Part 25 (1/2)

”It's time”-he spoke over her words-”we made it a reality.”

Remy's stomach plummeted and she looked up at Ian. He still hadn't made any move toward her, but she read heat mixed with loathing in his eyes.

”It's the best way to keep him from bothering you,” Ian told her. Still unmoving.

Her hands were shaking and her belly had dropped, but the very thought had other parts of her body heating up. She didn't trust him, didn't like him, was maybe even a little afraid of him ... but there was something about Ian that made her want to slide her hands over his sleek, lanky body and let him have his way with hers.

He moved toward her, then, taking her chin firmly, he covered her mouth with his. It was a harsh kiss; not meant to hurt, but to get the job done. As when they kissed before, his mouth was incredible, molding to her lips with just the right amount of mobility-not sloppy, not dry. Remy's eyes closed when she really should have tried to keep them open ... and she felt a rush of pleasure rumble through her as the bark of a tree edged into her back.

One hand moved down to cover one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as his fingers slid to hold her jaw steady, lifting it, holding her there. The tree lined up more solidly behind her and Remy s.h.i.+fted so that her shoulder blades propped against it, and her hips slid forward to match up to his. He was tall, but so was she, and they lined up nicely. She fit her hands to his chest, at last touching the torso she'd been watching for weeks.

Ian broke the kiss and, watching her with those angry eyes, positioned her against the bark as both hands rose beneath her s.h.i.+rt to cup her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, finding her tight nipples, and then lifting her s.h.i.+rt so that he could see as he lifted and caressed them. She watched his shadowy hands on her lighter flesh, her breath growing unsteady and desire billowing through her belly and beyond.

He yanked at her jeans so hard she jolted, opening them so that the breath of night air cooled the skin of her lower belly. Without delay, he shoved them down, and her panties, and found the place between her legs. To her surprise and a little shame, she was swollen and wet, and she had to bite her lip to keep silent when he touched her.

Ian held her in place as he unbuckled his own trousers with the same sort of efficiency and lack of emotion. But his eyes had darkened and hooded, and his breath s.h.i.+fted into something more ragged.

Remy dragged his face down for another kiss as he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him. When he slid inside, she felt him tense and shudder. He paused, resting his forehead against the bark next to her temple, breathing. Then, he straightened and began to move, his eyes closed, his face stony.

She watched him until the pleasure became too great; saw the last bit of daylight illuminating the strong blade of his nose and the sharp, high cheekbones and forehead-and felt her body warming and swelling around him.

His hands s.h.i.+fted to push her more tightly against the tree, ignoring the sharp edges of bark on her bare skin. Remy let her head tilt back and closed her eyes as her world tightened and tightened; and then when he moved faster and harder, she opened her legs, s.h.i.+fting and lifting her hips, meeting him with the same urgent efficiency until she got what she needed.

A soft little oh oh was all she allowed herself as hot liquid shuttled through her and then exploded. She sagged in his arms, little crunchy pieces of bark rubbing and falling against her as he made one last thrust, then yanked away. was all she allowed herself as hot liquid shuttled through her and then exploded. She sagged in his arms, little crunchy pieces of bark rubbing and falling against her as he made one last thrust, then yanked away.

He was leaning against her, breathing heavily; his hands trembling at her hips as he finished with a low groan.

Remy realized what he'd done, and she was flushed with shame and grat.i.tude. The last d.a.m.n thing she needed was to get pregnant-especially by Ian Marck. What the h.e.l.l was I thinking? What the h.e.l.l was I thinking?

He released her with more gentleness than he'd shown thus far, steadying her until she had her balance. Her knees were weak and she just wanted to stand there and bask ... but that wasn't going to happen.

”Why,” she breathed as he yanked up his pants, ”do you always look so angry when you're kissing me?”

Ian glanced at her, his mouth tight and eyes hot and dark. He gave a sharp shrug. ”There's someone else I'd rather be kissing,” he said. ”If I had the choice.”

Remy caught her breath. ”Well, that's probably the first time you've told me the truth,” she managed to say. b.a.s.t.a.r.d. b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

He didn't smile as his belt clinked back into place. ”Probably.”

”Lacey?” she couldn't help but ask.

”Christ. f.u.c.k, no.”

He stepped away, reaching into his pocket. Then he handed her back the pistol. ”Don't think about trying to slip off tonight. You'll be sleeping next to me. Tonight and for the foreseeable future.”

She glared at him. As if you could keep me here. As if you could keep me here.

He looked at her. ”You don't think I'm about to let Remington Truth's granddaughter just walk away, do you?”

”I have something I'd like to talk to you about,” Theo said to Selena.

It had been more than two weeks since Sam died, and he'd seen much less of Selena than he liked. A lot less.

For both of them living in the same house, it was amazing how she never seemed to be at the same meals he was at, and how their paths didn't cross very often. He'd begun to suspect, with a deep, unpleasant knowledge, that she was purposely avoiding him. He understood that she needed time to work through her loss, but there was a large part of him that wondered why he wasn't a part of it. Why she didn't share it with him.

