“If my breasts could talk, from the way you’re staring at them, they would thank you for your interests in them,” she teased, making Jensen’s bedroom brown eyes dart back up to hers.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he apologized, standing back up to his full height.
“Don’t worry about it. Would you like to come inside while I grab my things?” She stepped back waving Jensen into her apartment then closed the door.
“I wasn’t expecting you to live in a loft,” he said, walking past her.
Maymi took another sniff of her rose before walking around him. She noticed how he was glancing at some of the art work and pictures from her baking competitions hanging on the walls.
“I decided to skip buying a house and put that money into Sinful. Tatum’s family owns the building, so I get a very good deal on the rent.” Maymi placed the rose in a glass of water she had left on the table earlier then grabbed her purse and coat off the couch.
“Here let me help you with your coat.” Jensen walked over to her and took it from her then held it while she slipped it on.
“Did I tell you how good you smell?” he whispered by her ear.
She tried not to moan as Jensen’s warm breath brushed against her skin. They hadn’t even made it out of the door yet and she was dying for him to kiss her already.
Get a hold of yourself girl. Calm down. It’s only a date.
“No, you haven’t,” she answered, spinning around she looked up into his eyes.
“Well, you do.”
“Thank you. It’s a new fragrance I bought the other day.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. How about we get going?” he suggested. “I don’t want us to be late for our reservations.”
“Where are we going?” Maymi asked as she walked towards the door with Jensen at her side.
“It’s a surprise.” Reaching past her, he opened the door and held it while she went out into the hallway.
Outside, Maymi quickly locked the door while Jensen stood next to her. He didn’t say a word, but she could feel his dark eyes as they roamed up and down the length of her body. His interest in her made her feel sexy and very womanly which proved she had done an excellent job at getting ready.
“Aren’t you going to give me a hint?” she asked as she moved away from the door.
“Let’s just say you’re going to have stars in your eyes,” he answered pressing the button.
Maymi peeked at him from the corner of her eye wondering what he had planned for their date. She hadn’t been this curious by a comment in forever.
Time would tell if Jensen could actually keep his word or if he was only full of empty promises, she thought as the elevator stopped in front of them and opened up.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Oh my God Jensen, this place is unbelievable,” Maymi praised as he pulled her chair out for her.
The Botanic Gardens was one of the most exclusive buildings in town because the outside part of the restaurant was surrounded by a glass enclosure almost like a dome. It seemed like millions of stars were in the sky shining down of them.
The design was set up to enable customers to see the flower garden which looked like a perfect scene from the rain forest. Fresh flowers were one of her favorite things in the world; she bought them anytime she had the extra money to spend on them.
“I’m so glad you like it,” Jensen said, taking a seat in front of her. “I thought you might like the view. I loved learning about the stars as a kid with my dad, so I thought this would be a place for both of us to enjoy our first date.”
Turning away from the garden, Maymi looked at Jensen. “I find it very hard to believe you were looking through a telescope trying to find the legendary Big Dipper,” she teased.
He arched an eyebrow. “I’ll have you know that I won several science fairs when I was in school. I was almost considered a science nerd.”
“You weren’t ever a nerd.”
“Oh, you would be surprised. I didn’t always have this body and my winning charm.”
“I find that very hard to believe,” Maymi admitted, smiling at Jensen. “Well. Maybe not about the charm, but you've gotten better since I first met you. You don’t come off as intimidating or rude.”
“Let me apologize for that,” he said, cutting her off. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like I did. I want us to get that experience behind us for good.”
“So, do I,” Maymi admitted.
****
Sitting across the table from Maymi, Jensen couldn’t get over how stunning she truly looked tonight. Her dark hair was finally out of the familiar ponytail and the ends brushed the top of her shoulders drawing his eyes to her smooth skin that looked like dark chocolate. Earlier, he had fought the need to brush his lips across the side of her neck when he pulled out her chair earlier.
She looked almost too breathtaking to even bring out for their date with the way the firecracker red dress hugged all of her womanly curves. Most of his dates where so slender that their bodies never filled out a dress the way Maymi’s was doing tonight.
His cock was so hard right now that it was painful to sit across from her and only be able to look at her delicious body. He wanted to hold, touch and without a doubt make love to her, but he had to take things slowly with her.
The main objective was to get through this date without anything coming up and get a second lined up as soon as possible. He knew going out once with her wasn’t going to be enough for him.
Reaching for the glass of water the waiter had placed there earlier, Jensen practically drained it in one swallow. He couldn’t afford to drink anything strong at the moment. His self-control was hanging on by a thread and after two months without sex, being around Maymi was a test he wasn’t prepared for.
“Jensen, are you alright?” Maymi asked, her soft voice filled with genuine concern.
He placed the glass back down and gave her a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. How about you tell me why you decided to become a pastry chef? It just seems like a very specific field to aspire for at such a young age.”
