V-Day: (M-Day #4) (19 page)

I couldn
’
t decide whether to stop and build a fire or to press on to find some kind of real shelter, maybe a house. I
’
d been walking all day, and still the woods loomed seemingly never ending in front of me. Without my compass and no real sense of personal direction without the night sky to navigate by, I wasn
’
t sure if I
’
d been walking in circles. If that was the case, I was shocked that Riley hadn
’
t found me yet, unless he was still unconscious while his body healed.
Maybe he had more injuries than I saw.

My mind wandered, a near delirious state riding me hard. No matter my strong will or my training, my body had been through entirely too much lately. There was only so much anyone could withstand physically before it started to break them down mentally.
Maybe I should just accept it
…
give up.

“
You
’
ve been acting different, not like yourself. It
’
s like you lost your fight
…”

“
Fuck,
”
I muttered, leaning against a tree as I tried to focus. But Riley
’
s words kept circling around in my mind.

“
You
’
ve been acting different, not like yourself. It
’
s like you lost your fight
…

He was right. It wasn
’
t just the rape that had battered me emotionally, it was
…
everything since M-Day. The level of guilt I carried with me was stifling. But where the hell had my fight gone? When I was in Kindergarten and some asshole in my class had informed me that I couldn
’
t be a princess for Halloween because of my skin color I
’
d punched him in the nose. I didn
’
t cry or hang my head in shame. I wore my crown with pride because I
’
d be any damn thing I wanted. When I was in sixth grade and some jealous bitch put gum in my hair so I had to cut it, I hadn
’
t given her the satisfaction of even acknowledging her vicious act. I came in to school the next day rocking my new shorter do like it
’
d been my choice. Because it had been my choice
…
to not let her get to me.

Every time I
’
d been told I couldn
’
t do something because I was a girl
…
I did it anyways. Every time someone told me no, I figured out a way to find a yes instead. Ty was the optimist and I was the fighter. Even with Riley
…
I knew our day to be together again would come eventually. I
’
d never given up on him, not really.
I
’
m not about to now either. I
’
ll find a way to save him. Somehow I
’
ll save everyone. Infection or no infection.

Maybe my heart had me going in circles, quite literally because I didn
’
t want to actually leave Riley alone in the woods. An I-Monster could find him and snack on him before he even knew what was happening. So many things could happen to him
—
if they already hadn
’
t. I sucked in ragged breaths, my pulse quadrupling in time.
I have to get back to him
—
guard him. What had I been thinking to just leave him there? He
’
d never leave you, no matter what.

I whirled around, eyes wide with panic, trying to ascertain which direction I
’
d originally come from. But everything looked the same
…
green, green, green, and more green.
Something has to look familiar.
I dug my nails into the tree I was leaning on, frustration bubbling up in me. What good was all of my training and my above average IQ if I couldn
’
t even navigate my way through the woods to find the man I loved?
Focus. Just focus. You
’
re just hungry and tired. Focus on finding Riley. You left clues behind of where you
’
ve been. You know how to do this.

“
Lost?
”

I whipped my ahead around to see Riley leaning nonchalantly against a nearby tree. His wound had completely healed from what I could tell, and his ice blue eyes blazed brighter than they had before, shining brightly in the shadowed forest. I opened my mouth to say something, but the words stuck in my throat when it constricted with tension. I didn
’
t know what to feel in that moment. Relief and fear warred inside of me, fighting for dominance.

“
I know you had to be lost, wandering around in circles, trying to find your way back to me
—
not running from me. You would never just leave me there, half alive on the fucking ground.
”
He pushed off the tree, prowling towards me, his muscles rippling with fine control.
“
No.
My
Viv would never just leave me there like that.
”

“
Riley, I
—”

“
Shut up,
”
he growled.
“
I don
’
t want to hear your excuses. That
’
s all you
’
ve ever given me.
”

My lip trembled, memories of every major fight flitting across my mind. He was right. He was always right. He
’
d always been there for me, even when he had every right not to be, and all I ever did was push him away with my excuses.
“
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
I don
’
t care about your excuses or your apologies. I don
’
t care about any of it anymore.
”
He stopped about a foot away from me, his chest heaving with what
—
aggression, lust? I couldn
’
t read him in that moment.

He took another step forward, then another, slowly closing the distance between us. I remained where I was, frozen with uncertainty.
“
None of it matters anymore because you
’
re mine.
”
Riley cupped my cheek tenderly, his expression at odds with the gesture as his lips curled up into a sneer.
“
You hear me, Vivvy baby. You belong to me. I own you. You can make all the excuses and apologies you want, none of it matters anymore because you
’
re mine.
”

I met his gaze, mine narrowing.
“
No one owns me, Riley. I have to believe it
’
s the virus making you sound like a fucking Neanderthal, but I also know you have to still be in there somewhere. My Riley knows I can never be owned by anyone. Not even you.
”

Riley grabbed my wrists, pushing them over my head as he slid his body against mine.
“
You
’
re mine.
”

“
You
’
re starting to sound like a broken record, one that every I-Man out there likes to play. You can
’
t own me, Riley.
”
My body was responding to his, my adrenaline morphing into lust.
“
But you can still have me
…
for a little while.
”

He pressed his face into my neck, nipping gently.
“
No,
”
he growled low, the soft rumble vibrating his chest in a pleasant way.
“
You
are
mine.
”

I lurched forward, using all of my body weight to throw Riley off balance. When he stumbled backwards, letting go of my wrists, I slammed my palms into his chest, shoving him at the same time as I used my good leg to sweep his feet out of under him. He hit the ground with a thud, all the air escaping his lungs in a grunt. He blinked up at me bewilderedly as if he was still trying to figure out what happened.

