Chapter 11

Justin walked down the long hallway that lead to the elevator in Jenna's apartment, his hands full of Chinese take out boxes. The smell that wafted up to him, spicy vegetables, sautéed chicken and beef, sweet and tangy sauces, made his mouth water.

He could only hope that Jenna would accept this for what it was, a kind of apology for this morning, for making a fool of himself in her bathroom. Even though he'd never forget the way she'd felt in his arms, her petite form pressed against his chest, her breasts soft and naked but for the towel that had been the only barrier between them.

"Damn," he cursed as he felt his body start to stir, just from the memory. "Down boy," he ordered as he pushed the button for the elevator with his knuckle. This wasn't about seduction. This was about making amends.

The doors slid open and he stepped inside, turning and knuckling the button for her floor, watching the doors slide shut slowly. He stood at the back of the car, watching the numbers slip slowly upwards as the elevator crept its way towards her floor.

Leaving the elevator, he hurried down the hall, knocking on her door with his knee.

"You're early, Ethan..." Jenna started to say as she pulled open the door. Her hair was wet and she was wrapped in her robe. She stared with confusion at Justin. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, geez, thanks for the warm greeting, partner. I guess I'm not who you were expecting." He stepped past her, dropping the box of Chinese on her kitchen counter. There were pots bubbling on the stove, the spicy aroma of spaghetti sauce, garlic and onions, basil and oregano, filling the air with mouth watering aromas. "I didn't think you could cook," he said, looking over where she still stood by the open door.

"You never asked. It was the one skill my mother made me learn, and truthfully, I never minded. But you didn't answer me. What are you doing here? I told you I was having company tonight."

Justin lifted the lid on the red sauce, pulling open a kitchen drawer with the ease of familiarity and taking out a small spoon. He dipped it into the sauce, blowing on it before tasting it. "Needs more salt," he said, putting down the lid. "I guess I forgot. I thought we could have dinner and do some work tonight." He dropped the spoon into the sink, staring at the red stain that splattered on the white porcelain.

He heard her close the door with a small click and then sensed her move into the kitchen. He could feel her eyes upon his back as she waited for him to turn and look at her.

"Justin..." she said, "we need to talk."

He smiled as he stared at the red stain. "But now's not a good time, is it Jenna?" He turned, lifting his hand and touching her cheek. "You have a date to get ready for. We can do this some other time. You keep the Chinese. You could eat if for leftovers tomorrow or something." Justin managed to keep the smile on his face though he wondered if it looked as strained as he felt. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, partner. Have fun tonight." He walked past her and towards the door. "Don't forget the salt," he said, opening the door and slipping through.

Jenna felt the single tear slip down her cheek and wiped it away angrily. He had no right to come in here when she was trying to have a personal life and make her feel guilty. No right at all. And then to just walk out on her, she turned and glowered at the boxes of food he'd left, murdering them with the glare she wished she'd been able to use on him.

When they just sat there, instead of boiling over and flaming in response to her ire, she grabbed them and pushed them into her fridge. Slamming the door, she turned to the food she was preparing. "Needs more salt, damn him. God! He can be such an asshole!"

She lifted the lid on the sauce, dipping her own spoon in and tasting it. She closed her eyes and sighed, reaching for her small bowl of salt and adding some before stirring it again and then putting down the lid.

She turned down the heat and then went back to her room, reaching into her closet for something comfortable and sexy, but not too sexy. She didn't want to seem too eager, but after her coffee date with Ethan today at the hospital and the kiss he planted on her lips before she left, a kiss that had curled her toes, she knew how she wanted tonight to end.

Settling on satin pants and a soft cashmere sweater, both in a shade of green just a few shades lighter than her eyes, she slid on matching underwear and pulled the sensuous material over her skin. The sweater's v-neckline left a great deal of skin exposed and clung to her curves as if it were a lover's hand. She ruffled her wispy curls with her hands, shaking her head to make them fall into place then applied a light coat of makeup.

Leaving her feet bare, she hurried to the intercom when it buzzed.

"Yes?"

"Hi, Jenna." Ethan's smooth, sexy voice sounded over the intercom, and Jenna couldn't help but smile.

"Come on up," she said, pushing the button for the door.

Jenna hurried to the refrigerator, pulling out the bottle of wine she'd picked to go with her dinner. Leaving it open upon the counter, she went to the door and waited.

When the knock came, she mentally counted to twenty then reached out and turned the knob. He stood just outside the door, his eyes roaming over the picture she made. "Wow," he breathed. "You look absolutely stunning." His eyes took in every detail, including the bare feet. He handed her the single white rose he'd brought her. "I thought I'd be slightly more traditional this time. Maybe we won't have a murder investigation interrupt our evening."

She smiled, accepting the rose and reaching up on tiptoe to place a light kiss upon his cheek. "And I've already fixed dinner, it's ready any time you are, Doctor."

Ethan inhaled, breathing in her scent, a mixture of floral perfume and spicy woman. He let his hand rest lightly against her lower back, feeling her skin against his fingers where the sweater pulled up as she reached for him. Her breasts brushed against his chest and he smiled, enjoying the way she felt against him.

