Deathly Contagious (13 page)

“Starving.”

“It’s dinner time,” she informed me. “I’m sure you’ll get extra helpings today,” she added with a wry smile. “Do you want me to bring you something?”

“Yea. I don’t feel like dealing with everyone.”

“You sure you’re alright?” she joked.

“Hah, yes. I want to shower first. I feel disgusting.”

“Ok. I’ll bring you a tray.” We stood and she hugged me one more time before forcing herself to leave my side and get food. I showered, brushed my teeth and braided my hair in a tight, French braid. Padraic joined Raeya and me for dinner; I was curious as to which A1 gave them access to come up here but didn’t care enough to find out.

After we ate, we sat around talking for a long time. They both wanted to know what had happened. I gave them a cliff notes version of Delmont and his inbred family, knowing the fine details would unnecessarily upset them both.

Then I was feeling tired. I was bombarded with more hugs before they finally left me to sleep. I woke up sometime around two in the morning. Hayden was the first thing I thought about. I swung my legs over the bed, grabbed my badge and keys and tip toed through the darkened compound and into the hospital ward.

I slowly pushed the hospital door open. Voices floated through the ward. I disregarded them at first, wanting to get to Hayden.

“…not as potent in his blood…after the transfusion,” Dr. Cara spoke to someone. I froze, standing rooted to my stop in the walkway in front of Hayden’s bed. Something else was said that I couldn’t make out. I strained to hear.

“…test the vaccine. Then we wouldn’t have to worry,” Dr. Cara spoke again. I felt like I had been yanked down into a pool of ice water.

But it made sense. Hayden always had some form of the zombie virus in his system. His body was able to fight it off and resist it, unable to become infected. Then he got shot—because of me—and needed a blood transfusion. His body couldn’t fight off the virus anymore.

 Dr. Cara had the vaccine…possibly. She needed to test it. And I knew just the person she could test it on. I raced back to my room, changing into combat ready attire. I caught sight of Hayden’s camo jacket. I pulled it off the hanger and put it on, my fingers running over his embroidered last name. I got as many weapons as I could carry and took off to the B level again. I opened the weapon storage room door and flicked the light on.

The tunnel doorway easily opened. It was creepy in there, but the drive to keep Hayden uninfected and alive pushed me forward without hesitation. It had to be a mile long—or longer. The entire thing was cemented and smelled like a musty basement. Water dripped in from vents in the ceiling. Cobwebs hung from the halls. Bugs crunched under my boots more than once. Every twenty feet a single light bulb gave off an eerie, yellow glow. I emerged out of what was designed to look like a root cellar of the barn. The doors locked from the inside; I couldn’t sneak back in the way I came.

It didn’t matter; I had a mission to carry out. I jogged to the road, planning on walking until I found a car. Rain misted down on me. I kept walking. Then, as if someone turned on a faucet, it started pouring.

The loud rain masked the sound of the car until it was only a few yards away from me. I half turned and was blinded by the headlights.

Dammit. Ivan or Brock must have heard me leaving. I considered making a break for it and running into the trees near the road or pretending to be a zombie. Since either of my genius plans was sure to get me shot in the head, I kept my eyes on the ground and didn’t stop walking, not even when the car rolled up next to me.

“I didn’t take that bullet just so you can run away and get yourself killed,” he said.

Gravel crunched under my feet as I abruptly skidded to a stop. “Hayden!”

He smiled at me. “Get in the truck, Riss.”

“No. I-I have to do something.” I didn’t want to tell him what I overheard. What if he didn’t know? He put the truck in park and got out. My heart sped up when he came close. “Hayden, you shouldn’t be here. You could get hurt.”

“Orissa,” he said, his hazel eyes locking with mine. “Losing you would hurt worse than getting shot a hundred times.”

“Duh,” I blurted. “Then you’d be dead and wouldn’t feel anything.”

He smiled and stepped closer. “Orissa,” he said again, though this time there was something alluring in his voice. “Every time I try to tell you, something horrible happens, so…” He put one hand on my waist. The other gingerly cupped my face. He tipped it up toward him then slid his hand back. His fingers tightened around my hair in desperation.