“I just turned twenty-eight the beginning of this year, so I don’t know about the young part,” she sighed.
“Sweetheart, I’m thirty-seven, so you’re young to me. Now, tell me how you got this dream.”
Maymi gazed at him as a tiny smile started forming at the corner of her full, perfect lips. “It was my Nana. She loved baking things from scratch. I used to watch her all of the time, but never really got into it until after my mother’s suicide when I was a little girl.”
“God, I’m so sorry,” he cut in, meaning it. Jensen couldn’t believe Maymi had been through something so traumatic.
“I had just turned nine years old. My mama always had this sadness about her, but we never thought she would take her own life. My dad had the hardest time accepting it, but he pulled himself together for my two older brothers.
“Well, I started spending most of my time after school or counseling at my Nana’s house. My mama’s mother had been an outstanding cook and baker. I don’t think here wasn’t anything she couldn’t turn into a masterpiece.”
“Sounds like you loved her a lot,” Jensen commented, but he noticed how Maymi didn’t bring up her father again.
“I did and when she died five years ago, it broke my heart for a very long time. It took me a while to get over saying goodbye to her and I don’t think I could if it hadn’t been for Hudson.”
Who in the hell was Hudson?
Jensen wanted to ask, but the hurt in Maymi’s voice made him realize that this date was going down the wrong road. He wanted her in the present with him and not in the past.
“How about we change gears and order something to eat?” he suggested. “After we’re finished how about we take a walk around the rest of the gardens?”
Maymi’s beautiful face lit up with excitement. “Are you sure that we can? I thought some parts were off limits to the public.”
“
I’m friends with someone over the place. He gave me the all go to give my date the complete tour if she wanted it.”
The sadness left her eyes as she perked up in her seat. The happiness in her expression now brought a grin to his face. He wasn’t used to doing something so small for any of his dates, but getting such a huge reward in return.
“I can tell you’re excited.”
“Of course. The Botanic Gardens’ is famous for its award-winning desserts,” she gushed. “I mean I’ve heard one bite will send you to heaven and back.”
He looked into Maymi’s dark eyes and felt a falling sensation. He saw the passion she had there and secretly wondered what else he could do to keep it there for the rest of the night.
“Would you rather we have the tour first and then eat?” Jensen suggested.
She shook her head. “I adore a mouth-watering dessert, but I’ve heard the Beef Wellington here is also to die for, so I’ll start that first and see where we can go after it.”
“Alright, let’s get some food into you.”
Raising his hand, Jensen waved a waiter hovering in the shadows watching them over to the table. He paid the extra money for the guy to be here and not seen until he was ready. His date with Maymi was about him impressing her without any interruptions from the waiter or his flirtatious brother.
After the waiter stopped staring at Maymi’s breasts long enough to finally take their orders and then left them alone, he leaned across the table and grabbed her hand.
“Thank you for accepting my dinner invitation.”
“How could I not when you promised to blow my mind like no other man has before?” she reminded him.
“Did I keep my promise?”
Maymi looked away from him glancing around the room for a few minutes then her gaze landed back in his direction. “You kept your promise and did so much more. I’m very impressed.”
Her admission pleased him. “Let’s see if I can keep it up until I take you back home after our date.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Standing in the semi-dark hallway after giving Maymi a tour of The Botanic Gardens like he had promised her, Jensen stared down into Maymi’s face wondering if she felt the same shift in the air surrounding them. All during dinner and the tour they had been dancing around it. He had taken her all over the place until they finally found their way back here. He knew he wouldn’t be able to leave this spot without kissing her.
Neither one of them wanted to make the first move, but he had given in because he couldn’t hold back anymore. The memory of how sweet her lips had tasted were too powerful to forget.
He moved closer and closer until her back touched the wall only a few feet from the dining room where they just had dinner. He knew he should take her home, but he couldn’t leave without doing this or the drive back to her place would be hell on his body. He needed something to tide him over until he dropped her off and then drove back to his place.
Jensen placed a hand on Maymi’s hips and drew her to his throbbing body. Maymi trembled, but she didn’t move away or push him back which was a good sign in his opinion.
“I need to kiss you,” he admitted, brushing his lips across her mouth.
“Is that really a good idea,” she asked, softly. “I mean every time we kiss it seems to mess with our ability to think rationally.”
“Don’t you like not knowing what’s coming next?” Jensen asked not backing down.
She lifted her head. “Too much of the unknown can get a girl into trouble and I try to stay out of that as much as possible.”
Maymi’s sweet sexiness was already pushing him over the brink towards the land of no return, so why shouldn’t he take her along for the ride?
He gently traced the side of her mouth with his tongue. This was their first kiss not done out of anger or the need to prove something to the other person and he wanted it to be done right...almost perfect so she would relive it after their date was over.
Jensen continued teasing the corner of her lips. The faint taste of chocolate and caramel still lingered there from the dessert she had eaten after dinner.
