by Deb Rotuno
“I know. I get it. It’s why I couldn’t stay in this room,” I said, rolling onto my back and bringing him on top of me as his lips never left my skin—my cheek, my neck, my mouth. He settled between my thighs, and I moaned at the feel of him…the weight, the warmth, and the bulge pressing always perfectly where it should. “God, I missed you…here.”
I felt the sweet yet cocky grin against my throat when he pressed his hips into mine. “Where?”
A wanton moan combined with a breathy laugh escaped me. “Yeah…”
“Jesus, Shortcake…I want…”
Grabbing his face, I pulled at him almost forcefully in order to look him in the eye. “I’m not…protected anymore, baby.” I wrinkled my nose a little. “There’s not exactly birth control growing on the trees out there.”
He grinned, and it was happy and silly-sweet. “Good thing Joel’s a fucking horn-dog, then…”
He pushed himself up off the bed, and I licked my lips at the sight of him—boxer briefs tented sexily, his body all newly cut and toned but still lean and long, and the sweetest ass I’d ever had the pleasure of putting my hands on—as he bent to his bag to pull out a box of condoms.
My giggle couldn’t be contained if I tried. “Seriously?” I whispered, trying to keep it down from the room next door. “Who? Which girl?” I tried to think of everyone I’d seen, but the night was a blur.
“Ruby,” he chortled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he set the box on the nightstand. “The tall redhead. He’s a ruined man. And these…” He held up one foil packet. “These are the easiest to find out there.”
Jack slipped back beneath the covers, whispering, “Just like old times, Sara. We have to stay quiet.” He brushed my hair from my face. “You’re still so beautiful.”
“I love you” was all I could get out before I had to kiss him again.
He kissed me fully, giving into everything. Jack tended to hold back until he felt like he could just…let go. Tongues danced together, tasting, relearning, reuniting. Hands grasped and pulled, pushed clothing away, and skimmed over places we knew by heart.
Jack reached for my shirt, tugging it off, but he trailed kisses up the chain around my neck. “I want you to keep these on. Always. I like my name on you.”
Tears welled up and my chest constricted when I nodded. If he only knew that was the main reason I wore them, but I simply whispered, “Okay.”
When we’d finally freed ourselves from underwear and shorts, I took the condom, ripped it open, and rolled it down over him, guiding him to me as he braced a hand beside my head.
“You have to stay quiet,” he warned, his mouth quirking up into the lazy half smile I loved completely. However, it was Jack who moaned long and deep into my neck when he slipped fully inside me. “Christ Almighty,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “It’s been so fucking long since I felt this good.”
My breathing faltered when he started to move. We kissed each other to stop sounds, smothered them against skin and lips and ears. The frantic feel dissipated, leaving slow, even thrusts. Jack’s eyes squeezed closed as he drove into me in a steady rhythm, whispering about love and missing me as we slowly grew closer and closer to the edge. When he vowed that he’d never leave me again at the same time his fingers found my clit, swollen and sensitive, I had to bite down on his shoulder to keep from crying out. The release caused an overflow of emotions to erupt. Tears and sobs escaped me against his skin as I pulled him as close as I could. His own release was heavy, a string of hissed curses buried into my neck as he finally stilled.
When he pulled back, I saw his own tears had spilled, and I cupped his face, wiping them away.
“We’re okay. You’re home, Jack. You’re home…It’s okay.”
Nodding, he rolled to the side, removed the condom, and tied it off before dropping it into the garbage can. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pulled me close. He brushed kisses across my lips, nose, and forehead. “I’d do it all over again to get to you, Shortcake. You’ve always been worth the fight.”
“You’re here, Jack. That’s all that matters.”
He smiled. “Sleep, baby. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
JACK
Faint noises got my attention, some close while others seemed far, far away. The bedroom was still dark, though some gray, dreary light was squeezing through the boarded-up window.
The feel of smooth skin sliding against mine made my senses come alive. I glanced down to find the prettiest thing I’d seen in a long damn time. Long, deep-auburn curls spread out behind Sara, and my gaze fastened on creamy skin and pouting lips—lips still bruised from the night before. My old, expired dog tags clinked somewhere below the sheets, causing me to smile but wonder about them. I had a feeling there was more to it than just Freddie putting them on her.
