Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) (33 page)

“So, then, why is he still here?” he asked in a growl.

“Well… I couldn’t just throw all of those people out. It would’ve been cruel. Besides,” she smirked, “I thought you would like to have some fun with him. I failed to mention that part to Henry. Maybe some extra PDAs.”

He smiled right back at her. “I’ve got that handled. You’re brill, my love.”

“Eat.” She pointed at the food she had given him. “Then I can give you a donation.” She shuddered. “Here. Finish this, too. I’m feeling sick again.”

“I’m not taking your blood. You and the baby need it.”

“Tap me,” offered Elaina.

He looked up at her with surprise. “You sure?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. Much appreciated.”

Gunther devoured his food so he could take Elaina up on her offer.

“Feeling better, lover?” Quinn asked as she sat on the bed next to Gunther.

His head was tipped back against the wall, his eyes shut, reveling in a lovely high. He groaned and turned his head to the right to look at her.

Without warning, he pulled Quinn onto his lap so she was straddling his hips. His hard length was already throbbing. With grit and need fully in charge of his voice, Gunther demanded, “Kiss me.”

Quinn leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his substantial neck. Her warm breath, like the electric feel between them, tickled his lips before they connected. The kiss was intense and hungry. His body sprung full of rousing invigoration as her tongue dipped and danced with his.

Unexpectedly, she pulled away. Gunther growled, “Don’t stop.”

Quinn smiled against his lips, reaching down and pulling his shirt over his head. Her warm hands roamed around his cool, fit body. When her hands paused at his waist, he inhaled hard and fast. Her fingers skipped around the fair hair that lead to the place he wanted her to touch most.

“You sure you are up for this?” she asked him, a glint of the devil in her beautiful eyes.

He gazed into them and hoped their baby had her eyes. “God, yes,” he panted.

Quinn moved around his body, one torturous kiss at a time, starting at his ear and ending around his navel. She popped back up and shimmied out of her shirt.

Her chest was a bit plumper than Gunther remembered. With a loud groan, he dove in—tugging, teasing, pulling. Somehow during the endless assault from one perky pink pretty to the other, she managed to get his cargoes unbuttoned.

Then he stopped suddenly, fearful thoughts peppering his mind.

“What?” Quinn asked. “What’s wrong, lover?”

“My little bean…,” he whispered, pressing his palm over her lower abdomen.

Confused, she inquired, “I’m not understanding your worry.”

“Nothing will hurt my little bean, right?”

“No,” she smiled. “
Our
little bean should be fine. Just don’t be too rough this time. Just make love to me, Gun.”

He smiled and started kissing her again. Then he lifted her and tilted her back onto the bed as gentle as he could. She kicked off her pants as he crawled up her body.

“You are so bloody beautiful. Even more so now that I know you have my…
our
little bean in here.”

Gunther laid a simple and tender kiss on her stomach, pressing his lips where he presumed their baby safely lay within her warmth. His fingers traveled across her abdomen once more before he crawled all the way up her body. He trailed little kisses down her neck to her collarbone, following it with his tongue.

“You sure you are up for this?” she asked again.

He looked at her, feeling so much love because of her concern about his welfare, but he had to chuckle. “Have we met?” he asked.

“I just don’t want you to overdo it.” She ran her fingers over his ears in her usual loving manner.

“I promise to rest afterward.”

He pushed his cargoes down far enough to spring free. She wrapped her arms around his body as he filled her. In an instant, his eyes rolled and he exhaled with a loud sigh.

“Fuck. You feel so good, Quinn,” he mumbled as he nestled himself fully into her body.

“Gun…,” she moaned into his ear.

Patiently, he worked Quinn to her limits, being as gentle and as tender as she needed him to be—making love to her. Her moisture flowed out all over him as the waves of pure ecstasy rippled through her body.

Halting, he watched her come apart under him. It was a glorious view, watching her lose all inhibitions and writhe in pleasure under his big body while grabbing at both him and herself.

Gunther began his gentle assault again—a slow withdrawal, then filling her again. He reached down between them and massaged her wet, swollen flesh, continuing to work her until she arched her back and rolled her hips beneath his. Her chest pumped, pressing to his.

