by T K Barber
“Fine. An extra hundred thousand.”
Bingo. The tightness in that response was delicious.
Ryker grinned as he stood. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“A moment, Mr. Hunt.”
Ryker lifted his brows in wait. This had better be good.
“Any side effects I should watch for?”
Was that actual concern on his face?
A laughed clawed its way from Ryker’s throat, and he strode to the door. He spoke over his shoulder, hand resting on the handle. “With what you plan to do with it? Why do you even care?”
“I don’t want him to die. That would be counterproductive.”
Ryker sighed and turned. “He won’t. Not unless you kill him. Or someone else does. Just stick to the dosage and you’ll have one perfectly pliant zombie.”
He didn’t wait for any other questions, letting the heavy wood door thud closed behind him.
Thomas
A breath separated his face from the heaven he’d been begging for his whole life. They’d kissed at least a hundred times to that point, but the thought of brushing his lips against hers that time was supercharged.
They locked eyes, and she smiled. “Ready?”
Yes. The answer to that was oh my holy yes. He swallowed and smiled back. She locked her bottom lip under her teeth again and hopped off the couch, waggling the fingers on her outstretched hand.
A grin pulled at his mouth as he took it. “You plannin’ on showing me the ropes, short stack?”
She scoffed on a smile and tugged him to his feet. “Short stack? Did you just compare me to pancakes?”
He laughed and pocketed the condom before pulling her close. “If it means I can butter you up and cover you in syrup then yes the hell I did.”
Her eyes turned to saucers and air left her on a short, sweet burst. “That sounds . . . sticky.”
Thomas laughed and cupped her cheeks. “I love you, Annalise.” He ducked down to claim her mouth in a deep kiss. Her fingers found the front of his shirt again, only this time it felt like she was using him to stay upright. She pulled back and blinked a tear onto her cheek. Oh no.
“Hey, what’s—”
“That’s the first time you’ve said my whole name.”
He straightened up and stared out over her head, then back down to her. “You’re right. Huh. What? You don’t like it?”
She wiped at her cheek and grabbed the sides of his head. She pulled him back down and kissed him, even deeper still which was quite a damn feat. He was nearly dizzy when she pulled back the next time, and they both panted.
“I,” she sucked in a short breath and laughed. “I fucking loved it.”
His chest expanded and he nodded. “A’ight then. Want me to call you that now?”
She shook her head and bit her lip. She needed to stop doing that. For a couple of reasons. “Nu-uh. I like when you call me Anna.”
The side of his mouth curled up and he nodded slower. “Me too.”
He slid his hands across her neck and threaded his fingers into her hair. He placed a soft kiss on her jaw, then whispered in her ear. “Let me love you, Anna.”
She melted into his hands and moved backward through the room, pulling him along.
Her bedroom was too far away, then suddenly they were at the foot of her bed. He popped his eyes open and laughed into her mouth before pulling back.
“What?”
“I didn’t think it was possible to shove any more pink in this place. Is there a whole store somewhere that just sells this stuff?”
She laughed and pushed his shoulder. “Shut up! I like pink.”
“You don’t say.” He grinned. “As long as you don’t start buyin’ me pink shirts we’re good.”
She put a finger to her chin and looked off to the side like she was thinking about doing exactly that. He thinned his lips.
“No. Nope. I draw the line at pink shirts. Ain’t happening, gorgeous.” His eyes widened. “Pink underwear neither, so don’t go gettin’ any ideas.”
She dropped her hand and clutched her stomach as she laughed. His heart somersaulted in his chest. God, she was so amazing.
His love for her swept over him with a shudder, and he clutched her face. Her laugh halted, a sweet echo hovering in the air for a brief second as she gazed at him.
“Anna, you’re perfect, you know that?”
She sucked in a breath and knitted her brows, giving a quick shake of her head. “I’m a mess, Thomas. The last thing I am is perfect.”
He released her face and slid his palm down her arm. Her hand shook as he lifted it to his mouth. When she drew in her bottom lip he pulled back and ran a finger over the marks on her wrist.
“You are though.”
He pressed it to his lips and murmured against her soft skin.
“If I coulda sat down and written out every single thing I could possibly want in a woman, I’d have never dreamed you up in a million years.”
He placed a kiss on her thumping pulse point, then another one further up, eyes still trained on her.
She swatted tears off her cheek and cleared her throat. “I’m glad you think so.”
He wiped some leftover ones off her jaw and smiled as he cupped that cheek. “I know so.”
She smiled. It was small, but it was enough. She was at least listening, even if she didn’t believe it.
She reached up and twined her fingers with his and kissed his palm, then let their arms fall between them.
They stood hand in hand, eyes locked as gravity took hold of Thomas. He’d never leave this moment. Never. The world could burn to ash around him, and when he closed his eyes that night, he’d see her just like this.
Her perfect face staring up at him like he set the moon in the sky. Her perfect hands grabbing hold of his, with their timid strength. Her perfect smile that grew the longer he looked at her. He inhaled deeply and smiled.
“I love you, Anna.”
