WILD [JENLISA]

19

Lisa was right, when Jennie explained to Irene that she was going out of town and didn't want Jennie to be alone, Irene couldn't have looked more pleased about being designated her bodyguard for the night. So pleased, in fact, that it took every bit of Jennie's willpower to shove down the irritation she felt at Irene's failure to hide her smug glee.

But she did, because she was glad for Irene's company. She didn't want to spend the night in her apartment wondering if the Golden Gate Park killer was lurking in the shadows.

When Irene mentioned cooking her dinner, Jennie knew she would have to be on guard. Cooking was a wooing tactic for Irene, probably used successfully on far more women than Jennie wanted to imagine. It had certainly worked on her, once upon a time. After turning down Irene's last dinner invitation, Jennie knew that Irene saw this evening as a second chance.

Irene said dinner was at five thirty, which meant she'd decided to leave work early to prepare their meal. She didn't doubt that Irene wanted to make sure they were together well before dark, but she suspected that Irene was also just plain excited about finally getting Jennie over to her place again. Still, Jennie wouldn't complain about the early meal. She didn't particularly want to be out late anyway. Tonight was the full moon, and though Jennie wasn't superstitious, she recognized that the lunar cycle sometimes played into the patterns of psychopaths. The first murder had been committed the night of the previous full moon.

Jennie left the lab early and was at Irene's door ten minutes before she was due. She intended to spend the night discussing the case, so along with a bottle of wine, she carried a stack of forensic reports. Poring over case files would be the best use of their time together and would keep things professional, which was exactly where Jennie wanted their relationship to stay.

Irene answered the door wearing an apron and a brilliant smile.

"Hey. Fajitas will be ready in about five minutes."

"Great." Awkwardly, Jennie offered her the bottle cradled against her side. Bringing wine had seemed like the thing to do until the moment she smelled Irene's perfume and saw that Irene was wearing the purple shirt that had always turned Jennie on when they were together. Apparently Irene had decided to be blatant about being in full seduction mode. Alcohol really didn't need to be introduced into the mix, but it was a bit late for that now. "I brought the forensic reports on our two victims. I figured we'd comb through them to see what we've missed."

Irene ushered Jennie inside. "Of course. But let's eat first, have a glass of wine. Unwind a little." She looked Jennie up and down, then kissed her cheek. "You look lovely."

Jennie stiffened. "This isn't a date, Irene."

"I know that." Glancing at the bottle's label, Irene whistled. "My favorite."

"It's a thank-you for giving up your evening to babysit me." Jennie followed Irene to the kitchen. She stood at the counter as Irene set the wine down, then checked her sizzling skillet of peppers and onions. "I hate knowing I messed up your plans."

Irene shook her head. "No plans. There's no place I'd rather be. And no one I'd rather be with."

Sometimes Irene was wholly exasperating. Nine months ago Jennie would have taken this about-face differently. Not that she would have necessarily forgiven Irene, because her betrayal had cut so deep, but at least then it would have vindicated her belief that they really had been in love. It would have proved that she hadn't been crazy to believe their relationship was working right up until the moment she discovered Irene in bed with another woman. But coming as it did now, after Lisa had entered the picture, Jennie just felt like Irene was desperate to reclaim something Lisa had rightfully won. And that made her angry.