PLAYTHING

I woke up empty.

I woke up alone.

It should have been pleasing waking up lacking a zombie in my bed for the first time in nearly a week.

Instead, I hurt. My heart ached, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, let alone think.

The hunter, when he’d been human, had tried to get close to me. He’d gone to the same school, been interested in the same stuff. Oh, God, I didn’t want to torment myself by thinking of the ‘what if’s the situation easily spewed forth, had the infection never happened.

My stomach turned and my head spun. Trying to still the careening universe, I rolled over.

I spotted him sitting in the corner of the room, resting against the far walls.

He was wearing his hood up again.

I sat up, suddenly pissed off. “Take your hood off.” It was an order, barked by my raspy morning voice.

His head moved slightly to once side, but the rest of him remained still as stone.

I threw the covers off, stomping over to him and grabbing at his hood.

“I said take it off. I don’t like it when you wear it.”

He hissed at me, showing me his teeth while he was at it, and ripped his head free of my grasp.

Oh. No. He. Did. Not. I was going to have none of his bullshit. I was hurt and confused, and would put up with nothing today.

“I said take it off!”

My hands pulled the sides of his hood back, forcing the cloth away from his face faster than he could react.

I gasped, keeping my hands gripped tightly on the hood.

He looked up at me with hurt in his eyes.

Realization suddenly flooded over me, and I understood where his sadness had come from. He’d been brave enough to open his heart to me the night before, and I’d brushed him off, telling him that I needed to be alone.

After he’d left the room, I’d done another damn good job of tearing up and sobbing like a child. By the time I’d curled up on the bed, hoping to fall asleep from mental exhaustion, my eyes hurt like a son of a bitch and my throat was raw.

He thought I’d completely rejected him.

My hand reached out, seemingly of its own accord, and stroked his cheek.

He remained motionless, staring up at me from the floor.

I slowly drifted to my knees, sitting in front of him.

And did something no one on the face of the planet could have predicted.

I kissed him.

A gentle kiss, but full on the lips no less.

He didn’t expect it.

Hell, neither did I.

But the next thing I knew, I was pressed into sheets of the bed, the hunter pinning me down with his weight and snarling against the side of my neck.

I shouldn’t have shuddered in excitement. I knew I shouldn’t have.

I did anyway.

He remained gentle, though I could easily detect the franticness within him, as he kissed my shoulders and neck. His teeth raking across my collarbone elected a gasp from me, and he growled against my skin in appreciation.

I paused for a moment, trying to clear my head. He stopped as I did, his hair falling about my cheek.

Without really thinking about it, I knew he’d stop if I so much as mumbled the word ‘no.’

But did I really want him to?

I was beyond thought. I wanted to feel. Besides, what did any of it matter? It wasn’t hard to guess how much he wanted me.

Would letting him have his way be so terrible?

No. No it fucking wouldn’t.

I shoved my fingers through his hair, pressing his face against my neck.

He didn’t need another invitation. His smooth hands traced up my hips, his fingers stopping only long enough to get under my shirt. I could feel my legs scissoring underneath him. Good God, his legs were muscular. My hands moved from his hair to his shoulders as his hands moved from my stomach upward.

We both paused when his thumbs swept past my nipples.

Holy shit.

It was like someone had started a fire inside of my skin.

His touch was electric – gentle and strong at the same time – and I wondered why I hadn’t done this sooner.

I dug my nails into his back and was rewarded with a moan that curled my toes.

My shirt was pushed up slightly, and his head dipped down. I felt his lips place kisses across my stomach, then slowly move upward. His fingers tried to pull apart my top but I swatted his hands away and eased onto my elbows, pulling the shirt up and over my head.

I’d always been a teeny bit self conscious. I think most women have something about themselves that they don’t like.

Me? I don’t like the way I look naked. At all.

My forearms covered my breasts, and I turned my head away from him, suddenly feeling awkward. I could feel heat rising to my cheeks.

