Chapter 3

Sebastian Price's laugh boomed loudly. He held up his hand in the universal sign of surrender. "Okay, okay. You're feisty. I like it."

The young woman in front of him had caught his attention the minute she'd walked in. She'd looked like a woman on a mission. The kind of woman he wanted to know more about, wanted to help. He wouldn't even mind being on the receiving end of whatever it was she was itching to dish out. Her expression didn't change after his comment, but she hadn't been able to hide her surprised expression earlier.

He didn't understand what, but something had pulled him to her. He just knew he had to talk to her, to hear her voice, and Sebastian was glad he had.

He edged closer, watching as she popped a forkful of fried eggs into her mouth. Her pink lips moved as she chewed, and the image of her using those lips somewhere else crossed his mind. Fuck. His groin throbbed instantly.

"May I sit?"

Without waiting for an answer, he plopped down next to her.

"Why even ask?" she murmured, going back to her food.

Sebastian ignored the comment. "Are you new here? I'm sure I would've noticed you around."

"How long have you been living here?" she asked him.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Three days."

She rolled her eyes, and the action made him laugh.

"Why are you here? I don't remember ordering a side of asshole with my eggs."

The jab made him want to reach over and grab a piece of bacon from her plate, just to see her reaction. He suspected this young lady wouldn't disappoint him. So he did just that.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Her voice rose, and she reminded him of those cute, little dogs, the ones that are actually quite deadly when pissed.

"I'm hungry. Are you so heartless that you'd let another person starve?"

"One person should have enough sense to not steal another's food if he doesn't want to get beaten up."

He laughed. "You'd beat me up? This oughta be good."

She didn't respond, only stared at him. He began to feel uneasy. It wasn't a very nice stare. "Okay, I'm sorry. Calm down."

Her eyes were as cold as glaciers, and Sebastian thought he could feel a chill travel down his spine. Okay, so maybe she wasn't a cute little dog. Maybe she was a tiger.

It wasn't his fault, he told himself. As an only child, he hadn't had a lot of people to annoy. And he'd had absolutely no interest in talking to his parents. He'd been summoned back to LA from Paris just so they could ruin his life. Sebastian would be damned before he let anyone dictate how he lived his life.

As heir to the Price family's vast fortune and properties, he understood a lot was expected of him. Not that it mattered. Sebastian had always wanted nothing to do with it. He hated that he was an only child, seeing as it left him with nothing but expectations to live up to and responsibilities he'd never wanted. It wasn't like he couldn't do the business shit. He had a master's degree in business administration. He just felt trapped, with no escape route in sight.

Thankfully, he hadn't lived his entire life in his family's shadow. Most of his accounts had been frozen, but not his personal one. When he'd turned twenty, he'd opened a bank account under another name, knowing his father's far-reaching influence in the business world. The man couldn't ruin what he didn't know about.

Which was probably why he'd stayed away as long as he did. All had been right with the world until two weeks ago, when they'd demanded he return from Paris, explaining that his bride-to-be was turning twenty-five soon. Meaning, he was to be married in two weeks. Well, three days now actually.

Their marriage would supposedly unite their two families in business. Seb couldn't say it was his first time hearing of it. He'd first been told when he was nine, but that had been so long ago that it had completely slipped his mind. He had no problem with marriage, but he'd rather do it on his own time and to a woman of his choosing.

Who in their right mind would want to be married off to someone she didn't know? Was there something wrong with her?

Admittedly, married life wasn't his thing. He'd never really thought about it. It just wasn't something he'd ever imagined himself doing.

The young woman suddenly stood up angrily. Big bag in one hand, she stormed past him to the counter that took up most of the front corner.

Hmm, so maybe he'd been a bit too annoying. Seb sighed, running a hand down his face. Now he had to apologize for being a complete dick.

He made to stand, but she'd already finished up her conversation with the big man behind the counter. He walked past her, signaling for her to follow him. They both climbed the old stairs at the back of the room. Those led to the apartments upstairs. He'd gotten a room there himself. That was where he'd been for the past two weeks, enjoying some peace and quiet. And that was where he planned to be until all this ruckus about a wedding died down.

A small smile crept onto Seb's face. This meant she was staying here, which in turn, meant he'd get to see her often. With a face like that, she could make him forget about his problems, at least until he went back home.

Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he'd thought. His parents couldn't find him here. He wasn't Sebastian Price, heir to the Price Empire. He was anything he wanted to be.

He was just Sebastian.