Chapter 4
Fleur
A strange feeling swept over me as I headed for the door, an unusual tingling sensation. I’d experienced them all my life, tiny premonitions or catching the strong emotions of someone that I didn’t even know. I’d been called an empath, a gift I’d tried to ignore.
Just as I stepped outside, my phone rang. My assistant manager never called unless there was an issue. “Hey, Ashley. What’s up?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but the shipment didn’t come in for the suncatchers.”
Groaning, I struggled to grab my keys, forced to use both hands, which meant shoving the phone under the crook of my neck. “Did you call the manufacturer?”
“Yep. Something about being trapped in customs.”
“Geez.” My hiss was angry enough the sound brought a gasp from the couple walking in. “Sorry.” Laughing, I still couldn’t grab my keys. I finally glanced into my huge bag, furious with myself for carrying half my life’s precious possessions with me.
“Are you okay?” Ashley asked.
“Fine. I just—” The explanation died on my lips when I ran into a hard block with enough force, my phone was pitched from under my chin, my purse flung several feet. Even worse, I slipped on a patch of snow, grabbing whatever was in front of me to keep from falling.
The sense of weightlessness was a drop kick to my stomach. Only seconds later, I’d dragged the source of the thunderous boulder down with me.
There was a thud as my body hit the solid ground, but the huffing sound expelled from my lungs was from the pressure of the heavy weight crushing down on my chest.
And the rest of me.
With another gasp, I blinked furiously until I could focus. Staring back at me were a pair of the deepest emerald eyes I’d ever seen. With the waning sun casting shimmers of sparkling light, I could swear they were luminous irises framed in specks of gold.
And the rest of the man’s face was… incredible, his features resembling a Greek god, his bone structure carved to perfection.
Yet I was right about the dark aura. The energy surrounding him was thick, ominous in a way that not only caught me by surprise but was close to being suffocating. Yet there was also pain, miserable, uncontrollable pain that he was quickly able to mask.
I remained caught in a momentary blip in time, incapable of uttering a single word, and not only because the full weight of his body was pressing down on mine. I’d collided with the mysterious stranger.
Mr. Prince finally narrowed his eyes, jerking up as if I’d run into him on purpose. But I noticed he wasn’t moving, other than shifting the weight of his pelvis.
Oh, my God. The man was hard as a rock. No, not his leg, but the intense throbbing of his cock. I hadn’t expected a moan, but that’s the only sound I could make.
The sound broke the ice, or the hypnotizing moment.
“What the fuck were you doing?” His growl was husky, a deep baritone that could easily keep me in suspended animation. Had it not been for the sneer on his face. Or the look of utter admonishment following.
“What are you talking about? You ran into me.” I tried pushing him off, but it was like attempting to keep a boulder from crushing my most intimate parts.
And those lady parts were hot and wet.
Somehow, I managed to drive my palms between us, using every ounce of strength I had to shove him away. His single question had been confirmation I’d been right about him.
An arrogant bastard.
I struggled to free myself, wiggling until the rest of me managed to escape. He remained where he was even as I stood. My glare was harsher than normal, maybe because of the way he was looking at me. As if I was the issue.
After brushing snow from my jeans, I raked my hand through my hair, strands escaping the braid. Why wasn’t he moving? The sexy stranger continued to stare at me. “What do you want, an invitation to get up?” When he remained silent, I threw out my hand.
“What?” It was doubtful his bark was worse than his bite. He looked like he wanted to kill someone.
“Do you want my help or not?”
“I’m fine.” He was spitting fire as he tried to stand and it was impossible to keep from laughing when he fell on his butt once again.
He lifted his head, allowing me to enjoy a few seconds of how handsome he was. The cane caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. My giddiness faded and I retrieved it, feeling like a shitty person. “Here you go.”
“I can do it!”
His attitude irritated every ounce of my being, but as soon as he snatched the thick metal from my hand, our fingers touched. The crushing jolt of electricity was a sensation I’d never felt before. Certainly not from a single touch. The shock must have brought a look of surprise to my face.
There was one of ire on his.
Using the cane, he finally managed to stand. But as soon as he swayed, I did the neighborly thing and grabbed his arms, almost pulling us down once again. Now I was laughing.
He wasn’t.
His expression only darkened, his lips tightly pursed.
