Dead Endz (22 page)

“I wouldn’t,” he answered with a very solemn look.

Just then Kristie stepped into the restaurant followed by Tiny, who must have let her know the news.

“I heard about your engagement,” said Kristie, admiring the ring. “I am
very
happy for the both of you.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Now you have another reason to stay put. You can’t leave your fiancé to go racing back to Minnesota.”

Bryce looked at me. “What’s she talking about.”

I sighed. “I’ll tell you later.”

But Kristie wasn’t finished. “She wants to go back to Minnesota with Nora so they can look for more relatives.”

“That’s insane,” said Bryce. “You can’t go back there. It’s too dangerous.”

“Exactly what I said,” said Kristie.

I took another sip of wine. “Please, I don’t want to talk about this right now,” I said. “It’s my birthday and I just want to enjoy it.”

“Promise me you’ll forget about going back there,” said Bryce. “Please?”

“We’ll talk about it, later,” I said. “Okay?”

He stared at me for a few seconds and then sighed, “Fine.”

“You keep at her, Bryce. Let her know how crazy it is to even consider going back there,” said Kristie.

“Well, you two enjoy the rest of your evening,” said Tiny, pulling Kristie away from the table.

“Wonderful voice, Tiny!” I hollered as they walked away. I lifted my wine glass. “I toast you…you are truly talented!”

Bryce smiled. “Enjoying the wine?”

I looked at the glass, it was almost empty. “It is rather tasty, maybe I should have a little bit more.” I drank the rest down and then lifted my glass. “Excuse me, waitress?” I

He grabbed the glass. “Sorry Wild. I want your head to be completely clear for the rest of this night. We’re switching to water.”

I stuck out my tongue. “Party pooper.”

“I’m going to take care of you now, Wild. Like it or not.”

I smiled. It sounded good to me.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

When we finished eating our meal, Bryce said that he had another surprise in store for me.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Come one.”

He then took my hand and led me to the elevator.

“The elevator? Can’t we just take the stairs?” I asked. “What if the generators suddenly give out?”

“It’s going to be fine. It’s far less dangerous than going back to Minnesota.”

I sighed. “Fine, okay. But if something happens, you’re climbing out of the elevator for help.”

“Of course.”

When the elevator opened, he grabbed my hand and pulled me in.

“Okay?” he asked, squeezing my hand.

I nodded.

We went up until we reached the penthouse.

“I thought Belinda and Luke were staying here?” I asked.

“Not tonight,” he said. “Close your eyes.”

“Um, okay.”

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the elevator into the hallway. Then I heard the click of the hotel key and we stepped onto the ultra-plush carpeting leading into the room.

“Okay,” he said. “We’re almost there.”

After a few more steps he opened up another door and a warm breeze brushed my skin. We were definitely outside now.

“Okay,” he said after moving me forward again. “Open your eyes.”

“Wow,” I whispered, staring at the view. “It’s… beautiful.”

We were standing on the roof next to a large swimming pool that ended at the very edge of the building. There were lawn chairs and tables scattered around it, even a grill for entertaining. One of the picnic tables near the pool was decorated with confetti and birthday balloons. I stepped closer and noticed a birthday cake, champagne, a jar of pickles, and a couple of fluffy white hotel towels.

“Amazing,” I said, looking around. “This is amazing! I’ve never been on the roof of a hotel before, either.”

“Pretty cool, huh? Normally they charge an arm and a leg for this penthouse. Now you can see why.”

“It’s awesome up here, almost like we’re in a different world.”

It was also very romantic. There were candles lit up all around the patio, the stars were out, and the pool looked so inviting, I wanted to strip out of my clothes and dive right in. But I was too modest to removing my clothing, especially in front of Bryce.

“I wish we
were
in a different world. Rid of zombies and violence,” he said, rubbing my back.

I walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down at the creepy darkness. No lights from the city, no traffic. It gave me the shivers and I was just glad to be far away from the horrors down below.

