by Deb Rotuno
Her whole body shivered when she came, my name hitting the now steamy air of the bathroom. Using fingers, I drew out that orgasm as long as I could…or at least until her legs just about gave out from underneath her. Holding her steady, I stood up in front of her, and she reached for me, pulling me in for a kiss.
“Now, Jack… More…”
I turned off the water, snatching up the closest towel to quickly dry us off, though it was a piss-poor job, I was sure, since our hair was still drippy. I followed her into the bedroom, my eyes unable to stay off her ass, and when she paused in front of the bed, I reached out to touch.
“I want you…like this,” I whispered against her shoulder, dragging my lips to her cheek when she glanced over her shoulder. Her smile was wicked and sexy, her eyes dark and heated as I squeezed, spread her open, and squeezed again. “Goddamn, I love your ass…”
Sara grinned but bent slowly in front of me, reaching for the condoms I’d left on the bed, and that was only one damn box. There was almost an entire case of the bastards, which I’d stashed away in one of the nightstand drawers. And yes, I was being selfish as hell with them. At the moment, I couldn’t think beyond the beauty in front of me, much less about other people.
She handed me one, and I took it with one hand as I trailed the fingers of my other down her spine. She braced onto the edge of the bed, and fuck, she looked amazing that way.
“All fucking day, Shortcake,” I sighed in want and amazement as I rolled the condom on, simply because I hadn’t thought I’d get what I’d wanted, but I was.
Our skin was still damp—our hair too—but I couldn’t care less. Lining up with her entrance, I sank in slowly and as deep as I could, my eyes rolling back into my head at the exquisite feel of her surrounding me.
Sara gripped the covers of the bed when I pulled almost all the way out and then pushed back in. Her name fell out of my mouth repeatedly when I left biting kisses up her back to her shoulder as I started a deep, slow rhythm. Once I was bent over her, my forehead fell to the back of her head as one hand braced beside hers. The other hand cupped her breast, rolling and pinching the nipple that was peaked tightly.
“Fuck, nothing is as good as this, baby. Nothing,” I whispered, my eyes closing at the burn in the pit of my stomach that was closing in too fast, too fierce. “Make yourself come, Sara. Do it. Come with me.”
Bracing on one hand, she slipped the other down her front, finding the spot where she was sensitive and swollen. A hiss escaped me when I felt her touch where we were connected, and my thrusts became erratic and harder.
“There! God, Jack…there…”
Grinning into a nip to her skin, I grunted, doing exactly what she told me to do. I could feel it all barreling down on us. It was like a freight train, and her second climax hit her so hard, she had to bury her face in the covers of the bed. My teeth bit down on her shoulder as I followed right behind her, her name and a string of curses pushing out against her skin.
I was still breathing heavily against her skin, but I wrapped an arm around her waist to keep us both from collapsing. With a grimace and a groan, I pulled out, discarding the condom in the garbage, but I guided her under the covers, where I followed her, only to pull her to my side.
“We should… My hair…” she mumbled weakly against the skin of my chest, but I chuckled breathlessly.
“Don’t sweat it, Shortcake. We’ll shower again in the morning…”
“Mmm,” she hummed. “I’ve missed showers…especially with you.”
I smiled, slipping down into the bed so we were face to face, and I pulled her body flush to mine, our legs tangling together. “Me too,” I admitted softly. “I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
She giggled, pressing her lips to mine. “I see that.”
I smiled at her, nuzzling her nose with mine. I watched her start to drift off, and the familiar feel of it all was comforting, something I never thought I’d feel again. We’d been living day to day, minute to minute, for so long that a shudder ran through me as I calmed down, not only from my high of coming so damn hard but from the stressful things life had thrown our way. Things could change any second, so I was going to soak up what I could, when I could get it.
Chapter 6
SARA
Klamath Lake, Oregon
7 months after Hurricane Beatrice
COLD, FAT RAINDROPS splattered against the glass of the deck doors as I stoked the fire in the lobby. The sound of kid chatter made me smile, even more with little Aiden trying to add to the mix.
