Afterglow: An Apocalypse Romance (22 page)

“Tired,” he muttered. “Let’s go to sleep.”

He could see a hint of hurt in her face, but he ignored it. Someone had started a fire for them in the fireplace, and he poked at it, then added two thick logs and a handful of sticks to keep the fire going as long as possible while they slept. He pulled off his shirt and got into the bed, which was amazingly comfortable but did nothing to distract him from the dark mood that had settled over his soul.

Nina crawled into the bed next to him. She said nothing, but he felt her hand on his cheek, touching him gently, then traveling down his neck to his chest.

“Nina,” he whispered in objection, but the word was filled with desire. He couldn’t help the way she made him feel, couldn’t help how his body responded to her. And when her hand traveled lower, caressing the already huge bulge in his pants, he groaned, his resistance completely gone.

He lay still while she undressed him completely. When he was naked, she bent her head toward his cock, and he stiffened even more in anticipation. Her hair, those gorgeous curls, fell forward, tickling his stomach and thighs, and he hissed out a curse.

He felt the warmth of her breath on his cock before her mouth even touched his skin, and when it did he was ready, throbbing, the need for her agonizing. With her tongue she licked away the drop of pre-cum, then traced his swelling head with her tongue.

“Nina,” he groaned, his head falling back on the pillow despite the desire to keep his eyes on hers, to watch every second of her sucking his cock.

She took him in her mouth, as far as she could, and he watched again, the sight of his huge dick disappearing into her mouth the best fucking thing he’d ever seen, and despite himself he thrust his hips to make her take him farther into her mouth. She did so without missing a beat, and when her eyes met his, mouth filled with cock, he thought he’d explode right then and there.

And then she stopped. The air was cool on his erection, and he watched while Nina began to strip off her clothes. First her shirt, which she pulled up and over her head, tossing it onto the floor. Then her bra, releasing her perfect round breasts, nipples already hard and puckered. He wanted to bite them, suck them, but he lay still, watching.

She stood next to the bed, peeling off her jeans until she was clad only in a pair of black underwear. He noticed how skinny she was, thinner than when they’d started their journey, but her curves were still there. Then, with her gaze holding his, she pushed her panties down and stepped out of them.

Climbing back onto the bed, Nina straddled him. She licked her fingers, then reached her hand down between her legs, rubbing herself until he heard her moan softly. Her eyes narrowed. Suddenly, her hand gripped his cock, and she held him steady as she guided her body, lining up her pussy with his penis. When she lowered herself slowly onto his dick, he groaned, the feeling of her wetness around him so hot he knew he wouldn’t last long. She moved lower and lower, taking more and more of his cock inside her until she was impaled and he was buried to the hilt inside her. Filled with him, she sat still for a few seconds, and then she began to move.

It was slow at first—agonizingly slow—as she straddled him, her hips moving expertly as she picked up speed. Every time he started to move with her, started to thrust deeper inside, she stopped, letting him know without saying a thing that she was in control, that he was to lie still. Biting his lip, he watched her boobs bounce, her hair fall around her shoulders and chest as she moved up and down on his rock-hard cock over and over again.

When she reached a hand down between her legs, playing with her clit as she continued to ride him, he groaned and closed his eyes for a second, trying not to come immediately. It was too much. Nina was so beautiful, riding him like this. The sight of her playing with herself was enough to put him over the edge, and he held on hard to keep going longer.

He knew she was about to come when her pussy tightened hard, and then her voice filled the small cabin as she came, calling his name into the fire-lit room. Her head fell back, her body weakening in response to her orgasm.

In a flash, Creed grabbed her around the waist and laid her on the bed, moving his body on top of hers and thrusting into her again hard. He fucked her now as she lay beneath him, still moaning from the aftershocks of her orgasm, and it was only seconds before he came too, harder than he thought he ever had, unleashing his cum inside her wet pussy once, then twice, and a third and final time.

He moved off her soon, drawing her small body to his, and they lay in silence, listening to the cracking and popping from the fireplace.

“Stay, Creed.”

At first he thought he’d imagined Nina’s words. He hadn’t told her he was thinking about going. But it occurred to him that even though there were so many things they didn’t know about each other—favorite color and movie, best childhood memory, most unforgettable birthday present ever—being together constantly for the past few weeks in an intense situation had brought them closer, in some ways, than months of a regular relationship would have.

“It’s too cold to get out of bed, sweetheart,” he joked, hoping he could mask his darker feelings with a joke.

“You know what I mean. Stay here. At the farm. With me, Creed. And Charlie. And my family. Please stay.”

He was silent; there were things he wanted to say. Things he needed to say. But he couldn’t form any of them into words.

Nina continued. “I know we don’t have an agreement or anything. Our only plan was for you to help me get here, and then… there was nothing beyond that, you know? Just… stay.”

“Oh Nina.” Her body felt delicate against his, like he could break her just from holding her too tightly.
I love you
is what he wanted to say. What he
would
say if he wasn’t such a fucking pussy. Instead, he made a joke. Again. Because it was easier.

“It’s not like I have anywhere else to go,” he said, teasing.

“Asshole,” Nina laughed, punching him in the arm.

“Come here.” He kissed her hair, her neck, and lost himself in the sweetness of her body once more.

* * *

Stay.
The word echoed in his head over and over again. The look in her eyes as she said it. How much she meant it. Beside him, Nina slept soundly, curled up against his arm, her breathing soft and even.
Stay
.

Memories flashed through his mind, and he kept coming back to when Nina had been kidnapped, how terrified he’d been that she was gone forever. How could he even contemplate leaving her now, knowing how much he cared about her? How much he loved her.

