by Kylie Scott
“What? No. Of course not, babe.”
“Alright, so you don’t want to pass me on.” She paused, listening for movement behind the parked car. No sign of life. “That’s nice, and yet … God, Daniel. Do you think I’d cheat on you?”
“No. Ali, look at me,” he insisted, waiting her out till she did. No accusation, no judgment. So why was unease slicking over her skin? This was dangerous territory, but his face was calm and close. “I trust you. I’m yours, babe. No matter what, okay?”
“Okay.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” His hand cupped an ass cheek, thumb stroking the curve of her hip. Not lighting her up, but placating. “I’m just saying that the world has changed. The rules have changed. It might pay to have an open mind where this situation with the three of us is involved.”
“What are you trying to push me into now?”
He cocked his head. “My love, I would never try to push you into anything. You wound me. Relax.”
“Right.” Ali nestled back down next to him. Hiding. Maybe. A little. She was just pulling it all together in her head, what to say and how to say it, when he pre-empted her again.
“He’s attracted to you. I don’t think you see how much.”
“I get that things have changed, but…”
“But?”
She said nothing—for all of a minute. “But I’m probably the first female he’s seen in a while and his alternatives aren’t great, Dan. Sex-wise it’s down to you, me or his fists. His being attracted to me doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot.”
“Hmm.”
What the hell did he mean? Hold up. What if it wasn’t about her? “Are you attracted to him?”
“I’m very attracted to you. I’m not letting you go.” He brushed his lips over hers, reassuring, teasing. “But what, hypothetically speaking, would you think if I was attracted to him?”
The picture hit her full frontal. Finn and Daniel naked and sweaty, hands and mouths all over each other. Her heart raced. Her mind was a far filthier place than she ever suspected. “Ah, really?”
“No, hypothetical, remember. I love your inner kink. You always have this vaguely stunned expression when it rears its head and bites you on the ass. A dead giveaway,” Daniel chuckled, then groaned when the movement jarred his ribs. “Damn. But the fact is, you wouldn’t mind if I did want him.”
“I might get jealous. I don’t know. I’ve never been in that situation. Am I in that situation?”
“Again, no. But…”
“But…” Would she deal with it? Yeah, probably she would. There were no doubts in her mind that Daniel was committed to her, and yet, this conversation had a dangerous feel to it. Like the ground was shifting beneath her feet. The topic they were covering was all highly unstable. “It’s a risk, Dan.”
“Babe, you over-think everything. Our life is one God-awful risk these days.”
“True,” she sighed. “Is there a point to this bewildering conversation about who you have no interest in sleeping with? I’m a straightforward kind of girl. Just spit it out.”
“Straightforward? Yeah right,” he said, again with the laugh. “The point, my girl, is this. If you wouldn’t mind me doing it, what makes you think I would mind in the reverse-case scenario?
“Because if you wanted Finn it would possibly mean you’re after something I can’t give you, namely a real-live working penis. Maybe that’s small-minded, I don’t know. This is complicated. I wasn’t expecting…”
She cleared her throat, tried to form a straight line in her head. Maybe that was the problem—straight lines didn’t always apply. “I won’t risk losing you for a frolic. You’re too important to me. Not to mention Finn deserves better. I won’t treat him like a cheap thrill when we’re talking of building a future somehow somewhere. Sex complicates things.”
Dan nodded. “Alright, though I never said short-term. See how it goes. Be open-minded. Two men devoted to pleasing your very sweet self? Have you ever thought about that?”
Her filthy mind filled with images.
“Holy shit. We’re gonna need more Eves in this garden.” She moaned and hid her face against his side, taking comfort in the warm and familiar scent of him. Admitting to any sex fantasies did not feel smart. Nothing about this was safe. She might be in love for the first time in a long time and he was talking about adding someone else. Historically, one-on-one proved enough of a challenge to her. How could she possibly keep two men happy? The idea was ludicrous.
