THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

we’re going to curb the behavior of those rogues, Ainsley is our only hope. You and I, we’re veterans of this war, Eli. We’ve taken lives.”
    Eli’s hands clenched at his sides. “We’ve stopped ruthless killers!”
    “Granted. But don’t you see their faces in your dreams, Eli? Don’t you see the humanity in them in those last moments before the spark of life leaves them? In the end, they are but men who lacked the strength to cling to their own humanity in the face of this mutation.”
    “What I see in my nightmares is that sonofabitch who slaughtered half my team in Afghanistan.”
    Delano lifted an eyebrow. “So you don’t suffer any pangs in those hours when everyone else is asleep?”
    “Shit, Delano.”
    “Would you have Ainsley carry the same weight? Wrestle the same demons in her sleep?”
    Eli closed his eyes and sighed. “Have I mentioned how much I hate it when you pull this sensei crap?”
    “A time or two.”
    Eli took a deep breath and expelled it. “Okay, fuck it. Forget about this vaccine thing. We can hunt them down and kill them, one at a time.”
    Delano rubbed a hand across his forehead. “We could. But as long as there are vulnerable populations, there will always be another predator to take the place of the ones we slay. We have to make that … lifestyle … untenable. Which brings us back to Ainsley’s blood.”
    Eli looked away. “I don’t like it, Del. She should have the chance to choose for herself.”
    Del? Ainsley must be rubbing off. “And what if she chooses to withhold her genetic gift?”
    Eli swore.
    Delano pressed his advantage. “Our security is top notch. You made sure of it personally. Janecek is not going to get to her. All we need to do is make sure she keeps her distance from me, and all will be well.”
    Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Whachu mean we, white man?”
    Delano smiled as though his insides weren’t being eaten by corrosive acid.
    “She’s bored, Eli. And she’s lonely. She’s cut off from everything she used to know. Her whole world was literally turned upside down in the wake of Webber’s attack. And now she’s stuck here, in a strange city, virtually under lock and key, seeing no one but her bodyguard, her clients at the clinic, and us.”
    “Us. There’s that plural thing again.”
    “You’re heterosexual and unattached.”
    “Last time I checked.”
    “And you want to keep Ainsley safe, don’t you? You want me to unlock the secrets of her blood—”
    “Whoa.” Eli threw up a hand in the universal stop signal. “I think you’d better quit right there, before I leap to the completely laughable conclusion that you’re asking me to sleep with Nurse Crawford.”
    “Eli—”
    “Jesus, you’re serious! You want me to seduce her.”
    Delano’s nails dug into his palms. “I want you to pay attention to her. I want you to entertain her, keep her preoccupied.”
    “And what exactly are you suggesting I do to entertain her? Huh? ’Cuz somehow I don’t think you had a friendly game of Chinese checkers in mind.”
    “It would seem that she needs male attention.” Delano managed to keep his voice calm and controlled, a major accomplishment in the circumstances. “Just give her some attention.”
    Delano’s reasonable tone seemed to anger Eli even more. “I see. So, what did you have in mind? A little flirting? Maybe some petting on the couch? More?”
    Delano sighed.
    “And how should I open with her? Verbal or non-verbal? I mean, I could just come out and say, ‘I think you’re hot, let’s go, baby.’”
    “Eli—”
    “You’re right. That rarely works. At least not with a woman like Ainsley. It’d have to be way more subtle. Let’s see … maybe I should start by crowding her in the kitchen or when we pass in the hallways. You know, get a little too close. Just enough to make her take notice. Then maybe I could comment on her hair. She does have great hair, don’t you think?”
    “I really don’t—”
    “After that, I could graduate to brushing up against her, all accidentally-on-purpose-like. An elbow to a breast in that tiny kitchen, followed by a quick apology. Then, while we’re sitting on the couch watching TV, maybe I could let my leg relax against hers.”
    “I’m not terribly—”
    “Oh, here’s a thought — a collision! Yeah, I like that. The corner where the hall comes out to the living room would be perfect. I could kind of catch her and steady her, but not before making sure she got