“Woof!” he piped up, squealing into giggles when Sasha walked beside him as he crawled across the floor. He gripped her fur in a tiny, chubby hand, and I was amazed at how she didn’t even flinch as he used her to pull himself up into a wobbly standing position.
Walking back to Rina, I smiled as a game of Connect Four was underway between her and Freddie. I honestly thought they loved the game for the end, where they could drop all the pieces out of the bottom of the grid onto the table with a loud clatter.
It was my turn to sit with the kids. Most everyone else was defending the fences because the cold rain was stirring up trouble with the infected outside. The occasional and somewhat distant pop of gunfire met my ears, but for the most part, they used knives or arrows to dispose of them. The theory was that they were still coming in droves from Portland, that their food source was running low in the large city.
“Hold still, Rina,” I chided gently, chuckling at her squirming. “You wanted braids…”
“I do, Miss Sara,” she urged with a nod, which made me have to stop her head and start all over.
It was hilarious to watch her try to play the game while my hands were holding her head in place. I wasn’t used to girls, but Sabrina was a doll. Freddie had been easier. He was like his dad—a wash-and-go type of kid. Rina liked to play hard like the boys, but occasionally she’d pull the girly card and force dolls or ribbons or pink into it all, which drove my boy crazy. Freddie was usually pretty good-natured about it.
Just as I secured the last pigtail with a rubber band, the sound of tumbling books met my ears, and a loud wail followed right after it. Sasha glanced up at me worriedly as Aiden lay on his back.
“You’re okay,” I soothed him, picking the chunky little guy up. “Oh, my goodness…” I crooned and chuckled at the same time because his frown was exaggerated, his tears big and fat. “You’re all right. You just scared yourself.”
“Uh-huh,” he mumbled with a sniffle, burrowing into my neck as he gripped my shirt.
I hummed a light song as he settled down, pacing slowly back and forth in the windows as the rain soothed him. It was almost time for his nap anyway. I could understand how Jack had been protective of these little ones, especially with how he’d found them. He still was protective, but Jack was also a big kid at heart and loved to play with them right alongside his son, which he’d done just that morning, with a big game of checkers like he’d promised Freddie the night before. And he’d lost horribly to his son.
Continuing to hum, I let my eyes drift to everyone working outside. The fences were just about clear, but there would be dead to burn once the rain stopped. We’d expected snow, but not quite yet, though Dad was pretty sure it would hit us by Thanksgiving, which was a little over a week away. Thankfully, one of the older ladies had kept up with a calendar.
Shaking my head at just how much had changed since the previous holidays, I dropped kisses to Aiden’s head. The year before, we’d been working around Jack’s schedule at the base, and we’d planned a big dinner for when he got home that afternoon. Derek, my dad, Rich, Joel, and Jack had all lounged around in front of the football game. Millie and Josh had come by for dessert, and Freddie had fallen asleep sprawled across his dad. Once he’d awakened, the guys had played football outside, and then we’d all decorated the Christmas tree. It had been a good day.
This year, Thanksgiving seemed to mean more. Instead of planning for parties and football
games, we were all simply happy to be alive. Millie and Margaret were hoping for a plentiful hunt from Derek and the team he’d taken across the lake to scout for not only food but for Dottie’s medical equipment as well.
The thought made me smile into Aiden’s hair. They’d left that morning, and despite Derek’s confusion over Lexie, despite how he’d fought with Jack over the rumors he’d heard, he’d left out of camp with Joel, Josh, and Lexie. He’d also stopped long enough to look me in the eye and apologize for accusations he knew better than to believe, which made me think that Lexie had torn him up over it. The thought made me smile at how things had a way of working out.
