by Bale, Sarah
I sat at my table and waited for her to come over.
“How was your day,” she asked, sitting next to me.
I moved so my leg brushed hers. I needed to touch her and this was the only thing I could do in public that wouldn’t draw looks from the others.
I answered her. “Shit. But it’s getting better. Do you have to help with the dishes?”
As much as I wanted to get her out of the cafeteria, I also respected the rules. If she still had work to do then my throbbing dick would just have to wait.
She held up her hand. “Not tonight. I cut my finger when we were fixing the chicken and Aunt B doesn’t want it to get infected.”
The bandage was small and I knew Bertha would’ve let me know if Daisy was truly hurt.
“Hurry up and eat.”
Her face flushed, but she began eating quickly. Picking up my fork I did the same, but I was sure everyone could see the shit-eating grin I wasn’t hiding very well. We left the cafeteria, going to my room. I undressed Daisy as we walked. Her eyes were wild and fueled me on. When I shut the door we kissed until we were breathless. And the sex… my fucking god. Daisy’s body was meant for mine.
Afterward, we lay tangled in the bedding and she laughed.
I glanced down at her. “What?”
“Just thinking I should bring a couple sets of sheets in here. You know, just in case.”
My dick definitely liked hearing that.
“Nah. It’ll be fine and we can do the really nasty stuff in the shower,” I popped off.
“Nasty stuff? I’m intrigued.”
I grinned. “Let me rest first, you minx. Then I’ll show you.”
She cuddled against me and fell asleep. I held her close, inhaling her sweet scent. Things were getting blurred where she was concerned. I should have fucked her and then let her go. But now? Now the thought of someone else touching her made me sick. I closed my eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. So I decided to do the next best thing.
I tossed the covers aside and went down on Daisy. I rubbed my beard against her inner thigh before moving to the prized land. My tongue swirled her clit and she moaned. Her fingers threaded through my hair, pulling me closer and urging me on. She came with little gasps and I smiled up at her.
“We can skip the nasty things if you want to fuck,” she said in a husky voice.
I was on top of her a moment later, sliding into her, right where I wanted to be. We both made sounds of pleasure and I knew this was as close to heaven as I’d ever get. I moved inside of her, thrusting slow and deep. Her body had to be sore and I wanted to show her what taking our time could feel like.
But then she wrapped her legs around me and moved until I lost all of my control. We fucked so hard that with each thrust her breasts danced around from the force. She came first, but just barely. When I finished, I let my full weight crash down on her and smothered her face with kisses. She was so damn amazing that it blew my mind.
“When is your period due?” I questioned.
As much as I liked fucking her and being inside her I also knew a baby would be a huge mistake.
Her forehead crinkled as she thought. “Not for three more weeks.”
“Good. We’ll have to be more careful when the time nears.”
She nodded, but couldn’t hide the frown on her lips. I kissed her again.
“When you’re on your cycle we can revisit some of the nasty stuff.”
Laughing, she said, “Deal.”
I stood and went to the dresser. “I asked my men about your bag. Is this it?”
I held up the green bag and she jumped from the bed, rushing to me.
“Oh my gosh, it is! Thank you.”
She peeked inside before pulling the items out to show me, though she must’ve suspected I’d already gone through it.
“These are my parents.”
In the photo Daisy sat in front of a woman that looked like her. To the right stood an older man and a dark-headed girl who was close in age to Daisy.
“Is that your sister?”
Her shoulders tensed. “No, it was my cousin. She passed away.”
She put the photos to the side and fished out a notebook. She flipped through it and stopped, making a few dashes on her makeshift calendar.
“What day do you have?”
“Tuesday, September twentieth.”
I nodded. “That’s what we have, too.”
Knowing someone else had been doing the same thing as me was reassuring. And seeing that we had the same dates made me feel even better.
“You’ve been keeping track,” she asked in awe.
“Yeah. It’s important.”
It was. Even though the world had lost its fucking mind knowing what date it was kept things running. It helped my people know when to plant crops. And it gave us hope. Daisy went on her tiptoes and kissed me.
“Thank you.”
I kissed her back. “No problem.”
The next two weeks went in a blur. We woke up, fucked, I walked her to the kitchen, I spent all day figuring out which of my men were plotting against me, Grey and I went on runs to make points to other camps, at six I ate dinner with Daisy, then we’d go back to the room and fuck some more. Sometimes I took my time, worshipping her body until she begged me for more and other times she drew blood as she bit into my flesh, punishing me as I did to her.
It was strange settling into a routine so easily with her. I never let any of my former lovers get close to me. They were there for my pleasure only. But with her it was different. I wanted to be the one pleasing her. And it was scaring the shit out of me.
I kept my hand on her back as we walked to the cafeteria. Daisy reached up, caressing my neck. My breath caught in my throat like I’d been punched and I pulled away from her.
“I might not be back in time for dinner.”
“Are you meeting with some of your men?”
“Yeah. There’s been some grumbling coming from one of the camps and I need to squash it.”
That was putting it mildly. The latest news suggested Campbell and Smith were up to some big shit.
“Well, I can bring some food back to the room, if you’d like.”
