Now she felt that way all over again about Travis. It was shocking, yet very good at the same time. He was as much an amazing a man as Lydia had been an amazing woman.
Travis opened the door, looking very serious, but as soon as he rested eyes on her, a smile spread on his lips.
“Lunch?” She lifted the plate for him to see.
“Yeah, sure. Bring it in,” he said, stepping back to let her enter. “I was just working on some plans to make the new entry more
secure. ”
Slipping past him, Katie moved toward his office. “How’s it going?”
“Okay. I just get real paranoid that those things are going to get in and I start second guessing what we are doing,” Travis said following her down the hall.
Laying the plate on a desk, she turned to look at him. “I think we’re all a little paranoid about those things. ”
“Yeah, but after yesterday I admit my paranoia is a little worse,”
Travis said with a grimace. “I just…” He sighed and sat on the edge of the desk, his hands in his jean pockets. “I just feel like I need to work harder on coming up with good ideas to keep us all safe. ” He looked toward her. “Keeping you safe. ”
Katie gave him a soft smile as she moved into his arms and laid her hands on the sides of his neck. His hands were warm against her skin as he slid them under her top to rest on her waist. “Well, you’re doing a great job so far keeping us all safe. I know a lot of us are very, very grateful to you. ”
Travis looked almost sheepish as he looked up at her. “Yeah, well, just trying…”
“And doing a good job,” she answered. She stroked the curls on the nape of his neck. She could see the stress lines around his eyes and brow fade as he smiled up at her.
“I look at you and I want to save the world. I can’t help it,” he answered.
“Are you sweet talking me again?” she lightly kidded.
He laughed and shook his head. “No, no. I mean it. But I always had grandiose dreams. ” His gaze grew more intense as he looked up at her. “Sometimes I get lucky and they come true. ”
Katie smiled softly at him and kissed him. He immediately responded and the kiss deepened as the passion rose quickly between them. Katie relished the feel of his lips and tongue against hers. As his hands slid up to unfasten her bra, she drew back long enough to whisper, “What about lunch?”
“Later,” Travis whispered huskily, and kissed her again.
It was hard to resist his touch and harder to resist her own desire for him. She felt absolutely intoxicated with him. As their kisses grew more fevered, they struggled to free each other from their clothes. The hunger for each other was so intense, they never made it close to Travis’ sofa bed or fully managed to undress.
Chapter 10
1. Past, Present, Future
Jenni was annoyed. Up three stories from street level on the fire escape of the hotel, she was on sentry duty overlooking where Main St. intersected Morris Avenue. It was way too hot and windy and the chair she had dragged out to sit on wasn’t very comfortable. This, on top of the insinuation that Juan was behind Jimmy joining the ranks of the undead, was really annoying.
Slouching down in her chair, holding her rifle across her lap, and hooking her foot up on railing, she looked over the street as the wind blew her dark hair around her face. She wished a fucking zombie would show up so she could blow its head off. It would make her feel so much better.
When the window opened and Katie slipped out, Jenni was surprised, but relieved.
“Hey girlfriend!”
“Hey,” Katie answered. She kissed Jenni’s forehead, then sat down on the windowsill and looked over the street. “Quiet, huh?”
“I find myself craving zombies. Isn’t that twisted?”
“It’s been a weird day,” Katie decided.
“But lunch was good. ”
“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?” Katie grinned, but her expression was odd.