I laughed.
“
I told you, I belong to no one. Not even you.
”
But seeing him lying there in front me, not wearing a shirt, his pants slung low on his hips
—
yeah, I kind of wanted to own him. The same irrational, over-powering lust that had taken hold of me for a short time back in the house, washed over me again, shooting through my veins and setting my blood on fire. I let my eyes roam over his body, taking the time to appreciate the perfection that it was. I could almost taste the salt of his skin as I imagined licking my way down the grooves of his abs while I unbuttoned his pants. As if he was sensing the change in me, Riley remained perfectly still, his chest barely moving as if he was almost afraid to breathe.

I ran my tongue over my lower lip, lost in fantasy as I pictured Riley underneath me as I rode his glorious cock. I wanted Riley. And a part of me didn
’
t care where we were or what he was now. I
’
d been raped by an I-Man
—
taken against my will on a dirty bathroom floor, not even fully conscious. It was a violation of more than just my body, but my mind as well. That now dead I-Man had taken away my choice, something that no one should ever have taken away from them. Maybe being with Riley, infected or not, because it was my choice, would give me back some of my feelings of control.
I need to be in control of my mind and body again.

“
Take off your pants,
”
I growled, my voice husky. Riley leaned up on his forearms, readying himself to stand.
“
No. Stop. I want you to stay down.
”

“
I know I might seem like I
’
m part animal and fuck if I don
’
t feel that way
—
but I
’
m not getting twigs and shit up my ass. I
’
m standing.
”

I burst out laughing. It was something my old Riley would say. I remembered him commenting once about a couple in a movie having sex on the beach and how he wouldn
’
t want sand in places where the sun didn
’
t shine, and how Hollywood should be more realistic about that kind of stuff.

My amusement was quickly replaced by raging lust when Riley
’
s erection was freed from his pants. I knew it wasn
’
t the time or place for any of this, but
…
A post-apocalyptic world guarantees horrors in all shapes and sizes. We were probably seconds away from the next ghastly discovery, and maybe beyond control, I just wanted to take the little bit of good while I had the opportunity because I didn
’
t know if and when I
’
d have the chance again. Being with Riley was just something I needed.

“
On your knees then,
”
I commanded, seizing control of the situation. Nodding his acceptance of the alternative to being naked and flat on his back, Riley pushed up to rest on his knees, hand reflexively stroking his swollen cock.
“
Stop. Don
’
t touch it.
”
I licked my lips causing Riley to groan as his pupils dilated to twice their size.
“
I want to
—
I need to
—”

A kind of lust-filled haze smashed into me, consuming my every thought. I dropped down on all fours, my body suddenly blissfully free of any aches and pains. I crawled to Riley, my gaze traveling up and down his exposed flesh, finally settling on his mid-section.

“
Wait
—
fuck.
”
Riley stood, pulling up his pants.
“
We can
’
t. We can
’
t do this. You were raped. You
—”

“
Had the choice taken away from me.
”
I gazed up at him, tugging my top and bra off. His eyes darted to my naked breasts, riveted.
“
Don
’
t take it away again.
”

“
You
’
ll regret this. I don
’
t want to be
—”

“
I won
’
t regret erasing a brutal, horrible thing with something positive. You could never be a regret, Riley. Never.
”

His expression still unsure, Riley
’
s hands hung with uncertainty at his sides.
“
You can
’
t erase it. I wish I could do that for you, but
—”

“
Fuck me now, Riley. Fuck me now before I change my mind.
”
Which was kind of what he was trying to make a point about. He didn
’
t want me to jump into something that would only make things worse. The thing was, this new world didn
’
t let anything happen at a normal pace
—
even healing. It was adapt or die. And there was that point too. I would regret not being with Riley one last time since we probably didn
’
t have much time left to live. That thought caused my chest to tighten. Riley had been my first, and I
’
d always believed he
’
d be my last
…
Just not like this.

I turned around, wiggling out of my pants, and offered Riley a perfect view of my naked ass and pussy. I expected him to pounce on me, even uninfected, I didn
’
t think any man, especially Riley, would have resisted the blatant offering of my body. I glanced over my shoulder to see him still frozen in place, his face a mask of sexual hunger, despite his lack of response.

“
Riley,
”
I purred, moving my ass from side to side.