I shook my head. “Don’t bother.”
She stared up at me, waiting expectantly for a kiss. Closing my eyes, I let her hand fall from mine and walked through the double doors. When I got outside, I exhaled loudly. She was in love with me. How in the fuck had it happened?
I walked blindly toward the barn where Grey was restoring a motorcycle.
“Morning, Boss. How goes it?”
“What are you working on?”
He pointed to the bent frame of the bike. “Trying to knock it back into shape.”
Hitting shit? Now that was exactly what I needed.
“I’ll do it.”
He handed the mallet over and I began beating the frame. Fuck. That felt good.
“Problems?”
I glanced up. “Nope.”
“I’m going to give you some free advice. Whatever you did, go back and kiss and make up. She’ll forgive you.”
My eyes narrowed. “What makes you think this is about a woman?”
Grey laughed. “It’s always about a woman, Boss.”
He went back to work and I mulled over his words. ‘Kissing’ was exactly why I was in this situation. I never kept a woman longer than a month for a reason. But I wasn’t ready to let Daisy go, either. Fuck.
Groaning, I stood.
“See ya later, Boss.”
Ignoring him I left the barn and went back inside of the hospital. I needed to talk to Daisy before the lunch rush hit. Slipping through the side door I walked in. Bertha stood at a table making bread. But it was what I saw on the other side of the kitchen that made my blood boil.
Juan, that mother fucking backstabber, had his arms wrapped around Daisy at the meat slicer.
She grinned up at him. “We did it!”
“Well… isn’t this fucking cozy
,” I spat out.
Now
The motorcycles revved their engines and took off around us. Some stayed back and surrounded the GTO, making a shield. The men raised their guns and fired as they rode. Grey stayed next to the car as we sped forward. Ahead, the people blocking the road scattered and got out of the way. Fucking smart of them.
We rode past and some of our men took down those standing at the roadblock. We didn’t stop, though. Kat signaled everyone onward and they obeyed.
Daisy held onto my arm. “I hope there aren’t more people ahead.”
“Me too.”
We passed a couple of makeshift homes on the side of the highway, but saw no more signs of life. Glancing down, I cursed and flagged Grey. The motorcycles slowed around us until we stopped.
I got out of the car. “I’m losing gas.”
The tank had been hit and I’d hoped it would last longer than this. But the gauge was sitting on empty. And it was fucking killing me. That car had been my dad’s years ago until he died and left it to me. Even after the world ended I still had that piece of him. But now it was time to let it go.
Kat got off her bike. “I’ll ride with Big Daddy over there. You and your gal take my bike.”
She climbed on behind Grey and he winked at me. I popped the trunk of the car and some of the men helped to unload the items. I closed my eyes before tucking the key in my pocket. Daisy touched my arm.
I turned to her. “Let’s get to Texas.”
12
Then
Daisy turned and flinched. I crossed my arms and prayed for the strength to not do something stupid. Juan took a step away from Daisy. Smart fucking man.
“The handle was stuck,” she stuttered.
I stared at Daisy until she squirmed and called Bertha over.
“How long are you planning on keeping her on kitchen duties, Bertha?”
Bertha’s face paled. “She’s quite good-”
“How. Long.”
Bertha glared at me. “She reports for laundry duty tomorrow.”
I glared back and said, “Good. Daisy, I believe the cook can handle the rest himself. Come on.”
Juan shot me a look, but had the good sense not to press his fucking luck and averted his gaze. I walked ahead of Daisy as we left the cafeteria. Was she playing me? Or was I overreacting? Either way I didn’t fucking like it.
I led her outside to my car. Opening the door, I waited for her to scoot across the seat. I climbed in next and slammed the door. Her lips parted, but I shot her a look.
“I don’t want to fucking hear it.”
Her mouth snapped shut and she leaned against the door, trying to put distance between us. For some reason this pissed me off even more.
We passed through the gates and the men waved at me, knowing where I was taking Daisy. I was fairly predictable in that aspect – when I was finished with a lover I always ended it outside of the hospital just in case they made a scene. Usually I took them to an abandoned store, but I found myself going in the opposite direction.
I hit the gas pedal and the tires screeched as we took off. What in the fuck was I thinking taking her there? No one else even knew about my getaway spot and yet my gut instinct was to show her. I couldn’t ignore that little nagging voice in the back of my head that said I was making a mistake. Luckily I never listened to that fucker.
Thirty minutes later I pulled the car over and got out, waiting for her to follow. My fists were clenched at my side as I led her through a wooded area. She, on the other hand, was watching me, trying to figure out my mood. And that killed me. I didn’t want her to fucking care about me when I couldn’t care about her.
Ahead, my sanctuary welcomed me, but I knew there would be no peace there today. The small white house was surrounded by a barbwire fence and wooden stakes looked abandoned to passersby. And any Dead that got too close would impale themselves.
I went through the gate and closed it after Daisy followed me. We walked to the backyard and she stopped, gasping. I wondered how it looked to her. The backyard was one large garden with little paths to explore. Butterflies drifted around and birds chirped nearby.
