A Darker Shade of Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  He and Mariana had gotten a second chance, and Matt knew if the contagion hadn’t resurfaced they’d be living on a farm somewhere by now, happily married and starting their family in peace. As it was, Mari was pregnant and Simon had been drafted to continue the dangerous work of fighting zombies. Only now he was part of a bigger team and he wasn’t the only immune man who could combat the creatures.

  While their peace had lasted, Mariana had tried to figure out more about how Simon’s systems had been affected by the contagion. She’d been researching it on her own, with Simon’s cooperation. He’d been her willing guinea pig from the start.

  There were few secrets on Mari’s side of that relationship. On Simon’s side, Matt wasn’t so sure. He’d worked with Simon for many years in special operations. They both had very high security clearances and knowledge of things that were meant to be kept top secret. There was a lot about his work that Matt had never been able to discuss with anyone other than his immediate teammates. The same had to be true for Simon, yet he’d managed to form a committed, healthy relationship with Mariana. That was something to think about.

  For years, Matt had thought he’d never be able to commit to a woman because of the nature of his job. Then Sandra had walked into his life—and right into the middle of his mission. For the first time, he could share a mission with a woman he had feelings for. It was a novel experience that still made him feel a little strange.

  Somehow, Simon and Mari were making it work. Maybe there was hope for Matt and Sandra, too. Only time would tell.

  “If that’s all, sir…” Simon looked at him questioningly, and Matt realized he’d been silent too long, keeping them all waiting.

  “That’s all I’ve got. You should probably both get some rest.”

  “Aye, aye, Commander. That’s just what I was thinking.” Simon held out his arm for Mari to take and with not much further ado, he escorted his fiancée from the lab, leaving Sandra alone with Matt.

  “You ready for some downtime?” he asked quietly. Matt had a mysterious expression on his face that Sandra could almost interpret as…a sort of caring concern. Whatever it was, it touched her. When he stretched out his hand, she took it without hesitation and allowed him to lead her from the room.

  “Where am I bunking?” she asked on their way out the door.

  “With me.”

  She shouldn’t have been surprised by his calmly resolute tone.

  “Won’t that raise eyebrows?”

  “Probably.” He let her precede him through a doorway that led to one of the many staircases in the old building. “But I don’t really care. You’ve been in harm’s way more than I like, Sandra. I’ll be damned if I let you out of my sight any more than I have to.”

  That sounded a little more serious than she’d expected. She knew she was having trouble separating her heart from her mind where Matt was concerned. He’d attracted her from the very beginning. Everything she’d learned of him since had only increased her crush on him. She admitted in the darkness of her mind that she was already half in love with the man. It wouldn’t take much for her to tumble head over heels, and that would spell disaster.

  She was holding out on him. That last secret—her secret shame—would destroy any chances for them. She knew it. She understood the danger of getting more involved with him. This could only lead to heartache for her if and when he found out the truth.

  But she was powerless to fight it. She wanted whatever time she could have with him. More than her next breath.

  He led her to a narrow corridor with lots of doors. He opened the last door at the end of the hall, and she wasn’t surprised to discover it was a bedroom. Old fashioned and painted a rather depressing green color, this section of the building must have been used as a barracks at one time. She’d bet the other members of the team were happily snoring behind those other doors she’d passed on the way to this one.

  “It’s not a palace, but it’ll do.” Matt stepped into the room behind her and shut the door.

  The bed was a double. Surprising in a barracks setting, but since the room was at the end of the hall, more than likely it had been designed for the commanding officer of the rest of those quartered here. She knew RHIP meant rank has its privileges and often those in charge got a little more room to maneuver than those under them. So the head man got a bigger bed, which suited her fine. If Matt was going to insist on bunking with her, she didn’t want either one of them to wind up sleeping on the floor.

  Matt was already shrugging out of his shirt, moving around the room, letting his fatigue show. The man had to be beat. As she was. The bed looked too inviting. This was no time to quibble over sleeping arrangements or what the rest of the team might think. Let them think whatever they wanted. Sandra was too tired to worry about it now.

  She kicked off her shoes, removed her outer layers, and unhooked her bra under her T-shirt. That would have to be enough. She was too tired to do much more. She pointed her feet toward the bed and collapsed on it, her eyes closing almost immediately.

  A soft male chuckle behind her was the only warning she got before a warm body settled onto the mattress beside her. Matt’s strong hands lifted her, moving her around on the bed to his satisfaction.

  “You can’t be comfortable like that,” he said.

  “Like what?” she mumbled, her face smushed in the pillow.

  “In all those clothes.”

  “Too tired to change into my nightie,” she complained.

  “No problem.” Big hands raised the hem of her T-shirt over her head, lifting her as if she weighed nothing at all while he stripped her bare in a matter of seconds. Her pants were pushed down, along with her panties, and within a minute she was naked. “That’s better.”

  Matt’s voice purred with satisfaction near her ear as he settled on the bed with her in his arms. Skin to skin. He was naked, too.

  Oh, my.

  He spooned her, one hand cupping her breast as his body cocooned her in warmth. Her nipple beaded against his palm as her breathing sped.

