He came crashing down on me, his movements fast and full of need. His lips were on mine, pulling me into a never-ending kiss, as he yanked on the waistband of my panties, sliding them down my legs. I kicked them off, sending them flying in an unknown direction. We were both frantically pulling at his pants, and his boxers, until we were both naked, pressed against each other. I wrapped my hand around him, and a shudder ran through him, a low growl escaping his lips. I smiled, pleased that I could make him feel that way.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.
I nodded, and he was careful, sliding in slowly. I winced, tears filling my eyes. He took it slow and before I knew it, pleasure was spreading through me, causing me to pant. I met his eyes, and I knew he was feeling the same.
“You’re so incredible,” he said, the words coming out in quick breaths. “You’re so beautiful, Zoey.”
No, I thought, you’re the beautiful one. My fingernails dug into the firm skin of his back as a new feeling swept through me, causing me to arch my back and cry out, my face pressed into his neck. He was a beat behind me, a low moan in the back of his throat. He collapsed against me, and my arms went around him, automatically, tracing the scar that had risen on his shoulder.
“Can I say it again?” he asked, his voice vibrating against my skin.
“Say what, baby?” I asked, out of breath, my eyes closing.
He laughed lightly. “I have to admit, I like when you call me baby.” A lazy smile grew across my face. “I’m just going to say it again. I love you, Zoey.”
I felt my heart skip a beat at the words. They would never get old, never. “I love you too. I always have, since we were kids.”
He sighed. “Me too.” Before I could say anything, he had fallen asleep. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over both of us. For this one moment at least, we were together, and we were safe. We had each other.
WE WOKE HOURS LATER. I jolted awake, hot and sweaty. Ash was still asleep on top of me, his breathing heavy. My hands were lost in his dark hair, and I felt a rush of affection go through me. He shifted and raised his sleepy eyes to mine. A lazy grin stretched across his face.
“Good morning, baby, or afternoon, I suppose,” he said, softly, raising himself up on his elbows. He winced, and his fingers went to his bandage.
“Are you okay?” I asked, reaching for him. He nodded, his fingers moving from his bandage to my thigh, up to my hip, across my stomach, between my breasts to cup my chin. He leaned down and my lips met his eagerly. We spent the next few moments lost in each other.
I pulled away, reluctantly. “As much as I want to keep doing this, I think it probably would be a good idea to get out of bed.”
He sighed, but there was still a smile on his face. “You’re right. And a shower sounds amazing right now.”
“Is that okay?” I asked, as he lifted himself off of me. Cold air rushed across my body, causing goose bumps to ripple across my skin. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it across me again. “With your injury, I mean?”
“Should be,” he said. He pulled on a pair of jeans, not bothering with underwear, and leaving the zipper down. I felt my breath quicken at the sight of him. His hair was messy, tangled from my fingers, and his skin was pale, but his chest and abs and hipbones were slim and fit. I bit my lip, wanting pull him back into bed.
He noticed me looking and winked at me. “It’s very hard to leave you like this, all naked, wrapped in that blanket. It’s kind of irresistible, actually.” He sighed again. “But you could always join me in the shower.”
I blushed. “I don’t think that would be wise, not in Bert’s house.”
“Later?” he asked, bending over me to kiss me again.
“Later,” I agreed, eagerly. He grinned and walked over to the door, turning the knob. I hesitated and then spoke up. “Ash?”
He looked back at me. “Yeah?”
I looked down at the bedspread, tracing the patterns with my finger. “You should make it quick. We need to talk to Bert.”
He frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“He said…he said Sanctuary is real,” I blurted out. “It’s real and he knows where it is. He…used to work there.”
Ash’s hand was still on the doorknob, but he made no move to open it. Instead he stared at me. “It’s actually real…” he said softly. His eyes met mine, and I saw that they were full of barely disguised hope.
I nodded. “We need to find out more information, and…we need to ask him if he can take us there.”
“You don’t think we can stay here?” he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
I shook my head. “We can’t. I can’t…we need to talk to Bert. He’ll explain everything.”