Page 44 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

Chapter 29

Oliviawalkedmebackto my dorm while Kyle continued to rail into Norman. I’m surprised no one made me seek medical attention, especially since I had been bitten by a zombie. What if I’m not immune anymore? It’s been over half a year since the last time I was bitten. Is that what Norman was testing? He obviously couldn’t care less about my endurance.

That bastard. He’s just like Doctore.

Once in my dorm, I head into the bathroom to examine my wounds. What is nice about these dorms is that each quad room gets their own bathroom with a large vanity and mirror. There’s even a separate room for the shower and toilet. Standing in front of the mirror, I stare at my bruised face. It looks okay, just a small bruise on my cheek. With my shredded hands, I pull off my yoga pants, revealing the scary bruising around my right knee. The bite mark on my ankle is already healing though, so that’s a good sign.

Maybe a hot shower will heal the rest of me. I pull off my shirt, careful of my tender shoulder and head to the door separating this space from the shower. To my surprise, the shower is occupied. I must have been so deep inside my head that I didn’t hear the shower running. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be around considering Cal and Mina are still sleeping.

The curtain to the shower is open enough for me to see Amos. Every delicious inch of him. He’s hunched over, a hand bracing his weight as he lets the hot water cascade down his body. I gasp when my eyes land on what his other hand is doing, making Amos very aware of my presence. He smiles at me while he strokes his hard dick faster as if sensing my arousal, our eyes only breaking from each other as mine roam down to watch him pleasure himself and he to take in my nearly naked body.

I know I should leave, but my feet are glued to the floor. My eyes cannot look away. And when Amos reaches release, I feel my body ache in all the places I want him to touch me. I don’t watch his hands as he orgasms. I watch his face. His once piercing eyes are now cloudy with desire. My name falls from his lips as he moans into the water still pouring out of the showerhead.

All at once, awareness of what just happened shocks my system and I slam the door shut. But I don’t run away. No. I have to face Amos to make sure things won’t get awkward between us. The water turns off a couple minutes later and my anxious nerves force me to pace the length of the small room attached to where Amos is drying off his gorgeous body.

I try to shake the image from my mind. I try to cool my nerves. Deep, calming breaths. Just as I’m about to run to my room, the door to the shower room opens. Amos’ golden eyes claim mine the instant I turn toward him. That’s when I realize I haven’t put my clothes back on. There’s Amos in nothing but a towel, a sight that has been the inspiration for all the horny dreams I’ve been having lately. And a few feet away, me, in nothing but a bra and panties.

Amos closes the distance between us but doesn’t reach out to touch me. “Did you like what you saw, Copperhead?”

“I…I didn’t know you were back.” Deflect. Yes. That was the right move.

“I only just returned twenty minutes ago. Needed a shower for more than one reason.” His gaze could burn the rest of my clothes off. God, how I want to let him.

I take a timid step back, which he respects, but when his eyes roam around my body this close, he can see all the bruises I received from Norman’s obstacle course. The feeling of his eyes inspecting me makes me feel vulnerable, naked, anxious. I cross my arms over my chest and take another step back.

“What happened? Lori, who did this to you?” Anger, fear, concern tangle like ribbons in his voice.

“Why do you care?” Shit. Why am I getting so defensive?

“Lori, tell me what happened.” Amos grabs my arms and every bit of composure and control I once had goes out the window. I push him off of me, not even blushing when Amos’ towel slips dangerously below his hips.

“You don’t get to make demands of me. You don’t get to order me around. And you sure as hell don’t get to treat me like I belong to you. I am not ‘your lady’ or your charity case. I don’t owe you anything.”

The hurt in Amos’ eyes flash into anger before he storms out of the bathroom. I try to ignore the pain in my chest, but it grows stronger with each breath I take. It’s not fair that I put all my emotional weight onto Amos. He’s not to blame. He was the one standing in front of me when I snapped.

I should go apologize to him and tell him everything that happened. Instead, I grab my towel off the hook and head into the shower room, trying to forget the image of Amos jerking off in there. At the same time, part of my brain has already saved a file to open up later when I’m desperate for his touch.

After I’m showered, dried, and dressed, I don’t quite know what to do with myself. I have my usual appointment with Alison, but I don’t think I can stomach a session today. Maybe that’s exactly why I should go. I collapse on my bed, replaying everything I said to Amos. Not the near-death experience I had earlier this morning. No. The hurt and anger I saw on Amos’ face tears at my heart. I never want to hurt Amos. Never.

Rolling out of bed, I pull on my sneakers and head out the door. I’m not quite sure where I’m going yet, but I take the sidewalk that runs between the dorm buildings. A group of kids kick a ball around on the lawn, not a single care in the world. I envy them. Their ignorance. Their inexperience of how cruel this world is. And I hope it stays that way for them.

As I approach the sidewalk that leads to Alison’s office, I decide to take the long way there and walk through the Peace Garden. I once thought it a silly, useless place, but it’s become one of my favorite places to sit and think, especially after a mentally taxing therapy session. I push open the gate to find Amos hunched over on the little bridge overlooking the small koi-less koi pond. He doesn’t notice me right away, so I clear my throat to get his attention.

Amos looks at me but doesn’t say a thing, only turns his body as if to walk away. I run to him, not wanting him to leave but also not knowing what to say just yet, so I pull him into a hug. A hug he melts into, wrapping his strong arms around my shoulders. Our bodies are flush against each other, not leaving any room even for a gust of wind to break through.

With my face against his chest, I say, “I’m sorry, Amos. I didn’t mean those things I said to you.”

His hand lightly strokes the small of my back, sending shivers up and down my spine.

“I know.”

We stand in silence for a few moments, swaying in the early spring breeze. It’s still cold enough to give me an excuse for needing this excessively long hug. But Amos doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he pulls me in tighter until every muscle in my body relaxes in his arms. Then he says in a whisper so quiet I can barely hear him, “I nearly killed Norman.”

I try to pull away, but Amos has me locked in a tight embrace, which I’m totally okay with. I actually never want his arms to leave my body. So I ask against his chest, “What do you mean you nearly killed Norman?”

The anger inside him stays down to a simmer, but I can tell he was enraged before wrapping me in his arms. His mouth moves against my hair as he says, “Kyle had to hold me back. I was ready to break Norman’s fucking neck. It’s my fault. I should never have allowed it to happen.”

“It’s okay, Amos. This isn’t your fault. I willingly went into that pool.”

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