Picking up the dinosaur, Maymi took it over to the cooler, placed it inside making sure to block the door so it wouldn’t slam closed and lock her on the inside since it had been acting crazy for the past couple of days.
She had been meaning to call someone to check on it, but with not having the extra money she was dealing with it the best way she could and nothing had gone wrong so far. Leaving the ice box, she made her way back over to her work area and she spent the next ten minutes cleaning up her tools then wiped off the counter.
She folded the rag and laid it across the sink as she took one final look around her work space. Every piece of equipment was in the correct spot before leaving the kitchen so she could finally go home and get lost inside the new mystery book she bought at the mall a week ago. Walking through the bakery, she stopped at the wall long enough to flick off the lights before going outside.
The warm night air brushed against her bare arms while she locked the front door. Maymi spun around and just as she was about to walk across the street a loud sound of voices coming from around the side of her bakery caught her attention.
“Listen asshole. We aren’t about to tell you again. Do as we tell you and you won’t get hurt,” a man’s angry voice snapped.
Easing closer to the side of the building, she stood there wondering if she should peek around the corner to see what was going on or hurry to her car instead and speed off leaving whoever might need her help alone.
“I’m not giving you a damn thing,” a voice she immediately recognized hollered.
Jensen. She would know his cocky voice anywhere.
“Why don’t we give this pretty boy a lesson in manners?”
Maymi heard someone snicker before the sound of fist hitting bone sounded out around her and then Jensen’s deep, rich voice screaming out in pain. She started to take a look then stopped herself. She needed a plan before she just jumped into something she didn’t know anything about.
“Hit him again. Kick him harder. Show this cocky asshole what happens when guys like him don’t give us what we want,” another guy yelled as Jensen hollered out in agony again.
Digging into her purse, Maymi grabbed her cell phone before going around the corner. She gasped at the sight of a battered and bruised Jensen lying on the ground bleeding by the side of his white truck.
“Leave him alone,” she screamed, making the two guy jump away from his prone body. “I’ve called the cops and they are on the way.”
God, she hoped they believe her bluff because her cell phone battery died on the way to work this morning and she had forgotten to charge it. She didn’t know what else she could do if they decided to test her.
“Hey, look here. The little bakery lady is trying to get tough.” A tall red haired guy laughed and moved towards her. “I don’t believe you called anyone pretty lady. You’re just trying to scare us. I’m pretty sure I can take you. I mean you aren’t that big.”
“Leave her alone,” Jensen yelled behind her before the guy standing next to him kicked him in the ribs. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”
“Are you sure?” Maymi bluffed as her heart pounded away inside of her chest.
Why had she even opened her mouth or showed her face? It wasn’t like Jensen was her favorite person in the world to begin with. She could have walked away, gotten inside of her car and driven away and no one would have been the wiser.
Because you are a good person and you would have remembered leaving someone screaming out in pain, her mind whispered, softly.
“I’m positive, pretty lady,” the guy said coming even closer as the sound of police sirens suddenly echoed in the distance out of nowhere.
“Fuck!”
Maymi tried to keep the surprise off her face as he took a step back from her. “See, I told you I had called the police. You better get out of here before they get here and arrest your sorry asses.”
“Hell, I’m out of here. I’m not about to go back to jail. I’m already on probation,” the younger guy said, standing next to Jensen. He spun around and ran back towards the car parked at the far end of Fitness 24 near some trees.
“Aren’t you going to follow your buddy?” she asked, staring at the other man.
“I won’t forget this, bitch,” he warned her. “You’ll get yours.” He glared at her for only a few more seconds before taking off after his friend.
Slowly, some of her fear eased away as he hopped into the car at the corner and it took off in the opposite direction of the sirens. Holding the phone against her chest, she took several deep breaths as her heart continued to pound away against her ribs.
She sent up a silent prayer of thanks to whoever called the cops just at the right time. They weren’t coming here, but it was enough to scare those two thugs into running away leaving her alone to give Jensen some help.
Tossing her cell phone back into her purse, Maymi rushed over to Jensen who was holding his side struggling to get up off the pavement as blood slid from the corner of his mouth.
“Here, let me help you,” she said, wrapping her arm around his waist.
“No, I got it,” Jensen, said, his dark brown eyes clashing with hers.
She tried not to stare at how beautiful they looked up close with their faces only being inches apart. He might get on her last nerve, but he was fine as hell and the sad thing was he knew it too.
“Well, it’s a good thing you do because I’m going to need your help getting you back to the bakery,” she told him, blowing off the glare he was giving her.
“No, you can help me back to my business,” Jensen told her as he started leaning some of his weight on her as he slowly stood up. “I’ll call Casper from there to help me.”
“No, Sinful is closer and you can call your brother after we call the cops. Now, will you stop fighting with me so I can get you there? You aren’t the lightest man in the world.”
