Afterglow: An Apocalypse Romance (16 page)

In the morning, when pale light filtered through the curtains, Nina awoke to Creed’s cock, huge and hard, against her butt. He was still asleep, and she took a few moments to relish how wonderfully big he felt against her. And she knew just what he felt like inside her. She’d never been with anyone like Creed, anyone who turned her on so much and so quickly. All it took was a look, the turn of a phrase, and she was mush, ready to drop her panties for him.

She tried to ignore the feelings in her heart because she knew now how Creed felt about that. About love. About getting too close to someone. Their agreement from the beginning was that he’d help her get to her grandmother’s house, and he was doing just that. For now, though, she enjoyed being near him, enjoyed the half-asleep moans he uttered as he moved his hardness against her.

Delicately, trying not to wake him all the way up, Nina undid his fly, then inched his jeans and boxers down slightly to free his cock. It was glorious, rock hard and smooth. Nina licked her lips, getting them wet, and wondered how much of him she’d be able to fit into her mouth. She couldn’t wait for Creed to wake up to her lips on his cock.

Without hesitating any longer she bent down and licked him, all the way from the base to the tip, which she explored for a few seconds with her tongue, savoring the salty flavor.

Creed groaned deeply, shifting his body so he was straight on his back.

Nina repeated the motion, licking the entire length of him once more, then grasping his thickness at the base while opening her mouth wide to take as much of his cock in it as she could.

“Jesus.” The word was a hoarse whisper from Creed.

Nina worked her hand up and down on his length while she sucked him in and out of her mouth.

“God, Nina,” hissed Creed, his eyes flying open and meeting hers as she looked at him, her mouth filled with his dick.

She sucked to his tip, then removed her mouth, still pumping him with her hand. “I thought it was time to get up,” she murmured, smiling coyly at him.

He shifted, pushing his jeans and boxers down further, and grinned at Nina. “You can wake me up like this any time, sweetheart.”

“I didn’t think you’d have a problem with it,” said Nina, teasing the head of his cock with her tongue while she gazed into his eyes the whole time.

“No problem,” he grunted as she cupped one of his balls in her hand, massaging it while continuing to lick his head gently. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever felt.”

With that, Nina sucked in earnest again, taking him as far into her throat as she could, still working the lower part of his shaft with her hand. He was simply too big to go all the way in her mouth. From the sounds of it, Creed didn’t mind. He groaned, his hips jerking again and shoving himself deeper into her throat.

“
Nina
. It feels so good.”

Hearing him say that, knowing how amazing she could make him feel, turned her on. As she sucked she worked her tongue over his hardness, alternating between moving her hand up and down his cock and fondling his balls, until his body stilled, then tensed.

“I’m gonna come soon, Nina.” His words were filled with desire but were also a warning, Nina knew. He was letting her know that if she didn’t want him to come in her mouth, she needed to stop soon.

But she wanted him, every bit of him, and she kept working him with her mouth as it thickened against her tongue. His cock throbbed between her lips, then the warm cum released into her mouth. She swallowed quickly, then swallowed once more as he came again, hard, against the back of her throat.

His breath was harsh, his head tossing and turning.

She sat back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Did you like that?” she asked, half teasing but half looking for validation.

“Come here.” Creed reached out an arm, and Nina crawled up his body, resting her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her. “I didn’t like that, Nina,” he whispered into her hair. “I fucking loved that.”

“Good morning,” she whispered back.

“I’ll say,” Creed chuckled, and they both dozed for a while.

It felt so good to pretend they were safe. They were together. They didn’t have to go out into the messed-up world again.

Suddenly Creed sat up. “I almost forgot,” he said. “Stay here.”

Nina pulled the comforter tighter around her, relishing in the warmth that she knew was only temporary. They’d have to go out into the cold again soon.

Creed’s huge body sank down next to her. “Sit up and close your eyes,” he said, his voice low.

“What? Why?”

“Just do it, sweetheart,” he said.

