Something to Die For by Kaye Blue

Twenty-Seven

Lucas

I had been toolong without a woman.

It was the only explanation for my crazy-ass behavior—and my crazy-ass reaction to her.

Despite everything that had happened, everything that would happen still, I wanted her, craved her.

Craved her to the point of insanity, because I knew that every second I wasted here was insane, that those things could be lurking around the corner, that something else could be too.

Even knowing that didn’t dampen my desire for her.

The only thing that would do that would be to taste her again, and when that impulse hit me, I didn’t deny it.

I crossed the room to stand in front of her, and wasted no time pulling her close, her body flush against mine, soft, warm perfection in my arms.

I ground my hips against her lightly, the friction sending a bolt of lightning through me.

Then I kissed her, deeply, passionately, with the hunger and abandon of before, but this time heightened by the awareness of what it was like to taste her, be inside her.

I needed to be there again, needed it as much as I needed my next breath. I pushed her against the kitchen wall, and she angled her hips and worked her pants down as I did the same.

I wanted to give her tenderness, the gentle handling I knew she deserved, but there was none to be had. I entered her roughly, not relenting until my cock was as deep as it could go, until I didn’t know where I ended and she began.

My first thrust had her panting out, and she tightened her legs around my waist, trying to pull me closer, her soft, yet strong hands caressing my cheek.

I kissed her deeply, wanting to be joined with her however I could be. I was so close to the edge, and her sex clenching my cock was threatening to push me over.

I refused to go alone. I thrust harder and gently stroked her clit before I pinched it. She went off, her pussy squeezing my cock, breaking the last of my resolve.

She cried out her climax and I breathed out mine, my heart beat erratically and my brain told me to never let her go.

No. I couldn’t allow myself to think like that.

So instead, I kissed her hard, so hard I was afraid I might bruise her lips.

And then, as suddenly as I started, I broke the kiss. Pressed my forehead against hers and then smiled.

“We had to make it official.”

* * *

Lucas

“So this is everything?”

She sat at the kitchen table and nodded.

“Yeah. About fifteen pounds of flour, a couple cases of canned goods. Rice. Sugar.”

“And the ever important coffee,” I said, smiling.

“Of course. About five pounds. And an extra grinder.”

I smiled again and for moment was struck by the unfamiliarity of that.

I hadn’t had much occasion to smile in my life, and now certainly wasn’t the time to start. But over the last couple of days, with her, it had become easier.

At that I thought, I wiped that smile off my face and got back to business.

I could see she sensed the change, and I was again annoyed that she could read me so easily. I was happy she didn’t press it.

“So if we stretch it, maybe a month.”

“Maybe?” she asked.

“Maybe more, but it’s gonna get tight.”

“But that’s not what you’re really concerned about, is it?”

“No. It’s not,” I replied.

I sat across the kitchen table from to her but didn’t speak.

And she didn’t press.

“This camp is a bad idea,” I said finally.

“Why?” she asked, her face annoyingly unreadable.

“That information is old. Who knows what’s changed since then?”

She nodded, though I wasn’t surprised. Angel was smart, so I knew that fact wasn’t lost on her.

I stayed silent for a minute longer but then said, “Tell me about this area. I’m sure it’s changed since I went in.”

“It’s still rural. There’s the prison, of course, and a good-sized town about fifteen miles away. Lots of subdivisions cropping up because of the sprawl, but it’s still mostly a place on the way to somewhere else,” she said.

“What about supplies?”

“There’s the BigMart, a little strip mall with mostly clothing stores and restaurants. And the bait and tackle store.”

“Then that’s where we go for extra supplies.”

“Why not the BigMart?” she asked, ignoring the “we” because I was sure she’d heard it.

“Because that’s where everyone else will go, and I don’t know what we may find there. But this bait and tackle place sounds like a good place to try. We’ll get some supplies. Maybe get some idea of what’s going out there.”

