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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.”
