“I’m so sorry.” The way she said it was so genuine, so sincere, as if she knew the pain of losing someone close.
She probably does.
The silence stretched on again, but he didn’t have any words to speak right now. He also didn’t want to envision what those soldiers had seen when they went after his parents. As an only child, and both his parents not having any siblings, he was truly alone.
“We can only look toward the future now, whatever future that might be.”
He stared at her and nodded.
Breathing out a sigh, she stood. “I’m going for a swim out back.”
“It’s got to be cold as hell for a swim.”
She smiled again, but it was still sad. “Yeah, but it helps me clear my thoughts, and I want to get in a few more before it becomes really cold.”
He didn’t remind her getting sick in this fucked up world wasn’t the best option. It might still be warm enough that T-shirts and shorts were fine, but taking a dip in the water was another story.
She looked down at the food sitting on the tray, half eaten. “Make sure to finish your food. You need all that protein to help you heal.” Maya smiled, and he felt his whole body tighten. She had a little dimple in one of her cheeks, and it made her look even more gorgeous. “If you want to get strong and help out, I need you to finish the food. I have some manual labor that needs to be done.” She chuckled after she spoke and went to walk past the couch.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, shocking himself. She looked equally surprised. “I don’t think you should go out there, at least not alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Trust me, I know how to handle myself, and Sherman knows if someone is close that shouldn’t be here. Besides, I’ve been here alone for months before I found you.” She said that softly, not in an angry way, just in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I should come out there with you.”
She looked sympathetic. “No offense, but you needed help coming into the living room. Not sure you’d be much help out there.” She smiled, but it was a bit forced. “I always take a swim, so I’ll be fine.”
And before he could argue anymore, she was gone, and Sherman followed behind.
It took a few minutes before Marius finally finished his lunch. He stood and took the tray with the dishes into the kitchen. The window above the sink faced the back property and the lake, and although he saw Maya walking toward the water and should’ve turned around and given her privacy, he found himself rooted to the spot.
She bent down and rubbed her hand over Sherman’s head when they reached the edge of the water, and a second later, the dog jumped in. She had been carrying a rifle, and when she set it down and started removing the various other weapons she had stashed on her body, he couldn’t help but smile.
But it was when she started getting undressed that he had to reach down and grip the edge of the counter. He pressed his fingers into the metal, heard his nails scrape along it, and knew he was being a motherfucker for even watching her. She didn’t get nude, but her white panties looked small, and her bra was white too.
Those would be transparent once she was in the water. He wanted to go out there and make sure she was protected, be her guard while she swam, but she was right that he wouldn’t be much help.
That doesn’t mean you can’t stand watch for her, even if she doesn’t know it.
When she started swimming, he moved from the sink and grabbed the gun that was leaning against the wall beside the front door. His cock was hard, but there was no getting that fucker to go down. He wanted Maya.
He stepped onto the front porch and walked around to the side. Leaning against the banister, he scanned the woods, keeping his eyes trained on anything that was suspicious. Aside from a flock of birds that flew overhead, everything was silent, still almost.
He turned his focus back on Maya and saw her swimming toward him now. Her moves were elegant, fluid, and as the water rippled away from her, all he could think about was how her bra and panties would be soaked, see-through. God, he was so hard for her, but he knew nothing could happen between them.
She might still want him to leave, even if she mentioned him getting strong to help around the farm. They hardly knew anything about each other, and he knew even less about her than she did him. She’d gotten up far too soon during their conversation, and he knew it was because she didn’t know what to make of his involvement in the infection.