“Hey, girl,” he said, laughing at the dog’s antics.
I watched Goldie attack him playfully, jumping on his legs, nuzzling his face, totally starved for attention. Even I felt ashamed of not giving her enough time lately.
“So,” he said, standing back up. “Happy birthday.” He then walked toward me and pulled me into his arms.
I closed my eyes and inhaled his slight woodsy scent. “Thanks,” I murmured, enjoying the new cologne.
He lifted my chin and smiled. “So… you’re legal now, Wild.”
I shook my head.
“What?” he asked with laughter in his.
Of course I knew what he was talking about. I could feel his desire every time he held me close. I was kind of impressed, though, that he hadn’t put any kind of pressure on me.
Goldie was over by her food dish so I stepped away from him and grabbed her bag of food. “Legal, huh? To whom or for what?” I asked, pouring kibble into the dog’s dish.
“Open up your imagination,” he said with a devilish grin.
I turned to him and raised my eyebrows.
He burst out laughing and then grabbed me by my waist. “Oh, Wild.”
“Obviously, I know what you’re talking about,” I said. “But I thought you and Belinda had something special going on.”
He rolled his eyes. “God – you still won’t let up about that. Nothing happened!”
“That’s not what she remembers, you ‘dirty boy’,” I said with a cocky grin.
I knew he’d never have sex with her, memory loss or not. It was pretty funny, though, and I just couldn’t bring myself to stop teasing him.
“Well, I am a dirty boy,” he said, pulling me closer. “But I’m all yours. Hope you like your guys dirty.”
“As long as they don’t smell like zombies, have clean nails, and can watch my back, I like ‘em.”
“Oh, I’ve got your back,” he said, putting one of his hands on my rear. I blushed as his ice-blue eyes burned into mine. “Seriously, though, how are you really doing?”
I looked down. “Well, I’m just trying to deal with things.”
“Wild, look at me,” he said, raising my chin with his fingers. “You don’t have to do it alone, you know.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll be fine?”
I nodded and rested my cheek against his chest.
He sighed and ran his fingers through the back of my hair. “It tears me up inside, knowing the pain you’re in. Jesus, girl, you don’t have to be so brave all the time. Let me help you.”
“Bryce, I’m not going to burden you with all of my problems,” I answered, stepping away. “You have enough of your own. Plus, you have a little boy to raise now, and I’m not going to make that any harder.”
“Come on, there’s nothing that you could do that would make it harder for me to care for Bobby. If anything, you make my life easier. You definitely make it better.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Well, you make mine better, too,” I said softly.
He grabbed my wrist, pulling me back into his arms. “Cassie, you’re so… beautiful,” he said. “I could just drink you in all day long.”
“Um, thanks,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn.
He smiled down at me with amusement, licked his lips and then pressed them to mine.
I relaxed and slipped my hands around his neck, drawing him closer. Soon, his tongue was in my mouth and his hands were exploring unchartered territories. When his fingertips slipped back under my shirt and touched my skin, I shivered.
“You’re either cold or you’re enjoying it as much as I am,” he whispered.
I didn’t say anything. I just grabbed the front of his T-shirt, pulled him with me to the couch, and settled onto his lap.
“Taking charge again, I see,” he whispered with a sexy grin, before I shut him up with my lips.
I closed my eyes as our tongues danced together, enjoying the way he tasted and smelled. I slid my hands up to the back of his neck and into his hair, running my fingers through the short, dark strands, and let out a satisfied sigh.
There was no other place in the world that I wanted to be.
When his lips moved from my mouth and made a hot trail down my neck, I moaned and pressed against his lap.
He suddenly removed his hands and mouth. “Oh, God… not here,” he said, his voice husky. “Not like this.”
I nodded. “Right. My sister may walk out of her room.”
“You know,” he said, kissing my lips again. “I’d love to keep doing this, but I really came here to invite you to dinner.”
“Dinner?” I answered, feeling somewhat disappointed. We were safe and alone for the first time in ages, and he was thinking about food.
His eyes glinted with humor; he must have sensed my disappointment, too. “Yes, is that okay? I mean, since it’s your eighteenth birthday, I thought I’d invite you to a romantic dinner.”
“Okay,” I said.
He smiled. “Good. By the way, my first present should be arriving just before dinner.”
My eyebrows shot up. “First present?”
He nodded and then planted another kiss on my lips. “I’ll be here to pick you up at six o’clock.”
“Wow, it sounds like a real date.”
“It is,” he said. “So, be ready.”
“Okay.”
“Other than that, meet me downstairs in an hour for class.”
Last week, Bryce and Tiny had started a training program to help the other survivors learn some self-defense against the zombies, as well as other criminals they might encounter. It was a little martial arts mixed in with street fighting and wrestling. I hadn’t even checked it out yet, I’d been too busy mourning my parents.
I sighed. “Fine.”
“And bring Allie.”
“She isn’t going to come,” I said. “She won’t even leave her room.”
