Just His Taste (2 page)

Chapter Two

Ava glared at Cupid. “You have a lot of balls, you prick.”

He smiled at her, looking all suave and sophisticated in his white-on-white outfit. The dickhead.

“You know, don't you, my sweet?” Cupid grinned.

“Knock that shit off, Cupid. I'm not your sweet anything.” She gestured out into the reception, at Cupid's minions—little cherubs with bad aim and twitchy trigger fingers—swarming around the wedding, shooting at anyone they could.

Christy had been fighting off a flock of the damn annoying little cherubs. And so had Lilly.

Ava had been so excited when she'd walked in earlier. New charges—rather, new assignments—made her giddy. And she was very intrigued by this one.

Granted, it wasn't the first time she'd ever interacted with men—sometimes, Fairy Godmothers had to work both sides of a coin to get the Happily Ever After, but she remained always focused on her female charges.

So to work with a man, well, that brought round a whole different set of variables. Variables she couldn't wait to play with.

Until the cherubs started flying around.

“Now, Ava, of course you are,
sweetheart
,” Cupid said, smiling a killer smile that probably would have wooed any girl who didn't know better.

Ava knew his game. Better than most.

“You're doing this just to spite me,” Ava said.

“And why would I do that?” Cupid raised his eyebrow. “I'm not spiting you, my sweet. I merely am helping you. Nothing in your deal said that you couldn't use
my
magic.” He put his hand on her arm.

“That's not the point and you know it.” She tried to jerk out of his grip.

Cupid, however, wouldn't let go. He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her. “I just don't want to see you fail.”

If she didn't know better, she'd think he might actually be sincere.

Of course, she did know better.

Ava put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, but the minor god was pretty strong. “Cupid, let me go. Really.”

“You are so lovely,” Cupid said, and he tried to lean in.

“Is there a problem here?”

Both Ava and Cupid froze. Ava turned to see, of all people, her charge, hands over his chest, glaring at Cupid.

“Uh,” Ava said.

Cupid released her as he stared at Jason. “Everything is fine.”

Ava stepped away from Cupid. “He was just leaving, weren't you?”

Cupid raised his eyebrow. “As you wish.”

Jason kept his gaze on Cupid. “And I think you don't need to be back here today.”

Ava watched Cupid bristle.

Act human. Act human. Act human, you arrogant dumb—

Cupid merely snorted and walked away.

Ava let out a sigh.

“Are you all right?” Jason asked.

Ava nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” She glanced back at Cupid, who walked into the doors of the bed and breakfast.

He's going to be pissed later.

“Ex-boyfriend?”

“No,” Ava said, smiling as she shook her head. What an outrageous idea—dating Cupid. Just the thought made her sick to her stomach.

So why did she spend time with him?

She didn't know.

Perhaps that was the problem.

“Ex-husband?” Jason asked as he led her away.

“No. Just…”

Jason held up his hand. “He-he just likes to control you.” He grimaced as he spoke.

Ava snorted. “He…he thought he was helping me, of all things.”

“No-no.” He grimaced and inhaled a breath. “No man ever
helps
a woman by forcing her to do something.”

She noticed his stammer as he spoke, but she didn't acknowledge it. Actually, she thought it was kind of cute. “Yes, I tend to agree with you. Unless you like that kind of kink.”

Jason stopped dead in his tracks. “I-I—” He looked at her with the strangest mix of shock and arousal on his face.

“Calm down, I'm not hitting on you.” Ava grinned.

He shook his head. “So where in the hell did that come from?”

She shrugged. “I'm just saying. Some people like being
forced
to do things. I mean, there's two huge industries focused on that very thing.”

“What two?”

“Sex shops and erotic romance. Haven't you heard of
Fifty Shades of Gray
?”

“Is that what that was?” Jason asked.

“Well, yeah. Where have you been?”

“Under a rock.”

“I guess so.” She rolled her eyes. “What am I going to do with you?” she whispered, more to herself.

But he must have heard. “Educate me?”

Ava laughed, and he joined her. The two of them stopped and stared at each other, and Ava felt a strange tingling in her stomach.

Very, very strange.

“I'm Jason,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Ava,” she replied as she accepted his hand. She'd intended just to shake it and be done with it, but for a reason she didn't quite understand, she held on a touch longer than she should have. Or what was appropriate. Or right.

Yet even in that moment, she felt energy between them, a strong connection. Probably the strongest she'd ever had with a charge before. Meeting his gaze, she found herself pulled in by his dark-brown eyes, which remained locked on hers.

