His hands moved up, grasping her head in his hands. Passion blazed between them, and she ran her hands down his chest and under his t-shirt. His hands left her head and traveled lower, cupping her in his hands.
They kissed frantically, hot breaths mingling, her moans of pleasure filling the air around them.
He pulled her against him tighter, grinding into her. He moved down further, kissing her jaw, and sucking on her neck. She felt him nip the side of her neck with his teeth, and heat flooded her core.
It was too fast!
“Jack…” she murmured, running her hands into his hair.
He ran his hands down her back, again holding her in his hands, squeezing firmly and rubbing against her.
She didn’t want him to stop. But she didn’t want him to regret it either.
“Jack, we have to stop,” she said.
He pulled away, heat and lust still flaring in his eyes. He lowered his head, took a deep breath, and released it forcefully.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away.
That killed her.
Something flashed in his eyes and a mask dropped over his face. He let go of her and picked up the box. He waited for her to get the lantern and they made their way back upstairs.
Had she upset him by telling him to stop?
She didn’t want to stop, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. He was recently widowed, and she didn’t want what happened between them to be something he remembered with regret or guilt. She would rather wait.
Maybe one day, when he had time to process everything, they could try to take things further.
“So, what should I do with this stuff?” he asked her.
“You can set it on the counter there. You still up for helping?” she asked with a small smile, attempting to break the tension between them.
“Actually, I should probably get cleaned up before supper is ready, and I want to double check my gear,” he said with a frown. “Maybe another time?”
Her face fell but she quickly recovered.
“Sure, no problem,” she said, turning her back so he wouldn’t see her reaction.
“Jess…” he started. She waited, holding her breath.
“Never mind. I’ll see you later,” he said and left the room.
She slammed her hand down onto the dough, punching out some extra air, and then rolled it out.
She prepped five pizzas, with varied toppings, and put them into the ovens.
She was glad she had room for them all to cook at the same time, now they wouldn’t get cold waiting.
She listed all the great things about this place that she could think of, and there were many.
It still didn’t take her mind off Jack.
◆◆◆
She heard the vigorous laughter and the loud thud of male feet approaching as she stacked the plates on the buffet.
She had everything ready, all she had to do was bring the pizzas out after they had cooked. She set out the soda and the tea as well. It wasn’t exactly healthy, but it wouldn’t last forever.
Cam stuck his head through the doorway.
“Smells like pizza! Is it ready?” he asked, looking more excited than she had ever seen him before. It was almost jarring. Is that what he had been like before?
She noticed his sweat-soaked clothing and assumed that he and Jim had been exercising again, which was something she needed to get back to.
She hadn’t done anything since this all started. She supposed she would have to start running or something, since there weren’t any elliptical machines here that she had noticed.
No more climate-controlled workouts, no more podcasts…it was going to be very basic.
“You guys have about twenty minutes if you want to get cleaned up first. Can you tell the others to come down around then too?” she asked.
“You’ve got it,” he said, bounding up the stairs.
He seemed particularly excited about tomorrow’s expedition.
She would never understand men. Give them a comfortable home, good food, and safety, and sure, they may enjoy it, but their boyish enthusiasm for adventure and the prospect of danger always came back eventually.
She guessed life got boring if there were no challenges and conceded that perhaps they were on to something.
Personally though? She would never trade a reasonable amount of safety for the prospect of becoming a Z’s next lunch.
◆◆◆
Supper that night was a happy and relaxed affair.
Cam was less abrasive than usual. Jim’s one-liners made even the oddly taciturn Jonah smile occasionally.
The only person missing was Peggy.
Jessica wanted to suggest bringing her downstairs to be with everyone else, but she didn’t feel comfortable enough yet to approach Ed about it.
She was very happy to see Nick sitting at the table and seemingly in good spirits. He still looked like hell but was infinitely better than the other day.
It seemed unlikely that he would die now.
He caught Jess staring at him and he tipped her a quick wink. She grinned back.
She missed Jack’s glower from nearer the end of the table. He had chosen to sit between Bradley and Nick tonight, instead of his usual seat near her.
Nick had picked at his pizza, eating some, but not enough to put the weight back on that he lost within the last week.
She sipped her soda as Jean cleared her throat to speak.
“What’s wrong with your pizza, Nick?” she asked loudly, drawing attention to his lack of appetite.
“Not bloody enough for me, Jean,” he replied, somewhat sarcastically.
Silence reigned over the room as everyone’s mouths dropped open.
Jessica snickered quietly, and Nick followed suit.
Soon, the rest of the table was laughing. Jean huffed in annoyance at being the butt of a joke.
As the laughter died down, the conversation turned toward tomorrow’s mission.
“How long do you think it will take, Cam?” Jessica wanted to know.
She had ulterior motives.
She wanted to know how long she would have to wait until she saw Jack again, and how long she needed to wait before she started worrying. Her mother had often accused her of being a worrywart, and it was true. She was, but she couldn’t help it.
