Page 100 of Ghosts of the Dead

Something breaks open in me at his words. The vulnerability in his eyes, the raw honesty. It unravels the final thread, and I come undone. My fingers dip into the waistband of his jeans and I pull him to me again. Our kiss deepens while his hands slide down my back, tracing every curve before sliding my shorts down my legs in a smooth motion. I kick them to the side and he grips my thighs, then lifts me against an old pinball machine. The faded logo peels at the edges, and the machine rocks under us. I set my knife behind me on the machine so I can explore Jace’s body more properly.

I wrap my legs around his waist, gasping when I feel him hard against me, straining against his jeans. He thrusts forward and groans, then drops his head down. His mouth trails fire down my neck, teeth grazing my pulse point in a way that makes my back arch into him. My head falls back to give him better access.

“Jace,” I breathe out, my voice thick with need and lingering anger at how I almost lost him. My body hums beneath his searing touch, and he presses his hips forward.

His hands slip under my torn tank top, palms scorching against my skin as they move upward. I tug at the hem that rests just below my bra line, desperate to feel his skin against mine, and he helps me pull it over my head, taking my bra with it. The cool air hits my bare skin and I shiver despite the heat building between us.

His eyes darken when they rake over my naked body with desire and something deeper. “You’re beautiful,” he whispers. “Fucking perfect.” The raw honesty in his voice makes me tremble.

I reach for his belt, then fumble with the buckle when he captures my mouth against like he can’t bear to stop kissing me. Our tongues tangle and the kiss turns hungrier, more desperate. I finally free his cock. He moans into my mouth when my fingers brush against him. The sound sends a jolt of electricity straight through me.

He lines up with my opening and thrusts inside in one smooth motion. My head rolls back and I let out a moan of pleasure.

A rotter snarls nearby.

Jace curses, breaking away from my mouth long enough to pull his blade free from his pants that had fallen around his thighs. His other arm remains banded around my back to support me against the pinball machine, his fingertips digging into my hip. A rotter emerges from the arcade with broken glasses askew on its face and a wired console controller wrapped around its wrist. Jace continues to move in and out of me at a slow, agonizing rhythm, waiting for the rotter to get closer before swinging wide to drop the walking corpse mid-thrust.

I let out a breathless laugh that transforms into a moan when he pushes all the way in and rolls his hips against me; the friction making my nerve endings sing. The impact causes something inside the pinball machine to shift, and tiny metal balls clatter around inside when they roll against each other.

“Nice multitasking,” I manage to breathe out, which ends with a moan of pleasure when he sets the knife down to tweak my nipple.

Another rotter moans from inside the arcade. Jace drops his face against the crook of my neck, his breath hot on my skin. “Fucking hell.”

“Sorry,” I pant. My fingers reach up to tangle in his hair. “You should cover my mouth like before so I won’t bring any extra attention.”

He lifts his head to kiss me hard before pulling back to look me in the eye. The look I see in his makes my heart skip a beat. “I never want to silence you again. I’ll deal with the rotters. You just focus on feeling good.”

The air between us electrifies with something neither of us is ready to name. I wrap my fingers around the thick strands of his hair, forcing him to keep our gazes locked for what I have to say. “You’re not allowed to die for me.” I lean forward and bite his lower lip hard enough to make him groan. “You’re not fucking allowed.”

His lip falls from the grip of my teeth. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you alive.” He pulls back and slams into me so hard I bury my face against his throat to muffle my scream. I don’t want any more danger to find him because of me, if I can help it. His hand fists in my hair and he pulls my head back to look into his hungry eyes. “Do that again, and I’ll make you scream loud enough to draw in every single rotter on the planet. I want you to cry out with the pleasure I give you, because I’m no longer hiding, and I’ll never dim your light again.”

The fingertips of his free hand trace up my thigh, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The rough pad of his thumb brushes over my clit. I gasp and buck against his touch. “Jace,” I breathe, the word half-plea, half-prayer.

“I love how you say my name,” he murmurs against my lips. “Say it again.”

“Jace,” I comply, the word breaking on a moan as his thumb circles exactly where I need him. I arch into him, feeling how his heart thunders in his chest.

He dents my hips with his fingertips and increase his thrusts to a pace so fast, my head falls back and a cry of pleasure erupts from my throat. This time, I don’t try to muffle the sound. I let the whole world, living and dead, hear what he’s doing to me.

“Fuck,” he breathes, his voice strained. “You feel incredible.”

I rock my hips and together we set a rhythm that has me clinging to his shoulders. Each thrust drives me higher, building a pressure that threatens to consume me. The pinball machine rattles and clangs with every movement, metal balls and gears shifting inside as a symphony dedicated to us.

He’s so busy fucking me, he doesn’t react when another rotter stumbles through the still-open door of the arcade and heads right for us. This one wears the tattered remains of an arcade employee uniform. I reach back for my knife. The rotter lets out a wet snarl and Jace bands one arm around my back, grabs his knife in the other, and pivots us to get closer to the rotter. Once it’s within reach, I move faster and slam my knife through the eye socket first.

“Autumn,” Jace growls.

I grip his shoulders and cover his mouth with mine while I roll my hips, cutting off the chastising he was about to give me. He groans and falls to his knees.

“We’re in this together,” I whisper against his lips before crying out again when he thrusts deep inside of me.

“You don’t need to do anything other than focus on feeling good. Let me fuck you like I should have the day I met you.” His pace turns punishing.

I brace my palms on either side of his face and pull back enough to look at him. He’s fucking me too hard to think properly, and my panting makes it hard to get any words out.

Another rotter moans nearby, and his grip tightens around me. “Dammit, Autumn. Let me take care of it while I take care of you.”

I drop my mouth to the side of his neck and bite at the sensitive skin there before licking away the sting. His body shudders beneath me. “You saved my life, so let me repaythe favor.” I raise my knife against, but he throws his first, and the rotter drops to the ground.

---