by L. A. Boruff
Her breathing hitches, but she makes no move to stop me.
I trek across her silky smooth skin and cup her breast. Her bare breast. Ah fuck, she’s not wearing a bra. Her nipple stiffens against my palm and I have to fight the urge to throw her down on the desk, rip off her clothes, and mount her like the animal I am.
“We shouldn’t,” she says, but she’s leaning back against the desk arching her body toward mine.
I go all in with both hands caressing her breasts. Her husky moan is pure music. Frustrated with all the fabric in the way, I start to pull her sweatshirt off. It catches on the silver chain around her neck.
“Wait,” she says, breathing hard. She pushes my hands away, shoves down her top, and clenches the ring on the chain.
It’s her fucking engagement ring. Shit. My mood and erection deflate.
“I can’t betray Logan like this even though I want—” She turns away, her breathing ragged.
Hope surges through me. She wants this as badly as I do. That’s all I need to know.
4
Sophie
Tore presses his chest into my back. “How about this? We’ll do a test, I’m going to touch you here.” He cups me between my legs. “If you’re wet for me, we do this. If not…” His voice trails off.
I shake my head. That would be so wrong. But the idea has me growing damp and breathless. Even though I’m trapped between his huge body and the desk, I’m filled with excitement not fear.
He waits as if to see if I’ll make a move to stop him.
I don’t.
He takes my gun and sets it on the desk. Then he slides his hand around my hip, under the waistband of my jeans, and finds the neediest part of my body.
The forbidden touch sends an electric current straight through me.
Tore lets out a shuddering breath. “Ah fuck, you’re drenched.” His big, callused fingers find my clit.
I can’t help moaning loudly. My thighs shake uncontrollably as he strokes me. Pressure builds between my legs. This feels so good.
“Let me fuck you, Sophie,” he pleads.
“And if I say no?” I gasp, trying not to writhe under the erotic onslaught of his fingers.
“Then you die without experiencing this.” He pinches my clit.
I cry out. I’m so close to coming.
He nibbles a trail of fire down my neck. “I’ll make it good for you. So good.”
My knees weaken and my core throbs with need. I glance down at the engagement ring. It shimmers from around my neck as if it senses my indecision.
Just say no, Sophie. It’s not that hard. I know Logan would stay true to me until the end.
But I’m not Logan and I want to experience passion before I die. My fingers are shaky and it takes two tries for me to unclasp the necklace. I toss it on the desk where it ironically lands smack on top of Logan’s letter. I shut my eyes. Out of sight out of mind, right?
Taking a deep breath, I whisper the one word that will change everything. “Yes.”
He nudges my legs farther apart with his muscled thigh and bends me over the desk. “I want to hear you say it.”
“Fuck me,” I moan.
He finds one of my nipples with his free hand and rolls it roughly between his fingers. The pleasure-pain sensation sends me into orbit. My knees buckle and I grab hold of the edge of the desk to keep myself upright.
A low keening noise escapes my lips as he finally moves the hand between my legs. He strokes and teases, building the pleasure until I can’t stand it anymore.
“Please,” I beg.
Tore turns his hand so his palm grinds against me. Electricity sparks through me with every pass of his hand.
“I’m going to come.” I rock against his palm chasing the rapture I know he can give me.
He flicks his thumb across my clit and I detonate in a shock wave of intense pleasure.
It takes a full minute for my mind to reboot.
“I need to be inside you.” He flips me around and sits me on the edge of the desk.
“Clothes off,” he orders. He pulls off my boots and rips my jeans free of my legs.
Excitement thrums through me as he yanks off my sweatshirt. Are we really going to do this?
He pauses for a moment and looks at me.
A sudden burst of shyness makes me want to cover myself. Damn, I wish I hadn’t lost all my curves.
“You’re so beautiful, it almost hurts to look at you,” Tore says, brushing his hand over my breasts. “Touch yourself for me, angel. I want to see what you like.”
