Page 26 of Deceptively Dead

“Hmm, maybe now isn’t the best time though.” He concedes and I grin at him.

“If you untie me and let me borrow a gun, I could probably be less distracting.” I murmur.

Chase frowns at me, clearly having missed my bound hands. I turn my back to him and wave my fingers at him. He makes a growling noise in the back of his throat, and I hear the snick of him drawing one of his blades. The next minute he slices through the rope, and I bring my hands to my chest to rub my burning wrists. I roll out my shoulders as I turn back to face Chase, who looks thunderous as he glares at the rope in his hands. Heat flashes through me and I try to shake it off as I step forward and remove one of his firearms from its holster at his side. I check the chamber, and Chase wordlessly hands me more ammo. Once I’m finished, I look up at him to see he’s still murderous and I smile.

“Tell you about it later, big guy. Let’s go rescue the other two first, though.” That gets a chuckle out of him and we both stalk forward to help Hunter and Nate.Well, Chase stalks, I kind of hobble like an angry granny chasing down a manager at the discount drug store.But between the two if us we pick off the incoming stragglers, those dead that were drawn in by all the commotion, and Hunter and Nate finish off the last of the horde.

Once the other two join us, the guys try to circle up around me as we retreat, but I manage to push myself out so that I become part of their group instead of being sheltered by it. I don’t get a chance to greet Nate and Hunter like I did Chase, because Hunter has us all moving before I can even blink. He herds us away from the bodies, reloading his gun as he moves. Chase takes the lead, gun raised and sweeping the surroundingtrees, Nate takes up a position beside me and we each guard a flank. Hunter follows behind us, walking backwards to watch our backs, trusting that we have him covered at the front.

We move at a rapid walk, the guys going as fast as I can manage, pausing to take down any dead that happen onto our path. I’m glad they don’t push the pace faster, because my right hip is screaming at me and causing me to limp and shuffle along to keep up with the guy’s long strides. By the time we reach the familiar wrought iron fence, I’m about ready to pass out.

I note absently that the front gate has been left wide open as though the guys left in a hurry and didn’t think to close it. The moment I step inside the gate my legs give out and I hit the ground with an audible thump and a groan. Nate is by my side in a second, helping me roll onto my back and checking for injuries. Chase and Hunter loom above me, matching looks of concern on their handsome faces. I give them a reassuring smile, but it must lack lustre, because they both continue to frown at me.

Nate growls as he checks my body. Presumably I’ve made more work for him.

“Chase, Hunter, go clear the house, I need to get her inside and grab my bag.” He snaps out and immediately the two looming figures retreat from my view.

Nate leans over me as he brushes dirt from my face. “Stay with me, Trouble.” He murmurs. His lips are so close to mine that all I want is to push up and claim a kiss, like I did with Chase.

So, I do. It takes a lot more strength than I’d like to admit, but I manage to close the distance between us, molding my lips to his and folding one hand into his black shirt to pull him back down with me.

His mouth parts in surprise and I take full advantage, sliding my tongue between his lips to sweep over and tangle with his. He responds immediately, seeming to forget for a moment that he’s worried about my injuries.Good.I want this power overthe dominant doctor. I want to be the only reason he forgets things. When his thigh slides between my legs I gasp and he uses that moment to overtake our kiss, hijacking control from me so swiftly my head spins.Or maybe that’s the blood loss.Either way, it’s amazing. I’m completely lost in the sensation of his hard body poised over mine, his muscled arms on either side of my head keeping his weight from pressing down on me, while his thigh pushes solidly into my core. Heat and need flare through me and I push back, grinding my hips on his leg to try to get some friction. Nate groans into my mouth, breaking our kiss to trail his lips along my jaw then down my neck.

A soft cough has Nate leaping to his feet, hand already wrapped around the handle of his katana. I blink dazedly up at the darkening sky for a moment before managing to turn my head to look at Hunter, who’s looking back at me with an expression I can’t read.

“House is clear, there’s a bath running in her room. Chase will be on first watch while we get her patched up.” He says to Nate. Nate clears his throat and nods. He looks between me and Hunter and back again, gives another nod and then with a lingering heated look at me, jogs off towards the house. Leaving me alone with Hunter. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me since he came back, not even while he was talking to Nate or when Nate left us. I stare back at him, taking in his other-worldly good looks and dark, sparkling eyes. Of all of them, Hunter makes me most nervous, I can never really tell what he’s thinking. Whether he wants to kiss me stupid because I’m safe or spank me for getting in trouble again in the first place. I find that either option appeals to me right now.

