scarce. Many have hidden themselves out of fear. Others have gone mad. But I’ve heard of some gathering to form a new society. Once I left here, I was going to check out rumors about an Amish village that’s been taken over.”
“An Amish village? That’s brilliant.”
“Yup, course my visit to check it out will wait now that I’ve found you.” Hannah ducked her head, but he could see the hint of a smile as if his reaffirmation that he would be staying pleased her.
“Do you think they might have some people Beth’s age? I worry about her.”
“Only one way to find out. If we’re going to travel though, we’re going to need more than just my bike. I’ll take a poke around town and see if I can’t find any more motorcycles that can be fixed up. I’ll give you and Beth lessons if you want.” It was a pity so many of the roads were blocked. A car would have made things much easier, but as the panic had spread, people had tried to escape, as if they could outdrive the disease. Some had died in their cars, others had fled when the roads became impassable, and nature had overtaken the rest of the arteries that had once linked the towns. It was surprising how quickly society crumbled with nobody around to tend it. Motorcycles made a decent choice for travel, once you learned how to ride one and if you took it slow. Potholes were common along with debris.
Actually now that Brody thought of all the hazards that could happen on a motorcycle, he wondered if perhaps he should look into a different mode of travel. He refused to take chances with Hannah’s safety.
“Beth can already ride. She had a dirt bike for a while ‘til she wrecked it doing stupid stunts.”
“What about you? Did you want to learn?” Personally, he would prefer her as a passenger holding onto him nice and tight.
“No thank you. Motorcycles are dangerous.” She went silent for a moment as if thinking. “Will humanity survive?” she asked, looking him in the face with a serious mien.
“Of course we will. We’re a stubborn bunch. Tell you what. We can get started right now on repopulating the species if you’d like,” he said with a naughty grin, stopping in front of the wide display window for the mattress store.
With a shriek, Hannah came after him, and Brody skipped out of her reach. While she pretended outrage at his comment, the flush on her cheeks and sparkle in her eyes told him the idea had merit. And his jest had done the trick and chased the shadows from her face.
When she slowed down her chase, with a mock growl, he U-turned and stalked her.
With her chest panting and her lips moist from running her tongue over them, she watched him come. While she said a halfhearted, “No,” she didn’t stop him when he caught her in his arms and lowered his lips for a kiss.
He meant it to be a light caress, a gentle reminder of the passion they’d shared, but he’d dreamed of her for too long. When she moaned softly, he crushed her soft body to his and slanted his lips forcefully across hers.
She tasted as sweet as he remembered and when she opened her mouth and let her tongue delve into his, Brody groaned against her mouth. His hands slid down her back to cup her full bottom, and he squeezed those cheeks, their rounded weight making his cock throb. He pulled her hard against his groin, letting her feel his erection but, to his confusion, he felt her hands push at him. Reluctantly, he let her go.
She panted, her eyes heavy lidded and lips swollen. “I can’t. It’s too soon.” Her face crumpled a bit as if she would cry.
Brody clenched his fists, angry at himself for pushing her too fast. “I can wait.” For her, he would do anything.
She looked like wanted to speak again, but instead she rubbed her eyes and turned away to walk briskly toward the hardware store.
Brody followed, hating he’d hurt her, but unable to stop the euphoria at having had her even if briefly in his arms.
I will make her love me again.
That evening when they’d all gathered for dinner-with Hannah studiously ignoring Brody lest she throw him over the table and have him for supper-she brought up the Amish visit.
“Brody was telling me today about the possibility of some survivors taking up residence in that Amish parish.”
Uncle Fred’s eyes brightened. “It makes sense. Everything a person would need in this new world would be there from livestock to homes that work without electricity to barns and churns and…”
Fred rambled on for several minutes ‘til Beth with the impatience of youth interrupted him. “So when do we leave?”
“Well, we can’t just leave,” said Hannah, taken aback by her sister’s eagerness. “Remember these are just rumors.”
“Then why mention it?” cried Beth. “Or do you just not care about me? You’ve got Brody now, so who cares if I’m all alone, right?”
“I don’t have Brody,” Hannah said more sharply than intended. “And don’t be silly. Of course I don’t want you to be alone. But the nearest Amish village was at least an eight-hour drive when the roads were clear. Now we’ve got figure that with detours and stuff it could take twelve hours or more. Not to mention we don’t exactly have a vehicle to take us all, or had you forgotten that?”
Beth opened her mouth to retort but burst into tears instead.
Hannah, immune to her sister’s melodramatic habits, fought an urge to roll her eyes. Brody, however, had never had a little sister used to getting her way.
“Listen, I’ll get to work on finding a way for us all to get there okay? And if we don’t find people at that Amish village, then we’ll keep searching. I promise you, we’ll find survivors, Beth. Nobody wants you to be alone.”
With glistening eyes, Beth beamed at Brody, and Hannah tried to ignore her discomfort. Brody shouldn’t make promises he couldn’t be sure of keeping. What if they didn’t find anybody?
What if Brody is the last man left on earth? I don’t think I could share, even with my sister.
The rest of dinner passed with idle chit-chat. It wasn’t until Hannah prepared for bed that she could really think about the kiss she and Brody had shared. She’d spent the rest of that afternoon in town looking for supplies in a state of heightened awareness. Every movement made her clothes chafe against her sensitive skin, and each time she accidentally caught his eye, she’d relived that brief moment of pleasure. Worse, she wanted to do it again without stopping him. Her body ached with longing.
Pulling out her vibrator, she tried to muster enthusiasm, but how could she enjoy herself when what she really craved sat just downstairs? The cold plastic of her toy could not match the thickness of his cock.
With a snort of disgust, she threw the vibrator back into the drawer and slammed it shut. Stripping, she prepared to go to bed, but once under her sheet, she tossed and turned, too restless to sleep-too hot and horny.
She hopped out of bed and went to her window, opening it wider, hoping for a cooling breeze. Instead she heard the strains of music and a weird ticking sound coming from below her window on the front porch. Intrigued, even as she knew who the culprit had to be, she padded barefoot down the steps in her night shorts and tank top.
The front door gaped open with only the screen door shut. Looking out, she saw Brody sitting on the front step holding a long stick.
Curious she stepped out. “What are you doing?”
Tilting his head to look back at her, he smiled. “Preparing to go fishing tomorrow. I thought you might enjoy a change in fare.”
Hannah’s mouth watered at the thought of fresh fish fillets. She hadn’t had meat other than chicken in forever. They’d never taught trapping skills in home economics.
“You know how to fish?” she asked, coming to sit beside him.
Brody chuckled. “Who doesn’t?”
