No Turning Back (Man-Maid) (3 page)

His short dark hair framed the rough angles of his face. The five o’clock shadow covering his chin and jawline was sexy as all get-out. Still, it was his mouth that drew her attention. Not even an artist could draw a mouth as lush as his. Not straight and thin, but almost girlish in its fullness. In particular, though, was the little curl of his top lip. Intrigued, Marquetta wondered how a man could come by such a soft mouth surrounded by such a harsh face. In all, his features shouldn’t have worked when they were put together, but somehow on him they did. Very well, in fact.

She drifted her gaze down over his strong shoulders, then his biceps. She noticed a string of tribal tattoos that traveled the length of his arm, only to disappear beneath his shirt sleeve. She wondered if there were more on his chest and was tempted to take a peek. His ripped abs underneath the tight T-shirt didn’t escape her notice either. He was so hard and muscular all over that Marquetta nearly melted right on the spot. But he was a man, which meant he was trouble with a capital T. And too damn good-looking for her peace of mind. But before she could stop herself, Marquetta’s gaze moved south, over the bulge in his faded jeans. He was completely and unabashedly turned on. When her gaze landed on his face again, Jensen was no longer asleep. Instead, he was wide awake and staring at her as if she were lunch. The sneak. Just how long had he been watching her watch him?

“Don’t stop on my account,” he growled.

Well, shit. Marquetta stood and pointed toward the front door. “Leave.”

He got to his feet. “Why?” Jensen reached out and grabbed hold of Marquetta’s hand. “You were just starting to get used to me. Why kick me out now?”

Marquetta tried to wriggle away, but Jensen wasn’t letting her retreat. “Look,” she said, “I appreciate your help, but I’m sure you have better things to do than play nursemaid.”

“Not really.” He shrugged and stepped closer.

More than a little bewildered by him, Marquetta found herself saying, “Uh, okay.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and offered, “Well, in that case, can I get you something to drink?”

Jensen flashed a sexy smile. “Some water would be great.”

He really was handsome, with his chiseled features and…oh wow, was that a dimple? How cute was that? And his eyes, they were the sort of brilliant shade of blue that a woman could drown in. Good Lord, Jensen only had to look at her to get her motor humming. The notion bothered Marquetta a little because she had the feeling Jensen wouldn’t be a very easy man to have around. There was something about him that seemed a tad…primitive.

“I’ll be right back,” she replied as she left the room. She started toward the kitchen, but then thought maybe a quick trip to the bathroom was in order first. When Marquetta turned on the light in her small half bath and got a look at herself, she nearly jumped. “Jesus,” she muttered. Her reflection in the mirror was a rather frightening sight. Her hair stuck up everywhere. Her mascara was smudged, and her nose was so red from blowing it that she could be a stand-in for Rudolph.

“It’s amazing he didn’t run the minute he laid eyes on you.” She groaned. Then again, she’d never been the type to appear graceful under pressure. Whether it was sweating over an exam when she was in college or getting sick, it didn’t matter. Usually she ended up looking like something the cat dragged in.

She turned on the cold water and splashed her face several times. It helped to alleviate some of the puffiness around her eyes. Her hair was way beyond repair, though. She’d need a shower and a hell of a lot of conditioner to fix that pathetic mess. Instead, she grabbed an elastic band off the counter and pulled it into a haphazard bun. “You won’t win any awards, but at least you’re presentable,” she muttered to her reflection before flipping off the light and leaving the bathroom.

As she entered the kitchen, Marquetta opened the refrigerator and grabbed a cold bottle of water before calling out, “So, Jensen, do you play nursemaid often?”

“Nope,” he replied from the other room. “Only the women who save me from big, scary trucks get such personal attention.”

As she came back into the living area, Marquetta noticed he was sitting on her couch again, his legs spread out in front of him. As she handed him the bottle, his lips tilted sideways into a lopsided grin. The look hinted at a more playful side to the man, and a zing of pleasure traveled through her as she wondered what ornery thoughts might be in Jensen’s head.
No, don’t go there. Bad idea. Men are trouble, remember?
Marquetta had learned that lesson the hard way.

