Page 13 of Tower (Post-Apocalyptic Fairy Tales #1)

“You’re in a good mood today,” Carlotta says as I help position her feet correctly for a standing forward bend.

I am in a good mood. I woke up that way, and it’s only brightened as the early-morning yoga session has passed.

A month after I first started on my own, I now have between seven and nine people joining me regularly.

Becca and Jen always attend, and Carlotta does whenever she’s not posted to a morning guard shift.

Hawk still keeps watch for trouble or potential gawkers from his lawn chair, and he knows all the arm stretches and joins in often with consistent good humor.

Then there are a handful of men and women who sometimes get up in time to participate.

Sick sometimes participates too, which I don’t like, so I’m relieved he went with the others on the scavenging trip.

This morning there are actually ten of us because Jen convinced Dep, who stayed here to run things in Levi’s absence, to give it a try.

“Are you going to tell me why?” Carlotta asks in a teasing voice. Her hair is plaited into two braids that she pulled back in a single ponytail, and it flips when she rises from the bend.

“No reason.” I guide everyone in another bend, blowing out a slow exhale as I do.

Carlotta hasn’t dropped the subject. When we return to Mountain Pose, she slants me a look. “So it has nothing to do with your man coming home today?”

I blush. I really wish I didn’t do that so easily since it contradicts my cool, controlled expression.

Carlotta laughs. “We’ll all be glad when the guys are back.”

She doesn’t have a man and doesn’t appear to want one, but base has felt weirdly empty for the past three days since so many of them left on a scavenging trip in the hopes of replenishing our stock of supplies from the old world. “Hopefully everyone gets back safe.”

I’ve been trying not to worry unduly, but I’ve hated Levi being gone so long. It’s the longest he’s been away in the two months I’ve been here, and I’ve been fighting against random visions of the group running into trouble, of Levi getting shot, getting killed.

It terrifies me. Upsets me far more than I would have expected.

I want him home. Not only because I’m worried about his safety but because I’ve missed him to a ridiculous extent. It’s not like he’s a warm, chatty person or like we’ve ever been joined at the hip. He’s gone for hours nearly every day. But we usually have breakfast and dinner together.

And we still have sex most nights, unless he’s particularly tired or I’m in the few days around ovulation. He doesn’t even mind fucking me during my period, so we don’t skip then unless my cramps are bad.

I’m not going to lie. I miss the sex. It’s gotten better and better as the weeks have passed.

But I miss him more.

It starts raining at lunchtime, so I’m hanging out in the lounge with some of the others. Everyone was feeling lazy and restless, so Jen started reading a book out loud to amuse us.

It’s a romantic suspense novel about a woman who witnessed a murder and the hot, mysterious security specialist who’s protecting her. I’m enjoying it, and it’s making the time pass as I wait for Levi to get home.

Becca just did my toenails, so I’m turned sideways in a chair with my legs dangling over the armrest so the polish can dry.

A shout from the perimeter alerts us that something is happening. Dep gets up to investigate, and after a minute, he calls out, “They’re back! Looks like everyone made it.”

I sit up eagerly, but Becca squeals and tells me it’s too early to move or I’ll mess up all her hard work on my nails. So I’m still sprawled out across the chair in a ridiculous position when Levi strides into the lounge.

My heart jumps at the sight of his big body, untrimmed hair and beard, and dirty clothes. It jumps . Excitement and deep relief and pleasure.

He’s okay. And he’s home.

“You plannin’ on loungin’ there all lazy and unconcerned instead of comin’ out to say hi to your man?” He’s scowling at me fiercely, although his eyes are running up and down my body with an urgency it’s impossible not to notice.

“I’m sorry.” I’m laughing and straightening up again, taking care with my pretty toenails. “Becca just worked on my toes, and she’ll be pissed if I mess them up.”

“Maybe I’ll be pissed if I don’t get any sorta welcome from you.”

He doesn’t look pissed, although he isn’t smiling. He looks and feels warm as he watches me check the condition of my toenail polish.

Deciding it’s dry enough, I swing my legs around to slide my boots back on.

When I’ve done so, Levi approaches my chair.

I think he’s going to help me up, so I reach up to grab his extended hand. But instead of levering me to my feet, he leans over to pick me all the way up and cradle me.

Letting out a shrill sound of surprise, I grab his neck as he bounces me slightly to rearrange my weight in his arms. “I’m too heavy!”

“You sure as hell are not.” He bounces me again. “Just right.”

I’m not sure how I can help but melt at the sentiment and the sight of his familiar face and possessively pleased dark eyes. “Fine, but I’m capable of walking, you know.”

“You were actin’ like your toenails were the priority here. Who am I to argue with that logic?”

Giggling helplessly, I hide my face in his shoulder as he carries me out of the building and into the courtyard and then up the stairs toward our room. There’s all the predictable laughter, hoots, and raunchy jokes from the others. It’s all in fun, but it still makes me self-conscious.

When we get into the room, he sets me down on my feet abruptly. “Shit, I’m out of breath. Way too old for that shit.”

I laugh some more at his self-deprecating tone. Then I watch as he sits down in his favorite chair and leans over to untie the laces on his hiking boots.

Of course. The sexy, dramatic display was for the benefit of the others, the roles we’ve played from the beginning.

He’s getting comfortable in his chair, the way he does when he wants to rest. He’s been traveling hard for days without a safe bed to sleep in. He’s got to be utterly beat.

It’s fine. I was getting excited, but I can wait for sex until this evening. I’ll give him a foot rub and help him relax. I’m just happy he’s safe and he’s back.

I’ve turned and am walking toward the old bathroom to dampen a towel and get the lotion when he demands gruffly, “What the fuck you doin’? Get your clothes off.”