I raise my eyebrow at him in silent challenge and he lowers his in a dangerous look that sends tingles down my spine. I lift my arms to him, and he hauls me up, holding me close to his body. Not in the bridal style I expected, he holds me to him withone leg on either side of his hips, my feet able to twist together behind him, I wind my arms around his neck as his arms band across my back and under my ass.

The hold brings me face to face with him and I stare into his dark chocolate gaze, clearly able to read the heat in them for the first time today. He must read my intentions because he doesn’t wait for me or ask permission, his lips just crash into mine and I’m helpless to do anything but open for him. And I like it because this, this is Hunter. His kiss is wild and uncontrolled as he grips me tight against his body. His tongue leads mine as he nips and sucks at my lower lip. I don’t even realise we moved until he pushes me up against the doorframe of the house. I moan into his mouth as he pushes his hips up into me, grinding his already hard dick against my core. I try to push back, try to grind myself against him too, but he has my body locked down and won’t let me move. I make a frustrated sound that makes him grunt. He pulls his lips from mine and starts to nip along my jaw and down my neck, on the opposite side to where Nate was just kissing me moments ago. I’m burning up and my head is spinning wildly as I push my chest up against him, panting. He growls as he nips lower, along the tops of my breasts. I’m gasping for breath when he stops suddenly and I whine in disappointment, but when he looks up, I can see what stopped him. My blood covers his mouth and is smeared across his chin.

Oh. Damn. That shouldn’t be sexy, right?! Also, how did I get blood up there?

He obviously sees the heat in my eyes because he huffs a laugh but, disappointingly, pulls me away from the door and carries me upstairs. I let my head rest in the crook of his neck as he moves up the stairs, breathing in his scent and letting it soothe the last of my worries. As soon as my body starts to relax, I can feel the drain of blood loss and the deep throbbing pain comingfrom my hips and legs again, the reason I collapsed inside the gate.

Nate meets us halfway down the stairs and together they rush me to my room, I feel groggy and disoriented now, the walls spinning around me as they place me gently on the bed. Two large sets of hands strip me down to my underwear and the heat I was experiencing earlier makes itself known again. I have to give myself a stern pep talk to avoid rubbing up against them as they slip my shirt over my head and my pants over my hips.

Hunter hisses out a breath between his teeth when he gets a good look at my body and Nate curses. I wearily sit myself up to check myself out and immediately wish I hadn’t. I’m covered in scratches, like, covered. My arms and torso sport hundreds of little cuts from branches I didn’t even feel. But I feel each and every one now, as I look at them, they start to smart and sting. But they’re nothing compared to deep gouges along the outside of my thighs and calves from the bones of the zombie’s fingers. Some of those are definitely going to need stitches.

Along the right side of my hip an ugly bruise is starting, spreading across my waist and halfway down my butt.

“Yep. That fucking hurts.” I hiss as I try to pull my legs up. Nate grabs my ankles to stop the movement before quickly letting go.

“Let’s get you in the shower Trouble, wash off all the blood so I can see what we are really looking at.”

I perk up and grin at him because he said shower, not bath. I get my wish. I just had to be kidnapped and covered in blood, but I get my shower.

Chapter Twenty-nine

My first shower since the apocalypse started isnotfun. Not even with a sexy doctor helping to wash me down. The hot water stings every single little scratch until I feel like I’m burning all over. And when Nate insists on washing me down with disinfectant soap it’s all I can do not to sob like a baby. I hope the cascading water at least hides my tears. I kept my underwear on for this shower, I thought I’d need it to keep a barrier between me and Nate but the pain does that just fine.

As I step out of the shower and Nate towels me dry, I take a moment to try and steady my breathing. When we make it back to the bed Hunter is there holding a plate of hot food, rice and some kind of meat and vegetable stew, heavy on the meat. He holds the plate out to me as I climb up on the plastic covered bed with Nate’s urging. Hunter must have draped the bed in the plastic sheet, and it’s totallynotcreepy or anything at all like a scene fromDexter.

Hunters directs me to eat as Nate slathers my upper body liberally with an antibiotic cream that stings like the devil. Then he checks my shoulder and makes a pleased sound.

“At least you managed not to bust this open again, Trouble.” He says as he lightly taps the closed over wound.

“You’re welcome.” I mumble between mouthfuls of food. He snorts at me and goes back to putting the ouchie cream on me.

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