Jensen’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you thirsty?”

Marquetta walked toward the other end of the couch—ensuring there was plenty of space between them—and sat with her legs tucked beneath her. “Not really.”

Jensen cocked his head to the side and studied her a minute. “You really should drink plenty of fluids,” he said finally. “You were pretty sick earlier.”

“I’m still pretty sick,” she admitted. Her head began gleefully pounding out an annoying drumbeat as proof. “But that’s normal for me. My immune system has always sucked raw eggs. Even when I was a kid, it would take me twice as long to get over a simple cold than the other kids in my school.”

Jensen leaned toward her and pressed a hand to her forehead. It was cool to her overheated skin and soothed her. “You’re still feverish,” he murmured, his voice filled with concern. “You ought to be in bed.”

She shook her head. “I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be fine. I just need a hot shower.” She paused as an awful thought struck. “I hope you don’t get it. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

Jensen laughed. “I deserve it for walking out in front of that big-ass truck.”

Oh God, he had a sexy laugh. She cleared her throat. “We all get distracted sometimes. I’m just glad it all turned out okay.”

He took one last swig of his water, then put the empty bottle on the coffee table. “Which brings me to the point of my visit. I’d like to take you to dinner sometime.” He winked. “A thank-you for being my guardian angel.”

Whoa, he moved fast. Marquetta couldn’t allow herself to get involved with him. Her life was too much of a mess to add a relationship into the mix. She knew she had to put a stop to…to whatever was going on.

She quickly stood. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He got to his feet, a frown marring his features. “Well, why not? I sort of thought things were going pretty good just now. What happened?”

“In case it escaped your notice, Jensen, I don’t know you from Adam.” Without waiting for any sort of reply, Marquetta walked to the front door and held it open for him. “You can go now.”

Jensen didn’t put up an argument as he crossed the room. When he stood on the porch, he turned and said, “Look, I still feel like I owe you. Let me thank you properly.” He stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Dinner, nothing more. You have my word.”

She mentally shied away from the prospect of seeing the big, muscular hottie again. Her defenses wouldn’t be able to handle the assault. “Uh, it was no big deal. Really.”

“You saved my life, Marquetta. At least let me treat you to a decent meal.”

“Not interested, but thanks all the same.” She started to shut the door in his face when suddenly his foot was there, blocking it. She sighed, opened the door a little more and bit out, “This is getting annoying, Kershaw.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset you, but I sort of thought that you and I—”

Oh God, why was it so difficult to say no to the man? “There is no you and I,” she said, wishing she didn’t hope it wasn’t true. “You caught me off guard, that’s all. And your gratitude is duly noted.” She was getting good and irritated. After all, she wasn’t the most pleasant person when she first woke up, much less when she was sick. Her head was congested, and she knew how bad she must look with her red nose and hair all over the place. When he only stood there, staring at her, Marquetta sighed and yanked the door wide, then grabbed the umbrella she kept on a hook and slammed the pointed end directly onto his big toe.

He cursed and quickly stepped backward. “Christ, woman,” he gritted out. “I think you broke my toe.”

“Serves you right,” she yelled as she slammed the door and turned the lock.

Marquetta waited until she was sure he’d left the porch before turning around and peeking out the living room window. As he got behind the wheel of his BMW and drove off, Marquetta frowned. Would he stay gone this time? For some inexplicable reason, a twinge of sadness filled her at the thought.

Chapter Three

She didn’t want to feel anything for Jensen Kershaw. Feelings were dangerous; she knew that all too well. She’d had feelings for Sheldon Fairaday too. In fact, she’d stupidly fallen in love with him. They’d met in college. He’d been her professor, and Marquetta had been starry-eyed over his intense brown eyes and artfully tossed chestnut hair. Sheldon had seemed so worldly to her naïve young heart. It’d only taken a few clever compliments before she was losing her virginity to him. The relationship had lasted six months. Right up until she found out he was married. He’d been clever about concealing the relationship, and she’d been dumb enough to believe him when he’d said he was single. Even after a friend of hers had told her he was married, Marquetta still had faith in Sheldon.

