Being poor sucks.

Like Tijuana hooker on payday sucking. Mostly because it means I have to take whatever job I can get, like say, cashier at a fabric and craft store. I kept shaking my feet to relieve both the soreness and nervous energy. Luckily I was only a half hour away from ending my eight hour shift.

"Hi, how're you?" I said, managing a smile, normally I'd throw out my most dazzling grin for customers, but I was getting tired.

I didn't really pay attention to the older woman's reply as I begin bagging up her several yards of zebra print fleece.

I shook my head to try and rid myself of a sudden bout of lightheadedness. "Five fifty." I said, handing over her change. "Can I help who's next?" I called out of habit as the lady walked away. I bent down to pick up a stray coupon that had wandered out of the trash. When I stood up I pretty much forgot how to think.

Dude was gorgeous, he had wavy blond hair and big green eyes that made chest tighten. I was always a sucker for blondes. He emptied his basket onto my checkout station, three candles, a zipper and a candy bar.

"Y'all busy today?"

Oh fuck. He was southern too? I may have fallen in love.

"Uh... uh-huh." I manage as I start scanning him out. After a few unsuccessful attempts at getting the zipper to scan I decided to just enter it in manually. I rubbed my eyes as I squinted at the bar code. I put my hand on the counter to steady myself as my vision blurred into darkness.


"Are you okay?"

I heard my manager Alice ask, though I couldn't see her past the rainbow of colors swimming in front of my eyes. I realized I was now sitting on the floor, a warm hand on my shoulder.

"He was fine and then all of a sudden he kinda went sideways..." My vision slowly cleared and I saw the blond from before I... shit. I fainted. Big bad Emmett McCarty fucking fainted in front of the hottest guy I've ever seen.

Embarrassing.

"Em?" Alice asked again.

"Yeah... I'm dizzy."

"When's the last time you ate?" His Royal Hotness asked

"Um, a while?"

"Your blood sugar's pro'ly low. Here." he handed me a granola bar off a shelf, "Don't worry I'll pay for it." He said seeing my hesitance at sampling merchandise.

"I can pay you back."

"That's really what you're worried about?" He laughed and it was like water.

"Yeah, Em. You had us scared there for a minute."

"I'm all right," I said through a mouthful of granola.

"What time are you off?" She asked, while forcing me to drink.

"At six." I said before gulping more water.

"Just clock out now and go home and relax, 'kay?"

"Sure thing Al," I said, shakily getting to my feet and logging out on the store computer.

"I'll walk you to the break room."

As we headed toward the back of the store, Alice nudged me in the arm, "Drool much?"

I rolled my eyes, "Creep much?"

"I wasn't creeping, you were making such big doe eyes at that guy it was hard to miss."

"What can I say? He was a grade A hottie." I took off my apron and hung it on a hook. "Too bad I blacked out before I could even attempt to flirt."

"You fainted hon." Alice said as we left the break room.

"I blacked out, it's a way manlier description okay?"

"Whatever you say Tiger. See you tomorrow."

I pulled my jacket tighter around me as I left the store. I was fumbling for my car keys when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Y'all right to drive?" I turned around and there he was again, all smiles and concern and blond.

"It's all good. Thanks by the way, you really helped me out when I, uh..."

"Fainted?" he offered.

"Why does everybody keep saying that? I'm not Princess Peach, Jesus."

He laughed again, I liked making him laugh, "Well, my dad's a doctor and I just wouldn't feel right goin' home and tellin' him I let some poor young man drive around with low blood sugar. He'd tell me I should've made sure he ate somethin'."

I pretended to consider.

"My treat of course."

"Well I am feeling a bit feeble." I joked, "Emmett." I held out my hand.

"Jasper Whitlock." He took my hand and shook it, sending sparks of warmth up my arm.

"Well, Jasper Whitlock, where will you be nursing me back to health?"

"This way." he said leading me down a few stores down only to stop suddenly.

I looked up, "Target?"

"I never promised the Ritz." He said walking through the automatic doors.

We took to the front of my jeep with pretzels, Mountain Dew and more candy than I could name, and I decided now was as good a time as any to lay down some game.

"I take it you're not from around here?"

"Texas, you?"

"I'm from here."

"You faint very often?" he teased.

Forgetting my plans to impress him, I stuck out my tongue before grabbing another Twizzler. It was snatched out of my hand mid bite, causing my teeth to click. "You little..." I dove toward the passenger seat. Jasper twisted away and shoved me back in my seat.

"Who you callin' little?" He bit into his stolen candy with a smirk.

I'd admit I was pretty much swooning at this point.

"You surprise me Emmett."

"Oh?"

Jasper nodded, curls falling over his eyes. "You seem like a take charge sort of fella." He looked me over, "Least you're built like one."

I looked out the window, "Nah, I'm totally the 'gentle giant' type."

"I like that."

I turned around and looked at him, like really looked. His smile was soft and casual, like he sat in strangers' jeeps stealing their candy every day. His eyes looked calmly into mine, keeping me from feeling self conscious about staring at him. I reached over and pushed his hair away from his face. "I've always liked blondes."

"Guess we both lucked out, I got a thing for big blue eyes."

I moved my hand from his hair, down his face to rest on his neck. Taking a deep breath I leaned in and kissed him. I could feel him smiling so I eased his mouth open and slid my tongue in. He tasted like Twizzlers and chocolate.

Jasper rested a slender hand on my knee and I felt it burn straight through my khakis to my skin. My other hand went from resting on his hip to slip under is T-shirt.

Just when things were looking promising, Jasper slapped my hand and pulled away, reminding me there was a world outside his lips.

"What sort of person you think I am Emmett?"

A hot one.

"I consider my self a gentleman, and as such, I'd like to do this right." he raked a hand through that hair and said matter-of-factly "I am no one's parking lot fuck."

I then made it my mission to get Jasper to say 'fuck' way more often.

"That being the case, I'd love it if you'd come by my house tomorrow evening for dinner."

"Right now, you could invite me to the moon and I'd go."

I had to bite my lip as Jasper reached into my pocket and fished around until he pulled out my cell, typing his number in. "You can text me your address, I'll pick you up at eight." He said getting out of the car.

"I'll see you then Jasper Whitlock." I batted my eyes in what is, in my opinion, one of my more persuasive sexy teddy bear looks.

Jasper rolled his eyes, "Down right incorrigible." he muttered before leaning over the seat to kiss me goodbye. I licked my lips and watched him as he jogged a couple rows across the parking lot to a shiny black Harley.

Sweet Ride.

Before he put his helmet on I leaned out my window and screamed across the parking lot, "How about you save the hog and ride me?"

Jasper shoulders shook with laughter before he turned around, "Only if you got a vibrate function darlin'."

Seriously. What a man.


AN: Part 2 will be up as soon as my wonderful beta looks it over.