Then he kissed me.

Chapter 6

And I kissed him back. My hands flew around him, pulling him closer. Suddenly, all of the pent of emotion came flooding out. His tongue slipped into my mouth and his grip on me tightened. I yanked the M16 from my shoulder, let it clatter to the ground and wrapped my arms around him, bringing him closer to me.

Hayden spun me around, pinning me in between himself and the truck. I wrapped a leg around him, desperately wanting him closer. He stopped kissing me only to put his lips on my neck. I shivered and let out a deep breath of pleasure. He moved his mouth down, unzipping the jacket as he did so. Then he kissed me again, pressing every inch of himself against me.

I put my foot back on the ground and grabbed him by the waist of his pants. My fingers quickly unbuttoned his jeans. He moved his mouth to my neck again, sucking and kissing my skin in a way that I couldn’t resist. One hand went under my shirt, his rough skin felt wonderful as he ran it over my stomach.

I put both hands around his face and kissed him hard, feeling such a strong pull of desire. A moan escaped my lips when his hands found their way under my bra. I stopped for air and moved my hands to his waist again, unzipping his jeans. I stuck one down inside, this time making Hayden let out a satisfying deep breath.

He melted against me as I worked my hands. He pulled one hand out from under my shirt and unzipped the jacket the rest of the way. Rain poured down on us but neither of us cared. I continued stroking him until he stopped me, wrapping his hand around my wrist and pulling it out of his pants.

He picked me up; my legs automatically wrapped around his waist, and gave me a deep, passionate kiss. Desperate for more, I dug my nails into his back and opened my legs to let him fully press against me. With me still in his arms, Hayden opened the truck door.

We ungracefully got in; I laid down on the back seat and Hayden got on top of me. He unbuttoned my pants and yanked them down; they got stuck on my boots and I sat up to hurriedly take them off. Having switched positions, I straddled him. Hayden ran his hands up and down my thighs. Not able to take it anymore, I unlaced his boots, tossed them to the front and removed his pants and boxers.

He grabbed a sleeve of my jacket and pulled it down. I shimmied out of it easily. He took my shirt and bra off next and cupped his hands around my breasts.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered before he nestled his head in my breasts. I rubbed against him. The buildup was getting to be too much. I unbuttoned the flannel shirt he was wearing, carefully removing the sleeve from his left arm.

I gently touched the bullet wound. It had scabbed over but still had to be painful. I lightly pressed my lips against it and let one hand fall from his shoulder, tracing down his abs and into his lap. He arched his back when I took a hold of him again. He enjoyed it for a few seconds before suddenly flipping me over.

On top of me, Hayden slipped his hand down the front of my panties, rubbing me with his fingers. He removed my underwear and laid over me, every inch of him pressing against my bare skin. I brought one leg up and curled the other around him, raising my hips to align with his.

We kissed again, and, finally resituated with Hayden’s hands on either side of me. I clung onto him and he slid into me. Electricity rippled across my skin. Slowly, he rocked back and forth. I loudly moaned and he moved in deeper. My nails dug into his back. I sat up just enough to be able to kiss him.

His breathing quickened, and he slowed his movements, biting at my neck. It sent me over the edge, and I grinded against him. I moved my hands to his muscular butt and pulled it against me, willing him in even more. He thrust faster and deeper. My back arched and my muscles contracted. Pure ecstasy took over. I opened my legs so Hayden could penetrate even deeper. I moaned loudly in pleasure as I came.

I ran my nails up and down Hayden’s back then over his biceps. I opened my eyes to look at him and was hit with another wave of pleasure. Hayden was too, and he pulled me to him while he finished. He collapsed against me, breathing heavily. I combed my fingers through his hair.

He tightly wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as if I was the only thing that mattered.  Hayden’s weight on me was heavy, but I didn’t care. I always enjoyed being wrapped in his embrace; being naked and wrapped in his embrace was so much better. It was safe, warm and comforting, and just so
right.