“Daniel … You’re so cool about this and, and I’m so not. At all. What happens if we find another woman? We turn it into a circus act and take it on the road? Sounds like you’re using the end of the world as a flimsy excuse to have an orgy every other night of the week.”
He grunted in disapproval. “I disagree, and you’re getting jealous. There’s no need. This is about you and me and possibly him. That’s all.”
“The three of us?”
“The three of us.”
“Wow.” Right. Sure. It sounded so simple. No chance for broken hearts at all. “No, Daniel. No.”
“Okay.”
Ali raised her head, mouth tense. “That easy?”
“Yep. It’s your choice. I just wanted to make sure you knew you had one.”
“Right. Well, my choice is no. Meanwhile, this is doing my head in.”
“Enough of that talk then.” Daniel nodded, satisfied. “Instead, let’s discuss why you tried to cover my eyes earlier. Because baby, if it had been a kinky sex game I would have been on board, but I’m thinking it was something else.”
“It was nothing,” she said. “You need to rest. Sleepy time.”
Daniel rubbed his jaw against the top of her head, ruffling her hair. “Nah, I’m fine and so, very much, are you. Time for round two, cowgirl. And this time, we’re going to take it nice and slow with our eyes wide open.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The criminals were back at it.
Smoke lingered in the air at first light, making Finn’s pulse spike and his brain snap to attention. Adrenalin had it over caffeine any day of the week, even after a shit night’s sleep. He jumped to his feet, circumnavigated the Datsun to find the lovebirds tangled up and sleeping. “We have a situation on our hands.”
“Finn?” Al asked in a husky voice. She blinked big gray eyes at him from where she lay wrapped up in Daniel. Her hair was all tussled, and there was a general well-fucked appeal to her.
He was nowhere near as immune to it as he would have liked. Which pissed him off.
And she wore his t-shirt, having gasped words along the lines of “God” “yes”, and “Daniel” before slipping into it.
“What’s wrong, Finn?”
His. Shirt.
“We’ve, aah…” He took a nice deep breath, focused on the essentials. Things besides what was going on beneath his shirt and inside his head. “We’ve got trouble.”
“Again.”
“Again,” Finn agreed.
She shook the big guy’s arm. “Smoke. Wake up, Daniel. They’re lighting more fires.”
“Ah, man.” Daniel rolled onto his back and stretched. He really was big. Civilian or no, taking him on hand-to-hand for her was not the best idea. Tempting as it was. Better to woo her away. “We were out of beer anyway. It’s time to move along, kids.”
Finn turned his back on the love nest to get his shit together. It also gave him a chance to get his temper back under control. Not that those two were messing around, not taking the threat seriously. The man donned his pants while Al made a dash to the spindly clothesline.
“Finn, your stuff’s dry too,” she announced.
He turned in time to catch the flash of ass as she stepped into black cotton panties. Oh yeah, the swift revelation of the long line of her back as she tugged his shirt off over her head. Breathing didn’t matter and blinking was right out. Anger slipped from his immediate reach in the face of this.
Strangely enough, once
removed, he wanted the shirt straight back on her.
Ali fished about for her bra, found it and slipped the straps up her arms. Dark blonde hair fell over her shoulders, sliding across bare skin. Porn had nothing on this.
He needed to get laid.
Pity about the chances.
“Great.” He joined her by the laundry, started dragging on his own clothes before she noticed anything was up. Not that she ever did seem to notice. Living in close quarters with strangers brought politeness to an art form.
The roar of a motorbike gunning up the street had them both jumping. He simply hid it better.
“Fuckers,” the big guy muttered, bending over the sink to drink from the tap.
“Yep,” said Finn.
“So.” Dan clapped his hands together, rubbed. “Who’s up for playing another round of hide and seek?”
Hours later, summer showers had messed with the bonfire tactics. Unfortunately, the vigilant bastards patrolled the streets, making it hard to move far or fast.
