Flesh (Flesh 1)

The kid hung his head, shoulders rising awkwardly with a deep breath. “I’l go do another lap.”

“No.” Daniel sealed his eyelids tight, then opened them. Belief that he was actually about to take this step was a long, long way off.

“You’ve been at it for hours. It’s my turn at guard duty. You be the pillow.”

There was a moment of relief followed by a flash of

“what the f**k? ” on the kid’s face. “What? Whoa, aah … I don’t think she

would be okay with that. Let’s not upset her.”

Funnily enough, the thought of his girl upset at Finn didn’t bother Dan. Stil , it wasn’t a step in the required direction. “I think she would be less keen about having the hard ground beneath her when she’s feeling tender.”

“I can get my towel from my pack, roll it up for her. You know, like a pillow.”

Puh-lease.

Even in the low light, he could see the emotion playing out over the kid’s face, wary and want going to war. Desperation lit his eyes and he licked his lips before locking them tight. There was a certain satisfaction in making Mister Cool and Calm squirm. He didn’t hesitate to lie to the dick. “She has nightmares sometimes, loud ones. You need to be close. We can’t afford the noise. Lie down on her other side.”

Finn’s eyes flared in panic.

Sweet baby Jesus, the man could go al urban guerrilla warfare but was too shy to snuggle up to Ali. And he knew the kid wanted to.

“Dan, it’s been a while, and … Man, I …”

“Like her?”

The kid nodded. Emphatically. “Yes, I like her. Uninfected female, how could I not? And we’ve got enough on our plate.”

“Yeah, she’s very likeable. Especially when she’s asleep, all soft and cuddly.”

“Sort of my point. I don’t want to cause any trouble here.”

“I appreciate that, really, I do. But take in the big picture here, buddy. World gone mad, chaos, carnage, we all nearly died today.

That we’ve survived this long is pretty wild when you stop and think.”

The kid groaned. “So you’re saying you won’t shoot me in the back if I’m jonesing for your girlfriend?”

Tempting, but no. Dan shook his head. “Nah. You’re more use to her alive than dead.”

“Right. Thanks. I think.” The kid shot him a wary glance but lay down, setting his gun close by.

Daniel rolled Ali over, shuffled and rearranged her so she splayed out across the kid instead of him. It hurt.

His girl grumbled something beyond comprehension. Actually, it was a direct assault on his familial line, but she’d had a really hard day, so he let it slide. “Easy, baby. Go back to sleep.”

“What’s going on?” Her eyes drifted open. She blinked up at him, knocking him for six without even trying, bruised and dusty or no.

His girl. “Are we making a move?”

“No. I’m swapping guard duty with Finn. Go back to sleep.”

“Finn?” She raised her head and peered down at the face in question, rearing back in surprise when she registered his proximity. “Oh, hey.”

“Hi, Al. I’m your stand-in pillow,” the kid explained, shrugging, then flinched when he remembered his shoulder too late.

“My pil ow?” Her voice sounded slurred from sleep. She couldn’t be badly hurt. He wouldn’t allow it. They’d dosed her up on some super strength aspirin. Knocking her out for hours with something stronger was out of the question in case they needed to move.

“Is that okay?” The kid’s voice held a boatload of tension, like this girl could make him or break him. Daniel would have found it cute if it had been about any other girl than his. “Or not? Your call.”

“Sure. How’s your wound?”

“Fine, thanks.”

“Good.”

She was fine. Finn was good. Hell, the kid had those lush br**sts pressed nice and tight against him. Daniel wanted to gouge the jerk’s heart out with his fingernails. Bathe in his blood and howl at the moon. Shit like that.

But no.

He forced himself to crawl away as Ali mumbled something to her brand new very best friend. Some something that made Finn chuckle all low and rough and reeking of sexual interest.

Slutty bastard.

It was like giving candy to a baby.

He didn’t hear any noise for a long time. Just as well. A man could only stomach so much in the name of true love and the survival of same. He peeked out front through the guardrail, watching the street for a while. Gunshots fractured the silence farther down the lane, and a couple more infected ambled past, drawn by the noise.

Same old, same old.

When the view from the front got dul he meandered over to the side, followed soon thereafter by the back. He skulked about, not letting himself catch too much of the two bodies entwined.

Yep, he didn’t see Finn’s hand kneading the muscles of his girl’s neck. He also didn’t see her sleeping like a baby, curled up and draped over him, out like a light.

And he especially didn’t need to see what the kid was packing behind his zipper. No matter how pronounced it might be.

“I hate you, man,” Finn bitched, somehow making everything better.

Daniel smiled.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Al? Al. You have to wake up.”

Problem was she didn’t want to. Really, honest to God, did not want to.

And they couldn’t make her.

Screw them.

Her face pounded, and her brain ached like a rusty nail had been embedded deep. The worst of hangovers didn’t measure up to this.

“Al?”

Despite it all, he had a really nice voice. Low, smooth, and … earnest, that was what it was. Earnest was the word for the day, earnest and sleep. Besides, her bed smelt nice. The sort of warm, male scent her hormones cried out to curl up to. No way she’d move.

“Come on, Al. Time to make a move.” Earnest turned edgy, not at all in keeping with her mellow, no-moving frame of mind. Best if she ignored it. But a hand gripped her chin, tilting it upward, and the voice went al hard-assed and demanding. “Al, wake up. Now.”

She huffed, but did as directed. Pale green eyes set in a breathtaking face watched her determinedly in the pre-dawn light. Holy shit.

“Finn?”

The hows and wheres of her situation took a moment to hit home. When they did, the embarrassment floored her. She stopped breathing for a moment. No morning after walk of shame could measure up to this.