“Thanks for setting all of this up, Bryce. I feel like we’re on a luxurious vacation somewhere.” I glanced over at the infinity swimming pool and marveled how it appeared to just go over the edge of the building. “That pool is so cool,” I said. “How’s the water?”
He released me. “Go ahead and check it out for yourself.”
I walked over, took off my shoes, and dipped one toe into the water. It felt only slightly cool against my skin.
“Can we swim?” I asked.
“Of course,” he replied.
I bit the side of my lip. “Well, I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“I won’t look,” he said with a devilish grin.
“Seriously, I don’t have one, and I’m…”
He laughed out loud. “Would you please stop being so shy around me? Just go in your underwear, Wild. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Then I watched as he began removing his clothing. First his jacket, his shirt, and finally his socks and pants. When he stood in just his boxers, I couldn’t stop staring at his lean, hard muscles.
“Do you need help getting out of that dress?” he asked, moving toward me.
“I…”
He stepped behind me and began kissing the back of my neck.
“I thought you were going to help me,” I whispered, closing my eyes. Shivers ran down my spine as his tongue did delicious things to my earlobe.
“Patience,” he whispered, nibbling on my skin.
I threw my head back and let out a soft moan.
He stopped. “We’ll never get into the pool at this rate,” he said, unzipping my dress. It slid to the ground and then he turned me around, staring down at my body.
“What?” I asked, feeling silly and a little self-conscious. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
His eyes met mine. “You’re just so beautiful. It’s hard not to stare.”
“Oh, thanks,” I answered, blushing. I looked toward the pool. “So, should we go in?”
Before I knew what was happening, he picked me up in his arms and started walking into the shallow end of the pool. The water was much cooler than I’d expected and I shivered as my feet and rear skimmed the top.
“Ready?”
“Bryce!” I hollered as he began swinging me back and forth in his arms.
“What?” he laughed and then tossed me high into the air.
I smiled as I went under and then around to retaliate. Soon we were both splashing and dunking each other.
“Hey, there’s a beach ball!” I yelled, getting out of the water. It was sitting on one of the patio chairs.
“Whoa, stay there, for a minute,” he said as I was getting ready to jump back in.
I tilted my head. “Why?”
He stared at my body and I looked down. My bra and panties were obviously wet, leaving little to the imagination. I quickly jumped back into the water.
“You wimp,” he laughed.
I threw the ball at his head and he grabbed it. Soon we were playing dodge ball, both of us laughing so hard, the zombies could probably hear us on the streets. After a while, he got out of the pool and I stared with lust at his hot body.
“And what are you looking at?” he asked with a silly grin.
“Just admiring the view,” I said, swimming backwards.
He chuckled and then took a running leap into the pool. “Cannonball!” hollered Bryce, as he hurled himself into the water right next to me.
“You’re such a boy,” I laughed when he came back up to the surface.
He swam over to me and pulled me into his arms. “That’s funny because I thought you brought out the man in me.”
We stared at each other in the darkness for a few seconds and then he began kissing me.
“Thank you,” he murmured, after a while.
“For what?”
“For saying yes tonight.”
I smiled. “There was no other answer for me.”
He pulled me over to the shallow end of the pool and began kissing me again. Soon, I had my legs wrapped around his waist and both of us were breathing heavy.
“Let’s get out of the pool,” he whispered.
“Okay.”
“Just one minute,” he said.
Before I knew it, he’d unclasped my bra,
“What are you doing?” I asked, holding it tightly against my breasts.
“Wild, we should remove our clothing,” he said. “They’re a little wet.”
I looked down. “Well…”
He tipped my chin back up and stared into my eyes. “Don’t be afraid. I would never hurt you.”
I let out a shaky sigh and removed my bra while he continued to stare into my eyes.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” he said.
Our bodies were pressed together and I could feel his excitement poking me under the water. I smiled.
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
He began kissing my lips again and his hands cupped my breasts. After a few minutes, one of his hands traveled down to my panties and I held my breath. “These are wet, too,” he murmured into my neck.
That was an understatement.
Soon, those were gone, too. As I tried to get over my shyness, he turned around and began walking out of the pool with my legs still wrapped around his torso.
“You doing okay?” he asked, grabbing a towel.
“Yes,” I replied as he wrapped it around my shoulders and took me into the suite.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered, entering one of the bedrooms. “This room is free. Nobody will disturb us.”
At that point I didn’t care; I was nervous, excited, and a little cold.
He dropped me onto the bed and I stared up at him. “Don’t you dare move, I’ll be right back,” he said.
He stepped out of the bedroom, and feeling self-conscious again, I pulled the covers over my damp body. When he returned, he was clutching what appeared to be a condom. His lips turned up as our eyes met.
“What?” I asked, pulling the blankets closer.
He shook his head and chuckled. “Nothing.”
“I’m just cold.”
“I’ll warm you up.”
I smiled. Just looking at his broad shoulders and narrow waist warmed me up. Then, when he pulled off his boxers, my eyes traveled much lower and my cheeks were on fire.
