No Turning Back (Man-Maid) (10 page)

His lips were soft, coasting back and forth, barely touching hers, and when his tongue darted out, a shiver of excitement raced the length of her spine. When he leaned back and stared at her, Marquetta grew uncomfortable. “Do I have sauce on me or what?”

He chuckled. “Nothing like that. Just thinking about your choice of profession and wondering how the Man-Maid logo is coming along.”

“I think I have what you’re looking for. I’ll show you on Monday if you want to stop by the shop.”

“If it’s anything like the rest of your work, I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“Well, my designs aren’t quite as important as, say, rocket science or brain surgery, but I enjoy the creative process, and it pays the bills.”

“That’s what I’m looking for with Man-Maid. I want to get back into doing something enjoyable. Right now, my day job pays the bills, but that’s about it.”

“You don’t enjoy it?”

“I used to, but honestly, my heart hasn’t been in it for quite a while now.”

“So, instead, you’re going to wield a feather duster and clean houses. You and your brother ought to bring in quite a bit of business, especially if you go in shirtless.” She wagged her eyebrows and said, “I’d hire you for sure.”

Jensen chuckled. “You have quite a mouth on you, woman.”

Marquetta went breathless when she heard that sexy tone. “So I’ve been told.”

He plucked the breadstick from her plate and held it to her mouth. After she took a bite, Jensen said, “You know, I like your mouth. I like you. Your strength. Your intelligence. Your feisty attitude. You’re the whole package.”

She liked hearing that. And for some crazy reason, she liked him feeding her. She’d never had a man take such care with her. Jensen was so attentive, as if everything she did captivated him. She took a drink of her wine to keep from blurting out her feelings. A small part of her worried how he’d feel after he found out about her past. That she’d had a relationship with a married man. That she’d lost the baby she’d conceived as a result of that union. Would he look down on her?

Jensen fed her another bite of the bread and asked, “So, what did your family think about the Sheldon incident?”

She chewed the warm bit of carb heaven far longer than necessary, not wanting to get into this conversation. She knew it would come up eventually, though. Might as well get it over with.

“There was only my mom, and she passed away before any of that took place.”

He offered her another chunk of the bread. “What about your father?”

Marquetta finished it and washed it down with another drink of wine before replying, “My dad was never in the picture. From what my mom told me, we were all better off without him.”

Jensen was quiet for a minute. What was he thinking? She drank the last of her wine and pushed her plate away.

“Is that all you’re eating?” he remarked.

She stared down at her plate and the half-eaten manicotti. “Believe it or not, it’s more than I’ve been eating these last few weeks.”

His brows rose. “Oh right, I’d nearly forgotten you were sick.”

“I’m better now, though.” She got to her feet, took her plate to the sink and began rinsing it. “To tell the truth, getting sick was the most exciting thing that’s happened to me recently. In fact, my life was pretty dull.”

Jensen picked up his own plate and came up behind her, caging her in. “Was?” he noted.

“Before you walked into my life, things were pretty much work, sleep and eat for me.”

He laughed as he placed his plate in the sink, then he turned her around and taunted, “My life was pretty straightforward too, until this sexy broad showed up and saved my life.”

She wanted to protest the sexy-broad bit, but he pulled her against him and kissed her quiet. Marquetta nearly melted into him. Instead, she flattened her palms against his chest and pushed. He took the hint and released her.

“I have a question for you.”

“Shoot,” he said as he led her into the living room.

After she sat on the couch, Jensen came down beside her, and his strong arm went around the back of her shoulders. He pulled her body close to his, nestling her beneath his arm. “How come you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“I was in a relationship about six months ago.” He propped a foot on the coffee table in front of them. “It wasn’t going anywhere. I guess we weren’t real…compatible.” He smoothed her bottom lip with his thumb. “Are you thinking there must be something wrong with me? Like, maybe I have a closet full of dresses that I like to wear in my off-hours?”

She laughed. “No, I really can’t picture that.”

He kissed the top of her head and grabbed the remote. “You’re very suspicious. Sweetheart, I know it’s going to take some time to get used to the idea that maybe I’m just a man who finds you intriguing and fun and intelligent and gorgeous, and I seriously want to get to know everything about you. Eventually, I’ll win you over. Count on it.”

She watched his face. Marquetta could see the sincerity, the genuine need to simply spend time with her. It wasn’t about getting in her pants or satisfying an itch. It sort of amazed her, if she was being totally honest with herself.

She grabbed the remote out of his hand and announced, “Enough of the serious stuff. I want to watch a movie. Maybe a tragic love story or something. Got any popcorn? We could even clog our arteries with some butter-flavored oil.”

Jensen laughed and pushed the Play button on the remote. “You’re in luck. I have a great movie night in store for you. And I even have popcorn in the cupboard.” He stood. “Hold that thought.”

When he left the room, Marquetta’s attention was drawn to the large flat-screen as it filled with black-and-white images from an era that boasted cigarette-smoking heroines and smooth-talking heroes. She frowned and squinted as Jensen came back into the room with two bottles of water and a large bowl in his hands. “Did you talk to my brother?” she asked.

“Huh?” He took his seat beside her and handed her the bowl, then placed the bottles on the table.

“How’d you know I like old movies?”

He grabbed a handful of popcorn. “Actually, just dumb luck.” He winked. “Something we have in common, I guess.”

“You like
Casablanca
?” Marquetta asked around a mouthful of buttery fluff.

“Yup.” He nudged her knee with his own. “You don’t think I can appreciate a classic Bogart movie?”

