I stand there and think for a moment…she is right…they are gone, and we are here…and this is some kind of Zombie War Hell that we are living in now…I guess it’s okay to find some kind of happiness through this all. I put my hands on her cheeks as I pull her closer to me. I slip my tongue into her mouth as I swirl it around inside of her mouth. She wraps her arms around my neck as I lower one of my hands to the bottom of her back as I pull her closer to me.
I can feel my body begin to get excited, but I should really hold back, I’m not sure this is the right place or time. I pull my mouth away from hers, “Um…I’m not sure this is a good time, what if one of the kids were to walk out here?”
She stops and thinks for a moment, “Yeah, you’re right. That would be totally inappropriate.”
I put my hand on her cheek as I continue gazing into her eyes, “I’m not turning you down, so don’t think that. I just think that we should have a better place and time. I’d like it to be special.”
She looks at me and smiles, “You’re right, Blake. It should be special.”
She walks towards the room, looks back and smiles at me right before she walks inside.
I take another cigarette out of my emergency box. I look inside it and think, I’ll definitely need more of these. Wow, I might have some fun with this Zombie thing.
************************
The next morning, I could feel the sun shining on my face. I wake up, look around at everybody still sleeping. I get up and step outside. I light a cigarette and look around.
The door opens, and I turn around, it’s Nina, “Hey, good morning.” She says with a hesitant smile. “I hope that I didn’t offend you or anything last night. I don’t know what came over me.” She says shyly.
“Offend me? Are you kidding me? I was flattered.”
She nods, “Good, you should be. By the way, I meant everything I said. I was just hoping I didn’t sound desperate or overbearing or anything.”
“No…no…no…I didn’t think any of that. I thought it was nice, and well, flattering. I liked what you said.”
“Good…good…because I meant it…all of it.” She looks down, then she looks up at me, “Um…Blake, I loved my husband, I did. I met him in high school. We went to prom together, we ended up at the same college together. He was my first…and well…only. I loved him, a lot, we were together for a very long time, almost twenty years, but um…I fell out of love with him, a long time ago. We got married because I was pregnant, and I thought that’s what you did. I loved him then, but over the years, well…I just wasn’t…maybe I was bored…I don’t know…so don’t think I’m a bad person for wanting you right after my husband died, but I just can’t help myself…I just knew that there was someone else out there for me, and well, then you came along and I just feel that excitement again…a feeling I haven’t felt…actually…ever.”
I’m just staring at her dumbfounded, “Uh…wow…I don’t know what to say.”
She puts her head down, “You don’t have to say anything, I’m sure I just overwhelmed you with my life story and feelings.”
“No…I don’t think that at all. Like I said earlier, I’m flattered.”
“I’m sorry, Blake, I mean, you just lost your wife, your pregnant wife, and I’m already hitting on you and I probably shouldn’t…”
I lean in and plant my lips on hers as I push her up against the pole that is holding the awning above our heads. I slip my hand down to her ass as I gently squeeze. She wraps her arms around my neck as she pulls her body closer against mine. She leans her head back as I move my lips to her neck, kissing her neck, almost sucking on her neck as she lets out a little moan. Then I move my lips back to hers as I whisper, “Maybe we should save this for later.”
She looks into my eyes with her seductive hazel eyes, “Wow, you got me so excited with that kiss, Blake.”
I smile at her as I lightly kiss her lips, “We’ll have to come up with a plan to be alone tonight.”
She pokes my chest with her finger as she whispers, “Definitely.” Then she turns around and walks into the room.
I stand there for a moment, completely dumbfounded by our little interaction right now. Did that really happen? Whatever that was…I liked it…I liked it a lot.
I walk over to the door, open it up and go inside. Nina is waking up the kids and getting the pastries ready to eat. As I look over at her, she looks over at me and gives me a warm smile. I just stand there like an idiot and smile back at her.
Parker and Mandy wake up and walk over to the box of pastries as they each grab one. We sit there for a few minutes eating. Once we’re all done eating, I look at them and smile, “Did you guys all get a good night’s sleep?”
