Only Love Survives (Love and Zombies) (11 page)

When she opened her eyes, again he was smiling at her. She leaned in to kiss him and take charge of the situation, but it backfired. Instead of slating her hunger, it only made her need greater as he met her tongue, every thrust and parry. Soon it was he doing the plundering, and Megan lost control of the kiss as he overtook her.

His hands wandered under her shirt, and Megan arched, longing for his touch. He chuckled in her ear so Megan bit his neck. When his hand closed around her breast, her nipple reached for him through the lace of her bra. He slid the fabric down exposing the sensitive flesh. When he caressed it with the rough skin of his palm, she gasped. Sam pushed the shirt up and captured her other nipple between his lips. Her breath came in small short bursts. She felt him smile against her skin. At first, her skin just burned where he touched her. Soon it became a slow burn
everywhere
.

He must have sensed her need, because Sam reached down and slipped his hand under the fabric barrier of her underpants. He found her ready for his touch. He teased her to the point that she broke out in perspiration. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, he pushed her over the edge in a white hot burst of pleasure so intense, she clung to him in an effort not to spin off into space.

When she opened her eyes again, Megan realized she had a wad of Sam’s shirt gripped in her hand. She let go and looked up into the depths of his blue gaze, which glowed with hunger for her. Sam dipped down and feasted on her lips, swallowing the moan she let escape.

He managed to pull her clothes off without breaking contact with her mouth. When he stopped kissing her long enough to pull his own shirt over his head, she helped him out of his pants. Once there were no barriers left between them, he settled over her so his staff hovered just at the edge of her dewy flesh. His eyes held her gaze as he lowered himself inch by inch filling her body with every bit of him. She didn’t move. She didn’t blink. His gaze commanded her without a word, and she obeyed.

Then slowly, Sam began to rock and the world around them splintered. All that was left was the point where they were joined, and the sensation building with each stroke, rippling through her to an ecstasy she’d never imagined before. All the while, his gaze penetrating her, captivating her, holding her there until she screamed out, no longer able to hold back her shouts of pleasure. Then he tensed and shuddered against her, never looking away. Never allowing her to look away. It was the most intimate thing she’d ever experienced, leaving her vulnerable and open to him in a way that shook her very being. Sam held her gaze while they both tried to catch their breath. Her heart still raced as he dipped low and kissed her, then slid behind her and pulled her close.

Once Megan’s heartbeat returned to normal, the chill of the evening mixed with the light perspiration on her skin made her shiver.

Sam kissed her nose before reaching down and handing her their clothes. She sorted through them and handed his back. Once they were dressed again, Sam pulled the single blanket over the top of them.

Megan smiled against his chest and wondered what she was going to do when they reached Vegas in a few days.

She really wanted to tell him the truth. Lying left a bad taste in her mouth. But she couldn’t seem to get the words past her lips. The thought of his eyes filled with disgust and hatred was more than she could bear. Better to just quietly go their separate ways and miss him… quite possibly, for the rest of her life.

Chapter Eight

“I appreciate your help, Allan.” Sam shook his hand. It was day three of their agreement, and Sam had worked out the details of his departure early the next morning.

“I have a feeling she is going to have something to say about it, but she is welcome to stay here of course.”

“I expect she will.” Sam knew damn well Allan was right. Megan was not going to like the arrangements he’d made for her. But it was going to be a hell of a lot safer for her to wait here with what he had planned. “And the woman from Vegas, what’s her name?”

“Linda. I believe I saw her on the kitchen crew this morning.” Allan folded his arms and sized Sam up. “What do you plan to do?”

“Get my sister out.”

Sam found Linda under the strung up blue tarp used as a makeshift kitchen, cleaning dishes from the morning meal. When she looked up and saw him, she tried to excuse herself from the tent, but he blocked her path.

“What do you want from me?” Her tired eyes and weary expression spoke volumes.

Sam half felt sorry for her but he couldn’t let that stop him. “Information.”

“I told you all I know about Summer, besides maybe it’s not even the same girl.” She rested her hands on her hips.

He’d seen that look before in his business dealings. It was the face of someone who’d given up.

“I want information about Vegas, not Summer.”

Her hands slid from her hips and she folded her arms across her chest, gripping her own shoulders while she stared out toward the highway. Sam recognized she wanted to talk about that even less, maybe even contemplated running from him.

“I know this is difficult for you, but I plan to get her out and I can’t do it without your help. Tell me everything you can.”

She turned and faced him, her lips pressed in a tight line.

He smiled gently. “Please help me.”

To his relief, she nodded. “As you can imagine, Vegas had a huge infestation. So, they burned most of the town to the ground to get control of it.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

“You were there for that?”

She nodded again. “It was horrible. Fire doesn’t kill them, but it destroyed their ability to hide.”

“My experience has been that they have no cognitive thought, how would they hide?”

“They stay in one place until there is a reason to move. To me, that’s the same thing as hiding. Three hotels were left standing. Two for people to live in and try to go about a normal life. The third served as a hospital and laboratory.” She looked away from him and added, “The basement had cells to cage the infected until—”

“They are keeping zombies captive within the population?” he interrupted.

“We needed subjects for our experiments.” She met his gaze.

“I’m surprised anyone would allow that.”

“Only the doctors and we scientists knew about the basement. It was sealed off and the only way in was the elevator.”

“You said ‘they.’ Who’s in charge? The government?”

“No government officials ever showed up. The scientists took over and established martial law using the local police and the town council to govern as best they could. But the police look to the scientists to tell them what needs to be done to survive.”