When our hearts finally stopped racing, Hayden sat up, pulling me with him. I shivered. Though warm air was blowing from the heaters, the cold air that rushed in through the open door was stronger. He had to let me go to reach up and close the doors. Remembering that there was always a sleeping bag stashed in the back, I grabbed it and unrolled it. When Hayden moved back next to me, I draped it around our bodies.

“Orissa,” he whispered.

“Yea?”

He nestled his head against my neck. “I have been madly in love with you for quite some time now,” he confessed. I couldn’t help the smile that broke out on my face. “I wish I told you sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?” I asked softly.

“I was scared you wouldn’t feel the same.” His muscled tensed suddenly. “You do, don’t you?”

“Of course.” He didn’t look convinced. I snuggled closer to him. “Hayden, when I thought you were dead, I wanted to die too.”

He ran his fingers through my hair. “And when I saw the laser over your heart, all I could think about was how I didn’t want to live without you.”

I listened to his heart beat for a minute before I asked, “How did you find me out here?”

“I saw you come into the hospital ward. I heard what you heard and put two and two together. That and I followed you.”

“So you know?” I sat up, fear radiating through my body once more.

“Yea,” he laughed. “And I’m not gonna get infected.” He was able to discern the doubtful look on my face in the dark. “They were talking about the pain meds in my blood, not the virus.”

“But I heard Dr. Cara say something about the vaccine,” I countered.

“She did, but it had nothing to do with what she had just said. She does that—randomly switches the subject when she talks, it’s really irritating actually.” He caressed my face. “Everything’s gonna be ok. Somehow, it will, now that you’re back.”

His fingers traced my face, making me shiver, but not from cold. I put my leg over him and slid onto his lap until I was straddling him again. Hayden put his hands on my waist and smiled deviously.

“I don’t like you going on missions without me,” he said, his hands moving up my waist and onto my breasts. “Especially a long one like that.”

My brow furrowed. “I wasn’t on a mission,” I said carefully. “Not the whole time at least.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked and squeezed my boobs.

“You don’t know?” I looked at him in disbelief.

“Know what?” He was more interested in what was in his hands. How could Hayden not know what had really happened? He put his mouth to me and when his tongue circled my nipple, I didn’t care anymore. I held him tightly, crushing him against me. He flinched slightly and broke away.

“Are you ok?” I asked, worried I hurt him.

“Yea. It just, uh, hurts sometimes,” he said, shooting an annoyed glance at his shoulder. “What don’t I know?” he asked again.

“I was left.”

“Left?”

“Yea. On that mission. They left me.”

“What?” he demanded. He was mad, though not mad at me.

“The hospital we went to was overrun. I distracted the zombies and by the time I got away, Alex and everyone was gone. That’s why it took me so long to get home.” I figured I’d tell him the rest of my adventure later; this was upsetting him enough on its own. His face was set in such a way he looked scary.

“We should get back before anyone realizes we’re missing,” he said quietly, though I thought he wanted to get back and beat the shit out of Alex. I would love to watch. I nodded. Silently, we got dressed in our rain soaked clothes and moved into our seats.

“You feel far away,” Hayden said, his smile returning to his face. The center console separated us. I leaned over it and rested my hand on Hayden’s thigh. He sped back to the compound, waving at the A3’s that patrolled the watchtowers.

We were both cold from wearing wet clothes. By the time we got to our room, I was shivering. I kicked off my boots and yanked off my jeans. My underwear was still in the truck; I hadn’t been able to find it in the dark. Hayden stripped out of his clothes too.

With the light on, I was able to finally openly admire just how good Hayden looked sans clothing. I removed my shirt, dropping it on the ground. Hayden put on a pair of blue boxers and a black tee shirt that said ‘Semper Fi’ on the chest in white letters. I put on my pajamas that I had been wearing earlier.

We got into my bed, snuggling close together. I stayed on his right side, careful not to put any pressure on his injured shoulder. I rested my head on his chest.

“Can you promise me something?” Hayden asked as he ran his fingers up and down my arm.