Her grin grew wider and she stepped against him, pulling him down into a gentle kiss.
“I love you too, Thomas.”
His heart. It couldn’t keep up. Endless warmth filled it, and he chiseled those words right on its surface.
He let her hands go and slid the backs of his fingers down her cheek, holding her gaze. A whole herd of horses thundered in his chest, and he blew out a slow breath.
“There’s just one problem with all this.”
Her face hardened and she blinked at him. “What?”
A smirk played on his lips as he hooked his thumbs under the collar of her shirt. “You’re still wearin’ way too many clothes.”
She barked a laugh, and her cheeks tinted. “You too. Wanna take turns? I’ll go first.”
Jesus. Did he? Her first? Fucking hell.
He evidently managed to nod since she nodded back. In a move that might have broken the sound barrier, she crossed her arms, grabbed the hem of her shirt, and swiveled her torso to peel it off.
His lungs froze, and his eyes had never been happier in his whole life. Her skin was nearly flawless, save for a few random freckles on spots he would absolutely be tasting.
Her bra had this cute white and blue flower pattern on it and holy shit he could touch her.
“My God, Anna.” His hands found her waist, then smoothed up her sides.
His jaw was going to break from clenching.
She wiggled with a squeak and he might have blacked out for a second. When he came to his senses, he grinned. “You’re ticklish, too, huh? Ya know, payback’s a bitch.”
Annalise laughed and swallowed then gestured to him. “So. Your turn.”
All humor left him on a single breath. Shit. “Eh, you sure about that? I mean, you’re doin’ a pretty good job all by yourself.”
Her smile dropped. “What’s wrong?”
Thomas blew out a slow breath. “Well. I mean. It’s just.” He rubbed the back of his h
ead and crossed his arms.
“Thomas.” She stepped up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. “I love you.” He swallowed and looked down to see her fingers undo one of his buttons. “Also, I’ve waited since basically the first day we met to see what you look like without a shirt on.”
She grinned, and he snorted. “You too, huh? A’ight.”
His heart skipped as he undid one button after the other. Her eyes watched him like he was a damn cupcake, her thumb locked in her teeth. He couldn’t help but grin. Maybe she wouldn’t freak out too bad.
The last one undone, she stilled his hands. He dropped them and let her take over, her searching fingers working their way inside. When she flattened her palms on his stomach, her eyes closed.
“I knew you’d be ripped. I knew it. I could tell.”
He barked a laugh, rubbed a hand down his face, and shrugged.
Before he could react, she slid her hands up his chest and pushed the shirt off his shoulders.
He winced when her eyes widened. Damnit. He knew this was a bad idea.
She whispered his name and bit her lip.
Well, that sewed that up.
He twitched his hands, dead set on putting his shirt back on when she crashed into him. She wound her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his bare chest. He only halfway registered her skin against his as he fought to keep it together.
“Thomas, I’m so sorry,” she cried.
“Don’t,” he cleared his throat. “Don’t do that. Not a damn one of these is your fault.”
Tears dripped down his chest. Anna’s tears. His skin burned where she trailed her hand back around his side. He grimaced when she rested her palm on the newest one on his side.
“That one is.” Her whisper that time was only slightly louder, but it might as well have been a punch to the gut.
He wrapped his hand around her wrist, but she shook out of it.
“It ain’t your fault, Anna. None of that was.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but when her lips pressed gently on the gunshot wound, he forgot how to breathe, let alone talk.
Her mouth moved up his side slowly making chills pop up behind it. Her hot little tongue traced his longest knife fight scar and he shuddered.
Further up she went until she found the jagged one from a bottle in a bar fight. She kissed every bit of it as her other hand traced along the waistband of his jeans. His body was a furnace. It was also a tangled mess of fear, desire, love, sorrow, and guilt.
Toward the center of his chest, she found another scar, one of many from sessions with Steven, and showed it just as much attention. Her mouth and tongue and hands covered, touched, traced, and studied the countless physical records of the life forced on him. A life he was sure he’d lose long before he found a reason to hang on to it.
He was almost afraid to move, to break whatever spell she was under. But when she had made it up as far as she could reach, she jerked the shirt the rest of the way off and stared at him.
“You’re so hot.” Her chest rose and fell like she’d been running as she eyed him.
His heart stuttered again. At that rate, it’d give out before they even started. He didn’t think anyone would ever look at him like anything but a monster. Hell, no one had before her.
He blinked with a lopsided grin and reached up to cradle her face. “Really? You think I’m hot?”
She shot out a laugh and grabbed at his belt buckle. “You’re hot as fucking hell, Thomas. How could you possibly not know that?”
Hot. She thought he was hot. How lucky could he be?
He was still frozen when she got the buckle undone and made an attempt at the button.
His brain finally caught up, and he grabbed her wrist. “Hey,” he swallowed. “Thought we were takin’ turns. You’re up, gorgeous.”
She grinned and bit her lip, nodding. But when she quirked a brow and put her thumbs in her waistband he was done waiting.
He took a quick step against her and pulled her into a deep kiss. She hummed and moved her hands back to his pants.
