Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(88)

I nodded my head. “There’s lots of things we’ll need.”

Throwing his head back, E laughed loud and hard, embarrassing me and making me foolish. He continued laughing, the volume of which made me wonder if the infected outside might hear it. All at once he stopped, his gaze again meeting mine, his features smooth and serious. “Of course there is.”

I swallowed again, the lump in my throat stubbornly refusing to go down. “I want weapons, food, water…” One by one I ticked off a survival checklist, all things that Leisel, Alex, and I would need back out in the wild. Part of me hoped he’d refuse me, that he’d laugh at my exorbitant and ridiculous requests; yet another part of me hoped he would agree to my demands, providing us with what we needed in order to be free of this place once and for all. That perhaps if I were able to go back to Leisel with the keys to our freedom in my hand, she would forgive me for my many mistakes.

“Done.” He smirked and lifted his hand. His palm landed on my cheek, his fingers running trails up the side of my face and into my hair. Gripping a handful of hair, he forced my head back. “You’ll get your truck, Wildcat, when I’m good and ready to give it to you. You done now?”

“How do I know I can trust you?” I whispered.

His smirk turned into a grin. “You don’t,” he replied. His eyes were expectant now, as if he was waiting for my confirmation, a signal that we’d come to a mutually beneficial agreement, and now he could collect his portion.

I wondered at why it was so important to him, my consent, when we both knew he didn’t need it. He was big enough, strong enough, that he could simply take what he wanted and not have to give me anything in return. Was it the brand on my wrist? Was there some sort of punishment that was doled out if you took another man’s property? Even if there was, I doubted anyone would go up against a man like E for a woman like me.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and nodded quickly. No more than a heartbeat had passed before his mouth was on mine, his tongue prying my lips apart as he pushed hungrily into my mouth. Gripping my waistband, he unbuttoned my pants, shoving them down my legs and bringing my underwear with them.

Crudely, he pushed my thighs apart, and then his thick fingers were inside me, pushing and probing, making me gasp at the sudden violent intrusion. He pulled out of the kiss and pressed his forehead against mine, his breath hot and ragged against my face. Grunting, he ground his palm against me, his fingers working faster now, harder.

Biting down on my lower lip, I gripped his shoulders and dug my nails into him, both wanting him to stop and wanting him to continue. I was dizzy, disoriented, my body suddenly a frenzy of want and desire while my mind continued to protest.

One strong arm snaked around my waist, his large hand gripping me as he lifted me off the floor with ease. As he carried me across the room toward the bed, my pants fell from my ankles, and just as soon as he’d set me down he was gripping the neckline of my shirt. With one violent tug, it tore down the center, baring my breasts to him.

Lying there, fully exposed, I watched E as he quickly undressed, pulling his T-shirt up over his head, revealing a stomach packed tight with layers of hard, rippling muscle. Unbuttoning his jeans, he kicked them away, then climbed onto the bed. Situating himself over top of me, he pushed my knees apart and stared down at my nakedness with a salacious grin on his face.

Feeling oddly self-conscious, I attempted to close my legs but his hands were there, stopping me. Pushing them farther apart, he grinned down at me as he moved in, our bodies now touching, his hips aligned with mine.

? ? ?

Leisel

I gasped again, not for the first time, but loud enough that Alex had to use his mouth to muffle the sound. Not an easy feat considering I was lying on my belly, Alex on top of me and buried deep inside.

“Shh,” he whispered against my mouth. “I can hear them now. They’re all around the gates.”

We both fell silent, listening to the odd buzzing noise that came from outside the windows. At first it had sounded like a swarm of mosquitoes circling your head, but the more I listened, muddling through our heavy breathing and pounding hearts, it grew clearer, more distinctive, sounding like something else entirely. A low chorus of groans and growls, too many to distinguish, all droning together and sounding like a low humming noise to the untrained ear.

Beneath Alex, I shivered. They were everywhere now, practically on top of us, and what if they didn’t move on? What if they somehow sensed us inside? What if they…

Alex slid free from my body, instantly distracting me from my thoughts, before returning to me slowly and sinking back inside. “Don’t think,” he said quietly against my earlobe, then kissed me again.

Taking hold of both my wrists, he raised them above my head, using one hand to keep them there while his other traveled down the length of me. Again, his hips retreated, and again they returned.

“I’m going to be so sore,” I murmured into the mattress.

We’d already had sex once. Alex hadn’t lasted all that long, and after apologizing, had set straight to work on ensuring that I would finish this time. Or he was simply just trying to distract me from what was happening outside. Either way, I wasn’t complaining. At least, not yet.

Wiggling my fingers, I beckoned for his hand. He complied, releasing my wrists and sliding his fingers between mine. For a moment I only stared at our wrists, at our matching brands that forever marked me as Alex’s, and I found myself smiling, rather liking it there, liking that I belonged to him.