Rolling to my side, I reached out to tuck a lock of hair back behind her ear. Just watching her sleep didn’t even seem real. It felt like a dream. I’d busted my ass—and driven the entire group to the point of exhaustion—just to get to this place. The fact that she was alive, that Freddie was alive and healthy, was something I’d never, ever take for granted. I was a grateful man.
The sound of camp coming alive met my ears, as did the rumblings inside the cabin. I heard my son, up and raring to go, but Tina seemed to know we weren’t ready, so she coaxed him outside with her and her daughter. She even let Sasha outside with them.
“She’s a smart, smart woman,” Sara muttered, her eyes still closed. “I love her even more right now.”
I chuckled, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “We have to get up eventually, Shortcake.”
“Mmhmm…Five more minutes,” she mumbled into my neck as she snuggled in closer.
Grinning, I held her tight because “five more minutes” always meant at least thirty to forty-five minutes more. And I had a feeling Freddie wouldn’t be held off for long. He never was, and this time would be no different, especially given how long it had been since we’d all been together as a family.
Inhaling deeply the scent of her hair, I noted it smelled different. It wasn’t the fruity scent she used to use, but she still smelled like home.
“Where’d you meet her?” I asked softly, unable to keep my questions at bay. I wanted to know everything I’d missed, everything that had happened to keep her alive.
Sara smiled against my neck, pressing a kiss to the skin before pulling back to look up at me with sleepy-sweet eyes. “You want to do this now?”
Brushing her hair from her face, I settled closer to her. “I’d rather we do this now, just us, and then face everyone else and their questions.”
It was how we’d always worked, especially when I’d been gone for tours overseas. We’d always escaped, talked it out, focused on us again after being apart.
“We found Tina and Janie on the 26 coming here. They’d been trapped for days; her husband had turned—he’d been bitten.” She paused, shaking her head and reaching up to trail her fingers across my face. “Sandy got really bad about a month after you called me,” she continued, wrinkling her nose a little. “I kept telling everyone we needed to go, but martial law had kicked in and they really weren’t letting anyone out of the county. A couple days before we left, all of it fell. There were infected people everywhere. The soldiers had left or been turned, the streets were crazy, and we’d boarded up every window just to keep away from them. Derek and Dad were pretty adamant about staying, fighting. And they did for a bit, but I finally put my foot down and said I was leaving with Freddie, that I was keeping my promise to you.
“It caused a big fight between Dad and me, but the day before I was going to leave, he showed up at our house with Derek and a whole truck filled with supplies. He told me that Portland was on fire, that you’d been right, but that I wasn’t to go alone.” She paused for a second, and I kissed her lips just because I could.
“It was actually better that I didn’t leave without them, because…we would’ve never made it
just Freddie and me,” she sighed, smiling sadly. “Dad sent me with Derek, Brody and Leo, Millie and Josh Larson, and Martin and Carol North.”
“He didn’t come with you?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“No, he couldn’t. He wanted to, but he had a whole nursing home filled with patients he needed to take care of. He was hoping that someone would come to move them, but…” She shrugged. “There was no one to come for them. He stayed as long as he could. He’s only been here a month or so. He brought who he could with him, though—about nine people, although we’ve lost some. Martin and Carol are gone. Leo. Travis. Ivan. Hannah. We lost Leo and Carol about a month after we got here. Maybe more. I don’t know. Time seems…lost.”
Her voice was soft, almost emotionless, but I understood it. She locked those sad, deep-blue eyes on me.
“I never stopped hoping you’d come,” she finally said, her voice breaking a little. “I just…couldn’t. And I had to stay strong, fight for Freddie. He was…Oh God, Jack, he’s so smart and brave,” she sobbed, shaking her head, but I wiped away her tears. “He was so damned determined to learn to shoot in order to be able to fight, to protect me. He’s just…you all over. He actually got pissed off when I wouldn’t let him have a gun. I’d wanted to wait until we got here…or maybe I was stalling. I don’t know.”