“Gun…no more,” she whimpered.

“I’m almost there, love,” he murmured in her ear.

With the urge to take her from behind, he pulled out and turned her over. He started slowly, relishing in the exquisite warmth as it captured and gripped his shaft. Unable hold back any longer, he wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her everything he had left, barking out a few expletives.

After a few quick pulses, coupled with loud groans, his seed pumped out of his body. Breathless, he pulled out and collapsed onto the bed, face melting into exhaustion.

Quinn curled up next to him and traced her fingers over his chest and abdomen. “You okay?”

“I’m feeling incredible, just completely knackered. How about you?”

She grabbed the blankets and pulled them over their sexually fatigued bodies. “Amazing. You are a wonderful lover.” She kissed him on his jaw as he smiled at her compliment.

Pulling in a deep breath and letting out a slight sigh, he fell into a peaceful sleep with those words traveling through his mind.

Cuddling further into him, Quinn ran her fingers up and down Gunther’s chest and abdomen, swirling her fingers in the thin line of hair. In cadence with his chest, her head rose and fell. Tipping her face up to look him, she noted the beauty in his softened features. She hoped their baby would look just like him.

Thoughts about how close she came to losing him bludgeoned her happy ruminations, causing her to choke up. Just the idea of raising his baby in the nightmarish world without him made her fall apart. She cried in silence, hoping not to disturb him.

She rested a hand on her abdomen, rubbing soft, little circles. Regardless of their living circumstances or Gunther’s life status, Quinn smiled through her tears, knowing how over-the-moon happy she was at that point in her life. And no one could take that away from her.

Not even James.

The little crew and I had walked for a few hours before we stopped to rest. I felt like we were making good time and, according to the landmarks I had already memorized, figured we were about halfway to the water pump. As long as everyone kept up, we would be there soon.

“So how did you learn all of this stuff?” Josiah inquired.

I looked over at the young kid and chuckled to myself, thinking I wasn’t all that old myself. Although, I believed I had more life experience than everyone in the group put together.

“Lots of practice.” Time to redirect the attention from me. “Tell me about yourself, Josiah.”

“Hmm… Not much to tell. As you know, I’m Savannah’s younger brother. We are the only two left from our family. We lived a nice life. Umm…what else? Oh, I play piano.”

That perked me up. “Really? You any good?”

“I think so. Been playing since I was three. I know most of the popular music from when, well…before.”

“You should talk to Josie. She plays guitar and can sing bloody good.”

Josiah cleared his throat and jammed his hand in his hair. “Yeah. I’ve heard her. She’s pretty good.”

Hmm… I again sensed something between the two. It was none of my business, though. “Well, maybe you guys can combine your talents and play something for my wedding?”

“Maybe,” Josiah muttered as he examined the ground.

“We’ll get together soon and figure it out.” He nodded with pursed lips, eyes avoiding mine, then he went off and sat by himself.

I shrugged my pack off and sat against the tree. Pulling my cap tight over my eyes, I stretched out my legs and crossed my ankles, doing my best to relax, laying the rifle across my lap, ready to go if need be.

Hearing a shuffle of feet, someone sat next to me.
For real?
I was never left alone for more than a few minutes at a time. It was one of the downfalls I would never get used to.

“Can I ask you something?”

I groaned with annoyance and lifted my ball cap. James was looking ahead instead of at me. “Doesn’t mean I will answer,” I bit out.

“Why are you letting me stay? I mean, it’s obviously going to be an issue with Quinn’s fiancé…” James’ voice trailed off.

“
She
asked me to allow you to stay. We talked about it the morning after you arrived. She knew it would upset Gunther, but she didn’t feel right about making everyone leave.”

“She’s a good woman,” James mumbled.

“That she is. I respect her a great deal. Her opinion means a lot to me, which is why you’re still around.”

“Yeah. I kind of regret everything. She stood vigil by his bedside while he was sick, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did, and would only leave when we made her. They love each other implicitly. You do know she’s with child, right?” I winced, wondering if I should have even said that.

“She mentioned that.”

