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Then she drew her shoulders back and lifted her big green gaze to his.  
    God, she was beautiful. The breath left his lungs and his palms itched with the desire to touch her. “Not so bad, is it?” he asked, his voice still strong, though his insides were quivering.
    “You’re very—intimidating.”
    “I sure don’t mean to be, Maya. You have any questions or need anything, just ask, okay?”
    She nodded and then stood. “Thank you.” She left and he watched, wishing for things he had no business wishing for.

CHAPTER FIVE

    “Mom, are you done with my hair?” five-year-old Sophie asked.  
    Maya had been thinking about Jayce as she braided her daughter’s hair. Remembering things she’d once forgotten. Her life had been so absorbed by her father and her husband and her children, that she’d spent very little time thinking about her childhood. Now, after Jayce’s behavior towards her, she was thinking about him. Particularly about a night eight years ago. He’d taken her to a dance. It seemed so unreal that Jayce Gilmore had asked her to a dance and then into the back of his car. She didn’t care to remember the car part, but the dancing had been fun. Nothing intimidating about him while they were on the dance floor.
    But then her father had kicked her out of the house and Damon had taken her in. The sweet memory of her date with Jayce had been swept under a heap of emotional baggage Maya was only just beginning to dig through.  
    Last night, Jayce had stood behind the bar, smiling and laughing with his customers. He’d even flirted lightly with female customers. The image of him in those tight jeans and that black t-shirt that hugged an extremely well-developed torso was hovering constantly in her mind’s eye. She kept going back to it. He’d acquired a full sleeve of tattoos on his left arm. There was some kind of abstract design up one side of his neck. It all made her wonder what he looked like under his shirt.  
    It also made her wary. Maybe even a little frightened. Jayce looked like all the bullies in her life. Her father, her husband, her husband’s crude and abusive friends—they all drank, smoked, were covered in tattoos. It terrified her to be working in such close proximity to someone who, by all appearances, was one of the bad guys. The only physical aspect that differed was Jayce’s physique. He was built and beautiful. No beer gut. No leathery, jaundiced skin. But there were scars on his knuckles, and whenever he turned to face her, his smile vanished and his expression went utterly cold. Maya wondered what it would be like to be hit by a man who was so cold and powerful. Damon had done so much damage. Imagine what a man of twice his strength could do.
    At the sound of Sophie’s voice, Maya jolted back into the present. “Sorry, sweetie.” She tied a ribbon around the end of the braid. “Now go brush your teeth and put on your pretty shoes. Matthew!” she shouted.
    “I’m brushing my teeth!” he shouted back.
    Zoey’s hands were on her ears. “God, stop yelling!” she yelled. She was lounging on the couch with some coffee.
    “You sure you don’t want to go to church with us?” Maya asked.
    “As sure as I’ve been every Sunday since you started asking me. Stop trying to save my soul.”
    “Not trying to save your soul. Trying to get an extra pair of hands to help me with the kids.”
    “Stay home and I’m all yours.”
    Maya shook her head and began buckling on her black dress shoes.  
    “So work? It went well?” Zoey asked.
    “Yeah. I mean, it’s a late night, for sure, but it was good. I really liked Janice. She’s fun and easy to be around.”
    “I hear she’s very…open-minded. So if you decide to give up men for good, she might be able to help you out.”
    “Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind.”
    Zoey laughed. “It won’t stay long, I’ll bet, working in close proximity to that man-candy.”
    Maya’s good humor went cold. Man-candy had such