“Who has my sister?” His voice caught in his throat, and he cleared it.

She shook her head. “Last I knew she was locked in her quarters at the hospital building. She and I arrived about the same time, but I’ve been gone three months now. I imagine security is tighter now than it was three months ago.”

“Your living quarters were in the same building as the cages?”
Of all the stupid, idiotic ideas…

“Less chance for cross contamination.” Her tone grew frustrated. “I told you, the rest of the population didn’t know a thing about it, they come and go as they please. It’s only a problem if you get sick and are taken to the hospital, then you can’t go back. It’s the only building where the entrance and exit are controlled. Monitored. That’s really all I can tell you.”

“Thank you for your help.” Sam patted her shoulder.

“I hope you find your sister.” She turned and went back over to her dishes without waiting for a response from him.

“You had no right.” Sam turned at Megan’s voice. Her red, blotchy cheeks and accusing eyes told him all he needed to know.

Megan nearly shook with rage. She’d trusted him.

“Allan’s wife just told me, she and her family would be happy to share their shelter with me while you go on to Vegas
without me
.” Her voice reached a pitch she didn’t think possible with the last two words.

“Can we discuss this somewhere else?” He looked over at the entire kitchen patrol, who had stopped what they were doing to stare.

Megan didn’t care. All she cared about was the fact that he thought he was going to decide her future for her.

“How about Las Vegas? We can ‘
discuss’
it there.” Megan folded her arms over her chest.

He took her by the elbow and led her out of earshot from the others.

Megan still didn’t care. “I’m going, Sam.”

He rounded on her. “Megan, be reasonable.”

“I
am
being reasonable. This is my plan, not yours. You don’t get to just come along and change my plans willy-nilly.”

“I don’t know what I’ll be up against. You’ll be safe
here
. I don’t know if I can protect you there.”

Megan looked him dead in the eyes. “You can leave me here, but I won’t stay. I was walking when I met you.”

His face turned red, and he seethed. “Maybe I am just the driver here. I thought I was more than that, but why don’t you explain why you are so hell bent on going to Vegas?”

“To build a future.” Megan refused to back down.
Maybe if he knew the truth, he would understand
. “Sam, the scientist from Vegas said there are people who are immune—” Megan began to explain. He cut her off.

“No Megan. No one is immune.” He shouted over the top of her head. “Once you’ve been bitten that’s it. No exception. Otherwise, why would I have shot that girl? What would that make me? Once you’re bitten, you’re worm feed.” Sam shoved a hand through his hair, uncompromising.

Megan just stared at him unable to speak…unable to blink.
That was it then.

“It’s safe here, now.” Sam continued to shout. “You don’t know what’s waiting for you in Vegas. The whole damn place could be a nest, or worse.”

Megan refused to resort to shouting back at him…again. She considered his words, then chose her own very carefully. When she spoke her voice was calm, her decision made.

“It’s a chance I have to take. And at some point, Sam, you are going to have to take a chance on the future as well.” Megan turned and walked away.

“You are staying here, Megan,” he said one last time to her back.

She returned to the woodpile, her feet as heavy as her heart. She had no right to be angry with Sam. He was just trying to do the right thing. And now, there was no way she could tell him she’d been bitten. He would hate her. If she were honest with herself, after all they’d shared, some little corner of her heart dared to hope he’d grown as fond of her as she’d become of him. A ridiculous sentiment after only five days. Nonetheless, she would not be able to withstand the look in his eyes once he knew the truth.

Megan pulled wood stacking duty that morning and a tree had been felled. She’d gone to find Sam while some of the men used a chainsaw to slice it into manageable sections. She returned just as they finished. Sam walked by with the crew headed for the garden. When he searched for her in the crowd, she turned away and began to pick up the wood. If she met those blue eyes now, she might break down and cry, something Megan had no intention of allowing him to see.

Whhhack
. Kyle, the young man who’d held a gun on her when they first arrived, was her assigned partner for this chore. He swung his axe over his head and brought it down again.
Whhhack
. Megan watched the wood splinter under his blade and it gave her an idea.

“Kyle, can you help me with something?” Megan slid her arm out of her backpack and unzipped it. Kyle stopped swinging.

“Sure. What?” He came closer and peered over her shoulder as she dug in her bag.

“I need you to cut this bar of soap in half.” Megan unwrapped it and held it up for him to see.

He took it from her and examined it, brows furrowed. “I don’t know how exact I can get it.”

“No worries, just do what you can. I really appreciate it.” She backed away as he set it on the stump.

“Here goes.” He swung the axe and came down on the bar of soap as hard as he could. One of the ends shot out from under the axe, but Megan watched where it landed and went after it. The end was about a third of the bar. He picked up the other two-thirds still on the stump and looked at Megan. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s perfect. Thank you.” Megan wrapped up the smaller piece, stuffed it in the bottom of her pack and zipped it closed. She put the bigger of the two in her pocket, then slipped her pack back on and continued stacking the wood.

Although the day went by slowly without Sam by her side, Megan decided to skip the campfire that evening. The thought of watching Sam, knowing he would leave her in the morning despite her protests was more than she could face. And he expected her to be happy about it?
Typical male ego
.

Megan used the time alone in the RV to her advantage. She stripped, washed her aching body, then washed her clothes and hung them in the bathroom area like Allan’s wife showed her to do. Wrapping a crisp, clean sheet around herself like a toga, Megan lay down on the bunk reserved for her. As her body sank into the RV mattress, Megan felt absolutely decadent. Four inches or not, it was the only mattress she’d lain on in five months, and she melted into it.