"So what did you make?" he asked lightly, following her in and watching as she got a bud vase down to put the rose in.

"Spaghetti with my father's special sauce and his secret garlic bread. I had to blackmail the recipe out of him and it wasn't easy." She took the vase over to the table and then went back to the kitchen, pouring the wine she'd gotten out. "Oh, no. I forgot to ask, are you on call tonight?"

"Nope, I'm all yours, for however long you want me," he quipped, taking the glass she handed him. He raised the glass, tapping it gently against hers, "To a beautiful woman, a lovely dinner and a night that can go anywhere," he said, taking a sip of the wonderful wine before letting his lips find hers for one intimate and incredible moment.

Her face was flushed when he pulled back, her eyes bright and he had a hard time trying to keep it at that one kiss for right then. Not when he wanted more, when he wanted to taste her mouth and see if her flavor was sweeter than the wine or dark like passion. He wanted to touch her skin, slip his hands under the clinging fabric of her sweater and see if she was as soft and warm as she seemed.

"That was..." Jenna stopped, unable to come up with the word.

"Yes," Ethan said, smiling down at her. "It was."

She laughed as he'd meant her too and then went into the kitchen, adding the finishing touches to the dinner and rescuing the seasoned bread before it burnt. Then they sat and she beamed as he raved over her spaghetti, laughing at his jokes and listening to his stories of the ER.

He asked questions about her cases, understanding when she couldn't get into detail about ongoing investigations. But he was interested, genuinely, which was something she wasn't used to with any date she'd gone on.

"So how long have you and Justin been partners?" he asked, sitting back a little and picking up his refilled glass.

"Almost five years now," she said, sipping her own wine. "He trained me when I started homicide. I must have driven him nuts with all my questions and that puppy eagerness you see in the newbie detectives. I was so damn proud of that gold badge, I think I stuck it in anyone's face that would look at it." She pushed her plate to the side, leaning her elbows on the table. "He even held my head when I saw my first torn up body."

"You sound like you two are close." Ethan felt a little flare of jealousy. He tamped it firmly down, arguing with himself that if she were interested in Justin, he would be here, not Ethan.

"He's like a brother to me and in some ways even closer. You learn a lot about someone when you're on a stake out for twelve hours in a small car and the air conditioner doesn't work."

"Hopefully that he wears a really strong and long lasting deodorant," he said, listening to her laugh with a tingle of pleasure. "You don't do enough of that."

Jenna stared at him, confused. "Wear deodorant?" she asked cautiously.

"No," he laughed, shaking his head. "Laugh. It looks good on you."

She rose to take the dishes to the kitchen setting them into the sink and putting away the leftovers while Ethan did his best to "help" but in this instance it was to stand in her way. He touched her when he could, brushing his hand against her body by accident, handing her his plate and letting his hand slide against hers. It was as arousing as his scent, as inviting as the looks he was giving her.

He finally took her hand, pulling her into the teddy bear decorated living room and sitting down on the sofa, pushing the big gray bear out of his way. Pulling her down on his lap, he kissed her softly. "I've wanted to do this all night, since you opened that door. You really got to me with the bare feet, detective," he said, grinning.

"Great," she said, her fingers tracing along his face. "I'm dating a guy with a foot fetish. I swear, homicide finds the freaks quicker than vice does. But I guess you are no worse than my last boyfriend."

"Really, what was his deal?" he asked, though not really interested. He kissed her neck, nibbling on the long muscle of her throat.

"Oh he had this thing for handcuffs and nightsticks." She moaned, her hands running through his dark hair, feeling his arousal against her thigh. He felt so good and was very inventive with his mouth, stirring all kinds of feelings deep inside of her.

"You might have to show me that one day," he said, his face buried in the bend of her neck where it met her shoulder. He reached up, gently pulling the soft sweater off of her shoulder, his tongue sneaking out to savor her heated flesh. She tasted like sin, hot and dark and completely too tempting.

Jenna moaned, moving against his mouth as he teased her senses, sweet shivers of need making her nipples harden and her head tip back. "That's the good thing about dating a cop," she whispered. "We have all the good toys."

"I'll say," Ethan sighed the words, his hands slipping up the soft material of her sweater to cup her breasts, lifting them with his hands. "These are some pretty nice toys."

A surprised laugh bubbled out of Jenna and she cupped his face in her hands. "I like you."

"I like you, too." He pulled her closer, kissing her lips. "Wanna go steady?"

"Hmmm, let me think about it," she murmured against his lips, deepening the kiss for an earth shattering moment. "No," she decided. "But I would like to go to bed."

She stood, her legs slightly unsteady and held out her hand to him.

With a grin, he sat there, his eyes drinking in the sight of her. Her lips were slightly swollen, her short black hair tousled from his hands. Her eyes were half closed, sexy bedroom eyes that shot green fire at him. Her sweater was still off of her shoulder, revealing smoothly rounded satiny skin. She was spectacular.

"With me?" he asked, putting his hand on his chest. "You want to go to bed with me?"