They both nod yes, “Okay, let’s get loaded back into the SUV and head out.”
They both grab their backpacks while Parker and I each grab a box of food as we leave the hotel room and walk back towards the SUV.
I open the rear door and stick the box and my back pack inside, Parker sticks the other box of food inside, but he takes his backpack into the backseat with him. Nina and Mandy each get into the SUV. After I get inside, I look at all of them, “You guys all ready.”
They all say yes, as I back out and we’re on the road again.
Chapter 21
Harley and Isaac & Ryder and Kassi
After several scotch on the rock shots, Isaac lays his head down on the bar counter and falls asleep. Kassi had several, extra strong margaritas, which she kept bragging about, and she also passed out on the bar counter, leaving Ryder and I, the last men standing.
Ryder looks at me, holding his pack of cigarettes as he asks, “Want to step outside with me?”
I look at Isaac and Kassi, then back at Ryder, “Sure, why not.”
Ryder and I step outside, holding our knives in our hands, of course…just in case. Ryder peeks around the corners with his flashlight, checking to see if we were safe. Then he walks over to me as he hands me a cigarette, “Here you go.”
I take the cigarette from him and smile, “Thank you.” He holds his lighter up and lights it for me, as I nod, “Thank you.”
He looks at me curiously as he asks, “So, how long have you and Isaac been together?”
I think for a moment, “We’ve been together for four years and we just got married a little over a year ago.”
Ryder nods, “Wow, newlyweds. That’s cool.”
I shyly smile, “How about you and Kassi?”
“We’ve been together a little over a year and have lived together about six months.”
“Oh, so you two haven’t been together for very long.”
He shakes his head, “No, not really. She’s a little clingier than I like. She also has a tendency to get jealous.”
I look at him as if he’s crazy as I reply facetiously, “Noooo…”
He looks at me and chuckles, “Oh, you’ve picked up on that too.”
“Um…yeah…I get this feeling that she isn’t too fond of me.”
“Yeah, she has a hard time being friendly to women when I’m around. It’s one of the things that drives me crazy about her.”
I nod in agreement, “I get it, some women are just like that.”
He looks at me curiously, “You don’t seem like the jealous type.”
I shake my head, “No, I’m not. I feel confident enough in myself to not be jealous. Plus, I feel like I have no reason to be jealous. If I’m with a guy, and he really likes me then he won’t cheat. If he does cheat, well, then I’ll just get rid of him. He’s going to cheat whether I’m jealous or not, so why waste my time and energy being jealous.”
He points his cigarette towards me, “You have a good point there. I wish that Kassi was like that. I’m sorry that she keeps giving you dirty looks.”
“It’s not your fault. She’s just feeling insecure and intimidated. She doesn’t have to feel that way with me, though.”
“Well, you are a pretty girl, I guess that’s making he
r feel insecure.”
I tilt my head towards him, “Well…she’s pretty too.”
“Yeah, but you’re more of a sophisticated pretty. Your beautiful red hair, bright blue eyes. You’re short and petite. She’s a basic blonde with big boobs. You’re different than the average girl, you have a more unique look to you, I think that’s what she finds intimidating.”
I look at him side-eyed, “Um…thank you, I think…”
“Eh, don’t worry about her, she’ll come around.” Ryder looks around, “So, um…Isaac…is he the jealous type?”
I shrug my shoulders, “Not really. I haven’t had any problems with him in that department.”
Ryder puts his cigarette out, then he takes the pack out of his pocket as offers me another one.
I look into his gorgeous, sparkling blues eyes, as I reach for another cigarette, “Sure, why the hell not.”
He chuckles, “I like you, Harley, I really do. I love your name and your interesting outlook on life. You’re definitely one of a kind.”
