Zombie Queen

by Mary Martel

  I appreciate the attempt to preserve what little modesty I have left, but I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. With the toothpaste still in my hand, it’s easy enough to peg him right in the gut with it. The sharp intake of his breath says I hit my mark, and I’m picking up another, aiming lower this time when he finally takes the hint.

  “Hell’s bells, woman. You’re as crazy as they come, aren’t ya?” he teases before quickly tucking tail and running, toothpaste missing him by inches.

  Groaning, I rest my head back against the floor, and Dex asks, “Are you hurt?”

  “More than my pride?” I retort.

  He lets out a small puff of amusement and I decide I might as well go for broke, calling out to Graham, “Hey, Doc. I think I’m going to need some extra help.”

  There’s a good chance he’s been standing there the whole time because his head pops around the corner just as I finish my sentence.

  “We weren’t doing anything,” Dex tells him defensively.

  Not going to lie, that’s pretty much the second time he’s felt the need to admit that in the past couple of minutes, and it stings some.

  When he catches my glare, he tries to recover, “Not that I don’t want to or anything. I left and came back to ask you if you wanted me to start your clothes. Then I heard you scream. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  His sputtering makes him endearing, and I feel kind of bad considering I’ve caused this whole situation. Not only could he have gotten hurt, but now his hoodie and pants are drenched. Maybe I shouldn’t feel too bad, though, because he did get an eyeful. As did Noble and Kemp. That thought drags a deep sigh from my throat.

  Graham comes to the rescue. “Can you stand?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I’ll need help up, though.”

  “Hang on just a sec,” Dex tells us, standing and carefully walking out.

  He comes back a few seconds later, holding a large blue towel. I sit up with a wince as he mops up the wet mess around me. Once he’s satisfied, he lays it out flat and gets down on one knee.

  “If you’ll wrap an arm around my shoulders, I can lift you. I’ll have to grab your side, though,” he tells me with a slight blush to his cheeks.

  I roll my eyes at him. My crotch was practically just in his face, and he’s worried about a little skin to skin contact on my back? Get real. Wrapping my left arm around his shoulders, I try to adjust myself to get my good foot under me. It’s pointless and a fact Graham doesn’t miss. He steps to my other side to grab underneath that elbow. Between the two of them, they manage to lift me to standing, but I’m not left with a good hold on the towel. It falls back to the tile, and I hear Graham’s breath catch slightly. He’s enough of a gentleman to not make a big deal of picking it up and doing a half ass wrap back around my body.

  The two of them help me into Dex’s bedroom and deposit me on the edge of his bed. He makes to leave, and I stop him. “You can stay if you want. Not like you haven’t just seen me naked.”

  His head dips once in acknowledgement as he smiles and takes a seat on the bed to my right. Graham instantly goes into doctor mode. “I’m assuming you slipped and fell getting out of the shower. Did you hit your head?”

  “No,” I tell him, “I forgot to grab the towel and thought I could make it since it was just right there by the sink. My good foot slid in the water, caught myself with the other one, and it just literally went downhill from there. I think I may have jacked my ankle up worse, and my ass bone hurts pretty bad. It broke my fall and kept my head safe.”

  “Well, at least there’s that,” he says with a grin. Settling down on his knees in front of me, he takes the bad foot and does a quick poke and prod. It doesn’t take him long to determine that there’s no additional damage, but he has to undo and rebandage the wrap. When he’s done, Dex helps me stand so that my ass can get checked out too. Graham is swift in his examination and nothing but respectful. That doesn’t stop the butterflies in my stomach from making themselves known.

  Mine and Dex’s chests brush against each other while Graham’s fingers press on different spots around my lower back and top part of my ass cheeks. I make the mistake of looking up to Dex and as our eyes lock, I could swear that he’s going to kiss me. Those blue eyes flick down to my lips and back up again. His thumb makes a circle on my upper arm and it sparks goosebumps across my skin.

  “Okay,” Graham says, his voice breaking the spell I’d fallen under, “I think you’ll sport a bruise, but nothing is broken.”

