Free Taste Me by Candi Silk Page A

one. Her
“boyfriend” came up short in that department, and a few other
areas.
    As she maneuvered down the aisle, she glanced
back to see if she could catch a better look at the produce
assistant. He was still bent over busily working the vegetable
displays, then he straightened, turning, his eyes burning a laser
beam right at her.
    Oh, damn! He sees me looking . She
busily grabbed a random can from the shelf, dropping it in her
cart, moving to the next aisle. She looked down at the can. Hominy? What the hell is that? Surely that’s not a food. She
slipped the can on a shelf. Wrong aisle; wrong shelf. She muttered,
“Okay, maybe produce guy will figure out where it goes.”
    She continued shopping another couple aisles,
but couldn’t resist glancing toward the produce section again. Just
curious. She got a good look at his profile. Nice. Sharp cut
facial features and thick dark hair way beyond the edge of a shirt
collar. And facial stubble. Wonder how that would feel on
my…body. As he appeared to be turning around, she quickly
ducked her head and pushed her cart forward down the next
aisle.
    She glanced toward the large front windows of
the store, noticing the darkening sky, with a few flashes of
lightning. She needed to wrap up her shopping before the rain
started. She moved quickly, hoping to beat the wet weather.
    She bent to get a bag of rice, as heavy
footsteps passed behind her. She caught another whiff of his scent, looking up quickly, watching as he walked toward the
front of the store. Gosh, he’s tall, must be over six feet, and
carries himself well. He didn’t speak this time. Probably
married with kids, and trying to eke out a living working
produce. She shrugged.
    She saw a few drops of rain hitting the
windshields of cars in the parking lot. She grabbed another couple
of items and hurried to get in the check-out line. She craned her
neck toward the produce section again, but didn’t see him .
Putting him out of her mind, she watched the display of her items
and the total increase on the computer screen, then realized she’d
forgotten bread and milk. Oh, well, I’ll get them later. Gotta
rush to my car .
    After her groceries had been bagged and
placed in her cart, she rushed through the sliding front doors of
the store. The rain pelted; customers were bumping carts as they
scrambled for their cars. She was about to get drenched. A gust of
rain-swollen wind whipped her long mane of blonde hair around, when
a hand touched her arm, and the low voice said, “Lead me to your
car; I’ll help you.” She heard the swoosh of an umbrella opening
above her. Reflexively, she headed to her car. A man. Not just any
man, but produce man with an umbrella shielding her from the rain. How lucky can a woman get?
    She tried to look at him, but the wind kept
whipping her hair across her face. Dammit ! Her keys dangled
in her hand on the cart handle. His large hand rested alongside
hers. She felt him hook a finger across hers. Oh, damn! What is
going on here? I don’t even know produce guy, what’s-his-name.
OMG!
    Above the wind and thunder, he said, “When we
get close, pop the trunk of your car, then your door. I’ll hold the
umbrella for you then load your groceries for you.”
    “Okay.” The wind whipped, lightning flashed,
followed by a another rumble of thunder.
    She hit her car buttons on her key fob. He
saw the tail lights flash, and knew exactly the movements to make.
Before she could think or speak, he’d ushered her into the driver’s
seat, closed her door, lifted her trunk lid, loaded her groceries,
then said, “You also left a package at the checkout station, but
I’ve put it in one of your bags. Keep dry.”
    She turned looking over the seat toward the
back of her SUV. “Thank you so mu—”
    The trunk lid closed, cutting her off.
    She muttered as she watched the tall shadowy
figure with the umbrella move through the rain, “I didn’t even get
to thank him. Oh, well, maybe I’ll stop by in a