by Toby Neal
“I love you, too, Avital,” he rasped. “Always. Always.”
She kissed him some more. He enjoyed that, and the little wiggle of her breasts against his chest, and the warmth of her body, even in her wet clothes. She stopped kissing him, and if he’d had any strength he would have dragged her back down to his mouth for more.
“How do you feel?” she asked, her eyes running over his chest.
“I’m cold.”
She grinned. “First you’re too hot, then you’re too cold. It’s always something.” She hopped up, her voice almost bubbly with the relief that comes from resolution of extreme stress. She took a few minutes to rip bedding out of a linen closet in the hall. She told him everything she was doing, loudly explaining, and it was to keep him connected to her, her voice a rope that he clung to, still dizzy and so weak he was afraid to let go of it and sink down to where he’d been.
She rolled him from side to side as she changed the bedding under him.
Avital was little and so strong.
When the pallet on the floor was redone, she rubbed him briskly all over with a towel, and exclaimed with excitement over the pinkening of his skin as his circulation got going, even as he groaned at the sensation of thousands of needle pricks stabbing him that signaled the capillaries opening.
And finally, she covered him with dry blankets to calm his shivering—from cold, not heat this time.
When Dolf was all settled, Avital stood over him and began unbuttoning her wet shirt. “A preview of coming attractions.” She held his gaze with her warm brown eyes. “A little incentive to get you on the road to recovery.”
Before his dazed, unbelieving gaze, she unbuttoned her baggy shirt to expose her plain white bra. She shrugged out of that and let it drop from her hand, releasing those gorgeous, full round breasts with their rosy areolas. She put her hands on her hips and posed from different angles so he could stare at them all he wanted.
Dolf groaned. “Not fair.”
“I don’t fight fair when I’m trying to save a life.” Avital unbuttoned her wet jeans, sliding them down over the flare of her hips. She cupped her lower abdomen, her hands sliding over the elegant guitar shape of her waist and belly, stroking the pale silk of her skin. “You can’t see it, but you can feel the baby is here.”
“You’re torturing me,” he rasped. “I can’t take it. Please come here and let me touch you.”
“Can you raise your arms?”
He tried. With this incentive, he got his hands up to chest height.
Avital shimmied out of the wet jeans and her panties. She dropped to straddle him. Her body warming his, she leaned over so his hands, trembling but hungry for her, could cup her breasts.
Dolf groaned as he finally got his hands on them. “Spectacular.”
She let him play with them, teasing her nipples until they were red and peaked, and she began to writhe against him, her breath coming short, her core hot on his skin, her thighs like a vise.
She wanted him too. It made him feel amazing—but his body refused to cooperate, trembling like a palsy victim.
“I think that’s enough stimulation for an almost dead man,” she said. He sighed, and his arms dropped in exhaustion as she lifted up off of him. “I have to get more fluids into you.”
Avital moved around to hold his head up to drink from a glass of water, coaxing him to get it all down, and he loved resting his head on her naked breasts. “I’m going to fix something to eat. You need calories, and so do I. Butch and Slash can keep you company for a little while.”
She went to the door and he watched her slim back, slender legs, and well-defined butt with the little thumbprint dimples above it as she called for Butch and Slash. Dolf’s eyelids wanted to close but he couldn’t stand to miss one glimpse of her voluptuous, perfect body.
For the first time in his life, he was staring at the woman he loved with no guilt or regret.
Their animal companions tumbled into the bathroom. Butch reached Dolf first, licking his face and whimpering as Slash minced forward, his tail quirking in annoyance at the dog’s antics. Testing Dolf’s blanket-covered belly carefully with a paw, he climbed up onto Dolf, turned three times, and settled, nose to tail, his purr vibrating Dolf’s whole body.