“Make her.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“Dammit, Wild,” he said. “You’re her older sister and now her guardian. She’s only twelve and needs someone to guide her. Make her come to class. It will do her good. It will do you both good.”
“Well, I’ll try.”
He pointed at me. “Do, don’t try.”
I pointed back. “You’re so damn bossy.”
He smiled. “It gets me what I want and I want to see you and Allie in the workout room in an hour. Don’t make me come and get you two.”
“Well, I’ll try my best to wake the princess.”
“Doing is much better. Never try, just do.”
I saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
“Now you’re catching on.”
I slugged him playfully and he grabbed both my arms. “Save most of your energy for tonight, though,” he said and kissed me again. “So we can continue where we left off.”
I smiled. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Confidence builds character.”
“Right,” I snorted.
After he left, I went into Allie’s room. She was in bed with the covers pulled over her face. I opened the drapes to let some light in and she groaned.
“Rise and shine, Allie Ballie,” I said.
“Go away,” she mumbled.
I folded my arms across my chest. “No. You have to get up. You’ve been in bed all day again, and it’s not good for you.”
She rolled over. “I’m sick.”
I walked to the bed and grabbed the blanket from her. “You probably feel sick because you’re not taking care of yourself. Now get in the shower. We’re going to eat something quick, and then meet Bryce downstairs for a self-defense class.”
“Right,” she said. “How about I meet you down there?”
“How about… no?” I answered. “You’re getting up and moving out of this bed.”
“Or what?” she asked with tears in her eyes. “You’re going to tel
l mom?”
I sat down on her bed. “I only wish I could. But I can’t, and I know how painful it is. It sucks. It’s total crap. But there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
She began to cry and I took her into my arms. “I miss them so much,” she sobbed.
I closed my eyes. “Me, too… but you know what?”
“What?” she sniffed.
“They’re watching us right now, wherever they are, and they probably aren’t happy. Especially Dad.”
She pulled away. “Why?”
“Because our whole lives he taught us to be fighters. They both did. I guarantee that if they were here, they’d be pretty ticked off.”
She wiped her cheeks. “Dad would be for sure. Mom wouldn’t.”
“No, both of them would be pissed for sure. They risked everything for us. They went through hell and back to find us and never gave up. And guess what – it paid off. They brought us both to safety and it ended up costing them their lives, which is horrible, but we can’t let their deaths be in vain. So, come on, Allie, we have to make them proud. It’s just the two of us now, and we have to pull through this. Do it for them, okay?”
She cleared her throat. “Okay.”
“Now, go take a shower and put on one of those pink outfits Kylie found for you. You kind of stink like one of those dead zombies.”
She giggled.
“I’m glad you think that’s funny. Now, seriously.” I said, plugging my nose. “Go take a shower.”
33
Less than an hour later, we were both in the workout room dressed in sweats, me in gray and Allie in hot pink. Of course everyone was excited to see my little sister.
“Oh, thank God,” said Kylie, hugging her friend. “I was getting really worried about you.”
Allie smiled shyly as everyone approached her and introduced themselves. When I saw her eyes light up after Luke shook her hand, I knew she was on the road to recovery.
“Hey there, Wild,” said Henry. “How’s it hanging?”
I laughed. “A little to the left, Henry.”
“You do have more balls than most men I’ve met,” he replied. “Of course you still drive like a woman.”
I shook my head. “You’d better watch yourself in here, Henry. Some of these women drivers also know martial arts.”
He chuckled. “I’m only messing with you, by golly. But, seriously you should really stay off the roads until you’ve had more practice. See if that Bryce character can give you some pointers.”
“I’m sure he’d love that.”
“Hey, hon,” said Belinda. She was chewing gum and dressed in short-shorts and a sports bra. Even I had to admit that for an older lady, she had a kickin’ body.
“Hi,” I said. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, just great. Everyone’s been so wonderful,” she said. “Especially Henry. He’s even agreed to stay with me in the penthouse, to help keep an eye on Luke. You know teenaged boys, they’re a handful.”
“Oh, to keep an eye on Luke?” I said. “Well, that’s our Henry,” I said. “He just loves helping out women.”
“Yes, and he promised to take me horseback riding when all this zombie crap gets cleared up.”
Henry gave me a big shit-eating grin. “She needs to learn from the best.”
“Yeah, Belinda,” I said. “Henry used to work in the rodeo, and from what I hear, knows his way around the saddle pretty good.”
She gave me a throaty laugh. “He keeps telling me that, but sometimes I wonder if we’re talking about the same thing.”
Just then, Nora and Billie showed up, both dressed in shorts and matching Pink Floyd T-shirts. Where they got those, I have no idea. I watched in awe as Billie flirted with her and her face turned beet-red. He then began tickling her, and before long, they were wrestling on the floor. I knew right away that she was letting him pin her. As strong as he probably was, she wasn’t that easy to take down.
“Hey, guys,” I said, smiling down at them as they rolled around on the floor.
“Hi, Cassie,” said Billie with a sheepish grin. “Don’t mind us.”
“Looks like you two are having fun,” I chuckled.
