Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
Ethan
“Croissant?”
Ethan whipped his head around and nearly stumbled on the treadmill.
He slammed his hand down on the emergency stop and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off his face.
He ignored the blinking numbers reminding him how out of shape he still was and instead focused on the gorgeous creature holding out a plate of those delicious breakfast pastries.
“Um, I’m good,” he forced out. More than anything he wanted to hop off the damn treadmill and enjoy a buttery croissant with Tressa, but every time they started chatting, he lost hours of his life.
Over the past week, they’d spent more and more time just lounging on the back patio at night or reading books together in the library.
It felt right, being near her. Like that was where he belonged.
And maybe someday he could give in, but he couldn’t ignore the painstakingly slow progress of his recovery.
Sure, Saiden had said the very fact that he was in the gym pushing himself daily was more than most coma patients could hope to achieve in such a short time, but it still didn’t feel like enough.
Any day, Tressa’s cousin might locate that vamp, and he needed to be ready.
“Come on,” Tressa said, waving the plate under his nose. “They’re freshly baked. And you can’t deny that you need fuel. What is it people say, flowers can’t grow without fertilizer?”
“Pretty sure that’s not a common saying.”
Tressa rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Doesn’t make it any less true. Seriously, Ethan, you know you want to take a break.”
He grit his teeth and shook his head. “I need to get more run time in.”
Tressa sighed and set the plate off to the side. “Ethan, you’re pushing yourself too hard. Can you even say you enjoy this?” She tapped a finger on the treadmill.
“Not really,” he admitted reluctantly, swiping his towel over the back of his neck. “Even before the attack, I hated running in a stuffy gym. But I need to get my strength back up, Tressa. I need to.”
She eyed him carefully, and he could practically see the gears turning in her brain. “Was there anything you used to do that you did actually enjoy? To work out, I mean.”
“I do usually love running,” he said, taking a swig from his water bottle.
“Just not indoors. I used to hit my favorite trails whenever I had the time to get out of the city, but my latest project had me stuck in the lab pretty late most nights. I’ve had to make do with the equipment at my 24-hour gym.
Still, there’s something incredibly peaceful about running in nature.
Connecting with the plants and trees. No matter what I was struggling with in the lab, a good jog through the forest always put me in a better mood. ”
Tressa’s eyes lit up like someone flipped a switch on the side of her head. “That’s perfect!” she exclaimed.
He cocked his head. “Perfect how? I know your compound is big, Tressa, but I don’t think you have a ten-mile trail out back.” He paused, considering the extravagance of the garden and the sheer amount of money this operation clearly had. “Unless you do. Does this property really go back that far?”
Tressa chuckled softly. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, yeah it goes on for miles, but that’s just the privacy buffer for the outside world. Though, we could put in a trail if you want…”
Ethan blinked. Tressa was talking like he was going to be around for a while, but he’d just assumed once the vamp was dead, he would be on his way.
Hopefully with some clippings of the Middlemist Red Camellia, but on his way nonetheless.
He needed to get another job and continue his research.
Or look into opening up a new lab. He couldn’t play vampire hunter forever.
Fuck.
He’d been so fixated on revenge, he hadn’t thought about the details of after.
He couldn’t ask Tressa to leave this life behind and return with him to San Jose.
Hell, would he even still be working in San Jose?
If he stuck with VieTek, they would have to send him to a different lab, one that hadn’t been reduced to rubble. Her life was here, and his was… not.
Something about that thought made it feel like the protein bar he had for breakfast was attempting a coup in his stomach.
“Ethan?”
Returning his attention to Tressa, he realized he missed whatever she’d just said.
“I’m sorry. What was that?”
“I said I know the perfect place to take you running. I’ve been there many times myself, and I think you’ll enjoy it. What do you say? Want to jailbreak this compound?”
Ethan frowned for a second, then relaxed. There was no reason he couldn’t leave. If Baylin found the rogue while he was out with Tressa, that was what cell phones were for.
“Sure,” he said with a grin. “I’m in.”
Maybe it was time for him to stop and smell the roses. If he was being honest, he could use a little fresh air and a break from the monotony of work out, eat, repeat. Besides, he was technically still training if they went out for a run. It wasn’t like they were going on a date or anything.