Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Tressa
Yes, Tressa cheered internally. She was finally getting Ethan out on a date.
Okay, so they were only going for a run, but if she had her way, they wouldn’t be stopping there. Hitting the trail was just the perfect start to her plan. She had built an entire day for them together, all designed to put him in the best mood possible before she broke the news about her V-card.
Giving him an “I’ll be right back,” she blurred down the hall to her room and threw on a pink sports bra and black spandex shorts.
Was it shameless? Maybe. But she didn’t need shame.
She needed to show her mate what he was missing out on by trying to be honorable.
And if a little light seduction put him in the mood to ignore the teensie weensie lies she’d told him, all the better.
“That was fast,” Ethan remarked when she ran back into the gym a few minutes later. “You know you can…”
His words died with a choking sound when he turned around, and his eyes went damn near cartoon levels of wide.
She suppressed the massive grin that tugged at the corners of her lips, aiming instead for a casual saunter over to the bench where he was sitting.
“What was that, Ethan?” she asked as she crouched down right in front of him to secure the laces on her shoes that were more than tight enough already.
Holding the position that left her head inches from his groin, she glanced up at him through her eyelashes. “You were saying I can do something?”
She couldn’t resist. She licked her lips and blinked innocently before sparing a brief glance at his crotch.
“Um, you can, uh…” he sputtered.
She grinned when the bulge in his pants grew before her very eyes. “Finish that thought, Ethan,” she purred. “Tell me what I can do.”
Okay, at this point she was just tormenting him, but that didn’t mean she was going to stop.
Unless she started making him uncomfortable.
She would never cross that line with anyone, let alone her own mate.
But until he said or indicated otherwise, she couldn’t help but play with him just a bit.
Watching his jaw clench as he stared down at her with a look that could only be described as “molten” was simply too much fun.
It was at least another sixty seconds before she saw the switch in his brain flick back on, and he scooted off the side of the bench to stand up, not so subtly adjusting himself in the process.
“Uh, sorry. I was just noticing your running outfit. Looks like quality fabric.”
That was what he was going with?
Poor boy, Tressa thought. She probably should stop messing with him.
It really wasn’t fair given he didn’t know the truth about her.
She had no plans to go all the way with him until after he knew what she was, so she was basically just being a tease.
Yeah, she should definitely stop messing with him.
Later.
She would stop messing with him later. Just because she wasn’t going to go all the way with him didn’t mean she couldn’t go some of the way. There were a lot of very fun rest stops on the road to Pleasure Town.
“Oh, it’s definitely quality fabric,” she said as she climbed to her feet. “So velvety,” she added, running a hand over her breasts.
She glanced at Ethan and saw him swallow roughly, his eyes locked on her chest.
This is almost too easy.
“Do you want to touch it?” she asked him, dropping her voice an octave.
Ethan took a step forward, his hands twitching at his sides.
Just give in.
“What do you think, Ethan?” she asked seductively. “Do you want to feel how soft I am right now?”
Human ears might not have heard the tiny whimper that escaped her mate, but Tressa definitely caught it.
Oh yeah, I’ve got him now.
Ethan lifted his hands and…
…shoved them in his pockets. “I’ll take your word for it,” he choked out.
Damn.
Why did her mate have to be the only male in existence with willpower?
Ethan cleared his throat and strolled across the room to grab his water bottle. “Um, anyway, I was just going to say earlier that you can save the running for the trail. You know, don’t tire yourself out too soon.”
Oh, he had no idea.
“I guess I’m just excited to get out,” she said. “I don’t usually hang around the compound for long periods of time. I tend to be on the road a lot. You know, life of a vampire hunter and all. Gotta go where the action is.”
A flash of something like disappointment flickered over Ethan’s face, but it vanished quickly as he said, “In that case, let’s head out.”
“Sounds good,” she chirped, then made for the door.
Pausing at the threshold, she tossed him a wicked grin over her shoulder.
“Oh, and just so you know, I don’t tire easily.
You might even say I can go all night.” When he made that painful choking noise again, she laughed.
“Running, I meant.” She winked at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
She left him standing there flustered in the gym and headed for the garage, confident he would follow once he regained his senses. If he thought that teasing was bad, he had no idea how far she was willing to go.
Game on, Ethan.