Page 18 of Shielding Instinct

Wasn’t that surreal?

She didn’t feel strange. She felt so normal for all this to be happening. Was this the effect of adrenaline? Yeah, that could be what was going on, adrenaline masking.

The attendant had Petra go through the same tests Hawkeye had—face and grip were tested for asymmetry.

Petra asked when that all checked out, “Well, that’s a good sign, right?”

The doctor answered with, “This is your husband?”

“Fiancé.” Petra reached for his hand again. “He can stay with me if he’s my fiancé, right?”

Hawkeye had fixed his gaze on her, staring right into her wonky, crazy eyes, and said, “I’m not leaving you, sweetheart.”

The nurse paused while she watched her machine readouts. “It would be good if he stays and holds your hand.”

“Yes, please.” Petra turned to Hawkeye. “Is that possible?”

The nurse tapped the machine. “Whenever he lets go of you, your heart rate spikes.”

Petra looked up to catch Hawkeye’s gaze. “Please don’t let go,” she whispered.

“I won’t. I would never. I’ll hold on to you as long as you want me to.”

Did Petra just make that up? It sounded so sincere, and there was nothing sarcastic about the way he looked at her. Maybe he was play-acting for the medical staff?

In her mind, this seemed like some kind of crazy twist in a rom-com.

No, the hunky hero’s hand didn’t change her blood pressure, her heart rate—whatever.

This was a dream.

And if it was a dream, it was a stupid dream to have.

After the nurse left, Hawkeye twisted around and planted his thigh on the bed so she didn’t have to strain to see him. “Fiancé?” he asked.

“I just met you a couple hours ago. I thought rushing to the altar and calling you my husband was a little too…” She shifted her head back and forth. “Anyway, if youweremy husband, you’d have my insurance information. You’d also be my next of kin to pull the plugs if this stroke thing gets out of hand.”

That unsettled him. Angst clouded his gaze. But he seemed to wrestle it down. “I’d never pull the plug on a woman I just met. Besides, Cooper is too enamored of you, and I’m just not up to that conversation with him. But yes, the husband thing would be hard to pull off without rings. Even as your fiancé, they might think it’s odd that I don’t know your last name.”

“Armstong. No ring. You’re not married?”

“I’m not involved with anyone right now. I’m Hawkeye Kesse.”

“Kesse. Like kiss.”

He raised a brow.

“I’m feeling a bit vulnerable, Hawkeye Kesse, and it’s awkward to depend on the kindness of strangers.” She gave him a weak smile. “You can go if you want. You’ve already done so much for me. It was nice of you to do all the things you have. And, of course, it was also nice that you didn’t get scared off by my possibilities.”

He lifted a single brow. “Possibilities?”

“I could be an alien.” She flicked a finger toward her left eye. “My mask might be slipping.”

“Some kind of lizard person with fixed and dilated pupils?”

“Exactly. But you should know, we don’t use them for seeing – not like you humans do. I can absorb particles and analyze them in real-time.”

He squinted. “Particles of what exactly?”

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