Erin M. Leaf (3 page)

“
We stayed with people like this on the way to get you,” Dillon reassured her. “Trust me. Most folks are willing to help, especially after all that’s happened. There aren’t a lot of us left, remember?” he asked grimly.

Lark sighed and stepped out of the car. The back of her neck itched. She felt exposed and moved closer to Dillon. She
’d die before she’d admit it out loud, but it was reassuring to have a strong man nearby. She’d been taking care of herself for so long, it was nice to have another person to depend on.

“
Okay, you can come on in. I’ve got plenty of space,” the old man said, walking to the door and holding it open.

Lark looked at Dillon. Dillon shrugged. She took a deep breath and told herself to relax. She ducked back inside the car for her backpack, then followed the two men inside.

****

“
You can stay in the big bedroom at the top of the steps. I don’t get up there much anymore with my old bones.” The old man leaned the shotgun against the wall by the door. “Ever since my wife died, well…” He trailed off, then gestured down a dim hall that went past the stairway. “I just stay down here.” He flicked off the porch light. “You folks driving north?”

Ben nodded.
“Yeah.”

The old man closed and locked the front door.
“My name’s Tom. I don’t have much, but you’re welcome to what I’ve got.”

Ben exchanged a look with Dillon.
“Thanks. We ate on the road.”

Lark
’s eyebrows lifted, but she didn’t argue. She had a granola bar in her backpack. She had no idea if Ben and Dillon were hungry, but it was clear they had no intention of taking any of the old man’s food.

“
I’m Lark,” she said, holding out her hand when the silence began to stretch on.

“
Nice to meet you,” Tom said.

“
This is Ben and Dillon.”

Dillon held out a hand.
“Thanks for letting us stay the night. We’ll be on our way in the morning.”

“
Folks got to stick together,” Tom muttered, abruptly turning away. “Bathroom’s upstairs on the right.” With that, he disappeared into a small room at the end of the hall.

“
Not one for small talk,” she said softly.

Ben smiled grimly.
“No reason for it, I guess.”

“
What do you mean?” she asked, trying to figure out why some old man would help them like this. She didn’t understand what was happening. The exhaustion she’d been pushing away for days had finally caught up with her and her thoughts felt sluggish. Why had Ben and Dillon let her come with them? Why had the old man let them in his house? None of it made any sense to her.

“
He’s old, probably close to eighty-five, ninety. He’s alone and he knows whatever relatives he had are probably gone.” Dillon started toward the stairs. “He’ll help us, but he’s not under any illusions. He knows we’ll be gone in the morning.”

Lark followed him up the stairs. They creaked, making her wince. At the top, he went into the main bedroom.
She flicked on the switch, not expecting it to work, but the lights came on with no problem. There was a bed, a large, overstuffed chair under the window, and a small dresser with a mirror. Everything in the room was old, worn, and a little dusty. After fighting for her life at her dorm, it looked like nirvana.

“
I saw a wind turbine out back,” Dillon said, looking around. “Explains the power.”

Ben walked to the window and pulled the shade, saying nothing. Lark worried about him. She didn
’t really know either of them, but already she knew that his silence wasn’t normal. “We’ll stay in here, together,” he said tersely.

She pursed her lips, then nodded when Dillon didn
’t seem surprised. She glanced around the room, trying to figure out where they were all going to sleep. Theoretically, the bed was big enough for the three of them, if you didn’t mind cuddling, but she wasn’t sure that was the best idea right now. Even with Olivia’s death fresh in her mind she felt a tingle of attraction to the two men.

Which is just wrong,
she thought, once again tearing her eyes away from Ben’s impressive physique.
I shouldn’t be lusting after my best friend’s dad. He’s probably twice my age
, she told herself. It didn’t help. He didn’t
act
twice her age. And he sure didn’t look old. Her eyes wandered back over to him. Dillon had the hint of a smile on his face, so she knew he’d seen her checking out his friend. She flushed, looking away to cover up her embarrassment. Little did he know she’d been checking him out, too. He was just as gorgeous as Ben. His dark eyes and hair put him into movie-star handsome territory. She made herself stop mooning over them and looked around one last time. The walls had probably once been a cheerful yellow, but now they were a wan vanilla, faded with age. Lark put her backpack on the bed.

“
I’m going to the bathroom,” she said, trying to preserve her dignity.
Stop ogling your best friend’s dad,
she ordered herself on her way down the hall.
And his gorgeous best friend, too, while you’re at it. You’re going to make yourself crazy.

****

After she’d had a chance to wash up, she felt much better. She was grateful for the running water, even though it was cold. Heading back to the bedroom, she stopped just outside when she heard voices.

“
You did what you had to do, Ben,” Dillon was saying in a low voice.

After a long, tense moment Ben replied.
“Yeah.” His voice sounded like someone had taken a grinder to it.

