by Alison Bliss
He had no problem admitting that he was a handful in both of those areas, and he needed a woman who would be able to keep up. Possibly even one who could put him in his place on occasion. Unfortunately, Jessa hadn’t done that at all. Which only made him wonder why she was so damn appealing to him. What was it about this woman that got his blood roaring like it did?
No question about it, she was beautiful. Those large, sparkling blue eyes had captured him almost instantly when he’d first seen her, along with her full, womanly figure and that fine heart-shaped ass of hers. And the perfume she’d been wearing? It was like some kind of an accelerant that had ignited flames inside of him and had left him feeling warm and fuzzy all over.
But none of that mattered. Max cautioned himself to curb his curiosity in Jessa and not get sidetracked. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by anyone right now, because he had a very important job to do. And that job was getting her to move her damn truck. One way or another, it was going to happen.
Jessa cleared her throat. “So what would you like to look at first?”
Max’s eyes fell on her breasts. Stop that shit. You’re making yourself look like a damn pervert. This was never going to work if he couldn’t get himself under control. Now.
He ran a hand over his face. It wasn’t like he knew anything about food trucks. Hell, he didn’t know anything about cooking at all. There was a reason why he ate lunch at the Empty Plate Café every day. Sometimes dinner too. “Why don’t you tell me about your truck while I take a look around?”
“Okay, sure.” She motioned to her surroundings. “As you can plainly see, the truck has a stainless steel construction on all food contact and prep surfaces, as well as the dry storage areas.” She moved around him in the narrow kitchen, pointing out things as she kept talking. “The refrigeration is set below forty-one degrees at all times, and each of the gas-generated appliances and water pumps have their own shut-off valves, along with a fire suppression system.”
Even though Max wasn’t the actual health inspector, he was glad to hear that she had taken so many safety precautions within her truck. Chances were good that most of them had been actual requirements, but still, he was happy to hear it. He wanted her to move the truck, not die in it.
“Do you have hot and cold water in here?” he asked, then realized that he sounded like he didn’t know the answer to that question. A real health inspector would know. “You do, right?”
Jessa nodded. “Of course. And it’s pressurized. There’s a thirty-gallon freshwater tank under the three-compartment sink as well as a forty-five gallon wastewater tank beneath the floor panel you’re standing on. The hot water heater is in the front of the vehicle right above the driver’s seat. It’s one of those on-demand types and runs off of propane.”
Max glanced around but didn’t spot what he was looking for. “Where’s your tank?”
“It’s frame mounted,” she said, pointing down toward the floor of the truck.
“Uh, what about fire extinguishers?”
“I’ve got several,” she said, showing him which cabinet they were stored in. “I also have a generator in a locked panel on the back of the truck. The circuit breakers, transfer switch, and electrical receptacle are all toward the front.”
Ah, now she’s speaking my language. “What size breakers and wire are you using in the truck?”
She blinked rapidly and then stared at him with a blank expression, as if he’d just asked her if she was a native inhabitant of another planet. “I…um, don’t really know. The truck was already wired when I purchased it.”
Max stilled. What if she had stripped wires or somehow overloaded the circuits by accident? Did she not understand how dangerous that could be? Especially for a food truck that housed a deep–fat fryer mere feet away from the breaker box. If something happened and sparks flew from it, she could end up with a grease fire on her hands that could burn down the entire truck.
Glancing around, he spotted the gray breaker box on the wall toward the front of the truck. He went for it and yanked it open.
After giving everything a good once-over, he checked the wattage on all of her appliances and did some quick math in his head. Although she watched him warily, Jessa never moved from her position and didn’t say a word.
When he was done calculating the numbers, he finally turned back to her. “Okay, in case you need to know this information in the future, you’re feeding a thirty-amp service and running on fifteen-amp breakers. The twelve-gauge wire they installed is a bit of overkill, but I think it’s okay for the most part. I went ahead and counted up all the wattage on every appliance I could see in here, and as long as whoever wired your truck balanced out the loads correctly, then you should be fine.”
Confusion still swamped her face, but she managed a soft, “Um, thanks.” It sounded more like a question.
“You’re welcome,” Max said with an amused grin. Guess not everyone liked electrical stuff nearly as much as an electrician did.
But who cares? At least he knew her wiring system seemed fairly safe. The last thing this woman needed was a fire on board. And the last thing he needed was her leaving behind a trail of smoke when he finally ran her out of town.
Otherwise, he might be tempted to follow her.
Chapter Four
Jessa didn’t know what to make of Max.
When he’d first showed up outside her door, she couldn’t believe the arrogant jerk had come back so soon to check up on her. If she hadn’t spent the better part of the morning making sure she’d corrected all the idiotic issues he’d mentioned to her the day before, he would’ve probably shut her down.
The meticulous man even had the nerve to break out a tape measure to make sure her tire was exactly ten and three-quarter inches away from the curb. She’d spent fifteen minutes getting that parking job exact, just in case, but she never really expected the health inspector to be that thorough. Seriously? Who does that?