Well, two could play at that game.
He grinned against her mouth and mastered her button in one second. Breath left her in a burst, and she froze, her mouth on his, as he eased her zipper down. Thomas’s body burned as he pushed her jeans over her hips. His palms found skin, skin, and more skin as the material inched further down.
No way she didn’t hear his heart drumming in his chest. Pretty sure he looked like one of those cartoon wolves.
As impatient as he was, she apparently reached her own limit. She pushed him back and jerked the denim blockades the rest of the way off and chucked them across the room with a huff.
She hooked her thumbs under the waistband of the most spectacular combination of black lace and elastic he’d ever seen in his whole life. He barely got her hands stopped in time.
Slow breath. He drew his lips under his teeth and closed his eyes.
She giggled and straightened her fingers. “Go for it.” Her breathy voice almost knocked his knees right out from under him.
Jesus.
He moved her hands and skimmed his hands down her sides. His fingertips slid under the edge, and he nearly toppled over. He sank to the floor at the same time with a smooth motion. Over her hips, down her thighs, her calves, then the entire world melted away.
Thomas had no words as his eyes drank her in. Even if he had words, he couldn’t have said them. Every single bit of her was sunshine, and he’d been hiding in a cave his whole life.
He wanted to stay there for the rest of his life, lost in beauty itself. There was nothing on this planet he’d rather look at than her. She had other ideas.
She grabbed his face and pulled him up to his feet with a whimper. He let his hand trail the inside of her leg on the way up, and her shiver was everything to him in that moment.
There was no way she knew how hard he was working to not lose it. She was just too fucking perfect.
Their mouths met again in a heated tangle. She worked at his jeans and gasped against his lips when he slipped his fingers just inside perfection.
He winced and took a slow breath.
Slick and hot and the only place he wanted to be. He’d move in there if she’d let him.
“My God, Anna.”
The tinny rattle of his belt buckle hitting the floor reached his ears before he even registered the cool air against his legs. His eyes popped open and fluttered shut on a groan when her hot hand wrapped around him.
She broke the kiss and moaned. “Thomas, are you serious with this?”
He chuckled. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Just.” She shook her head and swallowed. “Big.”
He threw his head back in laughter then bent to rest his forehead on her shoulder. “It ain’t that big, damn.”
If she wasn’t careful, she’d give him an actual ego. Not all the bluster he ran around with.
He picked his head up to catch her gaze as he moved his hand against her. “But I’ll be careful. Don’t worry.”
She bit her lip, then nodded. “I know. I trust you.”
“You—”
His entire body flickered. He claimed her mouth again, but it almost hurt. Her love. She was too much. He didn’t deserve her. But, he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste this gift.
He dragged his fingers out slowly, swallowed her gasp, and moved to undo her bra. Thank God there was only one of those little hooks. Even he couldn’t mess that up.
He leaned back and slid the straps down her shoulders and let the flowered fabric fall away.
“Holy Christ, Anna,” he breathed and scanned her. “You’re fucking spectacular.”
She blushed and grinned. His fingertips drew trails on her slender neck and her collar bone until they came to rest on the most amazing chest he’d ever seen. A sharp gasp left her mouth when he ducked his head and explored all t
hat new skin with his mouth. Every flick of his tongue made her body jump and he gripped her hip.
That was it.
He stood up straight and exhaled a slow shaky breath. She was practically panting when she tugged at his boxer briefs.
Off they went, somewhere in the room he assumed but could have been another planet as far as he knew.
Then there was nothing between them.
Everything, every part of their soul laid bare as their skin.
“Oh, wait!” She turned side to side looking at the floor, on the hunt for something apparently.
Oh, duh. Her brain was still working, thank God. “Pocket.”
She crouched down and popped back up, holding it between her index and middle finger. A mixture of hardcore lust and stomach twisting nerves took hold in him and he held out his hand.
She pulled it back. “Can I?”
Holy . . .
He must have nodded again, because the blue square was under her teeth in a second, ripping open in a nearly silent crinkle. She held his gaze the whole time and he was fairly damn certain he was going to die.
She turned it out onto her palm then walked a step backward to sit on the bed.
Had he moved? He must have, because he was right in front of her, holding his breath.
He was going to break a damn molar from clenching his jaw as she rolled the condom down. Had she practiced that? She flicked her eyes up to his and blushed again. His stomach danced. God bless America she was so damn beautiful.
As if she could read his mind she shrugged. “Sex ed class. Plus, you know. It’s kinda self-explanatory.”
He snorted and nodded. “Yeah.”
His eyes rolled back on a groan when she gave him a slow stroke.
That was exactly as much of that as he could handle.
He gently pushed her shoulders back until she was flat on the bed. He gazed at her, lost in her eyes and what it meant to be there. Then they wrapped around each other. Physically and emotionally.
He breathed her in, all strawberries and flowers and sunshine and everything he always knew he needed but could never find.
A shiver danced down his spine as her fingers raked the back of his head. He popped up to his palms and hovered above her. He searched her face, nearly blinded by the glazed look in her eyes.