  “Sleep,” he ordered, a chuckle clear in his tone.

  “You get me all hot and bothered and then you expect me to sleep?” she groused, but it was halfhearted at best.

  “We both know we’re too tired to do each other justice right now. I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Sandra woke to warmth, Matt’s strong arms around her. His hand still clasped her bare breast and his fingers moved back and forth on her skin, arousing the flesh beneath. The louse was awake and had been touching her body, making her hot. It had felt like a dream, but now she realized the dream lover was all too real.

  “That’s not fair,” she complained with a small smile.

  “It’s only unfair if I don’t follow through,” he replied smoothly, nipping the flesh of her neck. His mouth was warm, his lips damp against her sensitive skin. “I wouldn’t leave you hanging, Sandy. You know that.”

  “Thank heaven for that.” She tried to joke with him, but she was too excited. He’d done a good job of getting her primed even before she woke. The sneak. The delicious, adorable, incredibly skilled sneak.

  He rolled, turning her in his arms until she was above him. Not what she’d expected.

  “You’re letting me be on top?”

  His grin said it all. It was full of deviltry and desire, seduction and satisfaction.

  “I’ve fantasized about watching you ride me,” he admitted. “Besides, why should I do all the work?” His playful wink dispelled his smart-alecky tone. She chuckled along with him.

  “All right, let’s rope this little doggie and let the cowgirl ride.” She grasped his already hard cock in one hand, aware of his sharp intake of breath, liking what she so obviously did to him when she touched him. She held the power now—while he let her. She liked that.

  He flipped a little foil packet up between his fingers. The man had come prepared. She liked that, too.


  “You’ve been planning this rodeo for more than a few minutes, haven’t you?” She shot him a suspicious look.

  “I had to do something to kill time until you woke up. I thought through a bunch of different ways we could do this and decided on this one. For now.” His expression held a promise that sent a shiver down her spine. Her hand tightened fractionally around him.

  “We’ll have to explore some of those other ideas.”

  “Oh, I fully intend to. But first…” He ripped the wrapper with his teeth.

  She reached for the condom and took great pleasure in teasing him while she slipped it over him.

  Everything went very fast from there. Fast, but pleasurable. Sandra wasn’t inclined to wait anymore than Matt was. She sheathed him and positioned herself with little fuss, pausing only to draw out the feeling of connection, the long, wet slide into perfection as she seated herself over him.

  Damn, that felt good. She stretched like a cat, enjoying the feeling of him inside her before passion took over.

  “This is exactly what I dreamed about. You look good up there, and feel even better.” Matt’s hands roamed up her torso, landing under her breasts, cupping them as the tips of his fingers played with her nipples.

  She couldn’t help herself. She had to move. She began a gentle jog, lifting herself a little and relishing the slide of him inside her on the way back down. As her pace increased, his hands moved downward to help. His strong grip on her hips assisted as her thighs began to feel the strain.

  But strain didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but the incredible pleasure of him inside her, stimulating her sensitive channel, making her feel things she’d only ever felt with Matt. He was special. As special as a man could be to a woman. There was no other like him.

  She was doomed. This man was so deep inside her mind and heart, she doubted she’d ever be able to be with another man like this. He’d ruined her for anyone else.

  Then one of Matt’s hands moved downward, teasing the apex of her thighs. His talented fingers rubbed over her clit in a circular motion, shooting electric currents through her body and sending her into orbit.

  She cried out his name as she came. He didn’t give her a moment to think before he rolled her under him, still joined. He began a thrusting, grinding rhythm that stole her breath and pushed her beyond what she’d thought was her limit.

  “Come with me, Sandy. Do it again for me, babe.” Sweat beaded his brow, and the fierce desire on his face spoke to her own spiraling desire.

  Shocked by her own response, a muffled scream tore from her throat as a second orgasm rocked her. She realized only dimly that Matt joined her this time, slamming hard into her and his muscles going taut as he came hard. Her eyes opened and she saw the strain on his face, the utter bliss he found in her was a gift she hadn’t expected. It made her feel like a queen. She’d done this to him. This strong man let down his guard for her and let her in—if only for this.

  She’d take whatever she could get from him. She cared for him too much. So much, it nearly broke her heart. And filled it again.

  Later, when the afterglow began to fade, Matt left the bed and headed for the attached bathroom. Sandra lounged, boneless after an amazing climax that had gone on and on. Had that really just happened?

  And how soon before they could do it again? She smiled as he came out of the bathroom, a towel around his hips and water sticking to the spiky ends of his short hair. He smelled of soap and glistened with water droplets she wanted to lick off his skin.

  “Stop looking at me like that or there’s going to be trouble.” His slow, sexy grin said it was the most delicious kind of trouble imaginable.

  “Is that a threat or a promise?” She rolled on the bed, stretching.

  He flicked his towel at her playfully, pausing as he dried himself off. Man, was he gorgeous. But he was also…dressing?

  “We don’t have time now. Consider it a promise for later.” He pulled on his shorts and threw the damp towel at her. “Get up, sweetheart. We have work to do.”