“Be easy on her. She just found out. It’s none of my business, but that was a pretty shitty thing you did…leaving your family high and dry like that.” James looked down at the ground. I was going to be lenient about it because I knew Gunther would be pretty harsh. “I hope you realize he’ll be extra protective of her and would kill for her, so watch your step. I’ve seen him snap someone’s neck without effort.”

“Damn,” muttered James.

“We don’t mess around.” With a sly smile, I added, “Both of us are trained assassins.”

“Really?”

I held up the rifle and smirked. “Yup.” I pulled the cap back over my eyes and lay my head back against the trunk of the tree again, chuckling to myself, enjoying the mindfuck with James.

“So who were you supposed to assassinate?”

“That’s classified information, my friend.”

“Come on! You can’t tell me you’re a trained assassin, then leave me hanging.”

“Sorry. Nature of the beast.” I chuckled again, enjoying the banter far too much.

James grumbled something unintelligible, then asked, “So… How long have you and Elaina been together?”

“Couple years.”

“How’d she meet a Brit assassin?”

“I had been on assignment in the States for a while. I met her on the streets of New York. Fell in love with her the moment our eyes locked. Happily ever after.”
Truth…well, sort of.

“Wait, you were going to assassinate someone here?”

“Told you…classified information.”

“Who cares if you tell me? There isn’t a government to find out.”

“You never know who’s watching.”

“So you’ve traveled all this way?”

“Yup.”

“Did you guys have any kids?”

I sighed, remembering my brief conversation with Elaina about not having a single pregnancy scare. “Look, let me rest for a few. We can chat while were walking.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” James got up and walked away. Thank fuck for that.

I stayed against the tree for maybe a half-hour more, taking a catnap, listening to every sound around us.

Then I heard something peculiar. Mara and Eli were arguing in whispers. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but Eli wasn’t sounding all that pleased.

“Are you fucking insane?” Eli growled.

Mara smirked, leaning against a tree, her arms crossed. “I could very well be.”

“She will kick your ass and leave you for dead. And what happened to you hating him over your father’s death?”

“I’ve had a change of heart…and I have needs. Have you seen him?
Fucking gorgeous
.”

Eli was disgusted. “You’re sick.”

“Just because I want to get laid? Unlike you, I have no one.”

“He’s taken! I’m pretty sure he’s completely in love with her! Have you paid any attention to the way he looks at her? There are a couple guys in that new group. Maybe some of them are single. And, just so you know, Lauren and I haven’t had sex since she became pregnant. If you haven’t figured out we aren’t a couple anymore, you’re blind.”

Mara rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Eli. All your holier-than-thou bullshit lately is getting on my nerves. Besides, who could I choose from in that group? Baldy? The scarred one? The baby face? Or the All-American boy? No, thanks. I want a man. Something–”

“That you can’t have! Don’t be so bitchy. And I’ve been trying to show Lauren that I can be a good father to our child, but she’s hardly receptive. I practically have to beg her to help take care of her,” he muttered.

Mara glared at Eli. “I’m going to get him one way or another.” Her lips curled into a devious grin. Eli returned it with a muttering of how stupid she was behaving.

Tired of their bickering, I decided it was time to get moving again. I hopped up, startling everyone. “Let’s roll, people.”

Already walking, the others scurried to catch up. I continued at a steady pace, keeping an ear open for anything that could be going on around us.

Eli growled something to Mara, then footsteps came up behind me. I rolled my eyes, hoping it wasn’t a mistake bringing them.

“How much farther?” Mara asked as she caught up.

“We’re a bit more than halfway.”

She moved in close, almost to my ear, making me want to swat her away like a nuisance bug. “When will you be ready?”

Sounding business-like, I said, “I’m fine. I will let you know if I need assistance.”

“I’m just a little anxious, but I’m here for you with
whatever
it is that you need.” She smirked.

I glanced at her, wondering what she meant. “I’m fine. I’ll let you know if it will be necessary. Chill the fuck out.”

“Right.”

It was dusk when we reached Cora’s burnt down house. Leading them to the hand pump by the barn, we began the tedious duty of filling bottles.