Dillon sighed.
“You know she was like my own daughter, Ben. I know how you feel.”

“
Jesus, I know that. I never said otherwise.” Ben sounded shocked. “I
know
.”

“
Okay, then,” Dillon murmured.

Lark closed her eyes against the pain and shoved the door open.

Ben was still by the window, but Dillon had stretched out on the bed. His boots and socks were in a heap at the foot of the mattress. “You get the bed, Lark,” he said, smiling crookedly.

She frowned. She could see the exhaustion in his face.
“That’s stupid. I can sleep on the floor. We’re all better off if you and Ben get some rest.” She knew she was small and she wasn’t going to be stupid about the sleeping arrangements. “And I can always sleep in the other bedroom. It’s down the hall from the bathroom.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulders.

“
No,” Ben turned abruptly. “We stick together. That means we all sleep in the same place.”

She searched his face. For all his stoicism, she could tell he was grieving. Olivia
’s death haunted them all. “Yeah, okay,” she managed, not willing to argue. She coughed to hide the lump in her throat.
Shit, Olivia is really gone.
She thought about the granola bar in her backpack. She’d been planning on eating it when she got back to the room.
Funny how I’m not hungry at all anymore.

“
Come on, slide in and get some sleep. We’ll keep you safe,” Dillon said, standing up and pulling down the covers.

She tilted her head, looking back at Ben.
“Only if he lies down, too.” She could already tell it would be her and Dillon making sure Ben took care of himself.

Dillon
gave her a look she couldn’t interpret and walked over to his friend. “She’s right. You didn’t sleep last night, either. I’ll stay up for a bit.” He eyed the bed. “Damn thing’s big enough for the three of us, anyway.”

“No, I’m fine.”
Ben shook his head, but Dillon was already shoving him towards the bed.

“
Stop it. Go to sleep, Ben,” he said.

Lark slid off her shoes, happy she
’d worn leggings today. If she’d had to sleep in jeans, she’d be so uncomfortable she wouldn’t get any rest. She climbed in the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. After a moment, she squirmed, unhooking her bra and shoving it down into her backpack. “What?” she said, when she noticed the two men looking at her. “You ever try to sleep in one of those things?”

Dillon
’s face was pink. “No, no, whatever.” He backed away to the window and slumped down in the chair, tipping his head back as he closed his eyes. Lark eyed the stubbled line of his jaw and throat. Damn. Even exhausted he looked good. And the blushing didn’t hurt. The thought that she could make a grown man blush had her smiling. The bed dipped and she turned.

“
Don’t worry,” Ben said, low. “It’s just me.”

She wrinkled her forehead at him, confused.
Worried? What was he talking about? “I’m not worried.” She wasn’t. She was too tired and sad to worry. And also, he was Olivia’s father and way too old for her. She had nothing to worry
about
. Even if he was absurdly good-looking, she was too tired to get worked up over it anymore. Everything around her seemed blurry and she fought back a yawn. The adrenaline she’d been living on for so long had faded, leaving her shaky and wiped and vaguely nauseated. She closed her eyes as he settled down. She slipped into dreamland before he’d even finished getting his shoes off.

Chapter Three

Lark swa
m out of her dream, warm and comfortable, the way she hadn’t been for weeks. She hadn’t been able to really rest since the meteor exploded over Atlanta, destroying her life and everyone else’s. She remembered falling asleep. She remembered Dillon taking off his boots and settling into bed. She remembered Ben in the chair. She could feel Dillon in front of her, sleeping. She breathed in slowly, too relaxed to move, and then unexpectedly, lips touched the back of her neck. She gasped, tension tightening her spine as she realized there was an arm around her waist. It had to be Ben. Olivia’s dad was in bed behind her.

He kissed her
nape again, mumbling sleepily. Heat shot through her as he tightened his arm around her waist. His hot, strong body pressed up against her back.
Holy shit
, she thought, not sure what to do. She licked her lips, knowing he was still asleep. When Dillon shifted onto his side in front of her, she took a deep breath, all kinds of heated thoughts going through her head.
Do I wake them up? Go back to sleep?
She didn’t think she could fall back to sleep, not now anyway. Her skin was overheated and she pushed the covers down a little.

Dillon sighed, eyes closed.
God, he has pretty eyelashes,
she thought, like a ninny. Her eyes dropped to his lips. They were pink and full and for some reason, he looked a lot younger when he was sleeping. Her hand was right near his cheek and she almost touched him, but then Ben moved slightly, distracting her. Reminding her that another equally hot man had his hands on her. She bit her cheek, trying not to move, but his hips shifted closer.

Holy fuck, he has an erection,
she thought, shocked for a split second. She closed her eyes, wondering again what the hell she should do, when Dillon moved closer and put his hand on her cheek. Her eyes snapped to his. Dark eyes looked steadily at her, mysterious in the dim room. Damn. He wasn’t asleep at all.