“My eyes are up here,” he teased, crawling onto the bed.
I guess it would always be our private joke now.
Bryce took my hair down, running his fingers through it. Then he began kissing me all over, making me so excited that I forgot to be nervous.
“I love you so much,” he whispered, staring at me with his crystal blue eyes.
“I love you, too,” I answered, trailing my finger along the white scar near his chin.
He licked his lips. “Is this okay? I don’t want to rush anything.”
“It’s more than okay,” I answered.
He made love to me so tenderly, that there wasn’t any pain, only intense pleasure. I was so shaken and overcome with emotions, that when it was all over, I was close to tears.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, staring into my eyes. “Was it that bad?”
I shook my head and laughed. “No, it was… amazing.”
“Well, why are you crying?” he asked, touching a single tear that trailed down my cheek.
“Because, I’m just so happy.”
He smiled. “Me too.”
He kissed me deeply one last time, before we both fell asleep in each other’s arms.
39
I woke up in the early hours of the morning and stared at Bryce, who was still sleeping alongside me. His eyelashes were so long and he looked like a little boy resting. He was the most amazing guy I’d ever met, and last night had been unbelievable.
I stared at the ring on my finger. I would someday become Mrs. Bryce De Luca.
I smiled.
Or, maybe he would
be Mr. Cassandra Wild. I couldn’t wait to see his face when I teased him about that.
Then I remembered.
Nora.
We were going to Minnesota in a few hours. Bryce would be pissed, but it was something I had to do, and he’d get over it. I’d already lost my parents and I had to try and save my grandparents. I just had this feeling they were still alive and needed me. I’d rescue them and bring them here, where it was safe.
I moved slowly out of the bed, trying not to disturb Bryce. He reached over to where I’d been sleeping and then murmured something.
I froze.
After a few minutes his breathing became steadier and I found the courage to slip out of the bedroom.
I quickly went out to the pool and got dressed. I then wrote Bryce a note to let him know how much I loved him but how I had to go to Minnesota, to search for my relatives. I asked him to watch out for Allie and… to wait for me. I would be back.
After putting the note in his pants, I tiptoed back to the bedroom and stared at his still form, wishing I could slide back into bed with him. My love for him was so intense at that moment, that I almost changed my mind about the trip.
Almost.
I sighed and left him sleeping, praying that we’d be back together again, soon.
40
My sister and Kylie were both sleeping soundly when I got back to our suite. Goldie slept on the ground next to them and attacked me with puppy kisses when she noticed me peeking into the room.
“Shh…” I whispered to the happy pup. I was certainly going to miss Goldie as well, who seemed to be growing larger every day.
I gave her some food and water, and then took a quick shower. Luckily, my sister and Kylie both slept like the dead.
After packing some things for the trip, I wrote Allie a note, telling her how much I loved her and why she couldn’t come with. I also added a separate note for Paige and Kristie, to let them know how sorry I was about sneaking away.
“Bye, Goldie,” I whispered, hugging her tightly. “Take care of Allie, okay?”
She stared at me with her puppy grin and I kissed the top of her yellow head.
The hotel was quiet as I made my way down to the kitchen. I knew there’d be survivors guarding the doors against zombies, or other dangers, and had already started thinking of an excuse for leaving the building.
“You made it,” said Nora as I met her in the kitchen. “I have to admit, though, I thought you’d stay here.”
“It certainly wasn’t an easy decision.”
She sighed and grabbed her backpack. “I know what you mean.”
“Because of Billie?”
She shrugged.
“You can admit that you like him, Nora. He adores you.”
Her eyes lit up. “Did he tell you that?”
“Yes he did, as a matter of fact. Just before he gave me a birthday hug yesterday.”
She blushed. “Sorry about that. I walked in on you guys and thought you were making out or something.”
I lifted my left hand. “I’m engaged to the man I love. Billie is certainly nice, but we’re just friends.”
“Congratulations,” she said. “I’m truly happy for you guys.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“So, you still want to do this, even though your sister is here and you’re engaged to stud-muffin?”
“Not really. But it’s something I have to.”
“I hear you. Okay, let’s hit it. I found us a ride.”
I followed her to the basement of the hotel’s underground garage, which nobody ever guarded. We’d rigged all of the exit doors leading to the garage, so the only way to get through them was to unlock the doors from the inside. However, the chance of there being zombies on the other side of those doors was pretty high.
“Our driver has a ride and keys. He insisted on coming with us when he heard the rumor that we were going. Practically begged me.”
“Who is it?” I asked, intrigued.
“You’re just going to have to find out,” she said with a shit-eating grin. “He should be waiting for us.”
“Okay.”
Nora unlocked the door and then glanced into the garage. “Crap,” she said, slamming it shut.
“What?”
Her lips tightened. “A few zombies, what else? You ready?”
I pulled out the ax I’d confiscated. “Yeah.”
She nodded and then opened the door.
There were over twenty zombies wandering around our part of the garage.
“A few?!” I hollered at her.
“Okay, maybe a lot. Shit, I hope he made it to the truck.”