Once we finished, night had settled over us. This was the first time we’d been out so late on a run for water.

Not a good idea.

Panning my flashlight around, I looked for shelter. The barn seemed a bit sketchy and would leave us open for attack, so I decided we should head to Cora’s bunker.

“Listen up.” Everyone looked at me, waiting for instruction. “We’re going to walk back about two miles. There’s an underground bunker where we’ll camp there for the night, then take off first thing.” I loaded a bunch of bottles into my pack, being careful not to break any of my vials, tossed a large bottle over my shoulder, and walked off. Everyone else loaded their packs and jogged to catch up.

Once we came up to the bunker, I opened the lid and went down to make sure we would be alone. Giving the all clear, everyone jumped down.

Deciding to drop on one of the couches, the others fought over the beds. I leaned back with my pack tucked between me and the couch, pulled my cap tight over my eyes and settled in for a light rest, nodding off right away.

“Henry…” A whisper lingered in the air around me. I sat straight up and looked around, thinking the demons were fucking with me again.

“Henry…” A female voice.

It wasn’t the demons. They always called me Liam.

The air stirred around me. It was pitch black, and with the total loss of sight, I still couldn’t figure out if I was dreaming or in reality. Then I felt a warm hand grab mine and pull me up, dragging me through the bunker.

Realizing my flashlight was tucked in my pack, I was screwed until I could find my way back to it.

Out of nowhere, I felt that hand ease over my soldier, which was saluting. I gasped and grabbed the hand.

Yep, definitely awake.

“What? Don’t you like it? You’re already ready for me.”

“Back off,” I growled, shoving her away.

“I like it rough. Come on. Make me hurt, Henry,” she purred.

“Mara…”
What the fuck is she doing
? “Cut the shit.”

“Oh, Henry, come on. Loosen up and have…a bit of fun,” she mocked in my accent.

“I’m committed,” I growled.

In a sing-song tone, she said, “I don’t care.”

No shit, Sherlock.
With a brazenness I had never witnessed before, she unzipped my cargoes and wrapped her hand around me. My breath hitched because…goddamn it…it felt good.

Such fucking betrayal and I grew angry at my body for feeling pleasure from her disgusting behavior. I tried pulling her hand off of me, but she gripped it so hard I gasped.

“You have quite the thick piece, Henry. I’d love to show you how I could take care of you.”

I felt her drop down.
Shit!
I tried to step back, but there was a fucking wall behind me.

“Damn it, Mara. Stop!” I shoved her back.

“Aw, come on.” Then she grabbed me again, wrapping her mouth around me.

This demented whore is sexually assaulting me! But it feels good.
“Fuck,” I groaned. She ran her tongue all over me before I could push her away again.

“That sounds good, too,” she murmured, attaching a sinister giggle to her words. I shoved her away more forcefully, although her teeth raked down my shaft when I did. I growled in pain. “Oh, keep that up. It’s making me really hot. I’ll let you fuck me however you want.” She dove in again. I tried to push her away and step around her, but her lips connected with my cock. And, of course, I groaned again. Goddamn it. I was so mad at my body for enjoying her disgusting mouth. “See? Feels good, doesn’t it?”

I pushed her off so violently, she fell over and I was finally able to zip up. “Back the fuck off. I’m committed.”

“But I can make you a very happy man.”

“I’m plenty happy, thank you. My love takes care of me
very
well.” I felt my way back to the couch and grabbed my pack and rifle, blindly searching the pockets for the flashlight. Mara grabbed me again as I tried to get back to the front of the bunker. “Seriously, back the fuck off.”

“Why? Are you going to shoot me? Tell you what. I’ll let you choke me.” She moaned when she slammed her body against mine.

She’s sick and twisted!
I was astounded. “I don’t want you! Back off!”

“But you’re ready, Henry.”

“I was sleeping. It happens.”

Highly annoyed with her, the situation, and my fucking body, I shoved her into the opposite wall and made my way to the front of the bunker. Throwing open the lid, the rattle reverberated off the bunker walls. Everyone else got startled and yelled out of fear, the slamming of the lid echoing through the night.