With sudden clarity, he knew he wasn’t going anywhere, knew that the woman sleeping next to him was the most important thing in the entire world. He’d been a fool to think he could just get her here and take off. Because how could be happy anywhere else if he left behind a part of his heart? It sounded like a bad poem, he thought with an internal scoff, but it was the truth. He wanted to stay.

He crept out of bed, trying not to disturb Nina, and put two more logs on the fire, making sure they caught before he slipped into his jeans and T-shirt, then pulled on his new leather jacket. A smile broke out on his face when he thought of Charlie, so proud in his mini leather jacket.
Charlie. Nina
. There was no way he could leave them.

“Where are you going?” Nina’s voice was hoarse and quiet with sleep.

Creed spun around.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Go back to sleep.” He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair back from her forehead.

“Where are you going?” she repeated.

“I gotta do something.”

“Are you leaving?” She sat up, her eyes big and earnest. He could see fear in them.

“No. I’m not leaving. Well, I am. But I’ll be back before breakfast.”

“Creed, don’t go.”

“I’ll be back.” He took her face in his hands. “I promise, Nina.”

“Can you just tell me where you’re going?”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m heading out to get the generators from the convenience store. The ones your grandma wants to turn the fence on at night.”

“Why now?” Nina yawned, pushing her radiant curls behind her shoulders as she eyed Creed.

“Because I want to stay, Nina. I want to stay here with you. And I feel like I need to prove myself to your family. I need to bring them something. You know, like when you bring a bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers to someone’s house?”

Nina laughed, the sound light and refreshing. “You don’t need to bring anything to them. You’re already here, anyway. And you brought me. That’s all they need to know about you.”

“I know, Nina. But I want to let your grandma know that I’m serious. I want to contribute. It’s not in my nature to just be a guest. I have to help.”

She stared into his eyes, then sighed. “Be careful. Please.”

“I always am, sweetheart.” He kissed her hard, then got up and headed to the door.

Outside, dawn was rising, hints of orange and gold lighting up the edges of the blue-black sky. Creed unlocked the front gate, drove the old pickup onto the road, then locked up the farm gate before getting into the truck and heading down the road.

* * *

The convenience store looked like it probably hadn’t been pretty even before things went to shit. The dingy white exterior paint was chipping off, and the roof sagged in one spot. Since it was small, Creed was able to peer in the dusty front window and easily ascertain that there probably wasn’t anyone inside, but he was careful all the same, gun in hand as he opened the door and made his way through the central aisle to the back of the store.

In the small storeroom, a layer of thick dust covered all surfaces, including the two generators by the back door. They looked new, and like they had more capability than a store this size would need, but Nina’s grandmother had told Creed the owner planned to bring them to his house, but got sick before he had a chance. He’d called her to let her know they were there. “If they’re still there in a few weeks, they’re all yours,” he’d told her, barely able to speak through his coughing.

Each one weighed several hundred pounds, estimated Creed as he tried to lift one. Fortunately, the store had a hand truck in the back. Cursing, Creed muscled one of the generators onto the dolly, then maneuvered it through the store and out to the truck. Getting it up the ramp proved to be almost a Herculean task, but he managed, glad there would be extra hands back at the farm to help him get the generators off.

Heading back with the hand truck, he thought he heard something. A motor. Another vehicle. Frowning, he stood still, holding his breath, ears trained as he listened for the sound. Nothing. Except his imagination. Or the wind.

A bird cawed in the nearby woods as he made his way back into the store to get the second generator.

Creed rested when he was done, leaning against the back of the truck, his arms aching. It was a good feeling, though, one of accomplishment and strength. He’d done something useful. As he gazed in front of him, he stared at the other store in the large gravel clearing, surrounded by woods on one side, the country road on the other.

“J & M Jewelers” was painted on the window in a swirly script, and the shop looked intact and vacant. And Creed knew what he needed to do next.

He’d never thought he’d get engaged. After everything that had happened to him, he was pretty fucking sure marriage wasn’t something he wanted. But that was before. Not before the apocalypse. Not before things went bad. Before
Nina
. In some absurd way, meeting her felt like an even bigger deal than all the craziness in the world.

He strode to the store, where he used his Swiss army knife to pick the locked front door. A layer of dust covered the counters, which Creed quickly scanned until he found the section of engagement rings. His heart pounded as he made his way behind the counter. Part of him felt that he shouldn’t be nervous about something like this after everything he and Nina had gone through. After everything that had happened—was happening—to the world around them. Still, sweat broke out on his forehead as he broke into the locked counter.

How the hell did you even choose a ring? He picked one up, a teardrop-shaped diamond on a gaudy diamond-studded gold band. He knew nothing about jewelry, but he knew that one was fucking ugly. Nina wouldn’t like it. She needed something simple but elegant. Something that wouldn’t get in the way when she was busy kicking ass. He smiled as he thought of her, those red curls, her scowl when she was angry, the sounds she made when he touched her…

He cursed to himself.
Focus
, he thought. He needed to get back to the farm.

Toward the front of the display case he saw it. Thin platinum band with a single, big rock. Even in the dim store, he swore it gleamed. He reached out and grabbed it, picking the ring from the box. A price tag dangling from a delicate white string read, “$12,000,” and he laughed out loud. The whole concept of money was so meaningless right now. Still, he thought of writing an IOU for the owners, if they ever came back, though chances were they were long gone. Not to mention the fact that cash meant nothing anyway these days.

Standing up, he gripped the ring in his hand, the cool metal warming in his grasp.