Page 64 of 10 Things I Hate About Zombies

‘You’re so beautiful in the moonlight,’ he whispered, dragging his palm gently up her stomach and all the way up to her throat, where he traced the line of her jaw.

And so was he. Fuck, so was he. Zoey was rarely lost for words – she lived for a sharp quip or a cutting comeback – but not a single retort came to mind. Instead, all she wanted was to drink in the soft glow of the string lights on his tanned skin. The way its shadows dragged across the sharpness of his cheekbones and his aquiline nose before they gave way to the softer shape of his dark beard. The way his ubiquitous plaid shirt stretched across the span of him, tracing the lean muscle built between the farm and the gym. And from helping Zoey and her friends with their impromptu hauling requests.

She couldn’t help herself. She tore his shirt open, dragging it off him and throwing it behind her.

‘Wow, hold up. That one’s my favourite.’

‘Mine too,’ said Zoey. ‘I just wanted to see whether I liked it better on you or off you.’

‘Verdict?’

‘Inconclusive. Let me try your jeans for good measure.’

She pushed him down, dragging at the work-worn fabric. The air mattress squeaked and groaned, and the two of them tried not to laugh as it aired its grievances.

‘What if it goes flat?’ whispered Zoey.

‘It’s never had that problem before.’ There was mischief in Nick’s eyes.

Zoey reached down, taking him in her hand. ‘I can see that.’

Nick groaned as her fingers moved deftly against him, then again as she shimmied out of her own jeans. All that separated them was the thin fabric of her underwear – and even that was only for a single, tortured moment.

‘Zoey,’ he murmured as she pulled his hand down towards the lace-lined fabric, inviting him to push it aside, to find his way into her. He did so gently, surely, his fingers finding the opening of her, running her slick length, dipping inside until she swore.

‘In my wallet …’ he began.

Shaking her head, Zoey reached over to her purse for the condoms she kept in the side pocket.

‘Oh, mine weren’t good enough for you?’ he teased, and she whacked him lightly.

‘I’ve taken advantage enough of your generous nature,’ she teased right back. ‘And also … can you really trust wallet condoms?’

Nick held up his hands in surrender. ‘No further argument, your honour.’

She rolled the condom onto him, gently, teasingly, biting her lip as he quivered beneath her.

‘Here. I want to be able to see you. Hold you.’ Nick angled up and onto his side, pushing her lightly so that she too was on her side. His fingers curved around the softness of her thigh, which he gently lifted up and forward so that it rested over his. She gasped as he entered her – slowly, then wholly, as she accepted the length of him.

Nick’s eyes widened as their bodies connected, then fluttered closed as he embraced the sheer exhilaration of the moment. Zoey’s own eyes closed as well – the feeling of him was simply all she could manage without her senses becoming completely, utterly overwhelmed.

They moved together, Nick’s hips rocking against hers in a rhythm that made Zoey’s nerves sing, and she gasped, clutching her hands to his shoulders as her body implored him for more.

Taking her cue, he rolled her onto her back, pausing to drink her in. And yet, lying there, exposed beneath him, Zoey didn’t feel shy: she felt protected beneath the weight of him, seen and appreciated.

His dark eyes were soft and hungry at the same time, and she could see the passion that danced through them. She could see how much he wanted her – which was a desire equally weighted by how much she wanted him.

Zoey reached for his hips, pulling him into her until they both gasped.

‘Like that,’ she whispered, as he moved against her.

She was nearing an edge now, circling it with exquisite pleasure. She tried to stave it off, to cling to the very precipice between pleasure and abandon for as long as she could, but her body was feverish from the feeling of Nick inside her.

Zoey gave herself over to him entirely, letting herself come apart like the stars in the sky above. Her breath was shallow and frantic, embroidered with desire, release, relief. Her body pulsed against him as her orgasm reached a crescendo, then ebbed, until all that was left of her was an ocean of pleasure.

She floated on it until she was scarcely sure she existed anymore.

‘Hey there,’ whispered Nick momentarily, his fingers scraping her hair away from her face.