It takes a second for my dazed brain to assimilate his meaning and when it does, my face grows hot. “Tore, I—”
“All we have is this moment. Nothing should be off-limits.”
He’s right. I hesitate for only a second. Then I drop my hands to my breasts and cup them in a hand-bra. My nipples pebble instantly. I stroke my hands over the sensitive peaks, tracing the outline of them.
Tore’s pupils dilate. “That’s so fucking hot.” He adjusts the impressive bulge I can’t wait to see.
A heady rush of excitement shoots through me. I’ve never felt this wanton before. I slide my hands down my stomach and between my thighs. My fingers glide through my slick flesh, finding my clit. It’s hypersensitive from my recent orgasm and just the slight caress sends my back arching off the desk.
Tore groans loudly. “I need to taste you.” He presses me down on the desk, dips his head, and draws one of my nipples into his mouth.
I cry out as he flicks his tongue against it and then sucks it deep between his lips. Each pull of his mouth and lash of his tongue sends a spear of exquisite pleasure from my breast straight down to my core.
“More.” I grip the silk of his hair and bury his face against my breast. He rewards me by turning to the other nipple and rasping it against his teeth.
I rub my clit harder. I’m seconds away from flying apart.
His hand covers mine and brushes it aside.
“I’m getting you off tonight, angel.”
My thighs tremble as he roughly pushes them farther apart. Then his fingers are sliding over me. He moves them back and forth, playing with my swollen bud. Liquid heat pools between my legs. Chills race over my body as he slips a finger inside me. His finger is so large and thick. My body clenches around it like a vise.
“Fuck. You’re so tight.” He moves his finger in and out of me.
I hiss at the sensuous invasion. It feels amazing.
He slips a second finger in. It feels even better.
I throw my head back. “Oh, yes.”
He thrusts his fingers in and out while rubbing my clit with his thumb. The sensation sends me spiraling higher and higher.
“That’s it, angel.” He finds a spot that unravels me.
“Right there, Tore. Don’t stop.” I careen over the edge, convulsing around his fingers.
Temporarily losing all executive functioning, I fall back on the desk.
The thud of his boots hitting the floor rouses me. I push up on my elbows to see him yanking off his T-shirt. My mouth dries at the sight of his thickly muscled shoulders and chiseled six-pack.
He shucks his jeans, giving me a tantalizing view of his long, thick cock that seems to grow impossibly huge under my gaze.
I can’t wait to feel it inside me.
Tore steps between my thighs. “I don’t have a condom, but given the circumstances…”
His words splash over me like a glass of ice water. No need to worry about STDs and pregnancy when I’ll be dead in less than twenty-four hours, right? “We shouldn’t even be doing this.” I push against his chest with the palms of my hand. “Tore. This isn’t safe for you. What if—?”
“This is worth dying for, angel. Don’t you want this?” He rubs his cock against me.
I moan brokenly. “Oh, yes.”
He thrusts hard and deep.
I clench my teeth to keep from screaming out in pleasure.
“Are you okay?”
I nod. There’s none of the blood or tearing pain I expected from years of reading romance novels. Only a delicious feeling of fullness.
“Are you sure?” Tore asks in a husky voice.
In answer, I hook my ankles around his waist to fit him even more deeply inside. Oh, yes. The feel of his thick shaft pulsing inside me cranks my desire even higher. I rock against him, urging him on.
He groans and then he’s moving, slowly in and out.
Each pass makes my inner muscles quake. “Faster,” I plead, digging my heels into his ass.
He answers my prayers by increasing his pace. Soon he’s hammering into me, building my pleasure with every slam of his hips.
I writhe in delight. “More!” Wild cries escape my lips as I grind against him.
His thrusts drive me over the desk, sending my letters flying, but I don’t care. The only thing that matters is this—the crush of his muscular body against mine. The feeling of his thick cock deep inside me. The salty taste of the sweat running down his smooth skin.
I never want it to end, but my body betrays me. A tidal wave of pleasure picks me up and hurls me into a mind-shattering orgasm.