He came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. “I’m just so happy that we can spend some time up here, together. Forget about everything else taking place down below in the city.”

“Thanks for setting all of this up, Bryce. I feel like we’re on a luxurious vacation somewhere.” I looked at the edge of the pool and loved how it appeared to disappear. “This pool is so cool,” I said. “How’s the water?”

He released me. “Go ahead and check it out for yourself.”

I walked over towards it, took off my shoes and dipped one of my toes into the water. It felt only slightly cool against my skin.

“Can we swim?” I asked.

“Of course,” he replied.

I bit the side of my lip. “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

“I won’t look,” he said with a devilish grin.

“Seriously, I don’t have one and I’m…”

He laughed out loud. “Would you please stop being so shy around me? Just go in your underwear, Wild. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Then I watched as he began removing his clothing. First his jacket, his shirt, and finally his socks and pants. When he stood in just his boxers, I couldn’t stop staring at his lean hard muscles.

“Do you need help getting out of that dress?” he asked, moving towards me.

“I um…”

He stepped behind me and began kissing the back of my neck.

“I thought you were going to help me,” I whispered closing my eyes. He definitely had the knack for finding my weak spots.

“Patience,” he murmured.

His mouth was so warm against my skin and when I let out soft moan, he stopped. “We’ll never get into the pool at this rate,” he said, unzipping my dress. It fell to the ground and he turned me around.

Bryce stared at me for a few minutes but didn’t say anything.

“What?” I asked, feeling silly and a little self-conscious. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

His eyes met mine. “You’re just so beautiful. It’s hard not to stare.”

“Oh, thanks,” I answered, blushing. I looked towards the pool. “So, should we go in?”

Before I knew what was happening, he picked me up in his arms and started walking into the shallow end of the pool. The water was much cooler than I’d expected and I shivered.

“Ready?”

“Bryce!” I hollered as he began swinging me in his arms.

“What?” he laughed and then tossed me high into the air.

I smiled as I went under and then turned around to retaliate. Soon we were both splashing and dunking each other.

“There’s a beach ball,” I said, getting out of the water. It was sitting on one of the patio chairs.

“Stay there for a minute,” he said as I was getting ready to jump into the water.

“Why?”

He stared at my body and I looked down. My bra and panties were obviously wet, leaving little to the imagination. I quickly jumped into the water.

“You wimp,” he laughed.

I threw the ball at his head and he retaliated. Soon we were playing dodge ball, both of us laughing so hard, the zombies could probably hear us on the streets. After a while he got out of the pool and I stared with lust at his hot body.

“And what are
you
looking at?” he asked with a silly grin.

“Just admiring the view,” I said, swimming backwards.

He chuckled and then took a running leap into the pool. “Cannonball!” he hollered as he hurled himself into the water next to me.

“You’re such a boy,” I laughed when he came back up the surface.

He swam up next to me and pulled me into his arms. “That’s funny because I thought you brought out the man in me.”

We stared at each other in the darkness for a few seconds and then he began kissing me.

“Thank you,” he murmured, after a while.

“For what?”

“For saying yes, tonight.”

I smiled. “There was no other answer for me.”

He pulled me over to shallower end of the pool and began kissing me, again. Soon I had my legs wrapped around his waist and both of us were breathing heavy.

“Let’s get out of the pool,” he whispered.

“Okay.”

“Just one minute,” he said. 

Before I knew it he’d unclasped my bra and I was holding it against my breasts.

“Wild, we should remove our clothing,” he said. “They’re a little wet.”

“Um…”

“Don’t be afraid. I would never hurt you.”

I let out a sigh and removed my bra while he stared into my eyes.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” he said.

Our bodies were pressed together and I could feel his excitement poking me under the water. I smiled.

“What?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

He began kissing my lips again and his hands cupped my breasts. After a few minutes one of his hands traveled down to my panties and I held my breath. “These are wet, too,” he murmured into my neck.

