He snorted. “That’s the only reason I’m even considering it. But I’m telling you, he better be nice to you, or I’m going to go medieval all over his ass.”
Selena was about to tell him that line would have sounded a lot tougher if he hadn’t stolen it from a movie. But before she could get the jab out, the doorbell rang. She knew it was Jayden without even needing to look through the keyhole.
“Okay, you two.” She gave her friends a warning glare as she headed for the door. “Be nice.”
The expressions of mock disbelief they both sent her way almost made her laugh out loud. She stopped herself, focused on answering the door and greeting her date. Yeah, tonight was about having dinner. But her friends had been right about one thing. This was definitely a date.
The sexual chemistry between her and Jayden had been impossible to miss earlier today at the SWAT compound. It had also been impossible to explain. She’d been around a lot of men she thought of as attractive, but none of them had ever affected her like the big SWAT cop. As crazy as it sounded, she’d gotten aroused from simply being in the same room with him. If he’d actually kissed her, they might still be making out.
Selena almost laughed. Who was she kidding? She’d been ready to rip his clothes off and have mad monkey sex with him right there on the couch in the dayroom. It was like she was a hormonal teenager again.
When she reached the door, she hesitated. She could almost feel Brooks on the other side of it. In some bizarre way, it was like she knew exactly where he was standing, could sense his patience as he waited for her to answer the door. Even weirder, she had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly where she was standing, too.
Smiling, Selena opened the door, ready to greet him. But the words got stuck in her throat the moment she saw Jayden. He was wearing jeans, work boots, and an untucked button-down, the sleeves rolled up to show off muscled forearms. It was difficult to believe, but he looked even better now than he had in his uniform—and he’d looked hot as hell.
Her gaze worked its way up to his face again, taking in the strong lines of his jaw, outlined with a trim beard to match his mustache, the sparkle of mischief in his blue-gray eyes, and the perfect lips that had almost touched hers earlier today. Her pulse skipped a beat, a little quiver of excitement running through her.
Crap.She’d just met him at the door and already wanted to jump him. What the holy cheese and crackers was wrong with her?
“Hey, there,” he said, flashing her a sexy grin. “I’m not too early, am I?”
“Actually, you’re right on time,” she said, finally finding her voice. “Come on in.”
Selena picked up the fragrance of Jayden’s cologne as he stepped inside the entryway, and it was all she could do to keep her hands to herself. How was it possible for a man to smell this good? She was so intent on his mouthwatering scent, she almost didn’t see the tall, colorful gift bag in his hands. It was tied at the top with a silver ribbon, the neck of a wine bottle sticking out.
“You didn’t need to bring anything,” she said as she closed the door. “I invited you here for dinner, which kind of implies I’m responsible for supplying the food and beverage.”
Jayden shrugged. “It wouldn’t have been right not to bring something. I wasn’t sure what you were serving for dinner, but I took a guess and brought a bottle of red. It was either that or go with Cooper’s suggestion, and that’s never a good idea.”
She smiled at the mention of Jayden’s roguish teammate from back at the compound. She’d gotten the feeling Cooper was like one of the many pranksters in her class, always causing trouble but usually with the best of intentions. “I hesitate to even ask.”
“He thought I should show up with the empty aluminum pan you brought the brownies in today, so you’d get the hint and bring it back full.”
She laughed, taking the bottle of wine and motioning him forward where her friends were waiting impatiently in the living room. She made the introductions, then went into the kitchen to check on the dinner. Becca joined her a few seconds later. Her back to Jayden and Ernesto, who were chatting in the living room, she made a show of fanning herself with her hand.
“Girl, he’s even bigger up close,” her friend whispered. “Do you think he’s that big all over?”
Selena rolled her eyes, unable to help laughing. She’d actually been wondering the same thing herself. She just wasn’t bold enough to say the words out loud. But man, was her overactive imagination filling in all kinds of details right then.
“I’ve always thought Ernesto was a big guy,” Becca added, looking out at the guys over the island that separated the kitchen and living room. “But Jayden makes him look small in comparison. How do you end up attracting all the big stud muffins?”
Selena snorted as she checked on the taco bake and sweet corn tomalito that were warming in the oven. Satisfied they weren’t drying out, she closed the door and glanced over at Jayden and Ernesto. While they were both big, tough-looking guys, Jayden probably had a good thirty pounds worth of muscle on her friend, but Ernesto still had that dangerous street edge to him. Neither were the kind of men anyone would want to mess with.
“For one thing,” she said, “Ernesto isn’t a big stud muffin. He’s a friend. And for another, it’s not like I did anything to attract Jayden’s attention, other than have someone shoot at me.”
Becca stared longingly at the guys for a moment, making Selena wonder whether her friend was seriously considering the value of getting involved in a shootout in order to meet someone like Jayden.
“You know, Ernesto isn’t dating anyone,” Selena pointed out. “There’s absolutely no reason the two of you couldn’t give it a shot.”
Her friend shook her head. “I’m not his type.”
Selena opened her mouth to ask what the heck that meant, but the guys wandered over before she could. Jayden didn’t look pissed off, so Ernesto mustn’t have tried to interrogate him about what his intentions were. That was good. She wouldn’t want to have to get in the middle of the two of them going at each other.
“You ready to get out of here, Ernesto?” Becca asked, picking up her purse and coat from the couch where she’d tossed them earlier.
“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Ernesto said as he helped Becca into her coat. “Unless Selena wants to invite us to stay for dinner.”
Becca grabbed Ernesto’s arm and pulled him toward the door. “Come on, time to go. If you’re that hungry, you can take me out to dinner if you want.”
