Page 75 of His to Burn
That thought cut deep.
Reminded me of who I let down.
I was doing…whatever it was I was doing with Asia, but I had other priorities—someone who depended on me.
Asia complicated things, and every meal, every good hour of sleep, every moment with her was a betrayal.
My check of the lower floors revealed everything was still locked up tight, so Iventured up to the third floor and quickly peeked out into the neighborhood.
Everything was as it had been since we’d arrived.
Still.
Eerily silent.
No hint of any of those things around.
Other than the shooting, no sign of other people, either.
I couldn’t say whether that was good or bad, and that not knowing was what kept me on edge.
This place worked out so far, but I couldn’t allow myself to get comfortable.
I also couldn’t be rash.
Survival was the first step in getting back home to Evan, so I couldn’t just go off half-cocked. I needed to keep my wits about me and be ready for whatever. And I needed to make a plan to get to him.
I looked out of the window one last time, doing a quick sweep of the supplies, and then I walked back to the kitchen.
My heart thudded at the sight of Asia.
I should’ve been used to my reaction to her by now. But I still wasn’t.
She made me feel things.
I fucking hated that, too.
Before I met Asia, I was numb. I didn’t see it at the time, but it was undeniable now. Emotions bombarded me from every direction.
Pure, unadulterated joy at seeing her smile.
Anger at the thought of something happening to her.
Frustration at her stubbornness.
Lust of the kind that went beyond a desire for physical release. This lust was primal, stirring me on levels I didn’t even know existed.
I could have chalked it up to the whole apocalypse thing. On some level that was preferable to the truth. But the fact was, Asia would have had this effect on me whatever the circumstances.
Andthatscared the shit out of me.
Asia smiled at me, and my heart did that stupid, little thud thing I both loved and despised. “I hope you like omelets. I didn’t ask,” she said.
“At this point, you should know I’ll eat just about anything,” I responded.
She gave me that impish grin, and I found myself laughing, proving my own point.
What was there to laugh about on an ordinary day? Let alone now, when literally, the entire world was up for grabs?