“Dillon,” she whispered thickly.

“Shh,” he said, moving in.

She couldn
’t move if she wanted to. She watched him get closer and then his lips touched hers in the gentlest kiss of her life.
The best kiss of my life,
she thought, skin going hot. She’d long ago decided to repress and deny the fumbling, awkward make-out sessions she’d had with her single high school boyfriend. She wondered if Dillon could tell that she was a twenty-two year old virgin. He smiled and opened his eyes.

“
So sweet,” he murmured, thumb moving over her lips.

He can
’t tell how bad I am at this,
she thought, bemused. Should she tell him? How could she possibly explain? After her parents died, she’d been too damn busy trying to feed herself and save for college to screw around. There’d been no time for dating. No time for boyfriends.
And even if I had the time, I wanted it to be special.

Dillon kissed her again, just as gentle as the first time.

Lark’s breath hitched. She was tired of waiting for the perfect moment. And she’d probably not live very long, given the state of the world right now. The sudden realization of how much she wanted this shocked her to her bones.

When Dillon moved back, she forced herself to speak, shoving her uncomfortable emotions down.
“Do you and Ben do this often?”

He chuckled.
“No. We certainly don’t.”

Ben moved behind her again, pressing his cock into her ass in a way that made her want more. A lot more. She shuddered.

“But I’m feeling kind of awful, tonight,” Dillon continued, moving back a little. His expression was sad. “I want to remember what it’s like to be alive.” He stroked a finger down her cheek.

Lark frowned.
“You
are
alive,” she said, as if mere words could fix him.

He shook his head and moved in for another kiss. She opened her
mouth this time, kissing him back tentatively. He groaned, pushing closer. Lark grabbed his shoulders, feeling overwhelmed. When Ben suddenly woke up behind her, his body going still, she knew it was too late to say no.
Not that I want to. I really want them.
All her instincts were telling her to grab hold of this moment and revel in it, because the three of them might not survive past tomorrow. What use was waiting anymore?

“
Lark,” Benedict said, his voice a low murmur. He’d gone still, but hadn’t moved away. She could feel him watching her and Dillon kiss.

“
It’s okay,” she whispered when Dillon finally let her up for air.

Ben groaned.
“You’re my daughter’s friend. God, this is so wrong.” His hips twitched.

“
I’m twenty-two,” she said, hips twitching. “Not a child.”

He trembled, the arm around her waist like iron.
She ran her hand across it, reveling in his strength. He was so very hot.

“
Jesus,” he breathed, hips jerking.

Lark swallowed, throwing her head back. Dillon
’s eyes were a dark glitter. He watched her put an arm up behind her head, around Ben’s neck, then he kissed down her collarbone. She cried out, needing more, and Ben thrust against her ass, all heat and instinct.

“
God,” she said, voice thick with need. “Dillon—”

“
Shh. Don’t speak,” he murmured, slipping the neck of her tank top down until her right breast peeked out. Olivia’s locket dangled lower and Dillon stared at it for a split second before closing his mouth over the tip of her nipple, nibbling until she arched her back.

Behind her, Ben moaned. He was watching Dillon, Lark knew. She ignored the pit of uncertainty at the base of her spine and let
Dillon suckle her breast. She let Ben hold on too tightly, bruising under her ribs. She felt full of energy and strangely light even as the darkness pressed into them. She hadn’t felt this way in years.

Or ever,
she mused, shivering as Dillon slid a thigh between her legs. It put pressure just where she needed it and she grabbed on to him harder, grinding down. He chuckled against her breast.

“
Fuck, Dillon, what are we doing?” Ben asked harshly. He was panting now, hot and heavy against her shoulder. He loosened his grip, hands drifting away, and Lark frowned, not pleased. She didn’t want him to go anywhere. She didn’t want reality to come anywhere near them right now.

“
Stop fucking thinking, Ben,” Dillon said, grabbing his friend by the neck and forcing him to look down.

Lark cupped Dillon
’s face and he bent back down to her breast, biting it. She writhed, pleasure spiraling through her. In some distant corner of her mind, she knew what she was doing was reckless. Crazy. She didn’t care. For the first time in her life she felt wanted, even if only for a momentary bit of pleasure.
I’ll take it,
she thought.
It’s not like I have anything else to look forward to anymore.

“
Lark, are you sure?” Ben asked, teeth closing over her neck.

She nodded.
“Come on, Ben. Please.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and held her hips. His cock pressed between her ass cheeks, her panties and his boxers no
t much of a barrier. “Fuck,” he murmured, then he thrust once, twice, and wet heat flooded her back. He groaned, long and low. Lark’s eyes widened, shocked, and then she caught sight of Dillon watching his best friend’s face over her shoulder.
He’s watching Ben cum,
she thought, her entire body buzzing.
Why is that so damn hot?

