“Our first date was as easy as falling off a bike.” He grinned. “Actually, it was the best date ever.”
“I’ll have to take your word on that thing about falling off a bike,” she said. “But I agree with you about how amazing it was. Even if I did bite you. I have to admit, there was a minute there when I thought I might have to take you to the emergency room for stitches.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, giving him an embarrassed look. “I still can’t believe I did that. Or that you were so cool with it.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. Seriously,” he assured her. “Look. You can hardly see the marks now.”
He leaned forward and tugged the collar of his shirt aside, showing her his neck. She moved around the small table, getting close to take a look in the dimly lit club.
“Wow, they really are gone,” she breathed.
She was so close to him that he could feel her warm, soft breath against his skin. Brooks expected her to step back, but she stayed where she was. That was when he realized she was sniffing him.
Her eyes were closed, and there was a rapt expression on her face as she breathed in his scent. Her nostrils flared as she moved a little to the right and left, taking him all in. At the same time, her tongue slipped out a little, like she was tasting the air.
Her change was coming at warp speed now, her sense of smell developing as fast as her fangs.
His inner wolf stood up and took notice.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and stepped back. Her arousal drifted toward him, making his mouth water. And his cock hard.
Brooks wondered if she could smell how turned on he was. The hungry gaze in her eyes made him think maybe she could. He half expected them to glow green, but they were still a dark chocolate brown.
While they didn’t glow, he knew something had happened, because he saw it in her eyes. Selena knew exactly what she was doing to him.
They were still gazing at each other when a server appeared and asked if they needed fresh drinks. Brooks wasn’t really interested in another beer but ordered one anyway. Selena asked for another strawberry daiquiri.
“How’d your day go?” he asked after the man left.
“It was okay.” She shrugged, concentrating on her empty daiquiri glass. “I spent most of it driving around, checking in with a few of my kids.”
Her expression didn’t give anything away, but Brooks knew without a doubt she’d lied to him. Had she realized something was going on with her? Had she seen a slip of fangs in a mirror or caught sight of her claws?
“I get the feeling something else happened today,” he said. “You want to tell me what it was and why you thought you needed to keep it from me?”
* * *
Selena jerked her head up at Jayden’s question, those seemingly ever-present waves of anger immediately bubbling up inside her. She opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t one of his perps and that he didn’t have the right to question her like one. But then she saw the concern in his eyes, and the anger faded so fast, it left her almost gasping. He was worried about her. That was something Selena could understand. She worried about a lot of people herself.
“Ruben Moreno, one of the kids from my fourth period class, hasn’t been home in two nights.” She sighed. “I went to look for him today and found him hanging out with some Locos in an empty lot on Ferguson.” The bitter disappointment at losing Ruben to a gang was still fresh in her mind, and she had to squelch the anger threatening to take control again. “I tried to get him to leave with me, but he wouldn’t.”
“I can’t imagine the Locos were thrilled with you poking your nose into their business,” Jayden observed.
Selena hesitated, not sure how much she wanted to tell Jayden. Ernesto had believed her, but that was because he’d known her forever. No way was Jayden going to believe her wild story about beating the hell out of three gangbangers.
“We got into an argument, and it got heated,” she finally said. “By the time it was over, Ruben had run off.”
Jayden frowned. “You know how crazy that was, right? Going face to face with a bunch of gang members by yourself is dangerous. Next time, call me for help instead of trying to take them on all by yourself, okay?”
Between him and Ernesto, she had quite the team of bodyguards. She smiled. “Okay. Next time I get ready to poke a hornet’s nest, you’ll be the first one I call.”
The server brought their drinks by, and while Jayden paid for them, Selena glanced over at Becca and Scott. It looked like they were still doing well. Selena couldn’t help noticing he’d finished his second Long Island iced tea or the fact that Becca seemed to be doing most of the talking.
“They seem to be getting along okay,” Jayden remarked after the server left. “I don’t know Becca that well, but Scott doesn’t strike me as her type. She seems to be way more outgoing than he is.”
Selena couldn’t help but think of Ernesto, who was exactly Becca’s type. “Normally, I’d agree with you, but she’s had a run of crappy dates lately with the guys she normally goes out with, so I guess she decided to try someone completely different.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. I’ve never even considered dating a teacher before, and now it seems like the best move I’ve made.”
Her stomach did a crazy little flip-flop at his words. “If that was a blatant attempt to get on my good side, I should probably let you know it’s working.”