“Ava.” He nodded. “It suits you.”

She pulled her hand back and made herself look away. “Thanks.” She started to walk again. “So what are you doing here?”

“Catering.” He matched her pace and gestured to the area where a barbecue oven slowly smoked, pouring a warm aroma into the air.

“You're a caterer?” she asked.

“I'm actually a private investigator. But I do barbecue on the side.”

“Must keep you busy,” she said.

“Passions usually do.”

Ava raised her eyebrow. “Passions, huh?”

Jason shrugged. “They're both p-puzzles, and I love a good puzzle.” He winced as he spoke.

She blinked, realizing he'd stuttered again, and he wasn't very happy about it. Her knee-jerk reaction was to say something, but from the firm set of his jaw and the way he glared at nothing, she assumed that acknowledging it would make it worse. So she pretended not to notice.

“Barbecue is a puzzle?” Ava asked.

“Sure. Bringing things together to bring out the best flavor in the meat.” He crossed into his work area and tended the smokers.

“You seem to do a good job,” Ava said, taking in a deep breath of the cooking meat. It smelled wonderful—so wonderful her stomach growled.

“Hungry?” he asked, grinning at her. The embarrassment over the stutter seemed to have left him.

“Maybe a little bit.”

Jason pulled a metal pan from the smoker. He removed the tin-foil cover and a wafting aroma of amazing-smelling barbecue enveloped Ava.

“Have a piece.” He handed her a plastic fork.

She speared a small sliver of the pork. It melted in her mouth, it was so tender. “Oh wow,” she said, covering her mouth as she spoke. “That's amazing.”

He held out a napkin. “Thanks.”

She wiped off her lips. “Do you always cook like this?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“I have gotta come to your house for dinner,” she said.

He grinned. “You need to get my address first.”

Ava waved her hand in the air. “I can find you.” And in that moment, realized how stalkerish that probably sounded. “I'll just follow my taste buds.”

He laughed.

Oh, he had the best laugh. Full, robust, and it sent shivers up her arms in all those good ways.

“You are great,” she said, smiling.
He's going to be so easy to get together with his HEA.
What girl wouldn't love a guy like him, with eyes like that and a great body and that awesome jawline?

He really was fabulous.

He paused. “Great?”

She nodded. “I bet your girlfriend loves that you cook.”

He raised his eyebrow. “That was a lame way to ask if I was seeing someone.”

“Just making conversation.” Ava shrugged, hoping she didn't come off like a chick looking for a date. “Are you?”

“No.”

“Do you want to?”

He clenched his teeth, like he gnawed on something for a moment. “D-depends.” He turned and checked on the food in the smoker, giving her a good look at his backside.

“On what?”
Stop looking at his ass!

A clatter of metal as he lowered the lid again. “Whether she's desperate or not.”

“What, you only like the desperate ones?”

“No. I avoid them.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “I c-can't handle a gal who doesn't have a world of her own.”

“So you like independent.”

He nodded. “Yeah. She needs to have her own stuff. Like this.” He gestured to his grill and smoker. “This is my thing. Everyone needs a thing.”

Ava nodded. “Yeah.”

“Do you have a thing?”

She shrugged. “Sure. Everyone's got a thing.” Granted, hers was not nearly as cool as making this amazing food. It was so
not cool
she'd never even told her fellow fairies what it was.

Christy and Lilly would probably die laughing if they knew.

“What's yours?” Jason asked, jarring her from her thoughts.

“What kind of meat is this?” Ava asked, stabbing another piece.

“Pork butt.”

He said it so straight-faced, Ava paused, wondering if he was waiting to deliver a punch line.

“Pork butt? I'm eating the butt of a pig?”

He raised his eyebrow. “I love a good piece of ass.”

Ava burst out laughing. And pretended not to notice the darkening of his eyes. Or her own attraction starting to hum in her veins. “We all love a good piece, now and again.”

“Do you?”

Holy moly, that was a loaded question.

She turned away. “Evidently I do.” As she said it, she tried to be cool, relaxed, like this conversation wasn't doing anything to her.

Unfortunately, it was.

It did all kinds of things to her. Things that a fairy should never, ever feel for her charge.

The urge to escape, to get away, started overwhelming her. Damn, she needed to look at that file. It went against the way she did things normally, but for this one she might have to revert to the shoulder hover.

Damn.