Ben was breathing like he
’d just run up a hill, but then his hand slid down across her waist. His fingers tangled in her panties, then pushed them aside.

“
Yeah, that’s it,” Dillon said, making room.

Ben smiled against her shoulder.
“She’s wet.”

Lark trembled.

Dillon nodded. “Yeah.” He pushed his leg higher, opening her up. Ben’s fingers slid across her labia and touched her clit.

Lark lost her grip on Dillon
’s shoulders as soon as Ben touched her. The pleasure was too much. She didn’t understand how this could be so electrifying. Her hips moved jerkily, but Ben’s fingers didn’t budge. He slid over and over her clit, playing with the delicate hood, then stroking down and up. Lark moaned. Dillon put his mouth back on her breast. When he nipped her again, she lost it, pleasure spiraling through her. She climaxed against Ben’s fingers and Dillon’s mouth. Dillon let go of her nipple, groaning, and she felt a rush of heat against her thigh as he orgasmed too. She hadn’t even realized that his cock was there. She hadn’t realized so many things. Ben slipped his hand lower, gently pushing inside her, then stopped when he met her body’s resistance.

“
Fuck,” he said, shocked. “You’re a virgin.”

****

Ben froze, still buzzing from the intense orgasm he’d had. Lark was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and she was his daughter’s best friend. What the hell was he doing?
And don’t forget, she’s a virgin,
his inner conscience reminded him, making the guilt over what he’d done even worse.

“
Why does it matter?” Lark asked, fingers curling around his arm so he couldn’t pull away.

He groaned, gently extracting his fingers. She was so hot and wet and she smelled incredible. In that moment, he hated himself on multiple levels.
What the hell did I just do?

“
Ben, stop it,” Dillon said. He put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. It was all he could do not to jerk away. The spunk in his shorts had begun to congeal into a cold mess.

“
I’m sorry, Lark,” he muttered, kissing the back of her head. He rolled away, ignoring Dillon’s frown. When his feet hit the chill of the floor, he shuddered. His daughter was gone. And he’d managed to screw around with his best friend and Lark in the same goddamn day as Olivia’s death.

“
Fuck,” Lark said, softly. She rolled around, reaching for him as he stood up. He shrugged off her hands, too horrified by what he’d done to be gentle.

“
For Christ’s sake, Ben, I’m not a kid.” Her voice was sharp. She sat up. Her pert little breasts poked out of her tank top.

Ben scrubbed a hand over his face.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”

Lark made an irritated sound.
“Give me a break, Ben. I said yes. Multiple times.” She adjusted her shirt.

He looked at her, rumpled and gorgeous in the dim light. Just behind her, Dillon lounged, eyes knowing.

“Fuck,” Ben said, sitting back down.

“
What did you think? That I was a little girl?” Lark laughed harshly. “My parents died years ago. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

He looked at her. She was so damn beautiful. And strong, even in her innocence. He shouldn
’t be messing with her. She didn’t deserve this. “Even so, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do this,” he said, again, overwhelmed. He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling. He was sated and disturbed and really fucking sad, all at once.

“
That’s enough, Ben. Stop it,” Dillon said, swinging his legs around Lark. He tucked her between his thighs and leaned against Ben’s shoulder. “Olivia wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself.”

Ben flinched.
“You don’t fucking know that—”

“
I do,” Dillon interrupted calmly. “Remember, she lived with us for two years. I loved her too.”

Ben swallowed against the tears he refused to let fa
ll. He kept remembering that he’d been too late. Too late to save her. “Shit,” he whispered, shuddering.

Lark slid her arms around him.
“It’s okay,” she said thickly.

He shook his head.

“I miss her just as much as you do,” Dillon added, and with a jolt, Ben realized that his best friend was hugging him too. He closed his eyes, losing the battle for calm.

“
I was too late,” he said, choking on a sob.

“
And I thought she’d be safe in the room,” Lark said, gripping his biceps.

“
And neither of those things are your fault,” Dillon said, holding them tightly. “Olivia would tell us that if she were here. You know she would.”

Ben nodded even as he cried into their arms.

****

Dillon
’s head felt like it was full of rocks. He’d finally calmed Ben down, and Lark had fallen asleep, but he had a vicious headache keeping him awake. He stroked Lark’s hair, bemused when she didn’t stir.
She’s exhausted,
his brain told him. She was also warm, and beautiful, and he still couldn’t quite believe how sweetly she’d kissed him. He licked his lips, chasing her taste. The only regret he had was that he hadn’t had the chance to kiss Ben, too.

When the door to the bedroom opened, Dillon looked up. Ben walked back inside. He looked better, and Dillon knew he
’d managed to clean up a little. He just hoped that his best friend would be able to get some sleep now, because God knew he wasn’t going to be able to, not like this.