Daisy walked past me, taking the stone path deep into the garden. She’d picked my favorite path, which was only fitting. I followed her, never saying a word. Each breath was agony as we reached the little bench that sat by the pond.
She asked, “Did you do this?”
“I didn’t start it, but I’ve maintained it over the years.”
I was being modest. The garden had been all but dead when I stumbled upon it. While the house couldn’t be saved, the garden thrived with a little care. When I needed to get away this is where I found myself.
Daisy sat on the bench, clasping her hands in her lap. It was a nervous gesture, but I couldn’t console her. Not when I was about to be the biggest fucking prick in the world. I sat next to her, making sure our bodies didn’t touch.
I inhaled and spoke. “Daisy, our time is coming to an end.”
As soon as I said the words I wanted to take them back. Because this was the dumbest fucking thing I’d ever done. Daisy’s head snapped toward me. I stared ahead, not meeting her gaze. I was the biggest fucking chicken shit, but this was for the best. It had to be.
“Di-did I do something wrong?” Her voice was low, raw with emotion.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. It wasn’t her. It was fucking me.
“I promise I can do better.”
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. I wanted to tell her it was okay. But I didn’t.
“Sir, please tell me what I can do to make this right.”
A broken sob left her lips. I stood, needing to get away from her. My chest was tight and I felt things in that moment I thought I could never feel again. But this needed to be done now before things went too far. I shoved all emotions away until I felt nothing but a hollow void inside.
“I’m tired of you, Daisy. It’s that simple.”
Bile inched up my throat. I swallowed it, willing the pain to harden inside of me. The silence between us was ruined when a zombie snarled up against the fence. Our voices had drawn its attention and now it was impaled on a stake. Just like I’d impaled my heart by lying to Daisy.
Daisy stood. “What are you going to do with me?”
She must be thinking about our first conversation, when I said my men wouldn’t pass her around. They wouldn’t pass her around, but she deserved a chance to move on. I bit the inside of my cheek until the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.
“You’ll move in with the other women at the first of next week.”
Four days. It might as well be four light-years. She stared at me in disbelief. And in anger. Good. I deserved it. But I needed to put the final nail in my coffin of lies.
“Until then I’ll be staying elsewhere.”
Several emotions danced across her face. My girl didn’t know that people could read her like a book. Or maybe it was just me. Either way it didn’t matter. She straightened her shoulders.
“If you’re through with me then let me go.”
Air left my lungs in a whoosh and I felt dizzy. No! She couldn’t leave…
“Go? You have no camp. You have no family. Tell me, Daisy, where will you go?”
It was cruel, but at least with my group she was safe. Out there she was alone.
“You don’t know that,” she said, shaking her head.
“What?”
She blinked back the tears in her eyes so they didn’t fall. “You don’t know that I don’t have family. They could still be alive.”
And now to make her hate me.
I snorted. “Sadly, I can probably guess their fate. So, my answer to your request is no.”
Her eyes were full of fire. “I’ll find a way to leave.”
And I’d chase her every single time. Goddamn. Why was this so fucking complicated?
“I’d like to see you try.”
“I will try. I’ll try over and
over until I’m free.”
“And you’ll die for it.”
We were standing so close now that her chest pressed against mine.
“I’d rather die than to suffer a life I don’t want.”
Her words hurt, but I didn’t try to change her mind. This is what I got for breaking my own rules. Tension filled the air around us and we both breathed heavily. My gaze landed on her lips and I cursed myself right before my mouth crashed against hers.
I punished her with the kiss for wanting to leave me. And I accepted the pain she inflicted back as my debt for hurting her. Our tongues clashed together, battling and tormenting. My dick was so hard that it hurt and when Daisy rubbed against me I lost all control.
I pushed her backward, cupping the back of her neck to soften the fall, and we both hit the ground. She became wild underneath me, letting her own emotions take over. She shoved at my chest and thrashed beneath me. I grabbed her hands and held them over her head with one of my own. She glared daggers right before she kneed me in the balls.
Shit! I caught her mouth again. This time the kiss was hungry and a throaty moan left her mouth as I tasted and licked. We kissed until she begged for more. And I couldn’t say no.
I let go of her hands, cupping her breasts, squeezing and toying with them. She reached down and unzipped my pants. I paused; shoving them down my legs, and then did the same with hers. Her eyes were wild and she opened her mouth. I caught her nipple through her shirt and bra, sucking until a scream took the place of whatever word had been on her lips.
When I let go, I blew on the wet spot left behind. She urged me on and we both let the darkness take over. It was easier to face than heartache. I positioned myself between her legs. When the tip of my cock brushed against her pussy lips, she moaned as if she’d just found heaven. I entered her in one thrust. She cried out as her body adjusted to me.
We ground and rocked against each other, both trying to outdo the other. Her pulse pounded in her neck and I knew she was close. And so was I. But when this was over…
Leaning forward, she caught my nipple in her mouth and sucked so hard that little stars exploded behind my eyes. God. Damn. I cried out and my body jerked as I came inside of her. She shattered, too, and we rode wave after wave of ecstasy. I kept thrusting until her sweet pussy stopped milking my cock.
