One

Jean-Pierre Larocque never thought he'd abuse a cucumber in such a way but desperation made a man do strange things. He grabbed the sorriest looking one from the pile then nudged his cart closer to the angel, not quite hitting her with it.

"Could you help me?" He thickened his accent, knowing how women reacted to it. Why, he had no idea, but he had no problems using it to his advantage when he wanted to.

And he very much wanted to.

The angel slid her gaze toward him ever so briefly, barely looking at him before turning back to study the bin of vegetables. Then she did the unthinkable: she shifted away from him, cart and all.

No, that wouldn't do.

JP nudged his cart even closer, leaning over it like a young child and holding the cucumber out toward the angel. Time to pull out the heavy ammunition. "Excuse me," he said in French, the accent heavy, the words thick and rich. "Could you help?"

She looked over at him again, this time actually looking at him. She reached up with one small hand and tucked the waves of spun-gold hair behind her ear. Then the angel turned her head the other way, as if she thought he was talking to someone else.

And then she did the unthinkable again: she moved her cart and stepped away from him.

What the hell?

Time for a full-blown assault. JP grabbed another stupid cucumber from the pile and stepped around his cart, moving closer to the angel who didn't seem to notice him. He stopped beside her, close enough to get her attention but not so close he'd scare her off.

She glanced at him again, took a step back and collided with her own cart. JP reached for her, steadying her with a gentle hold on her elbow. Then he gave her a smile—his charming lopsided grin that women found irresistible.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked down, first at the hand wrapped around her elbow then at the hand holding the two cucumbers. JP didn't hesitate, just brought the cucumbers closer to her face.

"Which of these would you use?"

Someone snorted behind him, the sound loud and obnoxious. JP didn't bother to turn around, not even to glare at his teammate, Alec Kolchak. He was too mesmerized by the faint blush coloring the angel's cheeks, the barest hint of pink as her gaze moved from the cucumbers to him and back again.

"I—" The blush deepened and she shook her head, her full lips pursing in a delightful pout. Or maybe it was a smirk. JP couldn't really tell and he didn't really care, not when all he could think about was how soft those lips would feel against his skin.

He forced his gaze away from that luscious mouth, felt his chest tighten when he looked into her eyes. Deep blue, like the ocean—so deep, he could easily drown in them. Waves of desire crashed over him, startling him.

What he'd meant as a simple flirtation changed into something more. He wanted this woman. No—he needed her.

The realization slammed into him with the same force of being hit in the chest with a puck. Hard, heavy. Stinging. He released his gentle grip on her elbow and stepped back, hit the edge of his shopping cart and stumbled.

Alec snorted again. In disbelief? Amusement? JP didn't care, not when the angel reached out to grab him, to steady him. Delicate brows a shade darker than her hair pulled low in a concerned frown as her hand closed over his arm.

"Are you okay?"

She was concerned for him? The novelty would have made him smile if his brain had been working correctly. But it wasn't, it had short-circuited as soon as her hand made contact with the bare skin of his forearm. He opened his mouth, certain a charming quip would fall from his lips, but the only thing that came out was a strangled croak.

Alec snorted a third time and this time, JP shot a glare over his shoulder. The goalie merely raised his eyebrows, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

The only thing that stopped JP from ramming his fist into his friend's gut was the fact that Alec was in net tonight. Unable to do that, JP settled for shooting him another glare then turned back to the angel.

"Could you help me?" He held the cucumbers up again, inwardly wincing at the heat filling his face. He was making an ass of himself, he knew that as surely as he knew the Banners would win against Tampa tonight. But he couldn't stop now. "Which cucumber would you use?"

This time a small smile teased the corners of her full mouth. The angel looked down, pretended to study the cucumbers in her hand. Then she raised her gaze to his and pointed at the largest one.

"I would definitely use this one. But maybe you'd be better off starting small." She gave him a small wink then turned and grabbed her cart, walking away as rough laughter echoed behind him. JP stared at her retreating back, watched as she disappeared around the corner. Then he turned and threw the cucumbers at Alec. The goalie caught the first one with ease; the second landed with a dull thud on the floor at his feet.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For laughing. I don't find you amusing, eh?"

"Are you kidding? That had to be the worst fucking pick-up I've ever seen. Cucumbers? Really?" Alec bent over to pick up the lone cucumber then tossed it in the cart with a frown. "You're lucky she didn't haul off and hit you."

"Non. My angel would never do violence. I know it."

"Your angel? Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head this morning during practice?"

"I'm certain." JP turned his back on Alec and stared at the empty aisle. "You finish up here. I need to find her."

"Wait, hold on a sec." Alec grabbed his arm before he could step away. "You're seriously going to go after her? We don't have time for you to chase—"

"I'm not chasing. I just need to talk to her."

"JP, she's not your type. Let her go."

"I don't have a 'type'."

"Yeah, you do: loose and available. Trust me, that girl isn't your type. And you're not the kind of man who picks up women in the produce aisle of the grocery store!"

JP didn't bother to respond. How could he, when Alec was right? JP didn't chase after women: they chased after him—usually at the trendy nightclubs he frequented. So what was it about the woman that he found so irresistible? Wavy golden hair, deep blue eyes, lean figure hidden by simple jeans and a thin, loose sweater. There was nothing about her that stood out, nothing about her that should have caught his attention.

But she did. He didn't know why, didn't care why. All he knew was that he wanted to see her again.

Now. Tonight. Tomorrow. All of the above plus some.

He pulled his arm from Alec's grip. "You finish here. I'll meet you at the register."

"JP—"

But JP ignored him, already hurrying down the aisle in search of an angel.