  I have to clear my throat once before I can speak. “Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it.”

  Dex helps me back to the edge of the bed. They both turn their bodies away as soon as they can, probably thinking that’ll hide the bulges in their pants. Well, if nothing else, the small piece of information that my nakedness turns them on may come in handy later. Dex opens and shuts a couple drawers before I’m handed a dark pair of sweatpants and a soft plain gray shirt.

  There’s an awkwardness as the three of us try to figure out where to go at this point. Taking charge, Graham excuses himself, leaving Dex and me alone.

  “I can wait outside while you’re getting dressed,” he says motioning towards the door.

  I shrug. “Doesn’t really matter at this point, does it?”

  He smirks. “I’ll just grab your clothes from the bathroom.”

  “Thanks,” I tell him, waiting until he’s out of sight to slip into his clothes. They’re big but clean and smell way better than anything I own. Shame burns in my gut for letting him touch the dirty mass of nasty I left lying on the bathroom floor. A little too late though as he comes out with a bundle tucked underneath his arm.

  I swallow tightly and try for a distraction, “I’ll have to roll these up to keep from tripping on them. Otherwise, we’ll have another ass meet floor situation.”

  He laughs and sets the bundle beside me on the bed before patting the front of his leg. It takes me a second to catch on, propping my foot on the top of his thigh. Folding the material up my calf, the elastic holds the bottom of the pants in place. I trade legs for him, and he does the other side too.

  “Thanks,” I tell him again. I’m not used to relying on people for anything these days, and it makes my chest feel funny. When I stand up, the pants slide down my hips, and our hands bump as we reach for them at the same time.

  “Here,” he says, moving his to the front, “there’s a drawstring we can tighten to keep them up.”

  I try to ignore the warm fuzzies behind my belly button when his knuckles scrape the skin around it by accident. All too soon, he’s finished and stepping back. I can’t ignore the way he swallows hard, but I do my best and try. Swinging back around, I gather my dirty clothes off the bed and let him help me hobble over to the door. Should’ve known my shame would have a lingering effect.

  Kemp sits crossed-legged on the floor across the hall, sharpening a knife that he quickly puts away and stands as we lock eyes. He does a short perusal from my head to toes. That one side of those wicked lips pulls up. “All done in there, crazy? Got everything you needed?”

  “Knock it off, Kemp. Leave her alone,” Dex interjects on my behalf.

  Kemp’s smirk only grows as he does a slight tilt to his head. “Already willing to go to war over her, are ya?”

  “No one is going to anything over anyone,” I snap, not liking his attack on Dex.

  Should’ve known the wild man had ulterior motives. It’s proven when he bares all of his teeth in a grin. Looks like we both just fell straight into his trap.

  He plays it off with a shrug and closes the distance between us in two steps to scoop me up in his arms. I go to protest, but he just chuckles as he starts down the stairs. “Much quicker this way than having to wait on you to limp down them.”

  His remark smarts my pride just like he meant it to. This dude is going to be lucky if he doesn’t lose any important appendages before I leave here. I narrow my eyes at him, but it just makes him chuckle again.
I’d originally thought the color of his eyes was light brown. This close, I can tell they’re more of a topaz. Add that to the auburn hair and the freckles that cover his skin from neck to forehead and even his ears, and there’s no doubt Kemp is one attractive wild man.

  I’ve seriously got to get the hell out of here before I do something stupid. Pressing my lips into a hard line, I turn my head as far away from him and Dex as I can. They take me into their laundry room, and I’m quick to dismiss them, claiming a spot on the floor to wait on my clothes.

  Once I’ve got them in the dryer, I let my head rest back against the wall behind me and fall asleep to the warmth and smell coming from the dryer. More than one new face wreaking havoc on my dreams.

  Graham

  Heading straight out of Dex’s room, which for the time being belongs to Emerald, I come face to face with Kemp. He’s pulling one of his knives out of its sheath at his side and a sharpening stone out of the opposite pocket. When his eyes flick up to my face, a perceptive smile crosses his. Without either of us saying a word, I know we’re thinking the same thing.

