Page 69

Noah

“We should head back to the camp,” Reed mutters against the top of my head. I shake my head, not wanting to let go of him. It feels too soon. “Come on, I’ll hold you tonight, and then we can get up and head out in the morning.”

My brows pull together as I ease my head back.

“Head out in the morning?” I mimic back.

“You’re heading to Florida.” He said it as a statement and not a question.

“You don’t know that; I could be heading anywhere else. Literally anywhere.” I’m lying, and he knows that, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

Reed raises a brow, waiting for me to confess. My cheeks heat, a shiver running up my spine. Under his gaze I feel my cock pulse, threatening to harden against my zipper. Apparently my body doesn’t care that I just came because one look from Reed, and I’m ready to melt into him.

“Don’t give me that look; you weren’t exactly quiet the last time. And I doubt you can be now, so let’s get back to the camp.”

I roll my eyes, even though he’s right. I’d probably wake everyone up, including the undead. Taking a step back, I swallow down the fear that he’s going to suddenly disappear and turn around. One foot in front of the other, I start walking towards the camp.

“Noah…Noah!” Reed calls.

“What?” I hiss, glancing over my shoulder.

“You’re heading in the wrong direction,” he says, pointing to the left. My eyes move side to side, hating that he’s probably right.

“Yeah, and well, how do you know that?”

“I was the best at hunting—tracking, I mean. I was good at knowing my surroundings.”

I open my mouth, feeling like a fish out of water. How does one even respond to that? Thankfully I don't have to. Reed takes a few steps forward and grabs my hand. Pulling me along, he intertwined our fingers, keeping a grip on me.

The walk back is quiet; a certain ease falls over me. I like not having to look over my shoulder, scared that something was going to jump out at me. It feels like every second I’m glancing over and up at him just to make sure I’m not imagining him. I might have loved the Twilight series, but there is no way I want to be Bella. I don’t want my mind tricking me into thinking he’s here when he’s really not.

Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I slowly reach over and?—

“Ow, fuck!” Reed growls, “Did you just fucking pinch me?”

“Uh…” I trail off as we step through the clearing. Sara and Anglea sit near the fire pit with a few guys; I can’t remember their names. My lips curl into a smile when I see Molly doing one of the cheers I showed her before doing a cartwheel and landing in a split.

“That’s Molly; I’ve been teaching her some stuff from my friend, Mallory. She’s one of the girls I was in school with, well, actually, she was one of my best friends. It’s uh one of the reasons I’m going to Florida…” I trail off. I never talked about them to Reed, and I’m not sure why. But the sudden feeling to blurt out everything about them hits me. Thankfully I’m not given much of a chance before Jake catches my eye.

“That’s Jake; he’s Molly's brother. A few days ago I was stuck in some hardware store and found her. A bunch of zombies came out of nowhere, and we had to fight our way out basically. It was wild; I wish you could have been there. You would’ve been proud of me.” I rush out before Jake steps in front of us.

“You’re new; who are you?” He doesn’t bother looking at me, his gaze focused on Reed.

“This is?—”

“His boyfriend, we got separated.” Reed partly lies. It’s odd to think of him as my boyfriend, especially in a world like this. But I can’t stop the giddy feeling blooming in my heart. I know he confessed some deep emotions, even said I love you, and said we were dating back at the cabin. But every single time he shows some sort of feelings towards me, it’s like my heart jumps a beat. I feel this rush every time I’m near him.

“Uh, yeah, what he said.” I tilt my head to the side, agreeing with him.

“You’ve never mentioned this boyfriend. You even said you were alone.” Once again, Jake doesn’t even glance at me, even if his words are meant for me. He’s more focused on Reed.

“Yeah, well…” For what seems like the millionth time, words fail me.

“He thought I didn’t make it.” Reed answers him, not skipping a beat. Peeking up at him, my lips tug up in a smile.

Jake doesn’t look convinced, and I don’t care. Maybe if Reed wasn’t here I would, but the only thought on my brain right now is wanting to be alone with him.

“Are you still heading out with us in the morning?” Jake asks, finally sparing me a glance.