Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(90)
I started to laugh then, laughing through my tears and pain, allowing myself to fall even deeper into the oblivion, and closer to Jami.
? ? ?
Leisel
Untangling myself from Alex, I blinked groggily in the semi-darkness, then sat up in bed and glanced around the empty room. Getting to my feet, I headed for the row of windows and peered down below. There was no horde, no black wall of death off in the distance. There were, however, several infected clinging limply to the fence, their bodies black and charred.
Pressing my face against the dirty glass, I attempted to see even farther out and discovered much of the same. Infected, burned to a crisp and all hanging haphazardly from the fence. I had to admit, I was surprised and a little impressed at how easily it had been to hide from the horde, especially inside a camp this size, and with this many people.
Returning to the bed, I took a seat beside Alex. “Hey,” I murmured, shaking his arm. “Alex, wake up.”
“Hmm…” Reaching around my waist, he smoothed his hand over my stomach, traveling upward until he was cupping my breast, squeezing it while gently thumbing my nipple.
“Again?” he muttered, pressing his hips into my backside.
“No,” I admonished, giggling softly. “Stop it. It’s nearly dark, and Eve isn’t back yet. I think we should go look for her.”
Yawning noisily, Alex attempted to push himself into a sitting position using only one hand, the other still firmly attached to my breast. Once sitting, he pulled me closer, nearly into his lap, still kneading and twisting the soft flesh.
Unwittingly, my eyes began to close, my mouth opening in a silent moan. Reaching behind me, I looped my arm around Alex’s neck and turned my head, bringing our mouths together.
“I want more,” he said, sliding his tongue past my lips.
“So do I,” I whispered, gripping his hair and deepening the kiss. I let go, for just a moment, before pulling back. “But we need to find Eve.”
With a sigh, he released me, his hands falling away. Blinking, gathering my wits, I rolled off him and out of bed. “You destroyed my dress,” I said, picking up the shredded material and wrinkling my nose at it.
Alex grinned at me, a look on his face that I would never tire of seeing, so starkly different from his typical stony expression. “I also got you a ton of new clothes.”
“True,” I said, already reaching for the bag of clothing Grannie had given me. After digging through it, I pulled free a small pair of men’s dark blue Dickies and a black tank top that had been patched over many times with colorful scraps of material. I dressed quickly, then slipped into my new pink slipper boots. I looked ridiculous, but no more ridiculous than anyone else around here.
“Are you coming?” I asked Alex, who’d yet to get up.
Sighing again, he stood up, giving me a full frontal view of his naked body. I took it all in, from head to toe, admiring every perfectly sculpted inch of him.
“If you keep looking at me like that,” he said, looking up through his dark lashes and rubbing a hand across his jaw, “we’ll never leave this room.”
“I can’t help it,” I whispered, smiling. “You’re really nice to look at.”
After he pulled a dirty red T-shirt over his head, his eyes found mine. The burning intensity I’d seen in them earlier was back, searing me where I stood. God, this feeling, this incredible mutual attraction… I could have never predicted this turn my life had suddenly taken.
“Come here,” he said, his voice deeper than usual.
I took a step forward, my breath hitching in anticipation, when an odd noise from the hallway gave me pause.
I turned sharply, glancing at the door. “Did you hear that? Like crying or something?”
“Yeah,” Alex said with a frown, suddenly serious. “Stay here.”
After pulling on his pants, he headed for the door, freeing the padlock and gripping the knob. The door swung open, softly hitting against the wall as Alex stepped out into the dimly lit hall.
“Lei!” he called out, his voice panicked. “Come here!”
I ran after him, through the doorway and into the hall. Glancing down, I found Evelyn sitting on the floor, her shirt ripped wide open, her breasts on display, her arms hanging limply at her sides. From what I could tell she was covered in tiny bruises—her neck, her cheeks, her breasts and arms. Having been well acquainted with them for several years, I knew exactly what they were from. They were fingerprint bruises.
“Eve!” I cried, dropping to my knees. She turned her head, her bloodshot and tear-swollen eyes meeting mine. “Who did this?”
More tears welled in her eyes, spilling over and cascading down her dirty cheeks. “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered through her choking sobs.
My eyes widened. “It does so matter!” I yelled. I wanted to pull her forward, take her in my arms and hold her, but I wasn’t sure that touching her wouldn’t hurt her. So I settled for taking her hand, bringing it to my face and pressing a kiss to her palm.
“Who did this?” I repeated, glancing up at Alex. His eyes were still burning, only now there was a different sort of fire within their depths. He wasn’t just angry, he was livid.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said again, drawing my attention back to her. Then she surprised me by suddenly smiling through her tears. “I got us what we need, a truck and supplies.” She took a shuddering breath. “We’re getting the f*ck out of here.”