I wasn’t used to this much attention.

He, apparently, was intent on his worship of me.

Without missing a beat, his body moved and he began to kiss his way across my face. I could hear the words he couldn’t say as he nuzzled my cheeks and let his hands slide up and down my waist. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see he thought I was beautiful.

His fingers tugged at the bottom of my elbows, pulling my arms away from my chest.

I knew my face was red without having to look in a mirror. I kept my face turned away from him, but let my hands snake their way back up his well-toned arms and up his shoulders.

I gasped when I felt him take a nipple into his mouth.

Oh, sweet zombie Jesus.

Was this what I’d been missing? Holy fuck, I was an idiot.

My back arced against his lips and I won another moan from him. His tongue teased and teeth tormented me in ways I wasn’t aware existed. I was out of breath already, and he was still completely clothed.

Well, not for long.

I attacked his sweater, ripping it right up and over his head. He didn’t protest in the slightest, and once he was free of the shirt he immediately pressed his chest against mine. His skin was like an inferno against me, and I shivered in delight.

Feeling decidedly wicked, I hooked a leg around his hips and pushed upward against him.

Believe me, he was there. Holy fuck he was there. I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips.

I could feel his cock against the inside of my thigh, our bodies separated by my boxer shorts and his sweatpants.

Without even having to think of it, I knew I was the only thing on his mind. Yet his hands reminded calm no matter how labored his breathing became.

He eased up and pressed his weight onto his elbows, his face even with mine. His breath was hot as it cascaded in heavy waves over my face. His lips descended on mine, starved for my kiss. I could feel his weight shift to one elbow while his free hand worked its way down to my hips again. He hooked a finger in the elastic of my shorts began to tug.

I placed a hand on his, stilling him. I smiled against his kiss, and he pulled back, whimpering.

“You first.”

I slid my hand down his back and tugged on the drawstring of his pants. A deep sound resonated throughout him. I vaguely wondered if he was purring, it sounded so similar. Whatever it was, I knew I was doing right by it.

He eased his hips up and let me slid his pants off. His milky eyes were level with mine the entire time, his lips parted and his breath heady as it fell over my skin. His hands immediately went to my hips. I had to admit that I loved the growl that accompanied his struggle, his clawed fingers pulling at the fabric that still covered me.

I slid my shorts off and swallowed, not completely knowing what to expect.

The hunter pressed his face against my neck, inhaling deeply. His breath was warm as he exhaled, his hand casually making its way up my legs and between my thighs.

I didn’t have time to protest. I hardly had time to breathe at all.

One second I was anticipating his actions, the next my back was arched and his finger was inside of me.

Holy shit. Hooo-leee shit.

He bit at my neck and I quivered beneath him, scratching at his shoulders and mewling as his hands went to work between my legs. I moved my hips with the motion of his palm, trying to make myself breathe again but failing miserably. I was light headed, but so long as he didn’t stop what he was doing I really couldn’t have given less of a damn. The apartment could have been on fire for all I cared.

Despite not being able to open a can of fruit, he was damn good with his hands.

Fuck, it was all so quick. I was almost there already; I could feel my body straining against his hand for sweet release.

Then, the world came tumbling down. His fingers left me, his palm leaving the bundle of nerves between my thighs.

I tried to take a deep breath, readying myself to scream out in pure sexual frustration, but I didn’t have time.

He hooked and elbow under one of my knees, pushed my leg up, and was inside of me before I’d even had time to inhale.

And I’d thought his hand had been something special?

He was all business now, his teeth bared as he growled, pumping against my hips with the speed and force of a runaway train. I didn’t have the strength to protest; I grabbed a hold of his shoulders and went along for the ride, praying I didn’t fall off.

He growled against me, nailing me to the mattress.

All of that tension that had built up in my body before had increased tenfold, my head threatening to explode.

He bit me on the neck, snarling against my skin.

That did it for me.