“Me too, Nora. It’s hard to believe that anyone got through this mess alone.”
The zombies noticed us in the doorway and two of them began staggering our way.
“I got it,” I mumbled, taking a step toward the nearest zombie. I raised the ax and swung it, hitting the zombie right in his neck. Its gaunt, rotted face stared at me for a minute and then fell backwards, the entire head rolling across the floor.
“Shit, I knew I should have grabbed an ax,” said Nora, rushing toward another zombie. She was wielding a baseball bat and caught a young male zombie right in the forehead.
“I don’t know,” I said, swinging the ax toward a female zombie with a floppy green Mohawk. One of her eyebrows appeared to be missing, torn away from her face. From the piercings on her other eyebrow, I figured someone ripped out the matching side. “Bats seemed to do the trick pretty well.”
“Dude,” laughed Nora when an old naked zombie shuffled toward her. His noodle was flopping around, and he had a big zombie grin on his face. “That is gnarly!”
I burst out laughing as he chased her around. It was so disturbing, it was comical. “Come on!” I yelled. “Quit playing with the zombie. Put us all out of our misery and get rid of at least one of his dead heads!”
She snorted and then cracked his noggin with the bat. He fell to the floor, and this time, everything on him was totally limp.
I heard a truck engine roar to life, and seconds later, a white pickup screeched to a halt next to us, as we were fighting off the remaining zombies.
“About time,” breathed Nora, who’d just swung and taken out two teenaged zombies at once.
I watched as the driver rolled down the window. He spit out a wad of chew and grinned. “You girls coming, or what?”
My eyes widened. “Seriously? Henry, you’re coming with?”
“Damn tootin’,” he said. “Someone’s got to keep you two girls safe.”
“Get in, Wild,” hollered Nora as more zombies stumbled toward us.
We scrambled toward the truck, and once inside, Henry chuckled. “Say, I saw you with the old-timer back there, Nora. Looked like you were playing tag with that feller.”
Nora snorted. “Yeah, he kind of resembled you. I almost thought the zombies had gotten ahold of you, Henry.”
“Well, that’d be the way to go,” he said. “Naked with a big grin on my face.”
“Oh, Henry,” I groaned.
“So, everyone ready?” he asked.
“Let’s go before I change my mind,” I answered, thinking back to Bryce and his sexy body, probably still warming up the bed. I already missed him and we hadn’t even left the garage yet.
“Sure about this?” asked Henry.
“Yes, I am,” I said. “Let’s go, Henry.”
“Full speed ahead,” ordered Nora.
“Congratulations again on your engagement,” said Henry, zigzagging through zombies. “I trust you had a romantic dinner with Bryce?”
“It was awesome,” I said.
He nodded. “I like that boy. He’s going to do well by you. I can tell.”
As we barreled out of the hotel parking lot and past crowds of zombies loitering in the streets, I looked back at the building with longing. I was leaving Bryce, my sister, and all my friends. I could only hope that it wasn’t in vain.
41
“Dammit, Wild!” hollered Bryce as he crumpled up the note and threw it across the room. “What in the hell are you thinking!”
Bobby peeked out of his bedroom. “Bryce?”
“Hey, buddy, it’s okay. Come here.”
Bobby smiled and then ran into his big brother’s arms. “I love you, Bryce.”
“I love you, too,” answered Bryce, closing his eyes.
Besides Bobby, the only other person he’d risk his life for was Cassie. Now he had to decide whether or not to risk the chance of losing one or the other. No matter what he did, the risk would be great. Even if he left Bobby in the hotel with friends, there was no guarantee something horrible wouldn’t happen.
“Listen,” he said, staring into his brother’s eyes. “I have to go on a little trip again, Bud.”
Bobby, who didn’t understand the horror of the world around him, only smiled and nodded.
He hugged the boy tightly again. “I’ll be back, though, okay? And then we’ll always be together. I promise.”
Bobby nodded. “Okay, Bryce.”
“I think I’m going to have you stay with Tiny and Kristie, okay?”
Bobby’s eyebrows furrowed. “What about Dave?”
“He can’t be with you. He’s in Heaven. Remember, we talked about that?”
“No, I think he’s somewhere else.”
Bryce sighed. “No, Bobby, but I wish he was.”
Bobby shook his head vehemently. “No, he told the zombies he’d see them in Hell. I heard him say that. Especially the one that tried to bite his hand.”
Bryce chuckled. “Okay, Bobby. But I’m guessing he never made it to Hell. Fortunately, for the zombies.”
Bobby nodded. “Yeah, they probably were tired of playing our game. They kept losing.”
***
“They actually left, huh?” groaned Kristie. “Dammit. I was afraid of that.”
“We have to go find them,” said Paige. “I’m coming with, too, and don’t try to argue with me, mother.”
“Listen,” said Bryce. “It’s too dangerous. I’m going alone to find them. When I do, I’ll bring both girls back; at least Cassie. I doubt anyone can talk Nora into anything.”
“You need me to come with you, brother?” asked Tiny. “I’ll have your back.”
Zombie Games (Uncut) Boxed Set Page 47
