He stared at her and she held her breath, hoping he’d see the honesty in her words and they could move forward from here. He only held her gaze for a second before pulling his chin out of her grasp. Then his lips were on hers and Vivian found herself on her back, locked in his embrace while they kissed. She wrapped one leg around his waist and pulled him against her as he moved, slow and steady. What little clothes they wore felt like nothing in contrast to the firmness of his body against hers. He ran his hands up her stomach, pushing her shirt up and out of the way as his tongue explored her mouth, and when he cupped her breasts, her back arched in response to his touch.
“Take off your underwear,” she said against his lips, anxious to have him closer to her. To feel his skin against hers.
Axl pulled back long enough to yank them off and Vivian took the opportunity to shimmy out of her own. When he was back, he practically ripped her shirt over her head before kissing her again, deeper this time. Urgently. Seconds later he was sliding into her, and the sensation was so familiar and welcome that it felt better than anything in the world. She lifted her hips to meet his as their gasps echoed through the room. Axl’s hands found hers and he lifted her arms above her head, lacing their fingers together and holding her hands as he moved, watching her with eyes that told her how much he loved her.
She could tell when he got close by the expression on his face, and she wasn’t surprised when he slowed.
“In or out?” he asked, sounding almost breathless.
“In,” she said before she could talk herself out of it.
He moved faster once again, releasing her hands so he could grab her hips. He hit that place inside her over and over, sending pleasure shooting through her. Driving her closer and closer to the release her body so desperately craved. She cried out just before his final thrust, and then he stilled above her, breathing hard as he rested his forehead on her bare breast and tried to catch his breath.
When he rolled onto his back, he took her with him, pulling her body against his so she was tucked under his arm and her cheek was on his chest.
“You changed your mind,” he said, his voice echoing through her head as he spoke.
They’d run out of condoms weeks ago, and oddly enough the settlement didn’t have them. Vivian wasn’t sure if they really were hard to come by—it was entirely possible people had gotten really freaky once they realized the world was going to end—or if the lack of condoms was the CDC’s way of forcing the survivors to continue the human race. Either way, she and Axl had been using the pull and pray method for a while now. It was at her insistence, though. He’d been ready to say screw it and roll the dice, but the thought of getting pregnant when things with this virus were still so uncertain had scared her. Still did. He asked every time, though, giving her the chance to make the decision.
“I guess I did,” she said, lifting her head so she could look him in the eye. “I started thinking about it more and more after Lila told me she was pregnant. It’s still scary, but I think you’re right. Things have always worked out for us before, so why not roll the dice?”
When he smiled, the scar on his chin puckered. She reached up to trace it with the tip of her finger, returning his smile as she thought about the two of them and everything they’d been through in the short time that they’d known one another. It felt like a lifetime ago that she’d been someone else, drifting through life with no real plans. Odd that the apocalypse was what had given her a purpose.
“I love this scar,” she said, tracing it again. “It reminds me of how strong you are. Tells me that you can make it through anything.”
“Long as we got each other,” he said, “there ain’t nothin’ that can stop us.”
Jim
The apartment was dark but cool when he woke, throwing him so off kilter that he couldn’t figure out where he was. He felt like a dumbass kid but was totally powerless to chase the fear of the unknown away. The total blackness of night was something he’d grown used to, but waking up not drenched in sweat wasn’t, not yet. After weeks of living with no electricity, the cool air flowing through the vents above the bed didn’t seem real.
Amira shifted at his side and when her leg brushed Jim’s, the warmth of her skin was familiar enough to bring him back to reality. They were safe. They’d risked a lot, had a few close calls—he rubbed the still healing gunshot wound just below his shoulder—but they’d made it here and now they could start a life. Together.
He calmed down as he settled back into bed, finding himself scooting closer to Amira’s small body. She shifted again, this time making a little noise that reminded him of the purr of a kitten. She snuggled closer and he wrapped his arms around her and held on like her hundred pound frame was the only thing keeping him anchored to this reality. It felt like it, anyway. Like if he didn’t have her he’d never be able to find steady ground again.
He’d only been twenty-six-years-old when the virus hit, but he’d felt closer to forty. For as long as Jim could remember he’d been drifting through life like death was just around the corner, and for him it probably would have been if things hadn’t changed. Only they did, and then most of the population was gone and he’d been faced with a choice: be the asshole he’d always been or man up and contribute. He’d chosen door number two, but even he hadn’t been ready to admit that he was just biding his time until the axe dropped once again, only this time he’d been certain it was going chop his fucking head off. It had never occurred to him, not even for a second, that he could have something good in his life.
That’s why he’d run out of that farmhouse on the way to Atlanta. Megan was only a couple days old and Angus needed to make it here alive so he could save the world, and everyone else in that house was family. They’d needed each other, but they hadn’t needed him. So he’d run, had led the zombies away so the others had a chance, never thinking that he’d see the light of day again let alone the wall surrounding New Atlanta. But now he was here and he had Amira, who had saved him more than once, and they were going to start a new life. It seemed much, much too good to be true.