“Tell me why,” she insisted.

“Do you need to question every fucking thing?” he asked in exasperation.

“Fine.” Nina sat up and rolled her eyes at him before closing them.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered.

“Again?” Nina asked, teasing.

“I wouldn’t turn you down,” said Creed with a low laugh. “But I’ve got something else for you.”

The scent of chocolate wafted into Nina’s nose, and she felt something cool touch her lips. Her eyes flew open, and she took a huge bite of the Kit Kat that Creed was feeding her.

“Oh my god, Creed. Where did you get this?”

He shrugged. “Picked it up somewhere.”

“I love Kit Kats.”

“You mentioned it once.” He smiled, almost shyly, and for a second he looked to Nina like a nervous schoolboy. But then the tough guy smirk returned.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a second stick of the candy and eating it. “You’re the best.”

Creed winked at her, then stood up to start the routine of getting ready to leave.

–Creed–

“Look.” Creed pointed at the map. “This is the last town we passed. Looks like we only have about two hundred more miles to get to your grandmother’s town.” He could see the disbelief and excitement on Nina’s face at the news that they were getting close. He wanted to get her there. He wanted her family to be safe. He wanted to be able to leave her with them, knowing she’d be protected there.

“We need to find somewhere to stock up on the way,” he continued. Nina’s BOB had been lost during the encounter with the asshole gang back at the theater, so they no longer had the first-aid kit, spare batteries, extra lighters, or the MREs they’d been saving for when they couldn’t find canned or packaged food.

Also missing was the cold-weather sleeping bag from the back of Creed’s bike, and since there was no guarantees they’d find a house for the night or how long it would take them to make it to their destination, they needed one to be safe. Long underwear would be good too, since the temperature had dropped significantly, and it was going to be a frigid ride without a better base layer.

Nina searched the house for winter coats and warmer clothes for them to wear. Creed didn’t have a jacket anymore. When he’d shot the guy wearing it, he hadn’t wanted it back, hadn’t wanted something soaked with the blood of an asshole who was going to rape his girl.
His girl
. Except she wasn’t his girl. She was just
a girl
, a girl he was traveling with. And sleeping with. And that was it.

“Here!” Nina was grinning as she handed him a lined flannel jacket, red and black checked.

“Nice,” he said, slipping it on. When he pulled a black beanie on his head, she laughed.

“With your beard and that coat and hat? You look like a total lumbersexual.”

“Lumbersexual?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard that term before?”

Creed shook his head.

“Oh my god. It’s used for hipsters who dress in flannel and try to look all rugged. It’s a new look.”

“Yeah, well, as soon as this apocalypse shit is over, I’ll be looking for a career in modeling.”

Nina’s face suddenly grew serious. “Isn’t it weird that this will
never
be over? That this,” she gestured around her, “is what we’ve got? Everything from before, everything we were used to, is gone. You know?”

Creed would have cut off his fucking arm to make her smile in that second, to get rid of the sad and wistful look on her face. But everything she was saying was true.

“Yeah. I know,” he said. “You ready to go?”

“Oh. Yeah.” She pulled on her leather jacket, then wound a wool scarf around her neck and pulled a wool cap down over her head. She’d found gloves for both of them too.

“Next stop sporting goods store,” said Creed as they walked outside and to his bike.

* * *

Creed was hoping for an REI or an L.L. Bean or some big store that, even if it had been raided, would have some shit left for them. Without a way to look up where the nearest Columbia store was, though, he had to settle for Pete’s Hunting and Fishing Emporium, which looked nothing like an
emporium
, a store in the middle of nowhere along a stretch of deserted country road. It was a small single-story building with a worn and hand-painted sign of a cartoon figure fishing while a bear lurked behind him.

Creed pulled into the parking lot, where two dust-covered cars sat abandoned, and parked the bike right next to the front door. The place didn’t look occupied, but just to be safe, he and Nina carefully entered using the unlocked front door and, guns ready, shone their flashlights around.