“It's hard to find,” Jason said, jarring her from her worries.

“What is?”

“A good piece of ass.” He poured some different sauces into a bowl. “Sometimes you gotta look all over to get just the right piece.” He pulled out a bottle of beer and a bottle of bourbon.

She raised her eyebrow.
Wow, is he a big drinker? It's a bit early…
“So you're particular about your piece, then?”

“Very.” He cracked open the beer and dumped some in the sauce. “Not any piece will do. It has to be just right.” He stirred the sauce, and did the same routine with the bourbon.

She watched him add a bit of this and that. “And how do you know what's right?”

“Experience.” He pulled out the spoon and tasted the sauce. His sultry eyes spoke volumes more than the simple word.

Holy Hera, she felt hot. She had to get out of here.

This was not good. Not good at all.
Because what she wanted to do had nothing to do with her job.

The Council did not look kindly on fairies being involved with humans. Secrets spilled and awful things happened to the last working fairy caught fornicating with a charge.

Ava couldn't let that happen to her. At the very least, her unorthodox approach to handling her jobs could cause a lot of issues if anyone on the Council knew about it. Her extracurricular activities would be yet another nail in her coffin.

Yeah, it was time to make a discreet exit. If she could get away from Jason's rather probing stare.

Finally, her escape approached.

A lovely girl, blonde, moved toward the table. “Jason, it's so nice to see you,” she said.

Jason painted on a smile and turned to the young lady. “Tessa, it's good to see you. How are you doing?”

“I'm fine,” she said and glanced at Ava, the pleasant look disappearing.

That's my cue,
Ava thought.

She turned and walked away.

And she didn't look back, because she didn't want to see her charge. She didn't have to. He was watching—she could feel it.

Chapter Three

Jason watched the redhead, Ava, walk away. He didn't want her to go. He felt an immediate knee-jerk reaction. A jealousy, but not. Not exactly ownership, or based on any kind of understandable logic.

Just instinct.

Jason felt an immediate connection with her, one that surpassed reason.

Primal.

Though he doubted she thought he was anything more than a stammering idiot. He hadn't stuttered that much in a month.

What the fuck?
He let out a sigh.

Tessa noticed where his attention focused, her narrow gaze running over Ava. “You can do better.”

“Excuse me?”

Tessa rolled her eyes. “Who wears red with hair like that? Really, Jason, she's obviously—”

“St-stop.”

She let out a sigh. “Fine. I'm sorry.” Though she didn't sound the least bit sorry. “Doesn't matter anyway.”

Jason raised his eyebrow. “Did you want something, Tessa?”

“Just to say hi. I haven't seen you in an age.”

He wasn't buying that for a second. “I know you better than that.”

Her prim and perfect posture slumped a bit. “I suppose you do.”

“So out with it. I have food I'm cooking.” He turned to his grill and started moving the meat around.

“Be my date tonight.”

He about dropped his tongs. “What?”

“I need a date. My ex is here with his latest slut, and I can't be here alone if he's got a date.”

“And you assume I'll do this because…?”

She smiled and batted her eyelashes. “Because friends help one another. And you're a nice guy.”

I wouldn't go that far,
Jason thought. “What do you need me to do,
exactly
?”

She shrugged. “The usual stuff. Sit with me during the ceremony. A quick lap of the reception. Light PDA.”

“Light PDA?”

“Public displays of affection?”

“I know what it is.”

“Hold my hand. Kiss on the cheek. Nothing fancy.”

“You do realize I'm working here.”

“I can work with that,” she said.

He didn't like the idea, but he and Tessa had parted amicably and remained friends. Most of the time, anyway. Their relationship hadn't been the best—the biggest issue being that she didn't have a lot of faith in him.

Not that he cheated, or even tried to. It was other levels of faith they lacked.

His knee ached and he shifted positions. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back to…

“Jason?” Tessa said, her voice soft, and for a second she looked almost worried. And, damn, that was the same look that he'd seen on numerous upset women who really just wanted some help.

And it absolutely kicked him in the gut every time.

“I have a caveat myself,” he finally said.

“Of course. What is it?”

“No digs.”

She blinked and stared at him, like she was going to say something but had stopped herself.

“No digs about being a private investigator or the cooking. Or I'll tell everyone this is all for show.”

“Of course. I wouldn't.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You didn't have a lot of faith in me before.”

She looked at the ground. “Well, everyone makes mistakes.”

“Even you?” Jason asked.

“Especially me.”