The noise of the motorbikes kept the infected stirred up. They’d shamble out looking for action, and the bastards provided it. Whittling down the zombie population of the surrounding area kept the bastards distracted at least. Important to note, petrol was plentiful, but their ammo had to be running low the way they went for maximum effect.
Al, Dan and Finn managed to waste the morning skulking four blocks through the ongoing drizzle. A patrol had them seeking cover inside a rusted garden shed. They rested amongst the garden tools and towers of empty plastic pots. The place smelt of damp earth and fertilizer.
Dan shut his eyes, legs spread out in front of him, and his back to one rickety wall. There was nothing from him for a long time, care of the painkillers Al had all but stuffed down his throat. The man obviously needed the sleep after his busy night and war wounds.
Yes indeed. A very fucking busy night.
Behind them lay the river and before them suburbia soon petered out. Acres of sparse bushland and the occasional farm or homestead ahead. Acres of next to no cover with few roads, even if they could bypass the bastards. Options dwindled.
It didn’t help his pissy mood. Close to being cornered. Dan injured. Still no sign of winning the woman. And the woman had been suspiciously quiet all day. Al rarely met his eyes. He had no idea what was going on, nor did they have time for it, given the situation.
“Al?” He turned his head sufficiently to put her in his line of vision. The pistol Dan had put in her hands the day before sat close by. A higher caliber than he would have preferred, but then again, a .22 wasn’t going to get the job done. “Come over here and bring your gun.”
She blinked. “Why?”
“Because you aren’t as proficient with it as you should be. You need to practice.” He crooked a finger and beckoned. “Come on.”
There followed a wary glance, but she did as directed. Al shuffled over on her knees, weapon in hand. No mind at all to where it pointed. Finn caught her wrist in one hand. Her smooth skin and fine bones felt perfect in his grip. Images of her restrained for their mutual pleasure flooded his mind. It took him a moment to remember the gun. “The safety had better be on. Turn around. I need to be behind you.”
“Sorry.”
Once she faced the wall, he knelt behind her, put his arms around her and covered her hands with his own. Knowing it was bound to unnerve her. Knowing part of this was just a good excuse to rub up against her.
Pitiful, but true.
The whites of her eyes flashed as she glanced at him over her shoulder. Her ponytail brushed against his face. It could have been his imagination, but she seemed to smell of laundry soap and sex, the most bizarre combination ever. It shouldn’t have worked but, of course, it did. She had his dick’s total and immediate attention, proving he could wear his hand out all he wanted. Wouldn’t help.
“Relax.” He lifted one of her hands off the butt of the pistol, checked the safety was on, then released the clip and set it aside. Tasks he could do in his sleep, perfect for keeping his mind occupied no matter how good she smelt. He couldn’t stop breathing her in. It was all about sex, or the lack thereof, not her in particular. An important fact to remember.
“Okay, keep both hands on the gun. Grip it like you’re holding a bird. Firmly enough that it’s not going to get away from you, loose enough that you’re not going to hurt it.”
“Alright.” The frown line above her nose deepened. Her slender fingers realigned beneath his. “Like this?”
“That’s good.” Finn held his hands up, made the peace sign then stuck a finger in the middle. “This is what you’re after, line up your front sight center between the two at the back. Raise the muzzle. You’re pointing low.”
Al adjusted her aim.
Finn brushed aside a piece of her hair tickling his nose, tucked it behind her ear. He resisted the urge to rub it between his fingers, to feel it and sniff it. Yet his hand lingered. He breathed in deep. Again. Finding words got hard. “Good, good. Don’t forget to breathe.”
She nodded, her face the picture of concentration.
“Pull the trigger nice and slow. Squeeze it. The gun,” he said, more for his benefit than hers.
Sex and soap.
Daniel slept on in the corner. Or appeared to. His eyes were shut, shoulders rising and dropping with deep, even breaths.
Finn felt no guilt. Refused to.
“Go on, Al. Do it,” he urged and she nodded hesitantly.