She was a feisty one, for sure. And I hoped she stayed that way. As much as I adored Derek like an older brother, he could be a stubborn thing. What I’d told Jack last night was true: Derek had never had a reason to be jealous…until now, and that told me Derek was feeling much more than attraction to Lexie. He was a handsome thing, which I was convinced was a family trait, but he could use it to his advantage when he wanted to, and he rarely batted an eye when it came to women, past conquests. Now, it seemed things had changed for him, and I hoped they were for the better.
A few people ran up the deck steps, shaking off the rain, and when they piled inside the lobby, I smiled up at Jack.
“Best spot on the planet,” he whispered against my head after shrugging out of his soaked hoodie and hanging it up on the coatrack. He ran a gentle hand down Aiden’s back. “He’s out like a light, Shortcake,” he whispered through a soft chuckle.
“Yes, well, he’s been a busy bee keeping poor Sasha on her toes this morning.”
His grin was adorable, but it fell when he glanced over at Olivia. She looked roughed up, tired. There was a bruise forming on her temple.
“What happened?” I gasped, walking to her. “You okay?”
“I’m…fine,” she replied, sounding exasperated.
“A zeak pulled her in when she wasn’t expecting it, and she hit her head on one of the iron rods of the fence.”
She shook her head, waving it off, but she gazed at her son for a moment.
“Want him?” I asked, knowing that sometimes just holding Freddie made everything just a tad bit better.
I smiled when she took him, nuzzling a now-sleeping Aiden close and closing her eyes for a moment. “I…think…” She looked up at Jack and then to me. “I need to talk to you both.”
Jack sat down on the edge of the sofa, and I guided her and Aiden down next to him.
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I need… I need to know that if something happens to me, that my babies…”
“Hey,” Jack chided, shaking his head, “it was just a simple mistake out there, Olivia.”
She shook her head profusely the entire time he argued his point. “No, no…it’s not that. It’s just…with winter coming and with how we’re not sure how those things will react… Not to mention anything could happen at any time, so I just… Jack, please… Sara,” she begged, looking to me. “Promise me that you’ll take care of them if something happens to me. Please.”
Jack looked angry for a moment, and he stood up and started to pace, but he met my eyes, and I could see when he caved. There was warmth and sympathy; there was loyalty to her as well, which was understandable, considering how they’d fought their way here.
As a mother, I could completely understand where she was coming from. Tears blurred my vision at just how difficult it must have been to even approach this subject with us, not to mention how scared she had to have been to get to that point. But it made her a good mother, a smart one, because since the virus took hold, she’d been a single mom, with no family whatsoever to turn to.
When neither of us answered her, she started to ramble in a whisper so that her daughter couldn’t overhear. “Jack, please listen… It’s just…Rina and Aiden, they love you both. And you’re so good with them. Freddie is amazing. You’re such good parents, and I just… I just want to make sure someone will be there for them if something happens to me.”
Jack sat down next to me on the coffee table, facing her, but he still didn’t speak for a moment. Finally, he sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face as serious as I’d ever seen it. “You know I would’ve done it without you asking, but Olivia, we’ll do our best to keep everyone safe, no matter what,” he reasoned, his brows wrinkling, but his eyes drifted to the sleeping little boy in her arms and then to the giggly little girl who was teasing our son.
“I know,” she sighed, almost in relief. “I know you will, but things can happen…quickly. You know that, Jack. You know that from how you found us in Jackson Hole. The flu, a zeak…whatever. I’m not naïve enough to think all is well, just simply because we’ve found a safe haven. I need to know my babies won’t be…alone. They’ve already lost their father to this whole thing, and I have no idea if my sister is out there somewhere, so I need you to promise me.”
Jack’s sweet, concerned, dark-brown eyes locked on mine from over his shoulder. Silently he was asking me my opinion, which made me smile his way and tease him.
“You’ve already said yes, baby,” I told him with a chuckle, nudging his shoulder just a little, and his serious yet beautiful face broke out into a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Yeah, I guess I did, but…” He frowned, letting out a deep breath. “Are you okay with it, Shortcake?”
“Oh, I’m okay,” I said, nodding his way and then to Olivia, “of course, but Jack’s right. We’ll do everything not to have to do it. Okay?”