She was inordinately pleased that they had something in common. First, he cooked her a meal that would make any woman’s mouth water, and now she found out he was into black-and-white films. If he kept it up, she’d fall in love with him. And that would be the worst thing possible. She didn’t want to tangle her heart up in a relationship that might end in another broken heart.

Jensen reached up and flipped off the lamp sitting on the end table, then they both settled in. Marquetta was amazed at how relaxed she was with him. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy each other’s company.

He dusted his hands off, then grabbed his bottle of water and took a long swallow. Her eyes followed his every movement. He even made drinking water sexy.

A half hour into the movie, Marquetta realized how much she was enjoying her evening. It’d been quite a while since she’d had a good time with a man. “Jensen?”

He turned to her, his eyes unreadable in the dark. “Yeah, sweetheart?”

“I meant it before when I said I’m thankful you didn’t give up on me.”

He reached over and turned the light back on, then pushed the Pause button on the remote. “No chance in hell of that happening.” Sparks of desire arced between them. “You’ve been in my blood since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

Marquetta was too pleased. Way too pleased. She didn’t know what to say, how to respond. It was moments like this that made her want to flee to another part of the country, where there were no such things as relationships and emotions.

“So quiet all of a sudden,” he teased. “What’s going through that pretty head?”

She pretended a nonchalance she didn’t feel and admitted, “It’s the same for me.”

Jensen licked his lips and murmured, “There, was that so hard?”

She sighed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” Feeling oddly weepy, Marquetta said, “I’m not cut out for relationships. My track record is proof of that.”

Jensen wrapped his arm around her tighter. “Maybe you just haven’t been in the right relationship.” She started to protest, but he pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, “We’re both sort of new at this. Let’s just go one step at a time.”

She let out a shaky laugh. “Our second date, and I’m making a total mess of it.”

His hand found its way over her thigh, caressing her through her jeans. “It isn’t the average second date, I’ll admit, but I wouldn’t want average. What about you? Would an average guy make you happy?”

“No, that’s not what I want.”

“I thought not.” His touch moved higher until he was an inch away from the juncture of her legs. “Now, hush and watch the movie, woman.”

The tenderness in Jensen’s voice stopped her like nothing else could. She turned toward the TV and settled in. Truth be told, Sheldon didn’t have anything on Jensen. Never mind the same league, Jensen played on an entirely different planet.

By the time she left, with a promise to text him when she got home safely, Marquetta realized she had enough fodder for several nights of hot, erotic dreams. Problem was, did she want any of them to become reality?

The next day, Marquetta strode into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot before walking to the sliding glass doors leading out to her patio. As she stepped out, a gust of cool morning air hit her in the face. She loved Sunday mornings. It was her favorite day of the week because everything seemed shiny and new.

Sitting in one of the patio chairs, she tucked her legs under her and took a sip of the steaming dark liquid in her mug and waited for Axel and Gavin to arrive. She’d called them first thing that morning and asked them to come over. She’d finally made a decision to deal with her two overprotective brothers, and Marquetta didn’t want to wait another day to confront them. Whether or not they were going to like what she had to say to them was up for debate.

Her mind went back over the previous evening, and a smile curved the corners of her mouth. She’d had such a good time with Jensen. When was the last time she’d enjoyed spending time in a man’s company? Too long. Again, Axel’s words about letting go of the past sprang to mind. Marquetta knew it was way past time for her to stop hiding. Enough of her life had been stolen by grief, and she didn’t want to lose even one more day. Oh, she would always mourn the loss of her child, but the half life she’d been living wasn’t going to bring the baby back. It was time to move on; she could feel it. Things were changing, shifting. Thinking of the baby no longer brought on a dose of guilt. She could think of no better way to start fresh than to enroll in college once again. A trickle of fear rode her spine at the thought of research papers and exams, but she’d put it off long enough.

“Boo,” a deep male voice whispered against her ear.

Marquetta jumped and turned her head. Damn, she’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she never even heard Axel arriving. “Shit, Axel! You scared the devil out of me.”

“You were lost in thought, sis.” He tugged on a lock of her hair. “Anything I can help with?”

“No, but you might want to brace yourself for what I have to tell you, big brother.”

Instantly Axel stiffened. “What happened?”

She tsked. “Nothing happened, but I have made a decision. One I think you’ll approve of.”

He pulled the other folding chair close and sat, his legs spread out in front of him. “If you tell me you’re running off to Vegas to get hitched, I can tell you that I definitely do not approve.”

She laughed. “Idiot, of course not.” Taking a deep breath, she said, “But I have decided that it’s time I go back to school.”

Axel’s gaze widened. “For real?”

She held up a hand. “Yes, but don’t get carried away. I haven’t set any plans into motion. I only just now decided, to tell the truth.”

“This is the best news I’ve heard all year.” He leaned forward and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m so freaking proud of you.”

“Well, hold that thought, because it’s been a long time and I’m rusty,” she warned. “I might just flunk out.”

“Bull, you’re the smartest one of the three of us. Of course you won’t flunk out. Have you told Gavin?”

“Told Gavin what?”

Marquetta looked behind her to find Gavin’s large frame filling the doorway to the back patio. “No, I haven’t told Gavin. That’s why I asked you both here, dork.”

Gavin strode over and sat on the picnic table. “What did I miss?”

“I was just telling Axel that I’ve decided to go back to college. I want to get my graphic design degree, and I’m not putting it off any longer.”

Gavin slapped his thigh. “About time you got off your ass and did something about that amazing talent of yours.”

Marquetta rolled her eyes. “Thanks, I think.”