“I told you before. I’m fine. Just watch where you’re going.” He wasn’t about to allow me a third chance to drag him down, turning abruptly and hobbling away.
Jesus Christ. Maybe his father was a decent man, but he certainly wasn’t. What a son of a bitch.
Between his attitude and harsh words, he certainly lived up to the regal name. There was something about rich assholes that simply chilled my blood. He was no exception.
As the princely one faded into the distance, I couldn’t help but think how sad it was for someone so handsome to be such an asshole.
Only after he’d disappeared did I realize he’d dropped and left his sunglasses. I snatched them up along with my phone and purse, cursing under my breath. Afterwards, I studied the dark shades. I was right about him being a rich asshole. They were Maybachs. Six thousand a pop.
I could run after him, or I could keep them hostage. It was a small town. Whether a visitor or some jerk who’d just moved into town, it was small enough the odds were I’d run into again. Then I’d ransom them off to the jerk.
With a laugh, I headed to my truck, thinking of all the ways I could torment the man. Just for giggles.
I hadn’t gone two blocks when I realized the gas gauge was setting on E. It wasn’t that I was forgetful. I’d simply been extremely busy. Or maybe trying to keep myself busy to avoid the date on the calendar. Two years ago tomorrow was supposed to have been my wedding day.
Maybe I’d bake a cake and pop open a bottle of champagne, toasting to every asshole on the planet.
Once again, my phone rang just as I was pulling into the gas station. Shit. I’d forgotten to call Ashley back. Knowing her, since the conversation had ended abruptly, she’d call the sheriff. That I didn’t need. Where in God’s name had I tossed my phone?
With my foot on the brake, I pulled next to a pump, stopping before I reached for my purse, the handle instantly snagged on the gearshift.
Which caused a chain reaction, including my foot slipping from the brake, the truck rolling forward. And experiencing another hard bump that jarred my teeth together.
“Oops.” Instantly, I slammed my foot on the brake and slid the gear into park even before I glanced out the windshield to see who I’d run into.
The driver’s door was thrown open, long, muscular legs stepping out.
Why did God hate me today? Or maybe karma was biting me in the ass given the date and my clandestine escape from the church and a life of sheer hell.
When the stranger stepped onto the concrete, I was certain the man was ready to pull out a gun and kill the person responsible. Almost instantly, a lump formed in my throat because I wasn’t far off.
He’d left the cane in his fancy-dancy shiny black SUV, now standing with his jacket wide open, his hands on his hips.
Which allowed me to catch sight of a weapon’s holster attached to his shoulder. Either I hadn’t noticed it before, or his crushing weight had created irresponsible excitement.
Shuddering, I didn’t need to hear him barking to know how furious he was. His entire jaw was so clenched I was certain his mouth was jammed shut permanently. While I sensed walking without a cane was agonizing for him, he wasn’t about to be hindered by its absence.
He managed to glance down at the bumper and make his way to my door before my fumbling fingers managed to pull on the door handle.
As soon as the mechanism clicked open, I was yanked from the driver’s seat and into his arms. The look of shock undoubtedly crossing my face was mirrored by the same expression. Only his instantly turned vicious.
“You again.”
As much as I wanted to spout off nasty things given his piss poor attitude, I chewed on the fact I had caused the minor accident. But everything about the man and his nasty attitude crushed every concept of sensibility or concerns about danger. I launched into him.
“What about you driving that big, black monolith of an expensive luxury vehicle. Doesn’t surprise me.”
His snarl might be worse than his bite. “What the fuck are you talking about? You ran into me.”
“Well, Mr. Prince, I’m talking about how completely inappropriate it is for you to drive that vehicle in this part of the world.
Haven’t you heard the latest weather report?
We’re supposed to get six inches of snow tonight with an icy crust for good measure.
Those oversized tires used for compensating your teensy-tiny dick will have you in a ditch or worse in two seconds flat.
But I guess all rich assholes need to prove their manhood one way or another. ”
Unlike before, he was completely uncertain of how to retort. But I knew it was just a momentary lapse. He’d come back swinging.
“Prove my manhood?” Unlike before, the decibel level had lowered, his tone darker, richer. Sexier.
“Yep. Classic sign. And get your hands off me.” I threw my arms up between us, breaking the hold and backing away. Although the same tingling electric sensations remained, even more potent than before.