by Dia Cole
Tore presses his lips together for a moment. “It’s important to mourn the people you care about. Take it from me.”
Who has he lost? I wonder as I search his beautiful dark eyes. The man is such an enigma. So harsh and menacing at times and so gentle and caring at other times. When I realize that Tore is waiting expectantly for me to say something, I say, “All the same, I’m going to sit this one out.”
An awkward silence stretches between us.
His gaze falls on the gun resting on my hip. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t leave by yourself,” he says as if I don’t know we are always supposed to travel in pairs.
My assigned partner is dead.
Kevin’s face flashes in my mind and a fresh wave of pain crashes over me. “It’s best for everyone if I do,” I mumble.
Suspicion floods his eyes. “You’re infected.” It’s a statement not a question.
My eyes burn as I try to keep my composure. “Yeah. Kevin bit me after he turned. It was my fault. I was so stupid.”
He stands stock still for a moment. “Are you sure you’re infected? Maybe his teeth didn’t break the skin?”
“I wish.” I let out a choked laugh. “I’m so kicking Kevin in the balls when I see him in the afterlife.” Assuming there is an afterlife.
Tore abruptly turns and slams his fist straight through the fabric cubicle wall behind him. “I warned you two not to go scavenging. But you didn’t listen. And now… And now…” It sounds as if he is gasping for air.
My mouth drops open in shock. In all the months I’ve known this man, I’ve never seen him lose control. Not even when a zombie horde invaded our last home and killed half our group.
When Tore finally turns to face me, his eyes are filled with darkness. “We can’t have an infected person in the building. You know I have to kill you.”
3
Tore
Sophie flinches at my words.
I fight the urge to unload my gun into the fucking ceiling. Maybe I’ll get lucky and hit one of those useless whining assholes that somehow glued themselves to my side at the beginning of the apocalypse. I’ll trade every single one of their lives for hers. She’s the only one that matters.
With her huge blue eyes and long ash-blond hair, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She’s also a dead ringer for the angel on the stained glass window of Saint Christopher’s Church. I grew up staring at that angel. Every Sunday morning, without fail, my mother marched me into the church and forced me to kneel on a hard wooden pew. She was hell-bent that I ask for forgiveness for the sins I hadn’t yet committed. Had my mother known what a monster I’d turn into?
Sophie taps the grip of her handgun bringing me back to the crisis at hand. “There’s no need for you to get blood on your hands. I’ve got it covered.”
She has no idea how bloody my hands are. Already my mind brims with possible ways to kill her. A bullet—too loud. It might attract more dead to our location and that’s the last thing we need. A knife—too painful. I want her death to be merciful. Deciding to snap her neck then stab her in the skull after she passes, I take a step forward.
She must see her death in my eyes. “Tore,” she pleads. Her breathless voice brings to mind images of sweaty bodies tangling in the night. For months I’ve been hoping that she’d stop burning the torch for that fiancé of hers and welcome me into her bed. But now that’s not going to happen. She’s going to die.
I clench my hands—hands that were responsible for taking the lives of so many people. Is that why this is happening to her? Is her death some retribution from God? The one time I let my guard down. The one time I let a woman in and poof the Almighty takes her. Or the devil. Who the fuck knows what’s really going on anymore?
Not her. Ah, fuck. Not her.
My angel wipes her tear-filled eyes and lifts her chin. She’s trying so hard to keep her shit together, the least I can do is the same.
“I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. I only came back to write some goodbyes.” She jabs her thumb back at the desk behind her. “If you could make sure that Jack and Xander get the letters, I’d appreciate it.”
I narrow my eyes at the mention of the two fuckers who actually believed they could keep Sophie alive on their own. If it weren’t for me, all of them would have died. The memory of coming across the four of them—Sophie, Kevin, Xander, and Jack—barricaded inside a Laundromat flashes in my mind. Their pitiful group was under attack by a relentless herd of zombies. I should’ve kept walking, but then I’d spotted Sophie standing in the middle of the men looking exactly like my angel from church. So I’d saved their lives and added them to my tribe. I’ve never regretted that act until this moment. If I hadn’t gotten to know Sophie, I would never have fallen for her and my heart wouldn’t be self-combusting right now.