  The work that night turned out to be blessedly routine. Matt escorted Sandra to the new lab space where she spent her time deep in study and research. He went to the office he was using inside their new headquarters and did a little paperwork before the combat teams went out after dark. Then he went to the tactical support area and supervised as the reports came in. All was quiet in the woods around the base that night.

  By morning there had been no zombie sightings and no suspicious activity of any kind. They’d had a quiet night, thank goodness, but Matt knew it couldn’t last for long. Rodriguez was out there, still plotting and planning…and making more creatures as he tested and perfected his technology.

  Matt and Sandra rendezvoused just after dawn at the room they shared. They didn’t speak, but their shared goal was clear. Sandra stepped into his arms with a soft smile, a look of yearning on her beautiful face that mirrored his own.

  Without words, he took her to bed. They undressed each other, and their lovemaking this time was slow and deliberate. It had all the passion of their previous encounters with none of the urgency. Matt lay her beneath him and claimed his space between her soft thighs, stroking slowly within. He sat back, lifting her hips to rest over his thighs so he could watch each joining and parting, each thrust and retreat. He loved it when she moaned his name and he loved watching her come around his cock as he stroked her into orgasm after orgasm.

  He tested his stamina, glad to find he could bring her pleasure three times before he took his own. They collapsed together, tangled in a mess of arms and legs. Sleep claimed them both and he roused only to make love to her again, this time from behind. He slid into her, spooning her luscious body with his, loving the feel of her delicate skin next to his rougher body.

  Soon that wasn’t enough. He lifted her by the hips, positioning her to his satisfaction on all fours. He slid within her again, thrusting in increasingly hard strokes from behind while she whimpered little sounds of need. Reaching around with one hand, he stroked the tiny nub that brought her such pleasure, knowing he needed her with him this time. He couldn’t hold out. He wanted to come fast and hard, and he wanted her with him.

  She cried out his name when she climaxed, taking him with her. The strong sheath of her inner muscles contracted on his cock, coaxing him into a pulsing release that made his head spin and his breath come in ragged gasps. She was amazing.

  He collapsed with her after cleaning up the protective sheath he’d worn, and they slept again in a sated stupor. Only the persistent ringing of Matt’s cell phone roused him later in the day. He rolled over in the rumpled bed to find his phone tucked in the pocket of his scattered clothes. He checked the number and got out of bed, moving to the bathroom to take the call so he wouldn’t disturb Sandra, who was still fast asleep.

  “Sykes,” he answered.

  “Sir, we have a few police reports filtering through our search matrix. Seems like more than a few civilians are being reported as missing today.” Sam Archer was on the other end of the line. Matt recognized both his voice and the number that had come up on his screen.

  The news was not good. Not good at all.

  “How many?”

  “My latest count is fifteen civilians.”

  Damn. “Male or female?”

  “That’s the odd thing, sir. They’re mostly female. And young. Most in their twenties and single. They’re being reported by friends and family that expected them to be somewhere they aren’t. The common factor is that they went out for drinks with friends last night. Now they’re missing and the friends are missing, too.”

  “They’re snatching girls out of bars now?”

  “Sounds like it. You have to admit, they’d be easy pickings for the right people.”

  The thought made Matt wince. It was bad enough when zombies attacked hardened soldiers—or even young soldiers who at least had some training in how to defend themselves. The thought of the creatures attacking young women out for a
night on the town was difficult to comprehend.

  “What else?” Matt knew there had to be more for Sam to have woken him.

  “There’s activity on the base perimeter in three locations.”

  “What kind of activity?”

  “Tripped sensors in two remote areas. From the speed, size, and heat signature, we’re assuming animals—probably deer—walked into our coverage area.”

  “But we’re not taking any chances,” Matt reminded him. “Have you sent anyone out yet?”

  “Just about to do so, sir.”

  “Good. Send ’em,” he confirmed the standing order. “And the third location? What was the activity there?”

  “Cut fence in an area we’d already wired.”

  The team was slowly stringing wire that carried a low-voltage current around the perimeter of the base but the work was proceeding slowly. The base perimeter was enormous and densely wooded in areas.

  “When?” Matt asked.

  “About seven minutes ago.”

  “Make that location the priority.”

  “Already done, sir, but we’re stretched pretty thin.” Sam had done the right thing in waking Matt. This was a delicate situation, and Matt had to be the one to make the tough decisions about troop placement.

  “We have time before sunset. Is the cut fence accessible by road?” Matt knew the areas they’d been able to wire quickly were the most accessible. It was the rougher areas deep in the woods the soldiers were having a hard time covering.

  “Yes, sir. It’s about ten meters from the east side access road near gate fourteen.”

  “All right then,” Matt thought about the layout of that area. The cut wire should be out in the open if he remembered correctly. “Send out two members of the cleanup team in a jeep. Give them a long lens and feed their video signal to tac ops.” He used the abbreviated name for the tactical operations area they’d set up inside their new headquarters. “Instruct the men not to leave the vehicle. I want them to see if they can identify the break in the line and feed us video. We’ll determine how to proceed depending on what they can show us.”