“No buts,” he insisted, crossing his arms. “I’m not sharing.”
Tressa scrubbed her face and let out an agonized moan. “Let me get this straight. You won’t take the time to heal so you can actually fight the rogue, and you won’t share your research that might help us figure out a motive. What are you planning to contribute to this mission, Ethan?”
He grabbed his glasses off the table and pretended to clean them while he considered her question. When he felt confident there was only one realistic answer, he slid them back onto his face and stared at her for a long moment.
“Passion,” he declared.
Tressa met his gaze, and her eyes widened, a flash of heat in their depths. “Passion?” Her voice came out barely more than a squeak.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m passionate about killing this vampire.”
Tressa blinked, then sat back in the chair, her shoulders drooping slightly. “Oh, right. Of course. Vampire killing.”
“What else did you think I meant?”
“N-nothing,” she stammered, her deep bronze skin turning a pretty shade of copper from what could only be a blush. “I just… It doesn’t matter. If I can’t change your mind, I guess I’ll see you in the morning, then. It’ll take about five hours to get to the compound in eastern California.”
He settled back onto his bed and studied the captivating woman in front of him. The way her eyes glowed when he’d said “passion” intrigued him. And that blush…
Keep it in your pants, Ambrose, he scolded himself.You need to kill the vampire first. Then you can think about planting your zucchini in her secret garden.
If she was even interested. For all he knew, this strange connection he felt might only be one-sided and her uneasiness simply came from him seeing through her facade.
He kept his mouth shut, and Tressa must have seen the resolve on his face because she gave him a small nod and stood up.
“Get some rest, Ethan,” she said, pushing the door open. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
And then she was gone in a swirl of shiny black hair and a curious bubble gum scent.
Inhaling deeply to catch the last lingering traces of her perfume, he felt his dick hardening. Groaning slightly, he slid back down in the bed and pressed a hand firmly to his groin, as if he could will his soldier to stand down.
Mission first, he reminded himself.Keep your focus on what matters.
Chapter eleven
Tressa
Strolling down the hall outside Ethan’s room, Tressa’s thoughts swirled with her latest encounter. She hadn’t wanted to leave him, but it was clearly written on his face that pushing him would get her nowhere. And if she stayed, she wouldn’t be able to help it. He was her mate, and he was injured. Every instinct she had inside her screamed to keep him wrapped up in a healing cocoon of safety.
No part of her was surprised that Ethan refused to stay in the hospital, but she had to give it her best effort. She would just need to keep a really close eye on him to watch for any post-coma issues. The last thing she wanted was for her mate to die before she could convince him to turn.
Tressa had seen what that did to Raven—losing a mate—and now that she found Ethan, she was committed to keeping him alive. Even if he was a little stubborn and pigheaded. It drove her insane how someone who based his life on science and logic could even consider something as crazy as taking on a vampire after months in a coma. He might not know it, but he needed her in his life, if for nothing other than to give him something else to focus on. It wouldn’t do him anygood to lose himself to revenge. Maybe if she opened up to him about her own experience with that…
Tressa was so far down the rabbit hole of envisioning her future conversations with Ethan that she missed the nurse walking in her direction and bumped into the familiar middle-aged woman.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, placing out a hand to steady her.
“It’s fine,” the older woman said politely, her voice sounding a bit different than before. “It was completely my fault for not paying attention. I apologize.”
Odd, Tressa thought, surprised at not only the hint of an accent she’d missed previously, but also the formerly-harsh nurse’s extreme shift in attitude from their earlier interactions.
Maybe all the bitterness was just exhaustion leaking through. It had to take a toll, being so overworked all the time for crappy pay and no respect. Tressa didn’t like to use her vampire powers for frivolous reasons, but if the woman had somehow found a little extra kindness and cheer, she deserved to keep it. Especially if she had a long shift ahead. Tressa’s Gift was essentially limited to calming and relaxing, but compulsion could work. She could make sure the nurse held onto to her happiness throughout the evening.
“Hey,” she said, gently grabbing the woman’s arm before she could walk away. Tressa locked eyes with the nurse and waited for the mind link to settle into place.
And waited.
And waited.