I sniffled and laughed at the same time. Her pride in him was palpable. Her love for us was practically glowing out of her.
She swallowed thickly, getting herself under control, before saying, “Anyway, we…We settled in here okay. Derek and Josh hunt for us, trap. Leo taught Janie and Freddie to fish the lake, and they’ve gotten damned good at it. Once Dad got here, he fished with them. Moses, Brody, and a few others started building fences. Jonah, this elderly gentleman…You’ll love him. He and Ivan helped us with water. You know, rain barrels and stuff. Occasionally the boys will run across abandoned cars or cabins, and they’ll salvage what they can. Dad brought more with him. Millie started a garden, but Jonah is the one who really works it.”
“Your dad’s in charge?” I asked, remembering how they’d looked to him last night.
“Yeah. It was Derek, really, at first, but Dad’s just…”
I huffed a laugh. “He’s kinda perfect to be in charge, really. It suits him, probably comes with the whole firefighter thing.”
She grinned and nodded. “Yeah. He stays so calm too.” Her smile fell, and she tucked her hair back, only to reach for my face. “I don’t know what I’d have done without them. All of them. Derek…He…he kept me from going crazy. Tina too. One time, I completely lost my shit. I was glad Freddie didn’t see it.”
Gliding the backs of my fingers down her beautiful face, I asked, “What happened, Shortcake?”
“We were hunting—Derek, Josh, and me. A pack came through as they were dressing the deer. There was a soldier among them.” Her eyes met mine as tears streamed down her face. “I flipped the fuck out, Jack. I shot him, and then…and then…”
“Okay, okay, okay,” I chanted, pulling her completely to me. I wrapped my arms all the way around her. “I’m here. I’m okay. It wasn’t me.”
“That’s what Derek said, that it wasn’t you,” she mumbled into my neck. “He…he made me look.”
“Good, I’m glad,” I whispered against her cheek. When she pulled back, I smiled at her, cupping her face. “You did amazing, Sara. With this place, with Freddie. All of it.”
“I’m just glad you’re here,” she sighed, her forehead meeting mine before her lips dropped a soft kiss to my mouth. “I didn’t think you’d…I had to believe. Otherwise, I’d have gone crazy.”
“It was close,” I sighed, settling her back to her pillow. “My turn, I guess, huh?” When she nodded, I kissed her—long and deep—simply because I wanted to remind myself that the journey had been so fucking worth it.
I took a deep breath and let it out. “I…Joel and I were sent to the base to give extra security. Mom and Dad went as medical volunteers, just in case. And boy, did they come through.” I snorted, shaking my head. “The storm hit the state hard. Really hard. Especially on the west coast. The gulf. But the east side had tornadoes…”
I told her about waking up in the medical facility, that it was just the four of us. “Jesus, Sara…There was no one on that base alive, except for Sasha. And we found her in an apartment. Someone must’ve stashed her there to keep her safe, but…” I shook my head. “Joel and I came really close to getting ourselves killed that day, but where we were and how the wreckage fell saved us. Then my parents kinda quarantined us in a wing away from it all. And we had to heal before we could leave, so we used the time to stock up, plan…”
I curled a lock of her hair around my finger because I needed to touch her. “It took us over two weeks to get out of Florida alone. The place was insane. We were able to move a little easier once we started heading northwest. We found Ruby and her sister, Ava, just before we left Florida. The people they’d been with just dumped them off, leaving this kid, this young girl, inside a zeak-filled Wal-Mart.”
“Zeak?” Sara asked with a chuckle.
“Joel. I’ll let him tell you that word’s origin,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Anyway…Wal-Mart…” I snorted, looking to her. “You know, it wasn’t much different in there than before the virus…”
Sara giggled, shaking her head. “Keep going.”