“It’s about seven miles down the road,” she said.

“Then we’ll drive. Maybe find some gas, too.”

“So we just drive over and walk in?”

She looked skeptical, and despite myself, I felt another smile beginning to form.

“I’m gonna knock right on the door,” I said.

When her eyes widened, I stopped trying to suppress my smile.

“No. We’ll drive close, then a mile, maybe two, depending on what I see, head in on foot.”

She nodded. “Makes sense. So when do we go?”

“We don’t go,” I said.

“Bullshit,” she responded without pause.

“It’s going to be risky. And I don’t need you slowing me down.”

“Maybe I don’t need you slowing me down,” she countered.

“Maybe not, but it doesn’t matter because you’re not going.”

“I don’t know what gave you the idea that you’re in charge—”

“I’m in charge,” I interjected.

“Well, if you want to be the boss, use your brain. You going out by yourself? That’s stupid.”

“As stupid is taking somebody who—”

She arched a brow. “Who what?”

“Who has no idea how to take care of themselves,” I said.

“I don’t have any idea how to take care of myself, huh?”

“You say that like you think that you do.”

“Well, I don’t know what ideas you have in your head, Mr. Crowe, but I’m not some helpless woman. Harold and Maureen Albert didn’t raise me that way. And truth be told, I bet everything I have that I’m a better shot than you are,” she said.

“Strong words,” I responded.

“True words,” she tossed back.

“I don’t like it,” I said, but even as I was dismissing the idea, I could see that it had some merit.

Four eyes were better than two, depending on the eyes, of course. And I’d feel better if she was with me. We hadn’t had had any trouble out here so far, but who knew how long that would last?

I stood. “It’s time to show and prove, Dr. Albert,” I said, nodding at our meager weapons cache.

She arched a brow. “You telling me to pick my weapon?”

“Yeah,” I responded.

She went for the shotgun, a bold choice.

“You showing off, Doc?”

She scoffed. “Follow me, Mr. Crowe,” she said, heading toward the front door.

I followed and watched as she scanned the yard then lifted the shotgun. She pulled the trigger and a flowerpot a hundred and fifty yards out shattered.

“I only took one shot because we don’t have ammo to waste, but that was showing off,” she said with a cocky look on her face. “Aren’t you impressed?”

“Sure. It’s hard to get that kind of precision with that weapon, especially at that distance.”

“But?”

“But shooting at a flowerpot isn’t the same as what you’ll face out there.”

Her eyes darkened, her face taking on a pained expression.

I followed her gaze, saw it landed where she had marked her mother’s grave.

“I know.”

Her whisper was so soft I barely heard it, and the unfamiliar need to soothe her came up.

I ruthlessly pushed it down. But I did relent.

“Okay. We go together.”

“When?”

“In the morning. We leave at dawn.”

She nodded and then we got to work.

We’d scoured the house and grounds and gathered everything useful. We also added primitive security measures around the property and perimeter of the house. None of it would hold, not if push really came to shove, but it felt good to do something, and even though I knew there was no way we could stay here, protecting it as best I could was a better use of my time than twiddling my thumbs.

By nightfall, I had worked myself to exhaustion. After dinner and getting cleaned up, Angel took mercy on me.

“You look beat,” she said. “I’ll take the first watch.”

“Thanks,” I said.

But I made no move to leave the living room. Being near her was more rejuvenating than sleep, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave.

She smiled. “Do you need something? Maybe some tea to help you unwind?”

My cock stiffened. “I do need something,” I said, my voice low.

She chuckled, the sound nervous but also eager.

“And what’s that?” she asked.

“C’mere.”

I stood tall and faced her, my own smile dropping. She walked toward me slowly, deliberately, and when she reached me, she gently cupped my cheek, the touch so at odds with the intensity in her expression.

The urge to kiss her was ever-present, and in that moment, irresistible.

So I did.

Kissed her, touched her, and when I entered her, I found peace.