The entire room heaved and I vaguely heard myself scream, as if from far away. I clamped my eyes shut, riding the wave of pleasure he’d delivered.

His pumping became frantic, and his breathing coarse. I heard him suck in a huge gulp of air.

He roared into my neck, his hands clamping down on my ass.

I could feel his taut muscles jerk and spasm; his back tightening, the muscles in his neck bulging, his legs straining. He began to pant against me, sucking in air as if he’d almost drown moments before.

He fell on me, completely spent.

His exhaustion, however, was apparently ignored as I watched him bring his hand up and place it on my cheek.

He turned my head toward him and stole a sweet, gentle kiss.

His hips moved, and he pulled out. I was dimly aware that I felt empty without him in me. I didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought, however, for he pulled me close against him, both of us lying on our sides, and reached for the sheets to covers us with.

When he pulled me close, I realized I could feel his heartbeat. It was a deep, steady rhythm, much like his breathing. His free hand caressed my skin, from my hips and legs all the way up to my face, his eyes closed all the while.

I feel asleep, feeling better than I had in a long damn time.

Too bad I woke up with a feeling in my stomach that made me wonder if I’d swallowed a bag of quick-dry cement before I’d fallen asleep. The hunter still had his arms around me, our bodies touching and warming one another.

I felt like I was going to throw up. I tried to ease out of his grasp without waking him, and was a little more than surprised when I’d succeeded. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t even flinched, as I pulled my body away from his.

Pulling on a t-shirt from the dresser, I shoved my arms through the holes in it and brought it over my head, trying to tiptoe out of the bedroom as quickly and quietly as I could.

Oh, dear God. What had I done?

I’d fucked a zombie, that’s what I’d done. Well, I’d mostly let the zombie fuck me, but who was going to argue the case? Point: we’d down the horizontal nasty.

What about afterward?

He’d gotten what he’d been pining after for nearly a week. What would my life matter to him now?

Would he kill me?

Shit, Zoey, you are so depressing.

You’d just had the sex of your life – with a zombie, no less; don’t forget – and it’s only now you’re worrying about the repercussions?

I was winning all kinds of awards tonight, wasn’t I?

I felt as if I were about to puke. I turned on the faucet in the kitchen and stuck my head under the rush of water, hoping I could calm myself down enough to try and think about a solution to my problem.

I should have been thinking of a way out a week ago. Surely not after I’d let him give me a good dicking.

The water fell and soaked the rim of the shirt, wetting my shoulders and parts of my back as I stood back up. I turned the faucet off, my hands shaking.

What, then, if he really did decide to kill me? I could fight him, sure, but he was more than capable of killing me whenever he wanted. Why was he so intent on keeping me alive?

I didn’t want to be some zombie’s fuck doll.

I wasn’t going to be his plaything.

I sucked in a deep breath, turned on my heel, and was promptly bowled over by a wall of flesh.

The hunter, having apparently been woken up, crushed his body against mine. My back was against the fridge, and with his hands on either side of my waist I was left with nowhere to go.

Not that I could really run, anyway. He'd catch me easily.

I felt his lips nip at my collarbone, his sultry purr resonating throughout. I gulped, not quite so resolved to tell him off as I had been a few moments before.

His hand came up and fell to my cheek, his lips dancing their way across my forehead.

He moved his head and looked down at me, as if he were curious as to why I wasn’t moving in response.

The adoration I saw in his eyes eased me, even though I knew it shouldn’t.

I wasn’t his plaything.

I was his dream girl, even if he was not who he once was. Though his body may have been scrambled, his heart and mind were intact.

It was a sad realization, but I knew that he cared for me more than the look in his eyes could convey.

I kissed him, knowing that going back had never been an option.

His gentleness still came to a surprise to me, having been used to his eating habits.

But, hey, I wasn’t going to complain. Those hands of his sparked a fire in me I’d never felt before, and I wasn’t going to bitch about such a nice gift.