Butch curled up against Dolf’s side and he could feel the warmth of the animals like two heaters as Avital dressed in dry clothing. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Dolf’s eyes lingered on her until she was completely out of sight. He finally closed his eyes and drifted off, knowing it was okay to sleep.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
Avital woke him some time later. “We’re so lucky. The family left some canned goods behind and they had a gas stove. I found some soup to heat up. If you don’t get the pneumonia, you should be fine.” She lifted him and propped him up against the side of the tub, dislodging Slash, then spooned the soup into his mouth. He reveled in her nurturing, her eyes tender on his face, her hair drying in ripples of that deep ruby color, falling around her like a curtain as she fed him.
He ate all the soup and Avital put the bowl down. She stripped off her clothes as Dolf watched. “I think you should stay naked all the time,” he croaked. “It’s important to my recovery.”
She laughed, the sound light and free. “My thoughts exactly.”
His smile actually hurt his cheeks a little as she settled him down flat again, and slid in under the blanket with him. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and gave a sigh.
Strengthened by the soup, Dolf brought an arm up to cradle her close, and he stroked her silky skin with his thumb as she wept a little on his chest. “I almost lost you,” she sniffled. “It was terrible.”
“Shhh, Avi. I’d never leave you.”
She laughed a little. “Like you had a choice.”
“I died, babe, and I came back to you. I’m never going to leave you again. I promise.”
She sat up and looked at him, her eyes dark and troubled. “You can’t promise that. We got lucky, but death is all around us.”
Her hand cupped her belly. She was worried for their child. Their child. A beat of pure joy pulsed through Dolf as he lifted his hand to rest on hers.
“I can promise whatever I want.” His voice was a growl. “And I promise you, Avital Luciano, that I will always be here for you and our baby.”
Her eyes filled. “Really?”
“Yes. And you know I keep my promises.”
She smiled and nodded, tears escaping from under her eyelids. Avital lay back down and snuggled into him. They fell asleep in the nest of blankets on the bathroom floor, her head on his chest, his one arm around her, the other stretched across his belly, cradling her womb. He felt it, the small change in her body, the swelling, the beginning of their baby.
It took several days for Dolf to recover from the devastation of the fever, and he developed the respiratory cough but thankfully, not the pneumonia. Still, just moving from the bathroom to one of the bedrooms was an ordeal that it took a day to recover from.
Every night, Avital stripped naked and climbed into bed with him, snuggling and sighing, a blissful torture he didn’t have the strength to take advantage of.
On the fourth night, Dolf held the covers back and an arm open for her when she came in. “We have to talk.”
Her eyes widened. “That sounds serious.” She stripped for him, taking off each article of clothing slowly, with a sexy shimmy here and there. She climbed into bed beside him, setting her ear on his chest. “Your lungs are still clear. Just a little upper respiratory inflammation.”
“Why am I still so weak?”
“You had Scorch Flu, Dolf.” Avital propped herself up on an elbow. “You functionally died. It takes a while to recover.”
“I want you so much. And I think…tonight I could manage it.” Dolf’s tongue went thick at the thought of making love to her. “But I want to talk about Nando first. Because this is all about him, in a way. When I was down there,” h
e cleared his throat. “When I was dead, I saw him. He told me to come back, to take care of you…to love you. He always knew how I felt, and he was okay with it.”
“I know.” Avital rested her chin on his chest, holding his gaze, stroking his chest with her fingertips. Every time she brushed his nipple, seemingly by accident, sensation shot through his body and his ever-present erection, flat against his belly, throbbed. “I wish I could have married you both, somehow. In some other day and time, it might have worked…I was afraid, though, to even know what my feelings for you were. But Nando always knew, and he wanted us to be together. This baby is both of yours, genetically.” She took his hand by the wrist, set it on her smooth, flat belly with the fist-sized swelling deep inside. “But you’re my baby’s only father, now.”
Dolf drew her close with his right arm so he could kiss her deep and long, his left hand still stroking and massaging her belly.
