandingI come with him was a whole other matter.
I narrowed my eyes. “Listen, buddy. I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing here. And you know what? I really don’t care. What Idocare about are all of these hungry people here waiting in line like normal,civilizedhumans. It’s cold, it’s rainy, and they’re nice enough to have chosenmyestablishment to patronize. Not to mention, no one demands that I do anything. Now, if you’d be so kind, get your ass out of here!”
I pointed off in another direction, applause sounding from the crowd.
The man wasn’t deterred, however. He was on a mission and having fifty or so people all wishing that I’d throw his ass in the deep fryer didn’t seem to bother him one bit.
He scowled, shaking his head.
“I came all of this way to speak to a lady, not some fish-patty-flipping brat. Your mother would be ashamed to hear the way you’re speaking.”
Without another word, he turned on his boots and headed off.
My mother?
Who the hell was this man? And why did I have a feeling he was going to turn my life upside down?
Chapter 2
Luc
Well, that didn’t go as planned.
As I moved away from the food truck, making my way through the crowds of people in the market, part of me wondered if I’d had the wrong girl. I found a table a few dozen feet from the truck and, after purchasing a black coffee for something to keep me warm, sat down and watched the woman work.
I couldn’t get over her appearance. Her hair was dyed a silvery purple, a big silver ring pierced through one of her nostrils. One look at her face, however, those doll-like features of full lips and big blue eyes, made it obvious that she was her mother’s child.
Complicating matters even further was the fact that she was beyond beautiful. Even in her grease-stained T-shirt it was simply impossible not to notice her slender frame and shapely hips, the way the T-shirt clung to her breasts. She was stunning, the picture of beauty. Too bad her attitude nearly ruined it.