“Well, if all goes according to plan—.” He was interrupted by Jim knocking loudly on the wooden table, and he shot him an annoyed glance.
Jim grinned and Cam continued. “It shouldn’t take more than a day or two at the most. It is likely that we’ll have to find somewhere to bed down for the night.”
“I wish we had better radios,” Jim said wistfully.
“I may come across something out there. I’m wondering if we shouldn’t try for an armory nearby. We could definitely use the Humvees to haul supplies out to our secondary location. We should start stocking that place soon.”
“Yeah. Look how quickly our other place was ruined for us,” Angie said, looking down at her hands.
Jessica saw Jim clasp Angie’s hand under the table, while Cam put his arm around her back and pulled her in for a quick kiss.
That reminded her of Jack’s kiss and her gut clenched remembering the passion. She flushed and lowered her face, hoping to avoid being called out. As a red head with pale skin, flushing wasn’t a subdued affair.
She reached for her drink and saw Jack eyeing her across the table.
She flushed more, and heat instantly flared in his eyes. She saw him look at her mouth. He wanted her. Even she could tell.
She only wished she knew if it was for the right reasons. She didn’t want to be a substitute for his dead wife.
“We’ll leave at six, so I suggest everyone on the team get to bed early. Brad and Ed have offered to take the watches tonight so we can get a good night’s sleep.”
Cam stood up to help Angie rise.
“Cam? I can sit out on the porch and take the first watch,
that way Brad and Ed don’t have to do so much,” Nick offered.
Cam looked surprised and considered Nick’s proposal. “That sounds fine, if you think you’re up to it.”
“I think it will be good for me to get outside for a bit, and I can always wake up Brad if I get too tired,” he said.
“Thanks, man,” Cam said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later if I don’t see you before we leave in the morning.”
“Be careful out there.”
“Always,” Cam assured him.
◆◆◆
Jess cleared the supper dishes and this time Jean stayed back to help, which was nice… and surprising.
“I figured you shouldn’t be doing all the work around here. From now on we’re going to wrangle that hussy into helping out too,” Jean said caustically, scrubbing a plate.
She had taken control of the dishes like Rommel occupying the desert, launching a campaign against stuck-on food.
Jean was as wily as a fox. Jessica thought she saw and understood way more than everyone gave her credit for.
“Thanks for getting the dishes done, Jean, I really appreciate it,” Jessica said when she was finished.
“You’re a good girl, and I figured you’d want to spend a little time with your young man before we leave tomorrow.”
Jess automatically denied it. “He’s not my young man, we’re just friends. Really.”
“Mmhmm,” she said, drying a plate. “You didn’t have to ask who I was talking about, did you?” she said.
Jess pressed her lips together and stayed silent. Plausible deniability and all that.
She cleaned up the rest of the kitchen in silence, before finally hanging up her apron.
“’Night, Jean, I’ll have breakfast ready for you all around five,” she reminded.
“Thank you, dear. Now go on and see what he wants,” she said, pointing toward Jack, lurking around in the dark dining room. “He’s creeping me out.”
Jessica walked out to the porch, and Jack followed. They stood looking out over the lake, the last of the sun’s rays finally sinking below the horizon.
“When I get back, we should talk,” Jack said quietly, not making eye contact.
“Okay,” she said simply.
He turned toward her and put his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Can you watch out for Jonah while I’m gone? Make sure he eats and stays safe?” he requested.
“Absolutely,” she said.
He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, lingering for a few seconds. She savored the pleasure of the moment.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Jack,” she said, softly touching her lips, where she could still feel the warm pressure of his kiss.
Chapter Seven
Ed’s Lesson
Cam
Cam slept peacefully that night, with Angie’s heat and closeness lulling him into comfort and serenity.
Everything felt right.
Nick was going to be okay. Angie was healing. Everyone was getting along, mostly. Peggy…Cam had a feeling that Peggy might pull through. It would just take her some time.
He climbed out of bed at four-thirty and regretted having to leave the cocoon of warmth and Angie’s softness.
Although… it was still awkward to wake up sometimes with Jim’s sleepy face peering over at him while he was enjoying waking up.
Jim was a restless sleeper.
Maybe they should kick him out to another room or something. As he thought about it more, he felt oddly like he would be kicking a starving dog out into the cold. Jim had grown attached to them, maybe too attached. It would be cruel to make him move just yet.
Maybe when Angie healed more, and things were more settled.
He dressed in his old tan cargo pants, which were starting to show the strain of having to be washed every day.
He refused to wear SuperMart pants. He’d go skin a buck and make deerskin pants before he resorted to that.
In fact, one of his secondary objectives on this mission was to stock up on durable and practical clothing and footwear for all of them. They had barely enough clothing for summer, and nothing at all for cold weather.
Eventually, he was going to get this ragged, oddball bunch into shape, and they would need the right gear.
Walking over to the bed, he bent down and kissed Angie softly on the mouth.