Perhaps because Sam had been hers hers and not his. Maybe she didn't think he grieved for the boy. But he did. and not his. Maybe she didn't think he grieved for the boy. But he did.

Not that he and Selena each weren't busy with other things. The day after Sam died, three patients arrived for Selena. Theo had been angry about that, angry at the world or the universe or whoever for disrupting Selena's grief. But she had accepted it with grace and peace and attended to the dying with the same empathy he'd seen before.

Perhaps that, too, was a blessing-the distraction and a return to normalcy.

And Theo had been busy too. He and Lou had been working night and day on the Blizek security (it was a joke on him that he thought he'd made it through the first layer so quickly and easily so many weeks ago), as well as the number strings that seemed, as Lou theorized, to indicate geographic coordinates. But they had to figure out how to recalculate them, now that the earth's axis had s.h.i.+fted. And Theo had been thinking about what he could do with the pinball machines and game consoles, and their blinking, flas.h.i.+ng lights.

Aside from that, now that Sam was gone, Frank had pressed the twins into helping him in a variety of other tasks-which they did willingly, even though Lou grumbled about the speed and strength of the ninety-three-year-old man.

”Forget about you. I think he's he's the d.a.m.ned superhero,” Lou said once, after three hours of lugging stones to rebuild part of the wall when Frank hadn't taken more than a five-minute break. the d.a.m.ned superhero,” Lou said once, after three hours of lugging stones to rebuild part of the wall when Frank hadn't taken more than a five-minute break.

But now, Theo had managed to catch Selena and suggest a walk after dinner. The sun was a brilliant orange ball sinking toward the horizon, bringing the night. Oddly enough, he didn't feel that same sort of apprehension he had in the past, worrying that she would go out there.

She hadn't, since Sam was attacked. He'd been watching.

Maybe she'd given it up, realized that her life here, serving the dying, was more important than out there nearly getting herself killed. Maybe Sam's death had opened her eyes to the dangers, and to the reality of the murderous zombies.

Or maybe she just wasn't ready to face them again.

Selena looked at him. ”What is it?”

His breath caught for a moment, appreciating the serenity in her smooth face, the way the lowering sun cast an even deeper golden glow over her skin and dark hair. Despite the circles under her eyes, and the deeper grooves of grief radiating from her eyes and mouth, she was beautiful. He wanted to kiss her; he'd missed her company, her warmth, her quirky sense of humor that came up at the oddest times ... but he held back.

He'd meant to talk to her about Lou and the fact that they were twins, but it didn't seem like the right time after all. Maybe it was the grief lingering in her face-it had only been two weeks. Maybe he wasn't ready to take the chance that she, too, might think he was unnatural. Maybe he worried that she held Lou responsible for what had happened to Sam and that she'd never accept that they were twins.

”I've missed spending time with you,” he said, reaching for her hand. Maybe instead, I ought to tell her how I feel. Maybe instead, I ought to tell her how I feel.

She smiled, and it seemed a little forlorn. She squeezed his fingers. ”I have a lot to work through right now.”

He looked down at her, reached to brush that heavy, dark hair from her shoulder. ”I understand. I just want you to know that I miss being with you. And I miss this.” He couldn't help himself. He leaned forward, his hand gently curving under her jaw, and fit his lips onto hers.

His eyes closed at the pleasure, the familiar comfort and desire that came with that mere brush of mouth to mouth. He s.h.i.+fted, felt her mouth move beneath his, her lips part-a bit and he slipped the tip of his tongue along that little opening. Soft, warm, slick ... Desire and need began to open up inside him.

And then she turned away, her hand moving to settle on his chest. ”I ... ah, Theo, I don't think I can do this. Right now.”

A black hole suddenly yawned in front of his mind-empty and mysterious. His heart thudding, the suspicion he'd tamped back now blossoming into something unpleasant, Theo tried to catch her downturned gaze. ”Too soon?”

”Yes.” She drew in a deep breath and looked at him. ”I have a lot of things to work through. I'm confused and angry-so angry-and ... oh, G.o.d, I want want it to be okay, but every time I think of it, all I can see is you, that night. Flying into them, smas.h.i.+ng those zombies, like some sort of berserker warrior. I can't get rid of the images, the carnage, the violence. I dream about them. They give me nightmares.” it to be okay, but every time I think of it, all I can see is you, that night. Flying into them, smas.h.i.+ng those zombies, like some sort of berserker warrior. I can't get rid of the images, the carnage, the violence. I dream about them. They give me nightmares.”

Stunned, Theo stepped back. What had been a little p.r.i.c.kling of worry became a full-fledged roar of danger. His hands suddenly felt cold. ”Selena. I wasn't going to stand back and let them tear you-I thought it was you you in there at first-or in there at first-or anyone anyone apart. There was no way I wasn't going to stop them. If I had the chance, I'd do it again. I've got to tell you, I respect your trying to help them, but I'm not going to let them take anyone's life if I can help it. Especially yours.” apart. There was no way I wasn't going to stop them. If I had the chance, I'd do it again. I've got to tell you, I respect your trying to help them, but I'm not going to let them take anyone's life if I can help it. Especially yours.”