“No, it’s not.” Nothing was evencloseto being settled.
She talked while she dressed. “I’m not leaving, Adrian.”
“Yes. You are.”
Buttoning her jeans, she zipped them with a narrowed gaze. “No. I’m not.”
He shot out of bed and started putting on his own clothes. “After everything that’s happened, why the hell would you want to stay?”
“I want to staybecauseof what happened to me.”
“Okay, now you’re not making any sense.”
“I’m making perfect sense. You’re just not listening.” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Look, I get that you’re worried, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. More than you’ll ever know.”
“But?” Because there was definitely a huge fucking but coming.
Three, two…
“ButI’m the one who was drugged.I’mthe one who almost disappeared.” Her voice cracked and damn if those weren’t tears forming in her eyes.
Adrian could handle just about anything. But seeing this woman cry damn near brought him to his knees.
Thankfully, Jenna swiped them away before they could fall. “Marie told me one of the two nurses who went missing had been found, which is great. But the other one…she just vanished, Adrian. According to what little Marie and the other nurses know, the police have no leads, and she had no husband or kids. They made it sound like no one’s even looking for her, anymore.”
“Okay, so I’ll talk to Gabe. I’m sure Bravo Team can track down the people who took her. Either that, or they’ll know someone else who can.”
“You’re missing the point.” Jenna took a step toward him. “I’m just like her, Adrian. A single woman with no family. No one at home to miss me if I’m not there.” Her eyes glistened again, and this time when she blinked, a single tear streaked down over her cheek. “That could’ve been me.”
“Like hell.” He covered the short distance separating them. With his hands on her shoulders, he forced her to look at him. “You’re not like that other nurse, Jenna. You have people who care. Who’d miss you like crazy if you were gone.”
She was shaking her head before he’d even finished. “Gabe and Ellena don’t count—”
“What about me?” he bit out. “Do I count?”
She searched his eyes, for what he wasn’t sure. Rather than answer his question, she asked him one of her own. One that knocked him on his ass.
“Do you want to count?”
Do I want to…
“Yeah, baby.” He swallowed. “I want to count.”
In every way possible.
Despite his words, Adrian could still see a sliver of doubt still swimming around in those gorgeous eyes of hers. He needed to set that shit straight right the hell now.
“I’ve never been in love,” he admitted quietly. “So I don’t know if that’s what this is. But what I do know is you make me feel things. Things I’ve never felt before.”
“Adrian?”
“You make me want to be a better man, Jenna.” He framed her face with both hands. “You make me want to be a betterperson. So yeah, when it comes to you, I want to fucking count. And baby, I promise if you went missing, I’d move heaven and earth to find you.”
He took her mouth in his. He couldtastethe salt of her tears. And as their lips and tongues moved together in perfect harmony, Adrian put all his energy into showing her how he felt with that one, powerful kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, Jenna was breathing hard—and blinking away more tears. When another escaped, he caught it with his thumb and gently swept it away.
“I feel the same way about you, Adrian.” She whispered softly. “Except…”