Tore rears above me and shouts my name.
I stare into his eyes as he climaxes, savoring his dazed look of wonder. Sex is everything I hoped it would be. I can’t wait to experience more.
5
Jack
Rain beats down on my head as darkness claims the apocalyptic wasteland of my hometown. I lean over the edge of the roof to watch a herd of dead lurch around the base of our building. Biters are more active at night, not that they still won’t try to eat you in the full light of day. Kevin’s death is a case in point.
Ah, fucking K-rod. I take another pull from the tequila bottle someone put in my hands. Although it is nice Tore lifted his ban on alcohol tonight, the liquor doesn't numb the pain of losing another friend.
Grabbing the wet roof ledge to help keep my balance, I turn to the Asian man next to me. “What’s the motherfucking point of it all?”
Xander lifts one of his dark brows. “Jack, you know I don’t answer rhetorical questions.”
“It’s not rheto—whatever.” I run my hands through my sopping wet hair. It’s gotten too long again. I’ll have to ask Sophie to cut it. For the dozenth time, I scan the roof looking for the beautiful blonde woman. Logan’s woman, the voice in my head reminds me.
It’s getting harder and harder to remember that. I’ve been in love with Sophie for years although I’ve never had the balls to tell anyone except Xander who's in the same boat. We’re two sad fuckers in love with the same woman. For all I know Kevin had been in love with her too.
Poor bastard.
We’d all been close friends since elementary school and no doubt seeing Kevin die must’ve been a hard blow for Sophie. I think back to how shaken up she’d looked when she’d run into the building earlier today. She’d been covered in Kevin’s blood, her normally tanned face pale. I scan the sea of faces huddled under the large canopy tent in the middle of the roof again. “Sophie’s not here.”
Xander gives a slight nod. “I noticed. Do you think she’s doing okay?”
Fuck no. She hasn’t been okay in months. “I should check on her.”
I’m halfway to the stairwell door when Xander rushes by me. He’s small, but fast.
Not fast enough.
Even with my reflexes dulled by tequila, years of playing defense allow me to reach out and snag his hoodie.
He jerks to a stop. Then he does some lightning-fast tae kwon do moves that leave me laying on the rooftop holding my stomach.
“Ouch,” I groan. Once again I remind myself not to mess with Xander.
He stands over me with a wide grin on his face. “Why don’t we check on Sophie together?”
“Good idea,” I huff as I get to my feet.
The other survivors glare at us from under the tent, but fuck ‘em. It’s not as if they really knew Kevin. Their tears aren’t for the loss of our friend so much as the idea it’ll one day be them who doesn’t make it back.
Xander and I open the stairwell door and descend to the fourth floor in silence. I grieve the loss of fresh air as we walk into the main office and living area. No matter how many windows we open, the lingering smell of locker-room sweat remains. All in all, it’s not too bad given the number of guys living in this space. The handful of women and children get to sleep in the offices, as it should be. If the dead ever break through our stairwell barricades, they’ll have to get through us to get to them. I’ll gladly fight to the death to save Sophie’s life.
My gaze zeroes in on the door to her office. To my surprise, it opens and Tore walks out. A shirtless Tore.
What the fuck?
While I’m standing there like a dumbass, Xander grabs my arm and pulls me behind the closest cubicle wall.
Tore walks past us wiping his eyes.
Is that big motherfucker crying?
I peer around the cubicle to see him head up to the roof. Confusion clouds my mind. What just happened between them? Needing answers and needing them now, I run toward Sophie’s office.
“Jack, stop!” Xander calls after me.
I pay him no mind and yank open the door. The scent of lavender and sex slaps me in the face. I search the space and find Sophie standing stark naked near the sofa by the window.
There’s a tub of baby wipes on the sofa and it looks as if Sophie is cleaning herself. Her back is to me and her hand is between her legs. She turns her head and her eyes widen. “Jack?”