Nora stood up, her expression serious. “Hey, Wild. I um… need to talk to you later.”
“Okay,” I said. “After class?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
The workout room couldn’t hold everyone who showed up for the class, so we ended up moving to the restaurant in the hotel. After clearing away some of the tables, Bryce had us separate into smaller groups.
“Cassie,” he said, “I’d like you to help me demonstrate some basic defense moves, and then if you could help the others practice them, that would be awesome.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Nora? Would you be willing to help, too?” he asked.
“No problem, Bryce,” she said.
“Great. Now let’s begin by learning some basic karate moves which might actually help to save your lives.”
For the next hour we went over different kicks, blocks, and strikes, which would add some protection against the zombies. It wouldn’t kill them, but could certainly add some type of defense.
“I also advise all of you to keep an ax or other kind of bludgeoning weapon with you at all times. These martial arts defense moves won’t kill a zombie, but they can give you some extra time before you actually strike their head or neck. It will also help to protect you against other living attackers. Keep practicing these moves and don’t ever let your guard down,” said Bryce when we were finished with the demonstration.
By the end of class, Allie and Kylie were laughing and teasing each other. I was so relieved to hear the sound of her voice, I actually hugged her at the end of class.
“What’s that for?” Allie asked.
“I’m just happy you’re here,” I answered.
“Well, me, too.” she replied.
After we were finished with class, Allie took Kylie up to our room to play with Goldie and Paige pulled me aside.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Okay, this thing with my mom and Tiny is really driving me bonkers. She’s falling for him hard.”
I smiled. “Well, that’s great though. Isn’t it?”
She sighed. “It’s not that I don’t like him, but my mom is on the rebound, you know? I’m just worried about her getting hurt.”
“Paige, you know they’ve already been through more than most couples go through in a lifetime.”
“It’s just…”
“I think you should give her a break and let her have some fun with Tiny. He seems to really dig her and she feels safe with him.”
“Fun, she’s having a little too much fun.”
“What do you mean?”
Paige snorted. “She got pretty damn tipsy last night.”
Neither one of us had noticed Kristie, who was now standing directly behind us. She tapped Paige on the shoulder. “What’s that you’re talking about?”
Paige scowled at her. “Mom! Quit sneaking up on us!”
Kristie crossed her arms. “So, what is this about me getting tipsy?”
“Oh, for the love of God,” snapped Paige. “Last night? The hot tub episode?”
Kristie’s face fell. “Oh. Did you have to bring that up?”
I smiled. “Okay, girls, now you have to tell me what happened.”
“My mom got trashed and fell face-first into the hot tub.”
Kristie’s jaw dropped. “I was not trashed. I’d only had a glass of wine or two and got a little dizzy.”
“Well, it was really disturbing to catch you in the hot tub with Tiny. God, Cassie, you should have seen it. My mom was trying to be all seductive-like. She had on this sexy bathing suit and her hair was teased perfectly into place, makeup carefully applied, and…” Paige started laughing.
“It wasn’t that funny, Paige,” said Kristie with a stern expression.
This only made her laugh harder. Paige bent
over, trying to control her laughter, and pointed at her mom as the tears rolled down her face. “And… she was taking a step down into the hot tub and she slipped, falling face forward into the water!”
Kristie was also trying to hold back a smile. “Yeah, but I could have drowned. Seriously, it wasn’t that funny.”
“Then, when she came back up, her mascara was all over her face, her hair was drenched, and things were sticking out that should have never seen the light of day, you know what I’m saying?” she laughed. “But no, that didn’t stop my mom’s big seduction. She stood there, with one boob sticking out of her bathing suit, looking like a drowned rat, and said,” Paige raised her voice. “‘Hey, stud, I’m looking for a horse. Let’s say we go for a ride?’”
I burst out laughing and so did Kristie, who couldn’t hold it back any longer either.
“Well, it sounded good at the time!” chuckled Kristie. “How was I to know you were there, Paige?”
“It was such a crime scene, I couldn’t take my eyes off it!” laughed Paige.
“So, what did Tiny do?” I asked.
Paige quit laughing. “I don’t know. I got the hell out of there.”
We both turned to Kristie, who smiled. “Let’s just say I’m a little saddle sore today.”
Paige’s mouth dropped. “Oh, my God, mom! T.M.I.!”
***
I followed Nora into the kitchen after she was done stretching out.
“I’m starving,” she said, searching in the pantry. We’d distributed most of the food to the survivors already, so there wasn’t much left in the kitchen. It was just fortunate that the hotel had been stocked with food when we’d arrived, and that Tony’s men had guarded everything against other possible thieves.
“So,” I said. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
She sat on one of the counters and opened up the box of crackers she’d lucked out finding. “My dad.”
I’d forgotten all about her dad, who’d supposedly been transferred to the CDC.
“I’m sorry, Nora,” I said. “I’d forgotten all about that. We’ll have to help you find him.”
“Actually, I’ve spoken to one of the other survivors who’d seen my dad. I guess he took off after coming out of his coma.”
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