Jensen’s eyes flashed for a second like he was going to get all macho on her, but he only shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She tried to move as fast as she could with his muscular frame leaning against her.
Despite the fact, he was beat up, bloody and his clothing was tattered, the scent of his cologne was making her very aware of him as a man.
What was wrong with her body? How could it be drawn to someone like Jensen?
This guy hated her and wanted her off his block like tomorrow, but here she was helping him to the place he hated more than anything in the world. She might be too kind-hearted for her own good or something was truly mentally wrong with her.
“Can you stand while I unlock the door for us?” she asked, moving his arm off her shoulder.
“Yeah, I think so,” Jensen hissed, holding his side. “Damn, those SOB’s really did a number on me. I think they might have bruised some of my ribs.”
Maymi quickly snatched her keys out of her purse, unlocked the door and helped Jensen inside and sat him down in a chair next to the display case.
“God, let me get something to clean up your face,” she said, touching his jaw.
Jensen touched her hand and the warmth of his calloused fingers made her panties instantly wet. “No, I’m fine. All I need is something to drink and I’ll get out of your hair. I can call the cops and Casper from my house.”
Men. Why did they always try to pretend nothing was wrong when everything was?
“I don’t think so. I’m going to grab the first aid kit out of the kitchen. You can get in touch with your brother and law enforcement while I’m gone,” she said, walking over to the cordless phone by the cash register. She picked it up and brought it back over to Jensen.
“Here, I’ll bring you something back to drink too.”
Jensen stared at the phone for a few minutes before taking it from her. She didn’t feel like she needed to stay to make sure he actually made the phone calls. She turned away and went the short distance into the kitchen.
Once Maymi was alone she held out her hands and no
ticed how badly they were shaking. Shit! She could have gotten herself hurt or Jensen beaten up more than he already was if those police sirens hadn’t saved her lying ass at exactly the perfect moment.
Who in the hell were those guys and why were they beating up Jensen? Sure, she had dreamt about punching him since their first disastrous encounter, but she wouldn’t really do it no matter how far he pushed her.
The dull ache of fear still clung to her body at the memories of the guy’s hate filled eyes as he stared at her. His face might be burned into her mind for a while, if she let it, but she wouldn’t allow him to have the kind of power over her.
Yet, the warmth of Jensen’s body brushing against hers would still be with her after she went to bed tonight alone. He was bothering her in so many ways. Some of them were good of course, some of them weren’t. She hated to admit he left a burning imprint on her body anytime he was around her.
Damn him for being so good-looking!
Pushing her body away from the door, Maymi got everything she needed from the kitchen and then headed back to the front of the bakery. She walked in on Jensen, catching the tail end of his conversation.
“Casper, I’m fine. No, I don’t have a head injury,” Jensen shouted. “You did hear me correctly when I told you to pick me up at Sinful. Yes, Maymi really helped me and brought me over here. Alright, I promise I won’t be an asshole before you show up. Just get your ass over here.” He pushed the end button and then his eyes suddenly darted over in her direction.
“I guess you heard that,” he said.
“Yes, I did,” Maymi answered. She walked up to Jensen and handed him the bottled water. She waited while he undid the lid and took a long swallow before sitting it down next to him on the table.
“I guess Casper couldn’t believe I lifted a finger to help you after the way you’ve been treating me,” she said, placing the first aid kit down on the table.
“He thought I’d gotten hit too hard in the head. It took me a minute to make him believe what I was telling him was the truth,” Jensen admitted.
Opening it, she took out a few things so she could get started cleaning up his cuts and wounds. She hadn’t done anything like this since her last boyfriend took a tumble off his motorcycle.
Hudson had loved that bike so much that he didn’t even think about wearing a helmet. No matter how much she pushed for him to do it, he constantly told her no and if he had only listened to her that one day... Maymi quickly shook the thought from her head when Jensen’s voice caught her attention.
“What did you say?” she asked dipping the cotton ball into the small alcohol container.
“I asked if you were okay,” he said, staring at her. “You had this faraway look in your eyes. Are you still thinking about those two guys?”
“No,” Maymi answered. Honestly, the attackers from earlier were the last two people on her mind. Taking the cotton ball, she touched it to the small cut on Jensen’s forehead. She doubted the scratch would even leave a scar, so he would still be as handsome as ever.
“Fuck,” he cursed, moving back from her. “That shit stinks. Are you trying to cause me more pain on purpose?”
“Of course not,” she uttered, placing the cotton ball there again and this time Jensen didn’t move.
Maymi continued working on getting what cuts and bruises she could get cleaned out while ignoring how intensely Jensen was watching her. She was so close to him that she could feel his breath brushing against her face.
Her senses were spun by the scent of him; the warmth of his soft flesh was intoxicating. She was fully aware of the hardness of his thighs brushing over her legs. The old saying there was a thin line between love and hate was a lie because right now she was having a hard time with the thin line between lust and hate. There was no way she was in love with Jensen, but her lust for him was off the scales.