  I give him a brief nod before taking the stairs back down to the first floor. Down here there are two rooms that connect to each other on the back-left side of the house. The others had let me claim them both and helped set up an infirmary of sorts. After settling in for a couple weeks, we’d driven out to one of the smaller doctor’s offices in town. I was surprisingly shocked to find nothing missing. Of course, that’s not saying much since there wasn’t much to begin with, but we’d taken one of the flat tables and all the supplies we could find. I’ve got a pretty good setup here to take care of anything minor or borderline.

  On the road with these guys for months, we’ve grown accustomed to watching each other’s backs. Plus, it gave us a lot of time to get to know each other. They know when I duck into my med office to leave me alone for the most part.

  It’s where I head to now. Ever since Noble hauled Emerald in the front door, my skin has felt this nervous pinprick sensation all over. I’ve learned to live with that feeling my entire life since it always tends to surface when things around me change in big ways. There’s one thing that’s certain…she’s definitely going to bring about change around here.

  I hear a murmur of voices before Kemp’s heavy boots thud on the stairs as he makes his way down. The man wouldn’t know how to be quiet if his life depended on it. My ears track them to the laundry room across the hall. I can hear Emerald’s voice telling them it’s fine to leave her because she can start the washer. Kemp asks her if she’s planning to sit and wait it out.

  An image of her face pops into my mind when I close my eyes. I can see her eyes narrow at him and her lips thin into a line with indignation, a move I don’t even think she’s conscious of making. I listen for the clipped tone in which she’s spoken to him every time I’ve been around, but it never comes. Yet, two sets of boots back track down the hall. I assume the other is Dex with it being boots and Emerald barely able to stand on her own.

  I make my way over to the half bath that connects my med office and bedroom. It’s nothing more than a small toilet and sink with a mirror above it, but it’s served its purpose well so far. Turning the cold water on, I cup some of it in my hands and splash it on my face. In all honesty, what I’d like is to take a cold shower. Something…anything to calm the raging pressure in my cock right now. It’s highly unprofessional to have a hard-on after examining a patient, but I haven’t had a woman in over a year. Add that to the fact that Emerald is more than attractive, and it explains my current situation. It even goes beyond her naked body that was a sight within itself. For the first time in months, I didn’t have to force a smile or a laugh. She simply brought it out of me with a few words.

  Without looking at myself in the mirror, I pull the door to the med office closed before propping my ass against the front of the sink. Unzipping my pants, I sigh in relief as I tug them low enough on my hips to free myself. Shoving the feelings of shame and wrongness to the back of my mind, I palm my cock and give it a couple good pumps. My head falls back, exposing my neck to the dark room as my eyes close. I try not to focus on one thing specifically, but Emerald’s pretty face keeps pushing for dominance behind my lids. Those lush kissable lips. The softness of her skin. Blonde silky locks I’d love to clench in a fist as I kiss her. That amazing naked ass that couldn’t be anymore perfect unless it was up in the air beneath me as I fucked her.

  I cum so hard my eyes roll back in my head, and I have to bite my lower lip to keep from groaning. The relief is instantaneous, but with it comes the guilt. I tried my hardest not to jerk off to her. It just happened. In the process of running for my life and trying to stay alive, I’ll be the first to admit my sex drive took the back burner. It seems as though it’s going to try to make up for lost time now as I can feel myself growing hard again.

  Thinking of the worst thing I can, one of the zombies we’d come across with a missing face, helps with that. I tuck myself back in my pants, flip the light switch, and set about cleaning up my mess. Hopefully, no one would know I’d just come to our new houseguest. Though, I’d bet my life on there being more than one hard cock being jerked tonight.

  Emerald

  A loud buzzing noise startles me out of a deep sleep. Between the soft hum of the dryer and the warmth, I’d not stirred at all, leaving my head tilted over sideways. My neck screams in protest as I angle it upright, and I grunt in pain. Man, I’ve seriously let my guard down around these guys if I’m sleeping hard enough to cause a kink in my neck. Shit. One day with them, and I’m ready to let more than one of them put a kink in other places.

