Off Base(56)

He cursed, surging deep and holding himself still as he came inside her. “Oh, Christ,” he panted.

He gave another short thrust, his hand splayed on her belly in a way that made her feel marked, her body owned and well used in a way that was wholly new and not unwelcome.

He removed his hand on her stomach and slid free, dropping on his side, breathing heavily. Euphoria clung to her, leaving her slightly cloudy-headed.

So this was what she had been missing.

The instant the thought entered her head, she wondered how she would ever go without it again. Without him. Euphoria or not, she wasn’t blind to the weirdness factor. She’d just had mind-blowing sex with her good friend. Oh, and he happened to be her brother’s best friend.

Would he get up and leave now? Would they resume their friendship like this never happened. She held very still beside him, not sure how to react. What did one say in a situation like this? Should she get up and put on her clothes—

His arm reached out and wrapped around her waist, hauling her close, tucking her to his side. She darted a look at his face. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn’t sleeping. Yet. She waited several moments to see if he was going to say anything.

After ten minutes passed on her digital clock, she sucked up the nerve and broke the silence, asking, “Have you eaten yet?”

His mouth curved slightly. “No.”

“I have leftover spaghetti.”

“Sounds good.”

Smiling, she slid out from his arm and rose. Bending, she snapped up her discarded shirt.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Pulling her shirt over her head, she looked down over her shoulder at him, arching an eyebrow in question.

“I’ll just be undressing you again later.”

Heat flushed through her as his words rumbled over the air. Well, that answered the question if he planned on leaving any time soon.

Turning, she headed into the kitchen, a ridiculously wide grin on her face.





Chapter Nine




Cullen should have left the moment they finished, but he was far from having his fill of her. He wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe ever.

As soon as the fanciful thought entered, he pushed it away. This wasn’t anything but sex. Great sex. But just sex.

She sat close beside him, their thighs touching, as he ate spaghetti in front of the TV. They found a The Walking Dead marathon and settled in to watch. He loved looking at her expressive face. Even though she had seen this episode, she still covered her mouth and jumped at all the scary parts.

“So gross! Cannibals.” She wrinkled her nose at his bowl of spaghetti. “I’m glad I already ate.”

“Ah, c’mon.” He held up a marinara-coated meatball. “You don’t want a bite?”

“Ick! Get it away.” She leaned far to the side, laughing as he pushed his fork at her. “You’re going to drop it on me!”

He stuffed it into his mouth. Chewing, he latched onto her waist and tried to kiss her with a mouthful of saucy meatball.

She shrieked and tried to wiggle free. “Stop! Don’t!”

He managed to plant a kiss on her cheek, leaving a smear of marina. She wiped it with the back of her hand, laughing.

“Okay, no more,” he promised, grinning at her flushed face.

The show came back on and they settled side by side again, offering various opinions.

“I’d be one of the first to go,” she said with utter sincerity, shaking her head over her inevitable demise.

“No way. You’d have me, and I’d have explosives.”

She laughed and sent him a look. “You know bombs are loud.”

“So?”

“Well, that would draw more zombies.”

“Not if I kept killing them all,” he shot back.

She shook her head, clearly unconvinced at his logic.

“Look,” he said. “All I’m saying is that I can rig a bomb with a rubber band and household cleaning products. And I can do it fast enough for us to get away.”

“Arrogant much?” She snorted.

He shrugged. “I know my strengths.”

“Still. I think a tank from the base might be handy to have.”

He nodded. “Yeah, except they’re gas guzzlers, and I’d imagine we’ll have to worry about fuel.”

They continued on with their hypotheticals, talking in easy camaraderie until the episode came to an end. It was like every other time they hung out except different. Better. Because there was an easy intimacy between them. He could touch her arm, brush the hair back off her shoulder and she didn’t flinch.

“I need a shower,” she declared as the next episode started up.

“Go ahead. I’ll clean up.” He grabbed his plate, feeling her stare on him and fighting the wince. To anyone looking in they would appear almost … domestic. Hell.

“Thanks.”

He heard the shower water start as he loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Finished, he turned off the TV and headed for the bathroom. Outside the pink-and-green floral-print shower curtain, he slid off his briefs and pulled the curtain back.

She jumped and yelped like he was one of the zombies they had just finished watching. His gaze dropped, skimming her body. The full breasts with berry-tipped nipples made him instantly hard. He’d had no idea she had such beautiful breasts. Stepping inside the shower, he bent his head and drew one in his mouth. She yelped again, her hands flying to his head. Warm water sluiced over them, making her flesh warm and slippery-sleek in his hands.