He lights my cigarette while gazing into my eyes. He is a very, very good-looking guy. Nice muscular arms and chest. Longer, brown hair with his bangs hanging over his right eye. And those blue eyes…
I look at him curiously, “So, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a mechanic. I mostly work on motorcycles, but I also work on cars. I prefer motorcycles, but if there’s no motorcycles to be worked on, I work on cars.”
I nod, “Okay.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m an artist. I paint.”
“Nice. I like that. Do you sell your work?”
“Yes, I do. I have my artwork in a few galleries. Not enough to totally pay the bills yet, but I do okay.”
“What does Isaac do?”
He owns his own Real Estate office. Craven Real Estate.”
“Oh yeah, I think I’ve seen advertisements and ads for that. I knew I recognized his face.”
We both burst out laughing, “Yes, I’m sure you have. He’s kind of all over the place.”
“That’s very cool, very cool. He does well then?”
“Yes, he does well. He found our beautiful house with a gorgeous mountain view in Fountain Hills.”
“Nice, nice.”
“Where do you and Kassi live?”
“We live in Apache Junction. In a little dinky one bedroom apartment.”
“Okay. What does Kassi do?”
“She cuts hair at a hair salon.”
“Oh, well that’s cool. I see that you don’t take advantage of that.” I reply with a wink.
We both burst out laughing again, “Nah…I like my hair long.”
“Not all men can pull it off, but you look good.”
“Not all women can save a man’s life from a Zombie, especially a man you barely know.” He says with seriousness in his eyes. He’s left me speechless. Then he gazes into my eyes, “You were pretty quick with that, by the way. I didn’t see Kassi move to help me with that.” He says with all seriousness in his voice.
“Well…I was closer than she was.” I rush to her defense.
He shakes his head, “Eh…it doesn’t matter. I don’t think she can handle those kind of stressful situations. I think she’s weak in that manner. But you…you’re strong…I admire that.”
I’m totally speechless again…where is he going with this?
He takes a step closer to me, “I want you at my side, Harley. I like you. I trust you. You’re stronger than Isaac also, I can see that. You know how to handle yourself and you know how to jump in when needed.”
I look at him side-eyed as I try to figure out what exactly he’s trying to say.
“Times are only going to get harder and when push comes to shove, only the strong will survive, the weak are only going to slow the strong down. If we need to make choices on who will stay or who will go…well…just saying.”
I look at him confused, “What are you trying to say?”
“Harley, I love Kassi, I do, but I can’t have her slowing us down. I like you and I trust you. I need you to be my right hand person when it comes to furthering our trip down the road. I’m going to make you the person who helps with the decisions and you’re the person whom I’m going to trust if an important decision needs to be made. I’m going to trust you on things, you’re smart, you’re strong, your confident and you have common sense.”
I look at him like he’s crazy, “Um…I’m not so sure about being a decisionmaker on this journey. I don’t even know what’s all going on.”
“But, you pick up on things quickly and I like that. And it’s okay, because we’ll figure things out together. I just wanted you to know how much I respect you…as a person.”
“Um…thanks.” I’m totally speechless right now. “Um…we should probably get going to bed right now. We need to get up early so that we can get on our way.”
“You’re right, Harley.”
Ryder opens the door and motions me to go inside first. We both look around as I look at Ryder, “Where do we sleep? Those stools don’t look very comfortable.”
Ryder grabs our backpacks, “I guess on the floor using the backpacks as pillows.”
“I guess so.” I take my backpack from Ryder as I find a spot on the floor to lay down.
************************
I wake up from the sun beating on my face. I open my eyes and I notice that Isaac is curled up next to me on the floor, with his arm around me. I look around and see that Kassi is still sprawled out across the counter, while Ryder is still on the floor. I pick up Isaac’s arm to look at the time on his watch. Eleven o’clock! Holy cow!
I sit up and shake Isaac, “Isaac! Isaac!” I whisper loudly.
Isaac stirs as he looks at me confused, “What?”
“It’s eleven o’clock! We need to get going!”
I stand up and walk over to Ryder. I lean down and shake him, “Ryder! Ryder!” I whisper loudly.