“Tore?” Sophie says.
I realize I’ve zoned out again. “Yeah, I’ll make sure they get your letters.”
She lets out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
“Did you write me a letter?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
She nibbles her plump lower lip and shakes her head.
“So you weren’t even going to say goodbye?” A mixture of grief and outrage grip me. I march forward, forcing her to back up. We’re standing in the middle of her office by the time I realize I’m acting like a menacing bastard.
She stares at me with a flash of fear in her gaze. “I…um, didn’t know what to say to you.”
Of course she doesn’t know what to say. She doesn’t give a shit about me. My shoulders slump. “You could at least give me a heads-up. I care about you, you know. I don’t care about many people.” Most days I don’t even care about myself. If anyone deserves to die, it’s me.
She surprises the hell out of me by wrapping her arms around my waist. She smells of that lavender body wash she uses. “I care about you too, Tore. Thank you for saving my life all those months ago.”
I bury my face in her neck inhaling her sweet scent. “But I didn’t in the end, did I?” The tightness in my voice betrays me.
She pulls away and looks up at me. “You weren’t responsible for this. This was my fault. I forgot everything you taught me and—” she swallows hard “—and now I’ll die because of it.”
Before I can reply, she rises on the balls of her feet and kisses me on the cheek. It’s a quick peck, but the proximity to her makes me want things I can’t have.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” she says in a husky voice.
I blink in surprise.
She smiles. “Since I’m dying and all, will you finally tell me what you really did before all this? And don’t just say ‘this and that’ like you always do.”
Ah, what the fuck. If it’s her dying wish to know, I should tell her. “I worked for the family.” I don’t tell her which family. Based on her expression, I don’t have to.
Her brows draw together. “What? Like the mafia?”
Exactly like the mafia. “Yeah.”
She chuckles and shakes her head.
The fact that she doesn’t run from the room surprises me. I’m not proud of my past, but it sure prepared me for the shit show the world has become.
Her blue eyes dance with an inner light that drags me in. “Do me a favor, okay?”
“Depends,” is my bullshit response. I’ll do anything for her. Anything.
“Tell Xander he wins the bet.”
Xander? Is he the linebacker or the one that looks like Bruce Lee with a Mohawk? “What bet?”
She laughs again. “We bet on you. What you did before the apocalypse. I thought you were a cop. Xander said you were a wise guy. He wins.”
Stunned, I can only stare at her. “You thought I was one of the good guys?”
“Yeah.” She licks her lips and my cock hardens. “I still think you’re a good guy. If you hadn’t taken us under your wing, we all would’ve died out there.�
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She has no idea the kind of man I am. “Do you know why I let your little band of losers stay with me?”
“Because you were feeling charitable.” She rubs her hands nervously on her jeans drawing my attention to the way the tattered denim molds to the mouthwatering curves of her hips and ass.
Lust fogs my mind. “Hardly. It was because you were so goddamn beautiful.” I take a few steps closer, until I’ve all but backed her into the front of the desk. I lower my head to her ear and whisper, “I’ve wanted you since I first saw you.”
She shivers and wets her lips. “You did?”
“I still do.” I put my hands on her hips and lower my head to kiss her.
She inhales sharply and turns her head before I can claim her mouth. “What are you doing?”
“I want to fuck you before you die,” I answer honestly.
“I can’t,” she whispers. “I’m engaged.”
As if that matters now. “Don’t you want to know what it would be like between us? I promise I’ll be the best you’ve ever had.” I boldly press her against me. There is no mistaking my intent, or my raging hard-on.
She jerks away like a skittish colt.