Her finger tightened. So did her shoulders, her arms, her everything. By the time the gun clicked, her aim was, once more, shot to shit. She had held her breath throughout the entire process. “Okay?”
“No. You’re too tense. That’s why you jerk the gun up when you fire and your shot gets wasted.”
“I hit someone yesterday.”
“You got lucky. Not something we can depend on. Go again. Relax. Breathe this time.” He leant in close to the rim of her ear. She shivered, frowned, but whether over his proximity or the gun, he couldn’t tell. Didn’t want to know. It was nice to let his mind run wild. “Let your breath out slowly as you squeeze the trigger, okay? Don’t get all wound up over it going off. You know it’s going to happen, so let it. Relax, Al. Let it surprise you.”
She nodded, lined herself up and dry fired. Little changed the second time round.
“Again.”
The third time she marginally improved.
“A little better. Keep going,” Finn said.
“Maybe … if you weren’t hovering.”
“Al, this is the least stressful situation you’re going to find yourself in when it comes to firing a weapon. Concentrate on what you’re doing. I need to be behind you. Deal with it.” Finn placed his hands on her shoulders. She flinched. “Easy. They’re there to remind you not to tense up. Go again.”
She scowled and fired.
He didn’t move his hands an inch. “You rushed it. Again.”
One pained expression later, she did so. Being told what to do clearly wasn’t her forte. Maybe she just needed to learn about the benefits it could bring. He’d certainly love to teach her.
“Much better. You’re focusing now. Maybe you don’t mind me hovering after all,” he said, and she snorted, lined her sights up on her imaginary target once more. “That’s it.”
She nodded and the side of her mouth lifted. Then she relaxed the hair’s breadth left between her ass and his dick, shoving against the front of his jeans. She stilled instantly. “Finn?”
“It’s a predictable reaction, Al. Ignore it.”
“But…”
“Go again.” He squeezed her shoulder, returning her focus to the task at hand. “Concentrate on what you’re doing.”
Her chin jerked, and she breathed nice and slow in a deliberate, steady motion. And fired.
He would have felt proud if he could feel anything beyond the light press of her ass against his crotch. Direct contact couldn’t have been better. “Good. You’re getting the ha
ng of it. Keep going.”
“I held steady that time.” The edge of her mouth tensed, muscles moving, and she glanced back over her shoulder. “Are you sure we don’t need to talk about this?”
He turned her further with gentle pressure on her shoulders and waited. Watched her watch him until she had some iota, some notion as to his thoughts.
The way her face heated up satisfied him as nothing else could. “Are you offering to help me with this, Al?”
Her lashes fluttered—a nervous reaction. “You know I’m with him.”
“Then we’re not discussing it. We’re doing necessary target practice so you have the required skills to help you stay alive. Understood?” In the end, he was the one who moved away. It was simpler.
For now.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you,” she said. Because she didn’t understand a single thing. She turned on her knees to face him, and her gaze shifted to where Daniel lay in the corner, apparently oblivious.
It took everything in him not to grab her, make her look at him. He shoved his hands in his pockets for safety’s sake.
“I’m not hurt. I’m horny,” he explained. Maybe the tone edged toward patronizing, but bad luck. “Two different things.”
“I’m aware of that.” She gave a frustrated growl. He did his best to ignore it. Him and his dick both. “Why are you trying to piss me off? Why can’t we just have this conversation and clear the air?”
“Because, Al. We. Are. Not. Fucking. Understand?” He resisted the urge to shove a hand through his hair. Or hers. “Nothing is going on between us. Therefore, we don’t need to have these kinds of discussions.”
She stared at him, her brow channeled and lips tight.
“Okay? Can we just let it go for now, please?” He waited.
“Alright.” Her gaze dropped to his groin, danced off him and plummeted to the ground. There it steadfastly remained. “Thanks for the practice.”
“It needs to be a regular thing.”
“Sure.” Al turned away, concentrated on a huntsman spider making steady progress up the wall. She shook her head like she was shaking off an errant thought. “There are going to be other females out there, Finn.”