Page 44 of Don't Bite the Botanist
Unfortunately, Tressa failed to see the humor.
The pleased expression that lit up her face when he said he loved it dropped faster than his erection near a woodchipper. And he would know because he’d been using that image to keep from being hard as a rock anytime Tressa was near him.
“I was just kidding,” he said, stepping closer and taking her chin in his hand. “I know you’re not one of those mindless killing machines.”
Her eyes dropped, and he felt like a total dick for whatever he’d done to upset her. It killed him to know he was in some way responsible for the downshift in her mood when he only ever wanted to make her smile.
“Ethan, I…” She picked at her cuticles, refusing to look up at him.
“What is it?” he asked, rubbing his thumb along her cheek and trying to ignore the small jolt that always seemed to echo through him when he touched her skin. “What’s wrong?”
He racked his brain in an attempt to figure out what he’d said that made her look like the sky just opened up and started pouring rain. Was it the vampire joke? Did she actually think he believed her to belike one of those creatures for even a second?
She didn’t answer him, but her warm brown eyes searched his, looking for… something.
“Hey,” he said. “You can tell me anything. I hope you trust me when I say that even though we haven’t known each other for very long, I still care about you.” He huffed out a laugh. “Probably more than I should.”
She raised an eyebrow at that, and while it wasn’t a smile, it was progress.
“Seriously, Tressa,” he said, brushing his thumb over the corner of her mouth as if he was physically trying to coax a smile. “If I said something dumb, please let me know. Otherwise, I’ll probably say it again. And knowing me I’ll do it often and in public.”
Her lip twitched.
Come on,he thought.Let me see that smile.
“It’s nothing,” she replied. “I’m just being weird. Ignore me.”
His hand slid around to the back of her neck in a gesture that felt far too comfortable for his liking, and his voice dropped lower. “Tressa, I don’t think that’s ever going to be possible.”
She finally smiled up at him then, a full proper smile, and the shady forest no longer seemed so gray. It was like a damned ray of sunshine, that smile, and if he wasn’t careful, it just might be the thing that broke him.
He took a deep inhale of the clean, woodsy air and let out a small shudder of pleasure, his shoulders fully relaxing for the first time since the attack. “Come on,” he said, prying his hands away from her soft skin. “Let’s go running. Maybe I’ll even go slow so you can keep up.”
Her laughter echoed through the forest, and he couldn’t decide which was more intoxicating, that or her smile. Either was likely to bring him to his knees.
“Whatever you say, Dr. Rose.” She dashed off down the trail, and despite the ridiculous nickname, he couldn’t help but chuckle when she shouted back, “How about we see ifyoucan keep up withme.”
Oh, he could keep up. He might have lost some muscle mass, but working out constantly over the past week combined with a lifetime of running meant he was still damn fast. And when he caught her, he’d make sure he put an end to that nickname.
Grinning, he took off down the path after Tressa.
Damn,he thought, watching her race away from him, her tight ass on full display.Maybe I shouldn’t run too fast after all.
Chapter twenty-five
Tressa
“Come on, slowpoke,” Tressa called behind her as she emerged from the tree line an hour later. She shouldn’t tease him about being slow when it really wasn’t his fault. Not even the fastest human sprinter could keep pace with her, and Ethan was still recovering. She just couldn’t help it, though. He always looked so flabbergasted when she messed with him. Like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to laugh and be silly for once.
Huffing and puffing, Ethan came up beside Tressa and laid a hand on the hood of her car. Well, technically it was Saiden’s car since she “borrowed” his McLaren, but she thought Ethan might enjoy the sweet ride. Sadly, he’d shown more interest in that fancy flower than the two-hundred-thousand-dollar vehicle most guys would fawn over. Just another reminder that her mate wasn’t like most men.
After a few minutes of Ethan wheezing like the post-coma patient that he was, his eyes finally rolled up to meet hers. “How…”
“Yes, Ethan?” she asked, waiting for him to catch his breath a little more.
“How the…”
“Finish your sentence.”