  You did not just say that, Em.

  Ignoring my inner monologue, I check out my reflection in the glass of the door on the dryer. I look like a kid that got into a fight at school. In all the hoopla upstairs, I didn’t stop to ask for a brush for the mop on top of my head. Nor did I notice the split down the side of my lip that must’ve happened when I ran into Russ’s tray earlier. My face is pale in the soft yellow light of the laundry room, making the dark circles under my eyes stand out even further.

  I close my eyes and gently lay my head back against the wall. How in the hell has my life taken such a weird turn? One day I’m living it up in my little piece of hell on Earth. Then the next, I’m pretty much stranded with a fuck ton of super hot dudes. I can’t say that one trade was worth the other yet. Yeah, these guys have meat. More ways than one. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! But I miss the simplicity of my sanctuary. I had a schedule, and more than that, I miss my books. It’s going to be a long stay here without them. They’d been my only friends since Del died. There’s more than one person here to keep me company, but I’m not one hundred percent settled on trusting these dudes or not.

  I grumble around a breath of air. I’ve been in here for a while. At least long enough for my clothes to both wash and dry. No lies here when I say I’ll likely cry when I put the warm clean clothes on. Took all the little shit for granted before, but I’m most definitely grateful for it now.

  Scooting my ass across the floor, I open the door and pull out my clothes. The first thing I do is bury my face into them. They smell just like the detergent my mom used.

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to start crying, crazy,” Kemp teases from the door.

  I ignore him, keeping my face buried in shirt. I’m saved by another voice which annoys me as much as the first one.

  “Leave her alone,” Sam growls.

  This time I do look up, only to find Kemp watching me. There’s a tic to his jaw like he’s grinding his teeth together. It takes me a second to catch on, but I realize he’s waiting on an okay to leave Sam alone with me. I nod once, and the left corner of his lips tilts up. Some kind of power play was at work here, and I get the feeling I just fell right into his hands.

  The two of them turn sideways, letting each other through the doorway. For a moment, I could swear Kemp is going to snap his teeth at Sam, but he does
n’t. And he called me a rabid chihuahua.

  Sam’s back slides down the open door until he’s sitting on the floor with me. I scoot back against the other wall, leaving us facing each other. His long legs stretch out between us.

  “How are you feeling?” he asks.

  I let the corners of my lips turn up. “Like I almost got turned into a zombie steak.”

  He winces. “I’m sorry, Em. I tried to get them off you.”

  “Is that how they caught you too?” I inquire.

  “No,” he replies quickly with a shake of his head before dropping his gaze to his jeans. “They didn’t capture me until I got here.”

  I don’t try to hide my surprise. “You mean you came to rescue me?”

  His left shoulder lifts in a shrug. “I didn’t know who these guys were. I was expecting the worst and was ready to die trying if they weren’t going to set you free.”

  There’s a churning of gratitude in my belly that seems to have stirred up a nest of butterflies. After being alone for so long, it’s nice to have someone care enough to be willing to sacrifice themselves to save me.

  Then I think back to the scene in the barn, and my eyes narrow on him. “If you were so keen on protecting me, why did you almost tell them everything?”

  Blue eyes find mine across the small space. “You’ve noticed the crazy red-haired guy, right? Dude seems completely unstable to me. He had a fucking gun. I’d rather have to go on the run with you and start over than to have him hurt you.”

  The words make sense even though I know the wild man wouldn’t hurt me. My gut feeling tells me he wouldn’t. However, that’s beside the point. Even at the risk of other people getting hurt, I don’t think I’d ever reach the point in which I’d spill all of my secrets to strangers. Maybe it’s because I’ve been alone for too long. Maybe it’s because my self-perseverance is stronger than others. Or, maybe you only want to look out for numero uno now.

  This new revelation about myself doesn’t make me feel very good. What’s that say about my character if I’m willing to let someone else get hurt in return for keeping my secrets?