It had all come crashing down the day she’d taken a home pregnancy test. When it came back positive, Marquetta all but ran to tell him the good news. She’d learned the truth that day. Sheldon wasn’t only married but a father to two little girls as well. One month later, Marquetta miscarried.

After dropping out of college and running home with her tail tucked between her legs, Marquetta had been determined not to make the mistake of trusting a man ever again. She would not take the chance of having her heart broken twice. Pigs would fly before she’d ever find herself back in that emotional downward spiral.

Once more, Marquetta’s body shook with chills, yanking her out of her depressing trip down memory lane. God, she hated getting sick. It seemed like it always took her forever to get over it. She quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the hot shower in the hopes it would warm her. She washed and conditioned her hair, wondering why she didn’t just chop off the time-consuming stuff. Of course, she already knew the reason. Her mom had always kept her hair long. One of her fondest memories was watching her comb it out at night before bed. After her mother died, the victim of a drunk driver, Marquetta had begun to let her hair grow. Now it reached her waist.

As she turned off the shower and toweled dry, she realized she felt a little bit less shitty. Still sick, but at least she wasn’t freezing half to death. She started to slip into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, when she heard a noise coming from the living room. Fear crept up her spine as she left the bedroom to investigate. She spotted her oldest brother, Axel, sprawled out on her couch, channel surfing. He wore an old pair of ripped blue jeans and a simple white T-shirt that had paint stains on it. His long midnight-black hair was tied back, and an ornery smile curved his mouth. Judging by his messy appearance, Marquetta had to assume that Axel didn’t have a date lined up tonight.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Would it kill you to knock?”

Axel’s brow kicked up in amusement. “Would it kill you to call me and tell me you’re all right?”

She rolled her eyes as if annoyed with him. In truth, she was glad for the company. She didn’t feel like being alone tonight. Marquetta walked over to the couch and sat next to him. “I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself.” How many times had she said those same words? A billion? Maybe one day it would actually sink in, but she wasn’t holding her breath.

Axel regarded her with the same scrutiny as he would a damaged quarter panel on a car. When he frowned, Marquetta knew he’d spotted her pale, drawn cheekbones and the hollowness of her eyes. She hadn’t been taking care of herself, and that always served to piss off her brother.

“You haven’t been eating, and I’m betting you aren’t getting much sleep either.” He sighed. “Why do you do this to yourself?”

She thought about lying to him, but she was just no good at lying to Axel. He always saw right through her. “Lately it’s been…difficult.”

He took hold of her chin, not letting her retreat. “Dreams about the baby again?”

Marquetta nodded, and her gaze darted away. She didn’t want to talk about the baby she’d lost. It was too painful. It would be exactly two years tomorrow, but it felt as if it were yesterday. It was why she ate only when her stomach protested enough to actually get her attention. She was starting to sink into a depression again, but she could never tell Axel. He had enough to worry about without taking care of her too.

“You need to let go of the past, sis. It’s time, don’t you think?”

This was the last thing she needed right now, an inquisition. She was barely holding on by a thread as it was. “Believe it or not, I don’t need your help with this.” When he started to protest, she sat up straighter and bit out, “Not everything needs to be your concern. I’m fine. Really.”

Axel narrowed his gaze as if debating the merits of arguing with her. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d gone a few rounds. After a beat of silence, he held out his arms and said, “Come here.”

Marquetta tried to ignore him, but she simply didn’t have the energy. It seemed she’d used up her last bit of oomph. She leaned toward him and let his strength and security surround her. She shut her eyes against the tears threatening to spill over and whispered, “I’m sorry you’re always having to take care of me.”