Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45773 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
He keeps peppering kisses all over my face, his arms steel bands around me.
Chapter 8
Jai
It’s been minutes since I’ve stopped crying, and neither of us has said a word.
Feeling totally out of it, I murmur, “I found out your last name is Daniels.”
“Yeah.” Chance reaches up and turns off the faucet.
He pulls me to my feet, and taking a towel from the bag, he starts to dry my body.
“I didn’t know your last name until today.” My voice is drained of all emotion, my mind sluggish.
“Is that why you were so upset?” he asks as he rubs the wooly fabric over my hair.
“No.”
“Honestly, I thought you knew my last name.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t.”
“Had I known, I would’ve told you sooner.” His eyes lock on my chest. It’s covered in bruises from when he gave me CPR. Gently, he brushes his fingertips over my skin. “Sorry. I panicked when I pulled you out, and you weren’t breathing.”
“It’s okay,” I assure him. “You saved my life. Again.”
His eyes lock on mine. “And I’ll keep saving it to keep you with me.” Tilting his head, he asks, “Why did you start crying when you saw me?”
My chin starts to tremble, and I take a moment to breathe the blow of heartache away. “I saw my mom.”
His features tense, and he gives me a worried look. “I’m going to assume it didn’t go well.”
Nodding, I suck in a shuddering breath. “She was cold… like I meant nothing to her.”
Chance leans down and stares hard into my eyes. “You. Mean. Everything. To. Me.”
I nod again, swallowing the lump of heartache down. Face to face with the man who’s saved my life more times than I can count and who’s killed for me, I realize the world can burn down as long as I have him.
“I love you,” I whisper. “You mean everything to me, too.”
His eyes soften, and lifting his hands to frame my cheeks, he looks at me like I’m his reason for living. Slowly, he closes the distance between us and presses a tender kiss to my mouth.
Needing him more than ever, I deepen the kiss until he takes over. Gripping my butt, he lifts me against his muscled body, and I wrap my legs around his waist.
This time his hard length enters me slowly, a groan rumbling from his chest.
“Say it again,” he demands.
“I love you,” I breathe.
I’m pushed against the wall as he strokes his hardness in and out of me, the expression on his face filled with reverence.
“You and me,” he says as he keeps filling me slowly, savoring every inch.
“Just us,” I agree.
Chance was right. Caring about other people hurts. From now on, I’ll focus only on him.
Neither of us is tired after the crazy day we’ve had.
Chance tugs one of his sweaters over my head, then shrugs our bag over his shoulder. Taking my hand, he pulls me out of the bathroom.
Instead of going to the sleeping quarters, we head out of the building.
Once we pass the lining of trees, I ask, “Where are we going?”
“Some place quiet,” he murmurs.
We walk in silence for a couple of minutes, then he says, “I figure we can both do with some alone time.”
I squeeze his hand and glance up at the stars that are shining brightly overhead. The sound of insects buzz around us.
“It’s peaceful out here,” I whisper.
“Yeah.”
When we reach a hill, Chance finally stops. He drops the bag and nods at the ground. “You okay sleeping out here tonight?”
“Yes.” Being alone with Chance is something my soul desperately needs.
We sit down, and Chance lies back, using the bag as a pillow. He tugs me down until I’m lying beside him, my head resting on his chest.
“Chance Daniels,” I whisper, loving the sound of his name.
“Jasper Matthias,” he chuckles.
“It’s crazy how much has happened since I left the ecocity.”
“Yeah.” He’s quiet for a moment, then asks, “Do you regret leaving?”
Do I?
I miss Dad, but now that I know what’s really going on in the ecocity, I only have one answer. “No.” I clear my throat. “But I don’t like the wards either.”
“We’re just staying until the war is over.”
I turn my head and prop my chin on my palm so I can see his face in the moonlight. “Where will we go afterward?”
“Away.” Lifting his hand, he brushes his fingers through my short strands. “How do you feel about exploring the world?”
“I’ve always wondered if there’s more out there,” I admit. “It’s hard to believe we’re all that’s left of mankind.”
“Me too.”
My teeth worry my bottom lip. “But what if we find other people, and they're worse?”
Chance moves his hand to the back of my neck, his thumb caressing the skin beneath my ear.
“I’ve thought about that too.” He takes a deep breath. “Maybe we should just find a place we can make our own. I know there’s a stretch of land north. It’s a four-hour walk from here.”