She woke up with a smile, which made his heart leap. He loved her smile, and he loved being the one to make her smile.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he whispered. “You want to stay in bed?”
She stretched, mindful of her ribs. “No, I’ll get up. I want to see you off.”
She sat up, using her good arm to ease herself up. Jessica had helped her wrap her ribs yesterday after her bath and it really helped. Her bruises were still dark, but they would fade, with time.
“You want to wake, Jim? I’m going to go ahead and load the boat before breakfast.”
She nodded. He went to gather his stuff and was shocked to see her walk over to the sofa and smack Jim on the ass to wake him. “Up and at ‘em, soldier!” she said. Her voice was still ragged, but it was getting better.
Jim grumbled sleepily and Cam shook his head, hiding his smirk. His woman was developing a taste for violence. He could get behind that. The thought made him smile.
He buckled his pistol belt around his hips, picked up his makeshift axe holster, and tied it to his belt. The handle was pretty annoying, knocking into his leg whenever he walked. He wondered if he couldn’t put a rifle sling on it instead.
There were so many things to think about…
◆◆◆
After loading the boats, they sat down to breakfast.
Peggy, Nick, and Bradley were still sleeping. Ed had taken the last watch of the night, so he was wide awake.
“I have to admit that I’m a little jealous, Cam,” Ed said around a mouthful of pancake. “I don’t really like sitting around here doing nothing.”
“Well, I expect you to keep this place safe while I’m gone. It should keep you plenty busy. I’d appreciate it if you could do the preliminary planning for the new safehouse too. The sooner we get that started, the better,” Cam said.
“I can do that. I’ve already found it on the map.”
Ed took another helping of sausage and pancakes, heaping them with syrup. “This is damn good, Jess,” he praised highly.
“Language at the table!” Jean chided.
Jess thanked him and refilled his coffee.
Today Jean wore her battle gear, at least, that’s what she called it.
She had her rifle, pistol, and ammo ready to go near the door. Cam had surreptitiously checked and made sure her weapons were cleared when she left the room. That was going to be the first class he forced everyone to take. Weapon safety.
The team stood to leave. Monica waited by the door, not really having anyone to say her goodbyes to.
“Come back safe,” Angie said, pulling him close.
He alternated between excitement and sorrow. Excitement because he enjoyed the action and the purpose that missions gave him, and sorrow that he was leaving Angie again.
Nothing good had ever happened when he left her. As a matter of fact, every single time he had, something bad had happened. He frowned over that and had the fleeting thought of staying, of maybe sending Jim out.
He couldn’t bring himself to do it though. He knew it had to be him. He was the most experienced in combat situations, which is what they considered this to be.
“I’ll be careful,” he promised.
He touched his lips to hers, intending only a short farewell kiss, but the intensity of the situation carried them away.
The others disappeared nothing else mattered in that moment. She clutched him to her tightly, and he cradled her head in his hands, tilting her head back a little, mindful of her throat.
She ran her tongue lightly along the seam of his lips
and he growled deep in his throat. He started to lose control and pulled himself away.
The flush of arousal covered her cheeks, and he had a hard time not dragging her ass to bed and leaving the mission for another day.
A slight cough interrupted their moment.
“Well, Cam, don’t take exception to this, but I’ll take a handshake instead,” Ed said.
Angie laughed and looked embarrassed.
Jessica gave him a small thermos of coffee, which caused a momentary unexpected flashback to the first deader he took down. He accepted the thermos gratefully and thanked her, perhaps this one would save his life as well.
Jim came forward and gripped Cam’s shoulder, squeezing it. He pulled him in for a quick one-armed slap on the back… it was not a hug.
He took one last look at Angie, leaned down and whispered. “I love you, Ang. I’m going to show you how much when I get back.”
Her lips parted, she nodded with a smile, then went to stand by Jim. The team gathered their weapons and left, filing silently down to the dock.
It felt like a final parting, a last inauspicious farewell.
◆◆◆
A half hour later, the teams had been divvied up among the vehicles.
Cam drove the SUV and assigned Jack to drive the rental truck. Jean had firmly told him she was taking the cruiser and had stolen Jim’s keys.
“What the hell, Jean!” Cam exploded. “You can’t just steal Jim’s car!”
“Technically, it belongs to all of us now. Besides, there are thousands of them lying around now,” she argued back.
Cam decided not to push the issue, they needed to move.
“Get in the damn car, but you’re taking Monica with you and no arguments,” he ordered.
She gave him a salute and rushed off to take the wheel.
He did a comms check with the team.
“Blackbird One-Two, this is Barbarian. How copy?”
“Lima Charlie, Barbarian. Over.” Jack replied.
“Jean?” Cam requested.
“I still don’t have a nickname! I refuse to answer until you give me one. Over,” she responded.
Cam was about to tell her to turn around and go home when she sped past him in the cruiser.
Refuge From The Dead | Book 2 | Dead Summer Page 8