She moaned softly and he took the opportunity to touch the tip of his tongue to hers before sneaking it the rest of the way inside. With his willpower barely intact, he slid his hands down the side of her waist and stopped them as her hips brushed his erection against her stomach.
He devoured Maymi’s lips taking everything she offered while giving back something of his own. The feel and taste of her consumed him like a burning fire. She had him spinning out of control.
Instead of moving away, she pressed closer running her fingers through his hair. He felt her hard nipples against his chest as he sucked her tongue into his mouth. Easing his hand around her body, he moved her away from the wall so he could hold her rounded ass in the palm of his hands, deepening their kiss even more.
Mewling, she eased her arms around his shoulders. Maymi didn’t know how much she was pushing him to his breaking point out in a public place. His cock was aching to be inside of her sweet, tight body. He grabbed her hair gently pulling it to separate their mouths with a soft sucking sound.
He stared down into her upturned face and saw the desire he wanted shining there. God, why did he get dinner here instead of having it at his place? He couldn’t make love to her here. They could only go so far in front of other people. He might not be able to see them, but he knew the staff was standing somewhere looking at them.
“Sweetheart, I want you but we can’t get carried away here. We need some privacy. How about we go back to my house since I live closer than you do?” he suggested.
The desire-filled look slowly started clearing from her eyes. “Go back to your house,” she whispered, staring at him blankly.
“Yes, go back to my place so we can finish what we had going on here,” he said. Taking his thumb, he ran it over her swollen bottom lip. “Like I said, I don’t live far from here. We can be back at my house in less than forty minutes.”
Touching his wrist, she moved his hand away. “I can’t go back to your house. I’m sorry I let the kiss get carried away.”
Maymi tried to move around his body, but he grabbed her by the waist and backed her against the wall holding her there with his body. He grabbed her by the chin forcing her to look him in the eye.
Jensen saw how her earlier look had been replaced by one of mistrust. He wanted to know what changed between them so quickly. She had been into it as much as him, but now she was a totally different person.
“Sweetheart, what happened? Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s me. I’m just not ready for more than this first date yet. Can you please take me home?”
He wanted to push further and find out why she had withdrawn from him, but he wouldn’t do it. He actually had a better time with her tonight than he thought he would. If he wanted a second date with her, he had to respect her wishes.
“Okay, I’ll take you home. It’s getting late and I don’t want you to be late for work tomorrow, but I have one more thing to ask you before we leave.” Lowering his head, Jensen brushed his lips along her smooth neck.
“Oh, you aren’t playing fair,” she whispered. “I thought I told you no sex.”
“Baby, this isn’t sex. We are making out which to my disappointment means our clothes will stay on tonight.”
Maymi touched his shoulder and he moved back from her. Staring down into her eyes, he saw a tiny bit of uncertainty there working its way into her dark brown depths.
“Are you playing games with me?” she asked, her expression confused. “I don’t want to be used in any way, shape or form.
He sucked in a breath wondering if he would be able to erase Maymi’s first impression of him away forever. She did have a memory like a steel trap. It might be excellent for keeping track of recipes, but it was a death sentence for a blooming relationship. Tonight’s date wouldn’t be over for him until he left her thinking about somet
hing else altogether.
“Haven’t you ever made a split second decision and then regretted it later,” Jensen asked, running his hands up and down Maymi’s sides.
“Of course, I have,” she admitted, honestly. “Who hasn’t in their life? It’s a part of growing up and becoming who you are. A person can’t grow unless they learn from their mistakes and then find the strength to move on.”
He sighed then brushed the back of his hand along the side of her cheek. “How about you try that with me? If I’m not mistaken, I think we had a pretty good time over dinner. I learned a lot more about you and vice versa. However, you are still somewhat of a mystery to me. I want to figure you out, but I can’t do it if you don’t give me the opening to do—”
Maymi pressed a finger against his lips. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I’m bringing extra baggage on this date and I shouldn’t have. I had a great time and I want to end it on the high note it started on.”
Taking the tip of his tongue, Jensen licked Maymi’s finger. She moaned softly before easing it away from his mouth. “You are so bad.”
“I know I am which means you’re going to agree to have dinner with me again tomorrow night at my place. I want to have you all to myself next time.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she answered very quickly without missing a beat.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Growling in frustration, Jensen pushed his body away from Maymi’s storming down the hallway putting some distance between them. He raked his fingers through his hair and slowly counted to ten.
Damn it! Nothing was going as he had hoped it work.
“You warned me about playing games with you, so why are you doing it to me?” he demanded.
“Jensen, I’m not doing anything to you,” Maymi denied. “If you had let me finish, I would have told you I’m throwing a small party tomorrow night for one of my girlfriends. She just landed a big client for her boss. Would you like to come? You can even bring Casper. I think we’ll have a great time together.”
Sinful Page 12