He does, that’s who.
Thank goodness she’d done the smart thing and taken him at his word yesterday. He had said he’d see her around, and apparently, he had meant it. She hadn’t known that at the time, but if she hadn’t corrected those issues he’d pointed out, she could very well have been packing it in for good right now.
Then again, that still might be a possibility.
Max was standing in her truck’s little kitchen, looking for more code violations to point out. And knowing how picky he was yesterday, she would bet he was prepared to find something. Possibly anything. Keeping him from closing her business down over something stupid was proving to be a full-time job.
That was why she’d let Mary and Lisa both go home early. They’d covered Jessa’s shift while she spent several hours running around town looking for two new trash cans, clear disposable gloves, and enough red plastic cloths to cover the picnic tables with. Once she’d found what she needed, she had raced back and got to work putting them all to good use.
Jessa thought she’d been paranoid for nothing since Max hadn’t showed up all day. But then she’d heard the knock at the door and had a feeling his pile of muscle would be standing on the other side. She’d been right.
He wasn’t fancily dressed or anything. Just dark jeans, a gray button-down top with a white undershirt peeking out from beneath his collar, and a pair of semi-clean work boots. But, have mercy, he looked good enough to eat.
He hadn’t flirted with her though. Not really. She was pretty sure it was just her sex-filled imagination playing tricks on her. Though technically when he entered the truck, he’d practically dry-humped her in passing. With one strong hand on her waist, he’d slid by her, rubbing every hard inch of him across her body as he went. Whether it had been intentional or not, she didn’t know, but something hot and intense had moved through her at the speed of lightning.
Now every time he even looked like he was going to move in any direction, she had to keep from throwing herself into his path for a repeat performance.
“Jessa?”
Her eyes lifted to his. “Yeah?”
“I asked you a question.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you. Can you repeat it, please?”
The corner of his mouth lifted, causing her blood pressure to spike. God, that wickedly sexy smirk of his was all kinds of catnip for her.
He pointed to the tiny sink toward the front of the truck. “I asked you why you had an extra sink over there.”
Confusion trickled through her. What a weird question coming from the health inspector. “Because I’m required to have a separate hand-washing sink on the truck. Frankly, I’m surprised you don’t know that since the old inspector already told me that it was one of the regulations.”
Max ran his hand through his hair and onto the back of his neck. “Uh, right. It just slipped my mind for a second, that’s all. Thanks for the reminder.”
“You’re welcome. Now is there anything else you’d like to see?”
He stepped closer and peered down at her, his eyes glittering. The way he looked at her made her feel beautiful. “Everything, Jess. I want to see everything you have.”
Her racing heart beat against her lungs, knocking the breath free from both of them, as her blood flowed to her limbs in a slow, sensual rhythm.
Damn those intense hazel eyes of his. With just one glance, this man had the ability to make her feel as though he’d stripped her naked and touched her intimately. As if he had reached deep into her soul and fondled her very essence.
Jesus. Maybe he was flirting with her. Which seemed almost strange since she would think it would be considered inappropriate.
Somehow, she didn’t care.
The first day she’d met him, she thought he was a real jerk. A cute one, but still a jerk. Now she was surprised to find out that he was much more intriguing than she’d originally thought. Actually, he was the kind of male that was dangerous for any woman to be around. Plain and simple, the man oozed pure sex.
Jessa didn’t really mind partaking in a little harmless flirting with a man who was pretty to look at. She would do just about anything to keep him on her good side at this point anyway. And if that meant flirting with a handsome guy, then who was she to complain?
Besides, it wasn’t like anything was actually going to happen between them. The side windows on the truck were still wide open, and anyone passing by could see the two of them standing inside.
She licked her lips as she gazed up at him. “Which part of my everything would you like to get your hands on first?” Her sultry voice had lowered to almost a whisper.
His eyes widened slightly, and he stared at her in silence for a moment. As if he were contemplating what to do. “Why don’t you show me your, uh…food containers?”
Food containers? Well, that wasn’t the least bit arousing. What happened to the great sexy-talk they were having? Jeez. “Okay, they’re over here,” she said, trying to keep her lackluster tone from sounding too much like disappointment.
She led him over to the low cabinet at the end of the counter and opened it for him. All of the containers were see-through, though it didn’t matter since everything had also been clearly marked.
Max rummaged through the cabinet, moving things around to check that everything was in order. Which was irritating since everything had been in order until he’d touched it. Now she’d have to spend some time in the morning putting everything back in place before she opened for business.
Great. Like she needed more work to do.
But while he was bent down and so engrossed with messing up her organization, it gave her the perfect opportunity to check out his backside again. The dark, fitted denim jeans stretched tight across his sculpted derrière, which only made her wonder how his bare butt would look with her nails digging into it.
She wasn’t surprised his hind end was as firm as the rest of him. This guy was clearly in shape. Even through two layers of shirt, she could see the dense bands of muscle bunching beneath the material with every movement of his arms. And his biceps? God, those were fantastic too. If there was such a thing as an arm porn commercial, he would probably be hired as their top model.