Jim tried to go back to sleep but the draw of the new day and the waiting city was too much for him. He couldn’t get his brain to shut off, not when all the days and weeks ahead of them felt so bright and shiny and promising. So, after an hour of lying awake at Amira’s side, he finally gave up and slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her. She shifted when he slid out, but she didn’t open her eyes, and even though he wanted her to be able to enjoy the restful sleep she seemed to be getting, a pang of regret shot through him. It would be nice if she did wake now, and then he could undress her and explore her body, taking his time and savoring the safety of this apartment.
He let her be, though, instead heading out into their apartment where he stood at the window and stared out over the city. The sun was just coming up and in the distance the wall loomed, a symbol of hope and the promise of a future. Never before had he had so many things he wanted to do, but at that moment, staring out over the city, the possibilities of what he and Amira could have here felt endless.
“You’re awake.” Amira’s voice boomed through the apartment behind him, making him jump.
“Shit,” he muttered, grabbing his heart while turning to face her. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a person during the zombie apocalypse.”
She smiled as she crossed the room to him. She was wearing nothing but a tiny tank top that clung to her curves and a pair of pink cotton underwear, and damn if she didn’t look sexy as hell. One sway of her hips was all it took for the ache to start in his groin, and by the time she was standing in front of him, his dick was begging for freedom.
“Sorry.” She glanced toward the slowly rising sun, visible through the window. “It’s weird waking up here. Knowing that we don’t have to be afraid.”
Jim ran his hand down her side, slowly tracing the curve of her waist and hip, and when she looked back his way, her eyebrows were arched.
“I know. I
was thinking the same thing.” He pulled her closer until her body was flush with his. “We should celebrate properly.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips against her neck.
“I think we already did yesterday,” she said, her voice just a little too loud in his ears. “Three times.”
Jim pulled back so she could read his lips. “You can never celebrate too much when you’ve cheated death.”
Amira smiled, but he wiped it away by closing his mouth over hers. He ran his hands down her back, enjoying the firmness of her breasts against his chest, and grabbed the hem of her tank top. He broke away from the kiss long enough to pull the shirt up over her head, and then his lips were back on hers and his hands were on her breasts. Her body was firm and fit from months of hard work—although he would have bet money that she’d been pretty fit even before the zombies showed up—and her brown skin glowed in the soft light streaming in through the window. They kissed while she shimmied out of her underwear, then pushed Jim’s pajama pants and boxer briefs down until they pooled around his ankles. He kicked them away and pulled her closer, wanting to feel every inch of her body against his.
Talking during sex was challenging since Amira couldn’t hear, so Jim worked hard at reading her body language. He took note when her mouth moved faster over his, when she lifted herself up on the very tips of her toes to be closer to him, when she started digging her nails into his arms. That’s when he lifted her, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist so he could carry her to the couch. Jim sank onto the soft cushions, kissing her and gripping her waist as she shifted, still straddling him. Moving her body up and down. Whimpering. Begging. He kissed his way down her neck to her chest and sucked one nipple into his mouth, drawing a gasp of pleasure out of her. Her back arched and she threw her head back as her hands gripped his head, pulling him closer.
Jim’s gaze held hers when he finally slid into her, taking in the way she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, almost as if she was trying to hold in a gasp of pleasure. They moved together, still watching each other, her meeting each of his thrusts with one of her own. He gripped her hips while she planted her hands firmly on his chest, using his body for leverage as they moved faster. She let out the gasp she’d managed to hold in earlier and he moved faster, forcing more gasps and moans out of her. Amira closed her eyes but Jim couldn’t look away as the moment of his release grew closer and he moved faster. She cried out only seconds before his own release came, and he thrust into her one final time.
They were both panting and their bodies were moist with sweat, but Jim didn’t feel like it had been enough. Nothing had been so far. They’d spent two days in quarantine when they’d arrived, separated and uncertain about what the other person was going through, and the whole time he’d been away from her he’d been desperate to feel her body against his. Now that he had her, though, he felt like he was missing something. Like this—although amazing—wasn’t really what he wanted from her.
They showered together, this time exploring one another under the warm stream of water that seemed like an act of God after weeks without the luxury. Amira’s skin was slick against his as he drove her to another orgasm, but once again he felt like something was missing, and his own orgasm felt oddly anti-climactic.
They dressed in silence, something Jim had gotten used to in the weeks he’d spent with Amira. While most people ran their mouths off all the time, they’d learned to be selective in their conversation. For one, they had to be facing one another when he spoke so she could read his lips, but there had also been the threat that too much noise would bring the dead. It had taken some getting used to, but Jim had grown to appreciate the silence.
When he turned to face her, she was smiling. “Should we explore the city?”