Grinning, I kissed her nose and told her about making our way between big cities, avoiding major highways. “We found Lexie just before leaving Mississippi, inside this farmhouse. Her whole family had turned. She had a shit-ton of supplies—food and fuel, mainly—and gave it to us in trade to come with us.” Grimacing, I turned to Sara. “She’s…young, baby. She’s…kinda mad at me too. She’ll be an even more pleasant thing now,” I muttered sarcastically. “She’s…”
“Got a crush,” Sara finished for me, smirking a little, but I could see the worry.
“Yeah, but I…” I shook my head. “I told her no repeatedly. Ruby thinks it’s obnoxious, my mother said it’s hero worship, and Joel laughs, although he knows I’m not trying to be mean, but…” My rambling trailed off. “I’m not making any sense, I know.”
Sara cupped either side of my face, kissing me softly. “It’s okay. I get it.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I asked, “Who?” When she didn’t answer, I started guessing. “Brody?”
She snorted and then glared my way. “Uhh, hardly. He’s just as cheerful as ever, and he blames me for his dad, since it was me who shot him after he turned. He saw me do it. He won’t say it out loud anymore because everyone threatens him, but I see it in his face. He really blames me.”
“If not him, then…”
“Jack, please…” she whispered, looking down at my chest. “I don’t want trouble, honestly…This will be…Derek’s developed his own crush, I think. I just…We stuck together through all of this, but…he’s feeling…more. And I couldn’t hurt him, but he…There would never be anyone but you,” she finally sputtered out. “Even if something had happened and I knew or whatever…I’d only ever feel this way about you…It wasn’t fair, and I told him that.”
“Shh,” I breathed against her lips, smiling a little. “He’s always been attracted to you, Sara. I just beat him to the punch that night at Shelly’s Bar.”
“No!”
“Yes.” I laughed, nodding a little. “I see we’re still breaking hearts, Shortcake.”
She sighed. “He loves you, Jack. And he would never disrespect you, but I could see…things changed with him. He fights it; I see it, but I honestly don’t think it’s me. I think it’s just all this…shit.”
Nodding, I sighed. “Maybe it’s all this shit, but I don’t know. God, baby…You’re beautiful and strong and sweet. That’s a hard thing to ignore. Trust me. I don’t like it, but I get it. It’s something I’ve learned to live with since I fell in love with you.” My chest constricted before I asked, “Is there a problem? I mean…”
“No! No, Jack. I…I saw his face last night, baby. He’s so conflicted. He wanted you guys back just as much as me, but then…” She groaned, rubbing her face. “I don’t want trouble between you two. I love you…only you. I did everything to discourage it.”
“Ah.” I smirked, toying with the dog tags around her neck, and she nodded. “Aw, Sara. Look at me,” I whispered, cupping her face. “I won’t say anything, baby. Promise. Unless he steps out of line…”
“He won’t.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Though, I reserve the same right, Mr. Chambers.”
Laughing, I raised my hands in surrender. “Like I could stop you.”
She giggled a little. “That’s right. Now…Keep going.”
Grinning, I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am. Okay, where was I? Mississippi. After we left Lexie’s farm, we made it as far as Kansas before we needed supplies. Dodge City was…a mess. The town wasn’t all that big, but apparently the virus hit all at once, so the streets were just swarmed. That’s where we met Quinn.”
I went on to tell her about Wyoming and the babies, which made her gasp and then smile. “You’ll like Olivia,” I told her. “She’s a good mom, and those kids are just way too smart. Abe had been watching over them, but he’s in his seventies, so he knew coming with us was the best thing. We also found another couple—Tim and Nikki—but we lost them in Boise.”
I reached up to touch the scar over my eyebrow, and Sara gently pulled my hand away to trace it softly.
“I…I tried to save them, but…” I shook my head, looking away for a second. “Fuck, Sara, I honestly don’t know who’s worse…The zeaks or the survivors. It’s like some people have lost all reason, you know?”
“The survivors should know better,” she countered, frowning as she pulled my gaze back to hers. “The…zeaks…” She grinned when I chuckled at the word coming from her. “Well, they at least have an excuse for being…savages.”
God, I couldn’t stop from kissing her if I tried. My lips met hers roughly, but I slowed us down a little, only to pull back and just…look at her.