She nodded, but she didn’t argue that point, simply burying her nose in Aiden’s hair and whispering, “Thank you.”
I stood up from the coffee table, saying, “Let me get you a cool cloth for that head.”
Olivia smiled, nodding a little as she started to rock her son gently. I walked through the bar and into the kitchen. After turning on the faucet, I was reaching for a clean cloth when strong arms wrapped around me from behind.
“Are you sure, Sara?” Jack asked softly into my hair.
I huffed a humorless laugh, wringing out the cloth and shutting off the water. I turned in his arms, leaning back against the counter, but my emotions spilled over.
“Can you imagine how hard that must’ve been for her?” I asked in reply, my voice squeaking and cracking a little in an effort to keep it down, to keep my emotions from exploding. “Can you, Jack? Because I can. I can because that same thought crossed my mind more times than I could count…when the hurricane hit, when I lost touch with you, when the virus started to spread, leaving Sandy, losing family and friends… All of that made me question everything, baby. I was terrified of what would happen to our own child, so…if saying yes to her gives her peace of mind, then I’m absolutely sure.”
Jack’s sweet smile spread across his face, but it was warm, sympathetic, and so full of love that I could practically feel it step into that kitchen with us. “Shh, Shortcake,” he whispered against my forehead, only to pull back and wipe away my tears. “I think that’s why I said yes so quickly, baby. I didn’t mean for this to happen…” He smiled again as he tried to capture my tears. “Don’t cry, Sara.” He set his forehead gently to mine. “I know how hard it was for you, so maybe that’s why I did it. And I also know that Rina and Aiden had almost lost their mother by the time I found them, so…maybe it was something I’d already considered. At the time, all I could think was how innocent they were in it all, and I’d have probably left the decision up to my parents, but Olivia pulled through. Now that we’re here, I have no problem saying yes…if only because I know we’d care for them just as much as we do Freddie.”
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I nodded when I grasped either side of his face. “Shit,” I said with a sniffle. “We already do.”
He chuckled. “True. And I think she knows that, or she wouldn’t have come to us specifically.” He paused for a moment, the smile slipping off his handsome face. “Who? Who’d you…”
Shaking my head, I sighed, looking up at him. “Before you got to us?” I asked, and he nodded. “My dad, and if not him…I don’t know. Tina, maybe. She’s been…amazing.”
“She has,” he agreed easily. “And now? If something happens to us?”
“Now…both. Your parents and my dad.” I shrugged, knowing that was an easy decision.
“Yes, I think so too, and I doubt we’d have to ask…”
Grinning a little, I nodded, finally kissing him softly just for being Jack, for being the gentle, good man that he was. “That’s true.” I took a second to get myself together and then smiled up at him, holding up the damp cloth. “Let me take this back to her.”
“You okay?” he asked, linking our fingers together to keep me from leaving just yet. When I nodded, he smiled. “I meant what I told her, that I’d do my best, that we’d all do our best to not let it come to that.”
Studying his face, I smiled up at him. “I know you did, Jack. And it’s the right thing to do.”
He kissed my lips once more before letting me go.
“Well? Any sign, kiddo?” Dad asked me as I lifted the binoculars to my eyes to gaze across the large lake.
“No, not yet,” I sighed, looking over at him. “Maybe the rain we had yesterday held them up…”
“Or brought them trouble,” he countered, but Jack was already shaking his head.
“They can handle it,” he told my dad firmly. “Derek took a strong group.”
Dad nodded, turning his back on the lake and leaning against the fence as he ran a hand over Sasha’s head absentmindedly. “He did, but they’ve been gone for what seems like too long.”
Jack nodded, holding out his hand for the binoculars, and I gave them over. He spoke as he looked through them. “I’d say give them a bit more time. They had a long list, mostly my mother’s doing, and they were aiming for the road that led to the small city of Klamath Falls. It’s quite possible they decided to scout closer to it.”