Max stood, reaching his full height before turning around to face her. He rolled his broad shoulders, and the controlled movement made the bulk of his pectoral muscles strain against the front of his shirt. Then, as if she wasn’t already worked up enough, he offered her an incredible smile that stirred something inside of her. “Looks like we’re good here.”
Mmm-hmm. “Yes, we are.”
* * *
Several days had passed and Max still hadn’t made any headway with Jessa. He’d shown up at her truck for the past three evenings after work, trying to come up with something that would aggravate her enough to move that damn thing. But the woman had unflappable control. Nothing he did seemed to have any effect on her.
Well, except for one thing. But damn it, he never should’ve started flirting with her. Now he didn’t want to stop. Not only that, but it had been increasingly hard to stay on track whenever she smiled at him the way she did. Or the way she stared at him with those liquid blue eyes while batting those long lashes of hers. It was enough to make a man go insane.
To give himself some perspective and get Jessa off his mind awhile, Max decided he needed to do something normal. Something mundane that he hadn’t done in a while. Like shopping for groceries. So he headed for the local farmers’ market, which was held in downtown Granite near the shopping square.
The outdoor market was open every Saturday from nine to two, and farmers from all over the surrounding area showed up to sell their goods. Though Granite was a fairly small town, the farmers’ market had grown into a decent-sized event. Enough so that the organizers had to ask the police to barricade the downtown streets to keep customers safe as they shopped.
Max strolled leisurely through the entrance of the outdoor market, taking in his surroundings. Loud country music pumped out of speakers somewhere nearby. Hoards of people, young and old, weaved in and out of the maze of small white tents before him. Children giggled as they rode ponies in a circle while their parents looked on.
What started out years ago as a little local weekend market had somehow morphed into a weekly festival of food, music, and fun. But Max wasn’t there for the music and fun. Only the food. He’d been out of town during the past two Saturdays and needed to stock up on his produce for the next week. Otherwise, he’d be paying supermarket prices for lower quality produce.
That’s what he loved most about the farmers’ market. The organizers supported healthy eating and had created the event with a strong foundation of local Texas farmers who brought in locally grown and organic produce to sell at a fair price. Real food harvested from the ground or picked from a tree. Not that processed shit so many people lived on.
But as Max started to move through the crowd, his gaze snagged on a booth with a familiar name. Sweets n’ Treats? What in the hell? Confused, Max strolled toward the booth to make sure he read the sign right and caught sight of Leah standing at the table talking to a customer. Sam leaned back in a lawn chair behind her, drinking a glass of lemonade.
“Hey,” Max said, peering at Sam. “What are you doing here?”
Sam grinned. “Well, at the moment, absolutely nothing. I did my part earlier as the pack mule,” he said, motioning to the tables stacked high with boxes of all sizes from his wife’s bakery.
Leah waved good-bye as her customer left. “Hey, Max. I didn’t know you would be here today. How was your vacation?”
“Good,” he lied, remembering how he practically starved to death at his parents’ house. “Couldn’t have been better.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” she said, sitting in a second lawn chair next to Sam. “So what have you been up to all week?”
Max stilled. Shit. Had she heard something about him pretending to be the health inspector? And if so, from who? “Um, nothing much. Why?”
She shrugge
d. “No reason. I just wondered where you’ve been hiding out all week. I haven’t seen you. You usually stop by our place or the bakery at least a couple of times a week for coffee.”
“I guess I’ve just been busy and haven’t gotten out much.” To change the subject, he gestured to the sign with her bakery name listed on it. “Since when did you start selling things here anyway?”
“Last weekend was my first time.”
“How?”
“Well, I filled out a vendor form, and I was approved by—”
“No, not that,” Max said, shaking his head. “I mean, how are you selling your goods at an event that promotes healthy eating? Your desserts aren’t exactly diet-friendly.”
“Oh, that,” she said, waving her hand through the air. “At this booth, I’m only selling gluten-free items or things made with all natural ingredients. Most everything I’m offering has been prepared using free-range eggs, freshly ground organic flour, or un-homogenized milk and butter. They allow specialty foods as long as you are consistent with their standards.”
“So these items might not be lower in calories but they’re a bit healthier than what you would normally serve in the bakery?”
“Basically. It’s a great option for anyone who has a gluten allergy or wants to indulge in something sweet without all the added pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics they’ll find in most dairy. I’m even going to start selling some of this in my bakery on a regular basis too.”
“That’s good.” Too bad Max still couldn’t eat any of it.
“So what are you doing here?” Sam asked, sitting forward in his chair. “It’s your day off. I figured you’d be sleeping in or already heading to the gym.”
“I’m going to go work out later. I’m just stopping by here to…uh, offer my support to our local businesses.”
“Yeah, right. While you’re scoping out the women?”
He grinned. “That too.” If Sam wanted to think that was the reason Max was here, then that was fine by him. At least it kept him from having to tell Sam the truth about his problem with food.