Ryder stirs as he opens his eyes and looks at me, “What?”
“It’s already eleven o’clock.”
He sits up and looks around, then he looks behind me at Kassi as he shakes his head. “Okay.” He stands up and walks over to Kassi as he shakes her, then yells, “Kassi! Get up!”
Kassi stirs as she lifts her head up, then looks around the room. Then she looks over at Ryder, “What do you want?” She asks in a groggy voice.
“It’s time to get up, that’s what.”
She turns the stool to the side, then slides off. She looks at Isaac and me, who are standing up, waiting for her to wake up.
Ryder holds his hand out towards her as he helps her walk. “Where are we going?” She asks, dazed.
He looks at me, “I’m not sure if she’ll be able to ride with me today. Do you two mind if she rides with you?”
I look at Isaac for a response. He looks at me with questioning eyes, “Well?”
I shrug my shoulders, “Well, I don’t want her getting hurt on the motorcycle, or worse yet, hurting the both of them.”
Isaac looks at Ryder, “Yes, that’s fine.”
“Thank you, guys. I just don’t want her falling off the motorcycle.”
I look at Ryder as I sincerely reply, “It’s all good, we don’t want her falling off the motorcycle either.”
Ryder sits Kassi in a nearby chair, as Isaac, Ryder and I pack up the car. As Isaac gets the car ready to go, Ryder and I go back inside the bar to help Kassi to the car. Kassi looks up at me as I’m about to grab her arm, “Don’t touch me.” She snaps.
I look at Ryder as Ryder shakes his head in disapproval as he looks at Kassi, “Kassi, it’s okay, Harley is just here to help.”
Kassi looks at Ryder, “I don’t need her help. I only want you.”
I look at Ryder, “It’s okay, I’ll just wait at the car.”
Ryder looks at me with empathetic eyes, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, really. It’s not a big deal.” I turn around and h
old the door open for him as he helps her out.
When we finally get to the car, I open the backseat door for him as he puts her inside. After she’s inside and I’m about ready to get into the car, he gently grabs my arm and looks into my eyes, “I’m really sorry about that.”
I shake my head, “It’s fine. I understand.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t cool of her to do that to you.”
“I’m fine, really. I didn’t take any offense to it.”
He nods as he walks away.
I take a deep breath as I watch him walk back to his motorcycle. He puts his helmet on, then he turns towards us as we follow him out of the parking lot.
We get a little ways down the road, when Isaac announces, “We need to get gas somewhere. We’re getting low.”
I look in the backseat to peek in on Kassi, and she’s sound asleep. Then I turn towards Isaac, “Should we somehow signal Ryder to stop at the next gas station?”
Isaac nods, “Yeah, otherwise we’ll be in trouble.” Isaac puts his blinker on to let Ryder know that we need to pull over very soon.
Ryder must have noticed our blinker because he pulls over less than a minute later. After we’re stopped, I jump out of the car and walk over to Ryder. Ryder looks at me curiously, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, but we’re getting low on gas. We need to stop and fill up very soon.”
Ryder looks ahead, “Okay, I’ll stop at the next gas station I see. I’m not sure how we’re going to get gas, unless the gas pumps are miraculously still working.”
“I hope so, or I’m not sure how we’ll be able to go much further.”
Ryder nods, “Okay, well, we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
I run back to the car. I get inside and I look at Isaac, “Okay, Ryder said he’ll stop at the next gas station. Hopefully it won’t be too late.”
Isaac nods, “Okay, good.”
Ryder gets back on the road as we continue following him.
Less than ten minutes later, we notice a small town ahead. Ryder pulls into the parking lot of a gas station. He parks at a gas pump as he gets off his motorcycle. Isaac pulls up behind him. Isaac and I both get out of the car and walk over to Ryder. We all scan the parking lot. Ryder looks towards the gas station store. “Well, it looks like we have friends inside.”
Zombie Havoc (Book 1): In The Beginning Page 15
