CHAPTER 3: ELECTRIC BLUES

FLORENCE'S POV

I exhaled slowly, stepping out of the mall, my small bag of groceries in hand.

Just another regular day.

Or so. I thought.

"Hey, beautiful."

I stiffened.

A man leaning casually against the wall. His smile was too wide, too weird.

His eyes raked over me in a way that made my skin crawl.

I ignored him and kept walking.

"Come on, sweetheart, don’t be like that," he called after me. "Let me get your number."

I quickened my pace.

"Aww, don’t be shy," he said, jogging up beside me. "You new in town? I can show you around."

"I’m not interested," I muttered,

He didn’t take the hint.

"Come on, just a little number. Or we could grab a drink." lowering his voice. "I don’t bite. Unless you like that sort of thing."

"I said I’m not interested."

The smile disappeared. His eyes darkened. "You don’t have to be rude, babe."

Babe?

"Then maybe you should learn to take no for an answer," I shot back.

His jaw twitched. "Bitch."

My breath hitched, but I kept walking.

I had barely made it ten steps before I heard him again.

"You think you’re too good for me?"

Panic prickled down my spine.

I glanced back. He was following me.

My heartbeat picked up. I walked faster. So did he.

Shit!

Every fiber in my body screamed at me to run, but I forced myself to stay calm. It was broad daylight.

People were around. I was safe.

Right?

"Where you going, baby?" His voice was different now. Darker. Meaner.

I spotted my car in the parking lot and made a beeline for it.

"Hey!" He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my wrist.

I gasped, jerking away. "Let go of me!"

"Just give me your damn number!"

I swung my bag at him. He flinched, giving me just enough time to tear my arm away and bolt.

I ran.

I didn’t look back.

I sprinted past rows of parked cars, my heart hammering in my chest. I had no time to unlock my car and get in.

So i.kept on running, with no idea where I was going, but I knew I needed to get away.

"Get back here, you little—"

His voice cut off as I turned the corner.

And slammed straight into a wall.

A very warm, very solid wall.

A wall that was… breathing?

I staggered backward, blinking in shock.

Then I looked up.

My breath caught in my throat.

The man standing before me was breathtaking.

Tall. Broad shoulders. A black shirt stretched across a muscled chest. Sharp jawline, high cheekbones, tousled black hair.

But the most striking thing?

His eyes.

Electric blue.

Looked familiar…

Hypnotizing.

His gaze locked onto mine, I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Behind me, the footsteps slowed.

I whipped around.

The man who had been chasing me halted to a stop, eyes flickering between me and the stranger I had crashed into.

"The hell—" He took a step back.

I turned just in time to see the stranger tilt his head ever so slightly.

Not a word to me.

Not a move.

But the air shifted.

The guy behind me shrank into his shell almost immediately.

"Uh…" the stalker let out a nervous chuckle, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Hmm."

Silence.

The blue-eyed stranger didn’t blink.

Didn’t speak.

Didn’t move.

The stalker took another step back. Then another. Then…

He disappeared. Vanishing into the parking lot.

I turned back to the stranger, my heart still hammering.

"You…" My throat was dry. "You didn’t even say anything."

He finally blinked. "Didn’t need to." His voice was deep. Low. Controlled. Sexy.

I swallowed.

"Who are you?"

His eyes flickered over me, unreadable.

Then, without another word, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" I blurted.

He paused.

I hesitated. I didn’t even know what I was asking him to wait for.

He turned his head slightly as if he wanted to say something. "Never mind." He said and continued on his heels.

I stood there watching his handsome retreating back.

Damn.

My heart still pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.

He’s gone… right?

I turned slowly, looking in every direction. The stalker was nowhere in sight.

My fingers trembled as I rubbed my arms.

I need to get to my car…

I glanced around again

I wasn’t ready to take that risk.

That was when I noticed the restaurant just across the sidewalk—it looked safe.

I swallowed hard.

With one last glance over my shoulder, I made my way to the restaurant.

I hurried across the street. Pushing open the glass door, I stepped inside.

A waiter glanced up and smiled at me. "Table for one?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes, please."

He gestured to an open booth near the window.

I hesitated for a second, and decided to walk over to my table.

The moment I sat down, my nerves were still rattled. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

Just as I was about to relax, movement near the counter caught my eye.

My breath hitched.

The stranger with the electric blue eyes.

I blinked. What the hell?

He works here?

I stared at him, utterly stunned. The man who had saved me a few minutes ago was now standing behind a counter, casually cleaning glasses like some regular bartender?

It didn’t make sense.

My legs moved on their own as I walked toward him.

He didn’t acknowledge me as I sat down at the bar, placing my hands on the counter.

"Hey," I said hesitantly.

Nothing.

He just kept polishing the glass in his hand, his expression unreadable.

I frowned. "You’re seriously going to pretend like you don’t know me?"

His electric blue eyes flicked toward me, but there was no surprise in them. No recognition. Just a calm, unreadable gaze.

"I don’t know you," he said simply. His voice was smooth but devoid of emotion.

I scoffed. "Really? So helping me was just a hobby?"

He didn’t answer. Just set the glass down and grabbed another.

I leaned forward. "You’re not going to explain why you’re suddenly a bartender now?"

Glancing at me, tilting his head slightly. "Is there a problem with that?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

Well, no. There wasn’t a problem. It was just… unexpected.

"You don’t exactly seem like the type." I muttered.

He smirked slightly, "And what type do I seem like?"

Like someone dangerous.

Like a sexy ass man walking out of a romance novel

Like someone who kills without blinking.

I wasn’t sure how to answer, so I just shrugged.

"Not a bartender, that’s for sure."

He didn’t reply.

I sighed. "You’re really not going to give me anything, are you?"

He placed the glass down and finally leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto mine. "What do you want to know?"

If I answered him, I wasn’t sure if I’d get any answers.

"Nevermind boo. Let me just get back to my seat." I walked over to my table leaving him looking at my retreating back.