The sight of her bare body makes me forget everything, even my own damn name. All my fantasies over the years have paled in comparison to the real deal. The light from the battery-operated lantern on the floor presents me with a sizzling view of her perfect ass.
Her beautiful face flushes as I continue to stare at her. I know I’m being rude as fuck, but I can’t seem to make my brain function.
Xander rushes in the room. “Ah, hell. Sorry, Sophie.” He picks a shirt off the floor and hands it to her, all the while keeping his face averted.
Sophie takes the shirt and, keeping her back to us, slides it over her body. The shirt is huge with the hem hitting her midthigh. Other than me, there’s only one guy in the building with shirts that size.
Tore. Motherfucker. My anger returns with backup. “Did Tore rape you? Tell me. If he did, I’ll kill that son of a bitch.”
Sophie spins around. “No. What we did was consensual.”
She fucked him. The realization hits me like a donkey kick to the balls. Once again I’m too late. All this time I’ve been waiting for my moment. Waiting for her to let go of Logan and see what’s right in front of her. To see me. “Why? Why him?” I manage to croak. “Why not me? I love you, Sophie.”
Her mouth drops open and her sky blue eyes widen.
“Real smooth, big guy,” Xander mutters. He walks by me and shuts the door behind us. The click of the door lock sounds like a gun going off.
Sophie looks at me as if seeing me for the first time. “I-I never knew you had feelings for me. Jack, why didn’t you say something?”
“Logan,” I whisper. I’d never betray my friend. But he’s dead now. We all knew and accepted it. Well, all of us except Sophie.
Her face pales and she reaches for that stupid engagement ring she wears around her neck. Only she doesn’t find it. Her eyes dart around the room wildly for a minute before she takes a deep breath. “I wish I would have known.”
Xander clears his throat and stabs his hand through his Mohawk with uncharacteristic agitation. “I’m in love with you too.”
She gasps.
“Seriously, X-lax, you couldn’t let me have my moment?” I reach out to shove him.
He darts out of reach. “What? Feeling jealous because you know Sophie might prefer this—” he waves his hand up and down his wiry torso “—to all your muscles.” I can tell by the tension in his body and the strain around his eyes th
at he’s as nervous as I am. Neither one of us is the type to spill our guts. But then again, neither one of us thought she’d go and fuck Tore.
“You’re dreaming,” I growl, but there’s no bite to my bark. Not only could I never be pissed at my best friend, but Sophie has already made her choice and it’s neither of us.
Sophie lets out a sob.
Both Xander and I rush to her side.
“What is it?” I crush her to my chest wanting to shelter her from anything and everything that could hurt her.
Xander rubs the back of her shoulders, a look of panic on his face. “Don’t cry, sunflower.”
She sobs harder.
“Talk to us.” I’d prefer facing down a horde of zombies to seeing her cry.
She pulls away, walks back over to the couch, brushes the baby wipes off the cushions, and sits down.
I struggle not to stare at her gorgeous bare legs or focus on the fact she’s not wearing anything under that shirt. “Are you upset about Kevin?” His death must’ve really shaken her up if she sought comfort from Tore of all people.
“Yes. No.” She wraps her arms around herself. For the first time I notice the bandage on her forearm. Is she hurt?
As if hearing my unspoken question, Sophie blurts out, “I’m infected with the Z-virus.”
I stop breathing. No. Anything but that.
“What?” Xander shouts.
Sophie slowly lifts her bandaged arm toward us. “I’m so sorry.” Tears stream down her cheeks.
There’s a roaring sound in my ears, but I still can’t move or draw breath. This can’t be happening. I can’t lose her.
“Was it the same Biter that killed Kevin?” Xander asks, sounding way too calm.
She shakes her head. “It was Kevin. I was applying pressure to his wound. I didn’t know he’d turned and…”
I finally take a deep breath. “That son of a bitch.”
Sophie gives me a chiding look. “It wasn’t his fault.”
I let out a rush of air. “Of course it was his fault. He put you both in danger and got you killed. And for what?”
