Free A Shock to Your System (Dangerous Creatures #2) by Mandy Rosko

and just flat-out
stared at the man.
    Even sitting up against so many pillows,
bandages wrapped around him, he was perfect. He looked like a
warrior with those white bandages on him, a contrast to his tanned
skin and dark hair and eyes.
    Hell, he kind of was a warrior. The man
hunted down and brought in people who had dangerous powers. Ethan
claimed only to do it to the people who deserved it, and whether
Jamie believed it or not, Ethan still had some major balls to make
this his profession.
    That knowledge made his body look all the
more tempting. Every dip and swell of his large muscles was just
out and there for Jamie’s admiration, and he admired those muscles
an awful lot.
    There was something wrong with him, there
really was.
    “ I’ll do the same,” Ethan
said, muttering under his breath.
    Jamie blinked, coming out of his trance.
“What?”
    Ethan barely glanced at him. “I said I’ll do
the same. I'll make sure you don't get taken either. I know I'm
repeating myself, but I just want to make sure you believe it."
    Jamie’s face became molten hot, like lava
hot, and he took a drink from his can of soda just to cool off.
    “ That’s great,
thanks.”
    That’s great?
Thanks? That was
what Jamie decided to say?
    He was so sentimental and stupid. Why did he
have to say that? Would it have even mattered if he’d said
something else? Ethan had said there was nothing between them, so
it wasn’t like he was saying that out of love or something.
    Whatever, Jamie was just going to count his
lucky stars that Ethan had decided to let him go when this was all
done with anyway, and that was going to be that. Cindy was safe,
Ethan was alive, and soon enough Jamie would be free to go on his
merry way. He could probably go right now if he wanted to. That was
awesome.
    So why the hell wasn't he happy?
    He looked over at Ethan on the bed, who
still had such a presence even when injured. Ethan was starting to
look better already. Pretty good actually, considering his injuries
were fresh from that morning. There was color back in his face at
least, and he didn't seem quite so tired. He'd even declined help
from Jamie when he got up to use the bathroom, though he still
limped. While he'd been in there he washed his face and cleaned his
short brown hair and trim beard of the dry mud in the sink. He
hadn't showered because of his injuries, but he'd still come out
cleaner than when he'd went in. He'd made a comment about how at
least now his hands were clean before reaching for the last of his
pizza. He had a healthy appetite, that was for sure.
    Jamie might be out of here even sooner than
he thought.
    Out of here and away from Ethan. Far, far
away. Never to see him again.
    He needed to not be thinking about this. Or
looking at Ethan’s mouth. There had already been enough of looking
at his mouth.
    "We should think of the story you're going
to tell when we part ways," Jamie said.
    Ethan stopped chewing his food, swallowed,
and then spoke. "You want to do that right now?"
    "I guess so, since we don't know when we're
going to have to separate." A sucker punch got him in the throat
just for saying that.
    "That makes sense," Ethan said. Why was he
being so matter-of-fact about it? The guy could at least pretend
that it bothered him a little.
    "So, I guess because of your injuries, you
should just say that I left you behind in the net after we shot
each other, and that was when Allison came across you. She attacked
you, you passed out, and that was the end of that."
    "That's a good idea. If I'm unconscious, and
if she's caught later on and mentions that you came back, I can't
exactly be questioned about that."
    "Really?"
    "Well, I can be questioned, and they might
even suspect something when it gets out that we were together for a
little bit, but otherwise I doubt there's anything they can
do."
    "Oh, great," Jamie said.
    Ethan nodded. "Right. It’ll be hard
explaining who bandaged me up, but I’ll think of something.”
    Fuck. Jamie