“After I knew you were pregnant, I began dreaming that it was my baby. And I felt….” Dolf’s throat closed, and he had to turn away to cough, finally clearing the obstruction to go on. “I felt so much love it was overwhelming. I felt possessive, like you were my treasure and I was a dragon guarding you, hoarding you…I was even jealous of Nando. I can’t explain it, but it was so powerful that I had to…get space from you, so you wouldn’t be scared by how intense I was. I’m not gentle, like Nando. I love hard.” He slid his hand down and grasped her thigh and squeezed her, and then lifted her leg, pulling her up to straddle him. “I love hard.”
He took hold of her hips and slid her onto him, and sank into her at the same time, an exquisitely fulfilling sensation.
Avital gave a long, low cry, her slick, tight heat welcoming him deep. She reared up over him, those glorious breasts bouncing, and he took them in his hands as she braced her hands on his shoulders.
She rode him slowly, her thighs tight to his hips, their gazes locked. Tears welled in her eyes as her urgency increased, and he thrust up into her, letting go of her breasts to grasp her buttocks and thighs, working her up and down, stretching her wide so that her pleasure was increased, and she cried as she came, “Dolf, Dolf!”
His name had never sounded so sweet.
Avital sagged, draped boneless over him, and it reminded him of how she’d dragged him back from death. She’d fought for him like a lioness, and she’d won.
He rolled her gently, still inside, and lifted himself above her. “I love you, Avital. I love you, love you, love you.”
He echoed her words to him, and his own tears dropped on her face as he made her his, and the depth and heft of his penetration on her sensitive tissues made her cry out. He could feel her rippling with waves of pleasure again, and he met her passion with his, a clashing and melding that wrung every drop of darkness out of him. He was washed clean, empty, rolled up on the shore of after, sleeping in her arms.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Avital
The first snowflakes of the season drifted down from a stone-gray sky. Avital pulled the large trench coat around herself tighter and shivered. She’d found the big, musty garment in one of the closets at the farmhouse, and it was thick and warm, better for the change of seasons than the light clothing in her pack.
They’d found a man’s coat as well, with a fur-trimmed hood that fit Dolf, but he was still too weak to go out looking for supplies with her.
Avital stashed the Colt in her pocket, but she hadn’t seen another person in the ten days that she’d gone out scavenging. The countryside was deserted.
Her breath created clouds of white, and each inhalation smelled of snow as she walked down a long driveway towards a house she’d spied the day before. She had to find more food—her attempts yesterday had proved fruitless.
Dolf was recovering miraculously well, but he wasn’t strong enough to travel yet. They would be at the farmhouse for at least another week, and if Avital couldn’t keep him well-fed it would be even longer. All the vehicles she’d found so far had been out of gas so it looked like they were going to have to walk—and they’d need supplies for that too.
The windows of the farmhouse were dark, the curtains pulled, and there were no cars in the front drive. Avital walked up onto the porch, her footsteps thumping in the too-large boots she wore. She stepped onto the welcome mat, scraping the dirt out of the treads, and knocked, the sound echoing in the house. She turned the knob and the door opened easily. “Hello!”
Her voice was sucked into a void of no response. The sweet, putrid smell of decomposition told Avital all she needed to know about the owners’ whereabouts.
She walked through a messy living room—empty mugs and plates sat on the coffee table, old newspapers piled up next to a cold and empty fireplace. Rotted fruit decorated the kitchen counter and the sink was piled with dishes and dirty water. Even in the cold, the air was foul.
Breathing through her mouth, Avital went through the cabinets. She found a bounty of canned goods in the pantry, and even after she filled her bag, there would be more here.
Avital blew hot breath onto her exposed fingers before shoving them back into her mittens. Relief filled her as she hefted the bag onto her shoulder. They would at least be fed for a while longer. The screen door banged against its frame in the wind, drawing her attention. Through the dirty window a semi truck was visible in the back yard, parked next to a sedan.
Avital dropped the bag of canned goods on the back porch, jumped down the steps and ran across the yard. She opened the driver’s side door and pulled herself up into the cab of the truck. She spotted the radio.