That was an understatement.

Soon those were off too and he began walking out of the pool with me still wrapped around his waist.

“Still doing okay?” he asked.

I nodded.

He took me into the suite. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, entering one of the bedrooms. “This room hasn’t been used by the others.”

At that point I didn’t care; I was nervous, excited and a little cold. He dropped me onto the bed and I stared up at him.

“Don’t you dare move, I’ll be right back,” he said.

He stepped out of the bedroom and feeling self-conscious again, I pulled the covers over my damp body. When he returned he was clutching what appeared to be a condom. His lips turned up as our eyes met.

“What?” I asked, pulling the blankets closer.

He shook his head and chuckled. “Nothing.”

“I’m just cold.”

“I’ll warm you up.”

I smiled. Just looking at his broad shoulders and narrow waist warmed me up.

Then he pulled off his boxers and I took a quick look.

“My eyes are up here,” he teased, crawling onto the bed.

I guess it would always be our private joke now.

Bryce took my hair down, running his fingers through it. Then he began kissing me all over, making me so excited that I forgot to be nervous.

“I love you so much,” he whispered, staring at me with his crystal blue eyes.

“I love you, too,” I answered, trailing my finger along the white scar near his chin.

He licked his lips. “Is this okay? I don’t want to rush anything.”

“It’s more than okay,” I answered.

Then he made love to me so tenderly that there wasn’t any pain, only intense pleasure. I was so shaken and overcome with emotions that when it was all over, I was close to tears.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, staring into my eyes. “Was it
that
bad?”

I shook my head and laughed. “No, it was…amazing.”

“Then why are you crying?” he asked, touching a single tear that trailed down my cheek.

“Because I’m just so…happy.”

He smiled. “Me too.”

Then he kissed me one last time before we both fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I woke up in the early hours of the morning and stared at Bryce who was still sleeping alongside me. His eyelashes were so long and he looked like a little boy resting. He was the most amazing guy I’d ever met and last night had been one of the best times of my life.

I stared at the ring on my finger and sighed. I would someday become Mrs. Bryce De Luca. I smiled, or maybe he would be Mr. Cassandra Wild. I couldn’t wait to see his face when I teased him about that. Then I remembered…

Nora.

We were going to Minnesota in a few hours. Bryce would be pissed but it was something I had to do. I’d already lost my parents and I had to try and save my grandparents. I just had this feeling they were still alive and needed me. I’d rescue them and bring them here, where it was safe.

I moved slowly out of the bed, trying not to disturb Bryce. He reached out towards where I’d been lying then murmured something in his sleep.

I froze.

After a few minutes his breathing became steadier and I got up enough nerve to leave the bed.

I went out to the pool and grabbed my clothing. After I got dressed I wrote him a note to let him know how much I loved him and explained why I had to go back to Minnesota. After I was done, I decided to leave the note under the door to his real suite.

I tiptoed back to the bedroom and stared at his still form, wishing I could slide back into bed with him and never leave his side. My love for him was so intense at that moment that I almost changed my mind about the trip.

Almost.

I sighed and left him sleeping, praying that we’d be back together again, soon. 

Chapter Forty

My sister and Kylie were both sleeping soundly when I got back to our suite. Goldie slept on the ground next to them and attacked me with puppy kisses when she noticed me peeking into the room.

“Shh…” I whispered to the happy pup. I was certainly going to miss Goldie as well, who seemed to be growing larger every day.

I gave her some food and water then took a quick shower. Luckily my sister and Kylie both slept like the dead.

After packing some things for the trip, I wrote my sister a note, telling her how much I loved her and why she couldn’t come with. I added a separate note for Paige and Kristie to let them know how sorry I was about sneaking away. But neither Bryce nor they were going to stop me from doing what I had to do and there was no way I’d risk Paige’s life. She’d already been through enough the last few weeks.