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The hell of it was, Jensen had made her feel whole again, like a vibrant and adventurous woman. One who wasn’t scared and sad all the time. She’d wanted to experience things with him. Wonderful things. Her defenses had crumbled, and now she would pay the price.
When would she ever learn?
For the hundredth time, Jensen checked his phone. Three days ago, Marquetta had stormed out of his house. It was now Friday, and he’d texted her twice and called her once. She wasn’t responding. And why would she? After the way he tore into her, he’d be lucky if she didn’t paint DICKHEAD on his motorcycle.
“You’re annoying the shit out of me,” Jason said as he slammed his coffee cup down in front of him. “What’s up with you today?”
For the last hour, Jason had been sitting across from him at the kitchen table, going over their business plan. The only thing Jensen could concentrate on, though, was the stricken look on Marquetta’s face. Jesus, he’d see that image in his nightmares. What had he done? He’d gone for the jugular, and repairing the damage might be impossible. A sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
“I royally fucked up with Marquetta.” He rubbed a hand over his face and stood. “She opened up to me, and I threw it back in her face.”
“That explains why she sent the logo design to me instead of you.” Jason frowned. “What dumb-ass thing did you do?”
Jensen didn’t want to share such a private conversation with his brother. Besides, he knew why he’d reacted so badly. The instant she’d told him she’d been in a relationship with a married man, Jensen had thought of his father and all the pain his infidelity had caused. It’d been a knee-jerk reaction to paint her with the same brush. But Marquetta had more integrity than that, and Jensen should’ve known better. He was an idiot.
“She confided in me,” he said, “and instead of being understanding and sympathetic, I pretty much jumped her shit.” Jensen ached all over again, thinking of the pain he’d seen on her face. Pain he’d put there. “I don’t know if she’ll ever speak to me again.”
Jason arched a brow at him. “You really care about her, don’t you?”
He nodded and decided to put it all out there. “I think I’m in love with her.”
“You haven’t known her that long, bro,” Jason replied, a note of worry in his voice. “Aren’t you moving awfully fast here?”
“Probably, but I’ve never felt this way about a woman. It’s different,” he admitted. “She’s this amazing, headstrong, intelligent and beautiful woman who makes me laugh, and I need to figure out a way to undo the damage I’ve caused before it’s too late.”
Jason smiled. “Wow, you really are in love.” Jason’s eyebrows pulled together as he asked, “Seems to me you need to do a bit of begging. Grovel if you have to. Don’t let her get away.”
“I agree, but she won’t answer my texts, and she’s ignoring my calls.”
Jason stroked his chin and grinned. “Damn, you really pissed her off good, huh?”
Jensen wanted to strangle him. “You can stop finding this so damn funny anytime now.”
“Right, sorry.” Jason chuckled. “Maybe if you show up on her doorstep with a dozen roses and give her the puppy-dog eyes, she’ll give you a second chance.”
Jensen frowned. “Actually, I was thinking of maybe something a little different.”
“Like what?”
His face heated. “Uh, I was thinking of serenading her. Too corny?”
Jason stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Christ, he probably had. Love seemed to do strange things to a man. “Well, you wouldn’t catch me doing it, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, women dig that kind of romantic crap. I say go for it. What do you have to lose?”
She would probably rather see him strung up by his ears. Still, his heart had already decided she was the one. “I’m not sure I deserve her forgiveness, but I have to try.”
“If she laughs in your face, then you’ll think of something else.” His brother downed the last of his coffee and said, “I have faith in you, bro.”
“Damn straight.” He was nothing if not resourceful and persistent.
“Now that we’ve solved that conundrum, can we please get down to business?” Jason tapped the screen on his phone, then turned it around. “That’s the logo Marquetta came up with. What do you think?”
“It’s brilliant,” Jensen said, and it was nothing short of the truth. Unfortunately, she’d sent it to Jason. Damn, he’d really screwed up with her.
The logo was a bare-chested man holding a bucket in front of him to cover his crotch. The name of their business and the tagline We Polish It Until It Shines was emblazoned across the center.
“When the others get here, we’ll all take a vote before we agree, but I think she did a bang-up job. It’s perfect.”
They spent the rest of the morning planning their business. By the time Seth, AJ and Ames arrived, they had several marketing ideas in mind for Man-Maid Cleaning Service, and all of them loved the logo Marquetta had created.