Thank God!
Avital ripped off her gloves and turned the dial with numb fingers. Static crackled in the empty cab—thankfully, the truck’s battery wasn’t dead yet. “Stone Bear, Stone Bear! Please come in. It’s Avital.”
Static was the only response.
The wide windscreen was spotted with wet drops from the snow, but the landscape burst with color, the changing of the leaves splashing the hillsides with orange, gold, red and yellow. She’d have enjoyed the sight another day. “Stone Bear, Stone Bear, come in.”
Maybe she should take the radio back with her. She and Dolf could keep trying to get through together. It was crazy to sit here by herself. They couldn’t be more than a twelve-hour drive from the Haven, but in this new world that was a huge distance.
The empty feedback of the radio was haunting. What if the Haven wasn’t safe? Dolf had been inoculated, and yet he’d gotten sick. What if the rest of the Lucianos had also fallen ill? What if it was just her and Dolf left of their whole family? Fearful thoughts circled her like the buzzards over the nearby fields.
“Stone Bear, Stone Bear. Come in, Stone Bear.”
And if JT did come and rescue them, which was what she was going to ask for, what did that mean for her and Dolf? They were committed to be together now—there was no doubt about that. She’d never been surer of anything than her love for Dolf.
But she felt a wave of nausea at the thought of confronting his family with their relationship. What would JT say? What would Ana say? Would they be judged, ostracized even?
Avital opened the door as hot bile rose up her throat. She heaved onto the ground below. Her morning sickness had abated, but still blindsided her at times. She spit repeatedly onto the ground and swiped her sleeve across her mouth. “Ugh!”
“This is Stone Bear. Come in.” JT’s voice was clearly recognizable.
Avital flung herself back to grab the radio. “JT, it’s Avital.”
“Thank God. We thought you were lost. How are you? How’s Dolf? Where are you?”
“We’re not far from the Haven. Montana.” Avital’s throat was thick with tears, a mix of relief and an underlying dread. She and Dolf had been so happy. Would that all change when they got to the Haven? “Dolf was sick, but he’s better now.”
“What do you mean? Sick?”
“He got Scorch Flu, but he survived. It’s a miracle. But he’s still too weak to travel
.”
“Tell me where you are, and we’ll come and get you.”
She gave him the name of the town and directions to the farmhouse.
“Avital, honey?” Ana’s voice came on. “Thank God you’re okay!”
“Yes.” Avital covered her mouth with her hand, blinking back tears, unable to speak.
“Thank you. Thank you for bringing my boy home.”
“Thank me once we get there, Ana.”
“You’re going to make it, honey. I just know it. JT and his friend Roan will leave tonight. They should be there by tomorrow morning.”
Relief and apprehension warred in her breast as Avital said her goodbyes and hung up the radio.
Dolf was standing when Avital walked into the farmhouse, the coat draped over his shoulders as he tossed another log onto the fire. Hearing her footsteps, he turned and smiled at her.
She stopped in the doorway and dropped the sack of cans, taking a moment to just look at him as she kicked off her boots. He was still pale, but there was some color in his cheeks. His eyes were circled in dark, sunken from the illness, but the angles of his face just made him more beautiful to her. He pushed his curling hair off his forehead, and his eyes shone at seeing her. Happiness and calm welled up in Avital. He was her haven.
“I was starting to worry. It’s snowing.” Dolf looked out the window at the drifting flakes.
Avital shed her jacket and ran to Dolf. “I have food and good news!”
He opened his arms, holding the coat wide, and she folded herself into him. He closed his arms, encircling her with the big coat. It was warm and safe in his embrace.
“I found a CB radio and I got hold of JT.” They’d talked about her keeping an eye out for some way to call for rescue.
“That’s great.” Dolf released her so that he met her eyes. She saw the same mix of anxiety and joy in his expression that she felt.
“They’re coming to get us. Be here by morning.”
“That’s wonderful.” His smile looked forced.
