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“You’re an incorrigible flirt, Jason.” She didn’t want to be charmed by the two men, but she was anyway.
He wagged his eyebrows. “Just one of my many talents.”
“I’ll bet.” She looked at Jensen and decided to razz him a little. “So, which one of you is willing to be my model?”
“Model?” Jensen asked as if horrified by the idea.
“I’m thinking a bucket and a naked man.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Who wants to be the naked man?”
Jensen clapped his brother on the back. “He does.”
Jason cursed. “Why does it have to be me? Why can’t you do it?”
Jensen rubbed his jaw. “Maybe we could talk Seth or Ames into it.”
Marquetta’s face heated as she began imagining a crew of bare-chested men all lined up and ready to pose. She decided the men had had enough teasing and said, “On second thought, how about you just text me a picture of one of you bare-chested. No full-on nudity. Jeans will do just fine. I can work off that.”
“I like that idea loads better,” Jensen groaned.
“Damn straight.” Jason clapped his hands together and grinned. “This is going to be great.”
Jensen nudged her. “You’re definitely going to be our secret weapon against the competition.”
“Uh, I appreciate your faith in my abilities, but how about you wait until I actually have something to show you two first?”
Jensen pointed to the portfolio lying on the workbench. “You forget, I already saw your art. Impressive as hell.”
His confidence in her warmed her clear to her heart. Jensen really was the sweetest man, but Marquetta had been taken in by a sweet-talker before. She was a whole lot less naïve these days. Which made her wonder what the catch was. With his tall, muscular body and dreamy smile, Jensen could have any woman he wanted. They probably drooled every time he walked into a room. So, why was he so interested in her?
After wrapping up a few details, Jason headed out, but Marquetta noticed Jensen hung back. “Was there something else?”
“Go out with me. Just dinner, I promise.”
“I thought we already went through this.”
He stepped close, caging her in between his body and the workbench, and spoke in a low tone. “You, Ms. Hayes, are as prickly as a damn porcupine. Not to mention the fact that you’ve nearly broken my toe.” She started to protest, but he only drove on. “Apparently, I’ve lost all the good sense God gave me, because instead of walking away, I’m still standing here, begging for your time.”
The deep timbre of his voice only served to turn her on more. That was all she needed, for Jensen to become even more lethal to her libido than he already was. Marquetta whispered, “Seems you have a way of making me do and say things that I’d not normally do.”
His mouth crooked up at the corners in the sexiest way Marquetta had ever seen. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” His bright blue eyes clouded with concern. “Do I smell? Is that why you won’t have dinner with me?”
“No, you don’t smell,” she replied, holding back a grin. “But I really don’t have time for much of a personal life right now.”
He reached out and touched her lower lip with his index finger. “No personal life, huh? Does that mean you haven’t been doing any flirting at all lately?”
Marquetta stiffened at the question. He wanted to know if she had a boyfriend. “You think I’d be letting you get this close to me right now if there was someone else in my life?”
“Just checking,” he answered. “Go out w
ith me, Marquetta. Let me repay you for saving me.”
Marquetta thought about his offer. Honestly, what harm could it do to go out on one date with the man? It wasn’t like she was agreeing to get married, for crying out loud. It was one date. Axel’s words about moving on with her life ran through her mind. Hadn’t she put her personal life on hold long enough?
Before she could talk herself out of it, she blurted, “Yes.”
His eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Meet me at Champagne’s, the new bar on Fourth Street. Friday night at eight.”