No way. “Don’t tell me you’re a virgin?”
Her eyes drop to her feet. “Of course not.” She’s never been good at lying.
I feel as if I’ve been coldcocked. “Not possible. All you ever talk about is that perfect fiancé of yours.”
She blushes. “Logan wanted to wait until we were married.”
“Your fiancé was a fool. What kind of man wouldn’t fuck you until his eyes crossed every chance he got?”
“He had his reasons,” she says in a small voice that tells me I hit a sore spot.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s dead now.”
She pushes me away. “Don’t say that. Logan's out there. I know it.”
The pain in her eyes cuts me like a stiletto knife. She knows the guy is gone, but she won’t accept it. “It doesn’t matter. Your time is up. Do you really want to die a virgin?” I lean in and brush my mouth against her ear.
She gasps.
My dick is so hard it feels as if it’s going to punch a hole in my jeans. I have to have her. “Don’t you want to know what it would be like?” I can’t be the only one that notices the chemistry between us.
She shakes her head, but there are conflicting emotions playing across her face.
Wanting to tip the scales in my direction, I slide my hand up her sweatshirt.
Her breathing hitches, but she makes no move to stop me.
I trek across her silky smooth skin and cup her breast. Her bare breast. Ah fuck, she’s not wearing a bra. Her nipple stiffens against my palm and I have to fight the urge to throw her down on the desk, rip off her clothes, and mount her like the animal I am.
“We shouldn’t,” she says, but she’s leaning back against the desk arching her body toward mine.
I go all in with both hands caressing her breasts. Her husky moan is pure music. Frustrated with all the fabric in the way, I start to pull her sweatshirt off. It catches on the silver chain around her neck.
“Wait,” she says, breathing hard. She pushes my hands away, shoves down her top, and clenches the ring on the chain.
It’s her fucking engagement ring. Shit. My mood and erection deflate.
“I can’t betray Logan like this even though I want—” She turns away, her breathing ragged.
Hope surges through me. She wants this as badly as I do. That’s all I need to know.
4
Sophie
Tore presses his chest into my back. “How about this? We’ll do a test, I’m going to touch you here.” He cups me between my legs. “If you’re wet for me, we do this. If not…” His voice trails off.
I shake my head. That would be so wrong. But the idea has me growing damp and breathless. Even though I’m trapped between his huge body and the desk, I’m filled with excitement not fear.
He waits as if to see if I’ll make a move to stop him.
I don’t.
He takes my gun and sets it on the desk. Then he slides his hand around my hip, under the waistband of my jeans, and finds the neediest part of my body.
The forbidden touch sends an electric current straight through me.
Tore lets out a shuddering breath. “Ah fuck, you’re drenched.” His big, callused fingers find my clit.
I can’t help moaning loudly. My thighs shake uncontrollably as he strokes me. Pressure builds between my legs. This feels so good.
“Let me fuck you, Sophie,” he pleads.
“And if I say no?” I gasp, trying not to writhe under the erotic onslaught of his fingers.
“Then you die without experiencing this.” He pinches my clit.
I cry out. I’m so close to coming.
He nibbles a trail of fire down my neck. “I’ll make it good for you. So good.”
My knees weaken and my core throbs with need. I glance down at the engagement ring. It shimmers from around my neck as if it senses my indecision.
Just say no, Sophie. It’s not that hard. I know Logan would stay true to me until the end.
But I’m not Logan and I want to experience passion before I die. My fingers are shaky and it takes two tries for me to unclasp the necklace. I toss it on the desk where it ironically lands smack on top of Logan’s letter. I shut my eyes. Out of sight out of mind, right?
Taking a deep breath, I whisper the one word that will change everything. “Yes.”
He nudges my legs farther apart with his muscled thigh and bends me over the desk. “I want to hear you say it.”
“Fuck me,” I moan.