“I’m surprised the windows aren’t all broken like everywhere else,” said Nina quietly.

“Maybe Pete thought if he left it unlocked there would be no reason to break in.”

“Hmm,” said Nina as if considering. “That’s a good idea. I’ll keep it in mind during the next apocalypse.”

Creed rumbled out a laugh. One thing about Nina he loved—
liked
—was that she had maintained her sense of humor throughout all this shit. Not many people could do that.

“Let’s see what we can find,” he said, and they made their way farther into the dark and dusty shop.

Things had been pretty well picked over, but they piled useful stuff onto the front counter: a few random energy gel packs, an ancient pack of no-name bandages, some fishing line (in case, as Nina pointed out, Creed needed to be stitched up again), a few single-serving packets of Tylenol, one bottle of Arizona Iced Tea, and two sole Snickers bars, their wrappers dusty but intact. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing, and in addition they both found thermal underwear to wear under their clothes for when the riding got really cold. They decided to eat their lunch, the iced tea and chocolate bars, in the shop before heading out again.

“Nina,” he said, while they were eating their candy bars and sharing the bottle of tea, “have you thought at all about what it will be like when we get to your grandmother’s?” He knew she probably had. But he needed to make sure she was prepared for all outcomes, even the worst.

“You mean that we get there and nobody’s there? Or worse, that they’re all dead? Yeah. I’ve thought about it.” Her voice was so casual as she said it.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Don’t be. You’re right to bring it up. And of course I’m terrified that we’ll find something awful when we get there. But I can’t help being a little excited too, you know? I try not to be, because it’s better to be prepared for the worst case scenario, but still...” Her voice trailed off.

He wanted to tell her that he’d take care of her if nobody was at her grandmother’s. That he’d never leave her. That the very thought of being without her or, worse, of something happening to her tore at the fabric of his soul. But he couldn’t. Because once you said those things you couldn’t take them back. And once you said those things they became more real, as if the simple fact of speaking them out loud solidified them. And he didn’t want that. He didn’t want to care. He didn’t want to be bound to someone because his heart wouldn’t let go. So he stayed silent instead.

“My grandma’s going to like you,” said Nina with a grin.

“Why’s that?” Creed shoved the rest of his candy bar into his mouth.

“Well, despite your bad manners,” said Nina, giving him a pointed look, “you can shoot. Hunt. And you saved my life. In her book, you’re the perfect man.”

“You mean my sparkling personality isn’t enough?”

“That’s just icing on the cake,” said Nina, rolling her eyes and poking him.

“Aw, sweetheart, I
know
you’re not calling me an asshole.”

“Creed, if I wanted to call you an asshole, I’d just say,
You’re an asshole
. You know me well enough by now.”

“Except you’d never say that to me.” The banter between them, this joking around they did, made him want her, even here in this old dusty bait shop.

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” There was challenge on Nina’s face, a half-smile as she waited for his response.

“Oh sweetheart,” he said, swiping the wrappers and bottle away from where they lay on the floor between them, “because nobody’s ever fucked you like I can.” With that he was on her, pushing her down onto the hard floor of the store. When she gasped he grew even harder, the sounds she made when she was turned on spurring his own desire. There wasn’t time for a long session—this would be quick and dirty. And he was fine with that.

Without any words, he went straight for the fly of her jeans, undoing it as quickly as he could and shoving her jeans and underwear down. His fingers moved roughly between her legs, and he growled when he discovered she was already wet.

“Nina,” he whispered, “I’m going to fuck you hard. And fast. Is that OK with you?” He was pushing her jeans down farther so she could pull one leg out. Then he began to unfasten his belt.

“Only if you fuck me like this.” Underneath him Nina flipped onto her stomach, shoving her ass up toward him.

Creed’s cock throbbed at her words, at the sight of her perfect ass, round and smooth, just waiting for him like that.