“Hey,” Jensen said, touching her hand. He moved it from the side of his face.
“What?” she asked, blinking before looking at him directly in the eyes. She removed her hand from his light grasp and her skin tingled from the heat of his touch.
“Why did you help me? I haven’t been the nicest guy to you. You could have left me out there and it might have been hours before anyone found me back there.”
She felt his breath on her cheek as he studied her waiting for an answer from her. “I thought about it, but I’m not that kind of person. I would have been thinking about what happened to you all night. No matter how badly we don’t get along or hate each other, I wouldn’t leave my worst enemy or even you lying out there alone in pain. It wouldn’t sit well on my conscience,” she said, turning way and starting to clean up the mess next to her.
“Thank you,” Jensen said, touching her on the arm.
Maymi glanced down at Jensen’s long, tanned fingers before moving away. “You’re welcome,” she said, just as someone knocked on the door.
Turning, she saw two police officers standing there. She didn’t even remember locking the door, but she could have done it in the frenzy of everything that had been going on. Going over to it, she unlocked it and moved back so they could come inside.
“Ma’am, we got a call about someone getting attacked,” the older officer said to her.
“Yes, it was Mr. Lowe,” she said, pointing over to Jensen. She watched as the officer left her and walked over to him, leaving her alone with the second younger and cuter officer.
“Did you witness this assault as well?” he asked her.
“Yes, I saw the end of the attack.” Maymi wondered how much of this she would be dragged into. It was getting late and she needed to get home because she had to be back here so early.
“I need to get your statement as well,” the officer informed her.
“Okay.”
“It should only take a few minutes and then you can be on your way.”
After answering several questions and giving a description of both men, the cops finally left twenty minutes later. Once they were gone, Maymi finished cleaning up everything while Jensen drank the cup of coffee she fixed for him while still waiting for Casper to show up.
“I swear my brother doesn’t know how to be punctual if it bit him on the ass,” Jensen complained, sitting his hot coffee cup down on the table. “I know you hate spending all of this extra time with me.”
“You’re making too much out of it,” Maymi replied. She really didn’t mind Jensen begin this close to her. “It hasn’t been that long since you called him and I’m sure Casper is on his way. You can stay here while you wait for him. I’ll be back after I throw all of this into the trash.”
Leaving the room, she prayed Casper showed up because she didn’t know how much longer she could handle being around Jensen and seeing this side of his personality. He was acting differently towards her, but she wasn’t taking it seriously. He would be back to his nasty and sarcastic self tomorrow.
He was the man who hated her, so why was she feeling the tiniest bit sorry for him?
Chapter Eleven
Reaching for the cup of coffee Maymi had fixed for him, Jensen watched her as she left him to go back into the other room. He couldn’t help but notice the way her jeans hugged her full ass. He had always been a butt man and hers was near perfect. It was such a shame they were on different ends of the scale, because she was a gorgeous looking female. He wouldn’t mind asking her out on a date.
However, he wouldn’t ever let that happen because Maymi didn’t know how to listen. He wasn’t asking a lot of her but she acted like her world was over if she found a new location for her bakery of devilish treats. Tonight, she might have gone out of her way to help him but he seriously doubted if the two of them would ever be friends...or lovers.
His slight attraction to her luscious body would go away, it only occurred because they had been so close to each other while she worked on fixing up his cuts. Maymi never noticed how his gaze was riveted on her face then moved over her body, slowly coming to stop at
the deep opening in her hot pink t-shirt.
Most of the time, he never took a second glance at a woman with curves, but Maymi’s body was perfectly proportioned in all of the right places. He would be crazy not to find her attractive, but he wouldn’t be sidetracked by a pretty face and seductive body.
“You do know if you are planning something against Maymi, it will come to bite you in the ass?”
Turning his head, Jensen found Casper standing not five feet from him. Was he so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the bell chime?
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to know that look on your face, your mind was working overtime which is never a good thing. Care to share your thoughts, big brother?”
“Yeah, why are you so late?” he demanded, placing his cup down on the table. He stood up wincing as a pain shot through his left side. He was beginning to rethink turning down medical treatment because he didn’t have any broken ribs, but they were killing the hell out of him now.
“Man, I live way across town and there was an accident. So the cops had two of the streets blocked off. I couldn’t go the way I usually do. How about a thank you for showing up here to pick up your ungrateful ass; besides, why aren’t you driving your truck home instead of demanding I come to pick you up?”
“One of the guys flattened the tires,” Jensen answered. “I think they were the two guys I tossed out of Fitness 24 last week for harassing two female members.”
“I remember them,” his brother said. “They were a piece of work. The red headed one did promise to come back and kick your ass. I guess he kept his word.”
Enough already! He was tired of the shit!
“Can’t we just—”
“Casper, I didn’t know you were out here,” Maymi’s soft voice said as she walked right past him over to his brother.
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