Whirling around, I gape at him with wide eyes. “I thought you were tired and needed to res?—”

“I’ll rest later.” He’s already dragging his shirt off over his head. “Get naked. What you waitin’ for?”

I’m so surprised and thrilled I start giggling again, pulling my dress off without hesitation. It’s a long, loose one in my favorite boho style with a floral print on a dark pink background. “I didn’t know. I thought you’d be tired.”

“Not too tired to fuck you good and proper.” His eyes are hot as they rake over my body in my bra, panties, and boots. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, you’re the hottest little thing to ever walk the earth. How the fuck did someone like you happen to this shitty, goddamn planet?”

I unhook my bra and drop it on the floor. My pussy is already fluttering in anticipation, but I’m inexplicably touched by the gruff, muttered words.

“Take off all of it.” He’s watching every move I make. After I shimmy out of my panties, he adds, “You can leave the boots on.”

Despite Levi’s declaration about fucking me good and proper, he actually is incredibly tired, and he doesn’t have as much stamina as normal. He doesn’t last long enough for me to come from penetration, but I don’t mind. Whenever that happens, he always takes care of me afterward with his hand.

Today he has me grab my knees while he fucks me hard and fast with three fingers. I come twice—really good ones—but when he asks me if I want more, I can’t help but gasp out, “Yes. Yes, Levi. I need it.”

So he keeps thrusting his fingers in my pussy. I’m so wet it feels like it’s everywhere, and the sound his pumping makes inside me is decidedly crude. But I don’t care. Levi is as naked as I am, and he’s bending over me, gripping the headboard with one hand and fucking me with the other.

And I’m definitely going to come again.

As the weeks have passed, Levi has gotten increasingly vocal in bed. He’s not loud. Even I, who have always been fairly quiet, am usually louder than he is. But he likes to talk more during sex than he ever does outside the bedroom. And the more he talks, the hotter I get.

“Get your knees farther up, girl. There you go. You really love showin’ me your sweet pussy, don’tcha?”

I whimper out some sort of response as my body tightens in preparation for another release. My hair is all over my face, sticking to my damp skin, and I’m digging my fingernails into my own knees.

“Didn’t hear you.” He slows down the speed of his thrusting hand.

“I said yes!” I burst out, trying to grind my pelvis against his hand. “I love showing it to you. I love… I love…”

“What do you love, sweetheart?”

My orgasm breaks just then, and I let out a long, shaky moan as I rock through the waves of pleasure. My pussy clamps down around his fingers, and he keeps pushing through the contractions until they’ve finally worked their way through me.

I’m struggling for breath as I come down. Levi gently withdraws his hand and helps me straighten my legs. Then he lies down beside me and pulls me over into the loose circle of his arm.

Nuzzling his chest, I catch my breath and cool down.

After a while, I press a kiss just to the side of one of his nipples. “That was really good.”

“Yeah, it was.” It sounds like he’s smiling, but when I check his face, he’s not. At least his mouth isn’t.

His eyes definitely are.

“I’m glad you’re back,” I tell him even though the admission feels like a risk.

“Me too.” He tilts his head enough to brush a kiss into my hair. “I missed my girl.”

I’m smiling as I close my eyes.

We both take naps, but I wake up before Levi does. Leaving him sleeping because he needs the rest, I put my clothes back on and run downstairs to clean up more and go to the bathroom.

Then I return to our room and read in bed since it’s another hour and a half before dinner.

He wakes up on his own after an hour longer, smacking his lips and turning his head to blink at me.

“Hi,” I say brightly. “You had such a nice little nap.”

He makes a growly sound as I knew he would.

I’m laughing as he yanks the book out of my hands and tosses it onto the floor before he drags me over so I’m lying on top of him.

“Hi,” I say again.

“Hi.”

“Do you feel all right, for real? It must have been a rough job, and I doubt you slept much away from home.”

“I didn’t, but I’m okay. I feel better now.”

“Will you have to make a lot of trips like that?”

“Hopefully not. We did pretty good with what we scavenged. We’ll be set for a while. Might send a smaller group back that way at some point, but I don’t think I’ll need to go with them every time.”

“Oh. Good.” I run my fingers up and down his arm, stroking the intricate tattoos on his skin. Trees. I always wondered about them, but I’ve never asked.

“Got to get back on the road tomorrow though,” Levi adds in a tired voice. “Shit.”

“What?” I lift my head, immediately upset.

“Just for the day,” he explains. “We ran into some folks from a farm in that direction, down south of us, and they’ve got a good thing goin’, I guess. Might be able to trade with ’em. So I’m gonna go pay ’em a visit and see if we can get another tradin’ partner.”

“Oh that would be great. But I hate that you have to go so soon after you’ve just gotten back. How far away is the farm?”

“Not sure. Around four hours, I think.”

I let out a long sigh and droop slightly. “Oh.”

“What’s the matter?” He cups my cheek, lifting my head so he can see my face better.

“Nothing. Only that you just got back, and now you’re going to be gone again all tomorrow.”

He frowns as he gazes up at me.

“I wasn’t whining or anything,” I add hurriedly. “I know it’s not like we ever get a vacation or a break anymore.”

“I know you weren’t whinin’. You can prob’ly come with me.” He adds in a mumble, “Only if you wanna.”

“Really!” I perk up shamelessly. “You mean it?”

“Sure. We’ll take your daddy’s truck if you’re comin’ with me. Be safer that way. But no reason you can’t ride along. Seemed mostly quiet in that region. Shouldn’t be too big a risk.” He peers at me, looking slightly surprised. “What? That make you happy?”

“Yeah.” I can’t seem to stop smiling. “That will make me happy.”