“Sure.” He shrugged, unsure if there was anything worth seeing but unable to deny his own intense desire to see their new home.
They had a couple days until they started jobs, giving them time to adjust, but this place, like any society, needed people to pitch in so things could run properly. Food was rationed, as was water, but citizens needed credits for everything else. The hundred credits they’d each been given when they arrived wouldn’t go very far. Electricity was included, but they had rent to pay and they’d need to buy clothes since they hadn’t brought much with them, as well as any other luxuries. Cigarettes, for one. Jim had been dying for a smoke since he’d run out about a week ago.
The humidity was like a punch in the face when they stepped outside.
“Fuck, it’s hot.”
Amira grinned up at him. “It’s July in Georgia, of course it’s hot.”
“I’m from Colorado, remember?”
It was odd, thinking about where he’d started and where he’d ended up. From rotting away in prison in Colorado, to a walled post-apocalyptic city in Georgia. Life sure did have a sense of humor. Or maybe that was God.
As they walked, Amira slipped her hand into his, making him feel like they were two teenagers out on a date. He wasn’t sure he’d ever walked down the street holding a girl’s hand, though, not even when he had been a teenager. Back then he’d been too interested in feeling the girl’s body to waste time holding hands, and he hadn’t given a damn what she thought or what she had to say unless it got him closer to that goal.
With Amira, though, Jim was happy to spend any time with her. Touching or not, it didn’t matter. Not really. Yes, the sex was amazing, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as amazing if she left the second it was over, and even though he’d been married before, the feeling was something new for him.
“What do you think you’re going to do?” As they walked, Amira kept one eye on the road and one on him so she was sure to catch his response.
“You mean for a job?” She nodded. “I don’t know. Probably construction with Axl. He said they’re cranking living quarters out like crazy and they could use the help. I don’t want to work the wall, that’s for damn sure. After taking all this time getting here, the last thing I want to do is spend any more time around zombies.”
She nodded but looked away before he could ask her what she wanted to do with her time.
“Do you think it’s weird?” she said after a moment of silence. “That they have everything so organized already, I mean. Credits and rent and jobs and all that.” She looked toward him. “It seems kind of fast.”
“They’ve been here for months.”
“True.” Amira pressed her lips together for a second before going on. “It just seems really organized considering how crazy the beginning was.”
She had a point, but Jim wasn’t sure if it meant anything.
They walked in silence for a bit after that, heading toward the part of the settlement where Vivian had told them they could find the markets and the food center. Jim had stuffed about fifty credits in his pocket before leaving the apartment, unsure how much cigarettes would cost or what else they might want to get while they were out. The food center should have had their names on a list by now so they could get the weekly rations they were entitled to, but anything else they got while they were out would have to be bought. Or traded for, assuming they had anything of value, which they didn’t.
The streets were more crowded than he’d expected, and being around people again after all these weeks was a bit of a shock to his system. Even Amira, who couldn’t hear the chatter from the crowd, looked at the people who passed with wide eyes. There were dozens of them, all ages and races, men and women and even some children. Some looked shell-shocked, but others acted like they’d settled into a routine and this was just any other day. Jim knew the feeling because he’d been pretty settled into life in Hope Springs before he’d decided to join this little group, and he envied the people he passed. Hopefully, it didn’t take long for him and Amira to feel that way as well.
They reached the building that housed the food center, but passed it and headed for the markets first. Stores had been emptied and restocked with goods, everythi
ng from clothes to personal hygiene items, to luxury items. Basically anything a person might want or need. He and Amira browsed for a bit, picking up a few things here and there. Most of the stuff was reasonably priced—two shirts for one credit or a pair of sneakers for two credits—and Jim began to get an idea of how much he’d need to earn to keep them going.
The stores with the luxury items were at the end of the street and it only took one step through the door to realize that these people didn’t take the word luxury for granted. Candy bars were five credits or more, bottles of booze could be up to fifty credits, and cigarettes, much to Jim’s displeasure, were ten credits.
He picked up a pack of Marlboros, which had been his brand once upon a time, and stared at them. His mouth was already watering, but the small stash of credits he’d brought with him had been chipped away a little at a time, leaving only twenty-two. He wanted the cigarettes, but they had other things they needed, and if the apocalypse had taught him anything, it was how to prioritize.
“Aren’t you going to buy them?” Amira asked when he set the pack down.
Jim shook his head. “They’re too expensive. I don’t need them.”
She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. “You’ve been talking about how much you wanted a cigarette since you ran out. Buy them.”
“No,” he shook his head again. “It’s not important.”
She rolled her eyes and picked them up, and when she pulled a few credits out of her own pocket Jim felt oddly betrayed. Which was dumb. They’d both been given a hundred credits—to get them back on their feet—and she had just as much of a right to spend hers as he had to spend his. He just didn’t like the idea of her wasting credits on him.
Twisted World Series Box Set | Books 1-3 & Novella Page 47