His hands were underneath my shirt in an instant, and his hips pressed against mine. He bent his knees and lifted me easily off the floor with only his lower body. Damn, he was good.

I pulled my shirt off after I noticed how naked he still was. His hips continued to press against mine as his hands lifted my legs higher.

He didn’t want me.

He needed me.

It was almost palpable in the way he touched me, the way he moaned against me as our bodies touched.

Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to deny him. Not after the performance earlier.

I arched against the cool surface of the fridge, pressing my chest against him. His skin burned.

Holy fuck. Why had I chided myself about liking this earlier? My mind drew a blank.

Oh well. Didn’t matter.

All that did matter was the fact that I needed him inside of me.

Right. Fucking. Now.

And I was glad to know that he wanted me just as bad – or else he could read my mind, too – because he wrapped an arm around one of my knees to steady me against him, set his other hand on the top of the fridge to steady himself, and dove right inside.

My arms slid around his neck, one hand getting a good grip in his hair. I jerked his head back and, feeling ferocious and powerful, bit his neck.

His breath hissed as he inhaled sharply. I felt his chest tighten for only the span of a breath before he began pumping like a crazed animal. He snarled into my ear and my entire body erupted in goose bumps.

The fridge knocked against the wall as he mercilessly nailed me against the door. A steady, loud, continuous thumping echoed throughout the apartment, drowning out my pants and pleadings.

God, if I didn’t get release I was going to fucking explode.

My prayers were answered. Holy shit, were they ever. His nails dug into my ass as he pumped me, just enough to send me right over the edge I’d been teetering on.

So generous; he made sure I was happy before took anything for himself. I collapsed against him, my arms falling limp as I struggled to breathe.

It didn’t take him long to join me. Hell, he’d only been a few steps behind the entire time.

His roar of pleasure was satisfying in a way the sex hadn’t been. I had complete control over him; I had the key to what he wanted, what he needed, what his body and mind craved.

He knew, however, that all he had to do was ask.

We stayed like that, me up in the air and supported only by his hips, until our breathing slowed. He’d slumped against me, that sweet, low purring noise coming from him again.

As he pulled out, I mewled in disappointment. I felt, however, his smile as his lips curved up, deviously, against my cheek.

Without allowing my feet to touch the ground, he carried me back to the bedroom, despite his tired limbs. He tossed me in the middle of the bed, facing the ceiling, before he climbed atop me and grinned.

His hands swept up my inner thighs, urging my legs apart.

More already? Christ, I doubted I could stand and he wanted more?

His hips didn’t dip toward mine, however.

His upper body did.

I knew, the moment his tongue began to kiss and bite at the inside of my thighs, that I had no chance. I heard him inhale, and then whine.

His head dipped lower.

Fuck.

I felt his tongue lash out, and his mouth pressed against the wetness between my legs.

Everything on my body was still so sensitive from when he’d fucked me against the fridge, I couldn’t even open my mouth to protest.

Not that I was going to.

My hips tried to match the push and pull of his tongue and teeth. He moaned, nearly setting me over the edge then and there, but he stilled his lips at the last moment, stealing from me my sweet release. His hand steadied my thighs, pinning me down to the mattress.

I was at his mercy.

I whimpered, balling up the sheets in my hands, and met his milky eyes with desperation unashamedly plastered across my face.

I didn’t have to ask twice. He went back to work and, at the last second, before I began to soar, he moaned against me again, deep and echoing.

My hips kicked up against him, despite his strong grip, and I called out, thrashing my head from side to side.

God damn how good he was.

After he’d taken me as far as I could go, he lazily crawled next to me, flopping down unceremoniously.

I didn’t care about anything any longer, save for him. I rolled over, pushing myself as close to him as I could possibly manage. He pulled the covers up and over us, like he had done earlier, and wrapped his arms around me.

I didn’t have to look at his face to know the size of smile he wore on it.