Page 65 of Say You'll Stay

“This is the only place I wanna be,” he chokes out, giving her a soft squeeze and nestling his face into the nape of her neck to inhale her scent.

It’s euphoric torture to feel her like this while knowing they can go no further. Even the idea of that being a possibility later spins his brain in circles, but he is only lucky to have gotten here at all. As she draws little shapes on his forearm, making goosebumps rise on his flesh, he remembers kissing her forehead the day before, and how surprised she was by the small gesture.

He wants to do the same again and takes a chance at pressing his lips to her temple.

Curving and arcing, her body curls into his like a kidney bean, her smile quick and his heart warming at her response.

“I can feel your pulse dancing against my back.” She grins, and then all at once he feels her shut down. Her body tenses and she rolls onto her back to look up at the ceiling. “I’m only teasing you. It’s not fair.”

“Teasing me?”

He’s afraid for a moment that she’s playing with his heart on purpose. It’s crazy, but he has so little experience in any of this that he’s not sure how to judge what’s normal and what’s not.

“Getting you all worked up,” she continues. “I like how youmake me feel and all I want is more of that, but we can’t do anything else yet and that makes me a tease, doesn’t it?”

He’s torn between the relief of being wrong and the urge to resurrect her dead husband to bash his face in for accusing her of being a tease. He’d bet money on that asshole being the source of this particular worry.

“Not fair? I’m lucky. That’s all there is to it.”

She reaches up to where he’s propped on an elbow to trace his cheek with her fingertips. “I’m lucky too.”

“Then let’s lay here until the baby wakes up? You can feel my pulse hammering in my chest through your back again. I got a whole drum solo going on in here.”

She nods eagerly, turning over onto her side so he can wrap around her from behind. Her hum of approval is the best reward. It’s followed by a hiss when his feet find hers. “So cold!”

“Dunno what you mean. They’re toasty,” he teases and pushes their feet together.

Her laugh prompts his and all of a sudden it doesn’t matter that his dick is rock hard, only inches from where it belongs. Doesn’t matter that they can’t do anything about it. He’ll jerk off later and be just fine. All he cares about now is making her laugh again, seeing that smile on her lips, and feeling her warmth blossom against his body.

* * *

They’re being given another tour by the leader, only this time he gets the distinct feeling that it’s more of a sales pitch. They stroll past the beginnings of a market on the street, all the booths and tables half done, people scurrying about as if anyof this is important.

“What’s all that in the back?” He points toward a creepy-looking fair ride, one of those things that made children throw up over the rims of a spinning teacup. It sits in the darkened shadows of an alley they pass along with several other contraptions that look straight out of a circus horror movie. A funnel cake stand, fluffy teddy bears hanging from a balloon-popping station, and a dunk tank made of metal and wood, larger than anything he’s seen before.

“Oh, that’s been here a long time. Used to be a yearly tradition before the outbreak to bring the community together and make use of that old equipment. Some of it still stands from over a hundred years ago. Isn’t that fascinating? We still try to get a gathering going once in a while. It’s good for morale even if we can’t power all the lights.”

Cole shivers as they’re led away, his gaze still on the tank that looks big and sturdy enough to hold five people in its depths.

“We’ve got teachers here for the children. Plenty of room for new residents. Even the best doctors researching the virus,” they’re told.

“Researching a cure?” Cole replies.

“Yes, in a way. A cure, a treatment, but that’s a discussion for a later time. Why don’t I let you two make yourselves at home? Get to know folks. Settle in. The cookies at Lila’s table are to die for.” He pauses a moment, smiling at Lucy in a way that makes Cole’s nerves fray. “You are so lucky to be blessed with such a gift.”

When he leaves them alone again, they’re stuck in the middle of what looks like a farmer’s market filled with people staring. He hates being the center of attention. Hates being social.Wants to go back to their room and avoid prying eyes. He doesn’t fit here, and that’s part of why he’s so eager to leave.

Olivia would fit in, though, and he’d have to be blind not to notice how much safer this is. He’s only being selfish about wanting to pull them away. Creepy vibes or not.

She hefts the baby a little higher with a frown. “A treatment. You think he’s bullshitting us?”

“Dunno. He wants us to stay real bad, though, and I can’t figure out why.”

“Did you see…maybe it was just me, but…he looked at Lucy weird.”

“It’s not just you.”

That’s about as far as they’ve gotten in their theories and they stall for now, admitting defeat.

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