He finds one of my nipples with his free hand and rolls it roughly between his fingers. The pleasure-pain sensation sends me into orbit. My knees buckle and I grab hold of the edge of the desk to keep myself upright.
A low keening noise escapes my lips as he finally moves the hand between my legs. He strokes and teases, building the pleasure until I can’t stand it anymore.
“Please,” I beg.
Tore turns his hand so his palm grinds against me. Electricity sparks through me with every pass of his hand.
“I’m going to come.” I rock against his palm chasing the rapture I know he can give me.
He flicks his thumb across my clit and I detonate in a shock wave of intense pleasure.
It takes a full minute for my mind to reboot.
“I need to be inside you.” He flips me around and sits me on the edge of the desk.
“Clothes off,” he orders. He pulls off my boots and rips my jeans free of my legs.
Excitement thrums through me as he yanks off my sweatshirt. Are we really going to do this?
He pauses for a moment and looks at me.
A sudden burst of shyness makes me want to cover myself. Damn, I wish I hadn’t lost all my curves.
“You’re so beautiful, it almost hurts to look at you,” Tore says, brushing his hand over my breasts. “Touch yourself for me, angel. I want to see what you like.”
It takes a second for my dazed brain to assimilate his meaning and when it does, my face grows hot. “Tore, I—”
“All we have is this moment. Nothing should be off-limits.”
He’s right. I hesitate for only a second. Then I drop my hands to my breasts and cup them in a hand-bra. My nipples pebble instantly. I stroke my hands over the sensitive peaks, tracing the outline of them.
Tore’s pupils dilate. “That’s so fucking hot.” He adjusts the impressive bulge I can’t wait to see.
A heady rush of excitement shoots through me. I’ve never felt this wanton before. I slide my hands down my stomach and between my thighs. My fingers glide through my slick flesh, finding my clit. It’s hypersensitive from my recent orgasm and just the slight caress sends my back arching off the desk.
Tore groans loudly. “I need to taste you.” He presses me down on the desk, dips his head, and draws one of my nipples into his mout
h.
I cry out as he flicks his tongue against it and then sucks it deep between his lips. Each pull of his mouth and lash of his tongue sends a spear of exquisite pleasure from my breast straight down to my core.
“More.” I grip the silk of his hair and bury his face against my breast. He rewards me by turning to the other nipple and rasping it against his teeth.
I rub my clit harder. I’m seconds away from flying apart.
His hand covers mine and brushes it aside.
“I’m getting you off tonight, angel.”
My thighs tremble as he roughly pushes them farther apart. Then his fingers are sliding over me. He moves them back and forth, playing with my swollen bud. Liquid heat pools between my legs. Chills race over my body as he slips a finger inside me. His finger is so large and thick. My body clenches around it like a vise.
“Fuck. You’re so tight.” He moves his finger in and out of me.
I hiss at the sensuous invasion. It feels amazing.
He slips a second finger in. It feels even better.
I throw my head back. “Oh, yes.”
He thrusts his fingers in and out while rubbing my clit with his thumb. The sensation sends me spiraling higher and higher.
“That’s it, angel.” He finds a spot that unravels me.
“Right there, Tore. Don’t stop.” I careen over the edge, convulsing around his fingers.
Temporarily losing all executive functioning, I fall back on the desk.
The thud of his boots hitting the floor rouses me. I push up on my elbows to see him yanking off his T-shirt. My mouth dries at the sight of his thickly muscled shoulders and chiseled six-pack.
He shucks his jeans, giving me a tantalizing view of his long, thick cock that seems to grow impossibly huge under my gaze.
I can’t wait to feel it inside me.
Tore steps between my thighs. “I don’t have a condom, but given the circumstances…”
His words splash over me like a glass of ice water. No need to worry about STDs and pregnancy when I’ll be dead in less than twenty-four hours, right? “We shouldn’t even be doing this.” I push against his chest with the palms of my hand. “Tore. This isn’t safe for you. What if—?”