“Gladly.” He licked his fingers, then rubbed them between Nina’s legs, making her pussy even wetter. He reached farther, feeling her engorged clit. For a few seconds he rubbed it gently, using just enough pressure to make Nina writhe against his hand. Her wetness, her movements, and the small sounds of desire she made were almost enough to make him come right then and there. He swore he could just from this, just from feeling her wet pussy, her tiny clit.

“Ask me for it,” he demanded as he removed his hand from between her legs and positioned the tip of his dick there instead.

“Creed, I want you to fuck me. From behind. Hard. Please.”

He hissed in desire. Dirty talk from her hot mouth made him harder, made him throb in agony. Roughly he pushed her legs further apart. Nina raised her ass up toward him, and he grabbed her right hip with one hand while he used his left hand to get his cock in place right at the entrance of her slick opening.

And then he rocked his hips, feeling her hot wetness devour him. Slowly, using all his self-control, he pulled out and waited a moment before hammering inside her again, and then again, using both hands on her hips to give him leverage to move as hard and as fast as he could. Nina kept up the pace, ramming her ass backwards with each of his thrusts so he was buried balls deep over and over again.

He reached his right hand around so he could touch her clit, could rub it as he pounded into her. When her moaning got louder, he knew she was close.

Good, because he was close as hell, barely able to hold on. The second he felt her pussy tighten around his cock, pulsing hard and fast around him, he let go too, grabbing both her hips once more as he fucked her in earnest, as hard as he could until his balls tightened and his dick throbbed and he came so hard he could hardly breathe.

Creed collapsed on top of Nina, then rolled off her, knowing he would literally kill her with the weight of his sex-coma.

“That was the best lunch break I’ve ever had,” said Nina, in such a matter-of-fact tone that Creed laughed out loud.

“Glad you liked it,” he said. “So you’ve never done it on the floor of a fishing and hunting store before?” To clean up, he handed her a T-shirt with a picture of a man fishing on it. It read, “This is what I look like when I call in sick.”

“I can’t say I have,” she said. “This is probably the weirdest place I’ve ever done it.”

“
Done it
?” teased Creed, enjoying the fact that she’d just gotten what was probably the hardest fuck of her life time yet she reverted to euphemisms to describe it.

“Yeah. You know.” She blushed.

“Nina,” said Creed, sitting up and moving close to her so he was holding her face in his hands and starting directly into her light green eyes. “That wasn’t
doing it
. That was hard, fast
fucking
.”

“Thanks for the lesson on synonyms,” muttered Nina, but she was smiling as she pulled her jeans back up.

“Any time, sweetheart.”

“So aside from this, what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever
done it
before?” asked Nina as she got up and started shoving the stuff they’d collected into a camouflaged backpack she picked off a rack.

“Ah, high school locker room,” said Creed after thinking for a few seconds.

“I didn’t know you swung that way,” teased Nina.

“With a girl, smartass,” he answered. “I stayed late after football practice one day, and this cheerleader stayed late after her practice, and we started talking outside the locker rooms.” He shrugged. “Ended up going back into the guys’ locker room. Where we
did it
.”

“Mine was in the treehouse outside our house, the one my parents had built for me when I was a kid. I didn’t use it anymore, but one day when I was home from college, I ended up going up there with this guy I used to flirt with in high school. We were only friends in school, but we’d always liked each other. Anyway...”

“You ready to go?” Creed knew cutting her off like that was a dick move, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to hear about her and other guys. It made him feel angry, like he would punch the stupid treehouse asshole if he were standing in front of him.

Nina gave him a curious look but didn’t ask any questions. “Yeah. Ready,” she said.

They put on their warm clothes and headed out, getting closer by the minute to their destination. Or
Nina’s
destination. Creed was becoming increasingly aware that he didn’t have one.

* * *

The country road fed into an expressway, and the next few miles were spent getting on and off the bike, navigating it around cars, most of which were abandoned but some with stinking, rotting corpses inside. It was cold and depressing and tiring, and though Creed had hoped they’d make better time and get farther, by the time they reached the next town he knew they needed to stop for another night.