smell hit her, something she’d never smelled before, overpowering, foul, and she knew.
Aaron pivoted, catching her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “You stay here. No matter what you hear in there, you stay here.”
“My sister—”
“I’ll go see. You said yourself that you only have this as a last address. It might not be her.”
But the tears in his eyes told her he thought it was. She didn’t want to see her sister like that, didn’t want to, and because of that cowardice, she gripped the door jamb and nodded.
“Keep watch out here, just in case,” he said, and disappeared into the darkness of the house.
She heard him move through the house, the lower level, then saw him advance toward the stairs, the lines of his body tense. She waited, heard the choked sound from above, saw a brief flash from his flashlight, then heard his steps on the stairs. He moved into the doorway, illuminated now by the watery dawn light creeping through the trees, and shook his head, his face drawn.
“Not her. An older couple, shot in the bedroom. Looks like a murder-suicide because the house hasn’t been looted. And they’ve been there awhile. A long while.”
Eden sagged as fear drained from her and she leaned against the door frame. “She doesn’t live here anymore.”
“Doesn’t look like it. But that’s good. There’s still hope.”
Hope. Except where did they look now?
“Let’s find a place to stay for a few hours, maybe come back and check for clues of where we might look next.”
***
They found a house a few blocks down that didn’t seem to have been disturbed, and entered through the back. Eden braced herself for the scent of death, but it didn’t come. These people had escaped, then, or fled. Still, Aaron made her wait by the back door as he cleared the house. She looked over the backyard, wondering if anyone remained in the neighborhood to watch what they were doing. If not, where had they gone? Maybe Kelly had gone there, too.
Aaron reappeared and motioned for her to follow him into the house, closing the door carefully behind him. He motioned up the stairs and she followed. Only when he turned into the master bedroom, with the giant king-sized bed, did she balk.
“What’s the plan here?”
“It’s safer for us to stay together. For one, you won’t startle me into shooting you, and if someone comes in, we’ll be able to stick together.” Again he closed the door behind them. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ravish you.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Ravish?”
He blushed a little. “Whatever. I’m too beat to try anything anyway. I found some bottled water in the kitchen and brought it up in case you want to clean up a little.”
Just for that she could kiss him. She ducked into the adjoining bathroom, found a washcloth and cleaned up with the chilly water from the bottle.
When she emerged, Aaron was already stretched out on the bed, feet crossed at the ankles, hands folded on his stomach, eyes closed. His breath came soft and even, and he might have looked peaceful if not for the gun on the bedside table.
She crossed to the other side of the bed, considered for a moment, and crawled between the softest sheets she’d ever known. Warm now, listening to Aaron’s breathing, tired beyond belief, she was asleep within moments.
***
Aaron woke to the sound of howling dogs. He frowned, oriented himself, only to find Eden had tucked herself under his arm at some point in the night, and her arm was flung across his waist. She smelled good, like expensive soap, and felt even better. The shirt she wore to bed had hitched up around her waist, leaving her legs bare and twined with his.
He let himself enjoy the sensation for a moment—too long—before he battled back his reaction, his desire to flip her onto her back and plunge into her soft, sweet body, to kiss every inch of her skin, to feel her come even as she woke up.
That would be a huge
Aaron pivoted, catching her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “You stay here. No matter what you hear in there, you stay here.”
“My sister—”
“I’ll go see. You said yourself that you only have this as a last address. It might not be her.”
But the tears in his eyes told her he thought it was. She didn’t want to see her sister like that, didn’t want to, and because of that cowardice, she gripped the door jamb and nodded.
“Keep watch out here, just in case,” he said, and disappeared into the darkness of the house.
She heard him move through the house, the lower level, then saw him advance toward the stairs, the lines of his body tense. She waited, heard the choked sound from above, saw a brief flash from his flashlight, then heard his steps on the stairs. He moved into the doorway, illuminated now by the watery dawn light creeping through the trees, and shook his head, his face drawn.
“Not her. An older couple, shot in the bedroom. Looks like a murder-suicide because the house hasn’t been looted. And they’ve been there awhile. A long while.”
Eden sagged as fear drained from her and she leaned against the door frame. “She doesn’t live here anymore.”
“Doesn’t look like it. But that’s good. There’s still hope.”
Hope. Except where did they look now?
“Let’s find a place to stay for a few hours, maybe come back and check for clues of where we might look next.”
***
They found a house a few blocks down that didn’t seem to have been disturbed, and entered through the back. Eden braced herself for the scent of death, but it didn’t come. These people had escaped, then, or fled. Still, Aaron made her wait by the back door as he cleared the house. She looked over the backyard, wondering if anyone remained in the neighborhood to watch what they were doing. If not, where had they gone? Maybe Kelly had gone there, too.
Aaron reappeared and motioned for her to follow him into the house, closing the door carefully behind him. He motioned up the stairs and she followed. Only when he turned into the master bedroom, with the giant king-sized bed, did she balk.
“What’s the plan here?”
“It’s safer for us to stay together. For one, you won’t startle me into shooting you, and if someone comes in, we’ll be able to stick together.” Again he closed the door behind them. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ravish you.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Ravish?”
He blushed a little. “Whatever. I’m too beat to try anything anyway. I found some bottled water in the kitchen and brought it up in case you want to clean up a little.”
Just for that she could kiss him. She ducked into the adjoining bathroom, found a washcloth and cleaned up with the chilly water from the bottle.
When she emerged, Aaron was already stretched out on the bed, feet crossed at the ankles, hands folded on his stomach, eyes closed. His breath came soft and even, and he might have looked peaceful if not for the gun on the bedside table.
She crossed to the other side of the bed, considered for a moment, and crawled between the softest sheets she’d ever known. Warm now, listening to Aaron’s breathing, tired beyond belief, she was asleep within moments.
***
Aaron woke to the sound of howling dogs. He frowned, oriented himself, only to find Eden had tucked herself under his arm at some point in the night, and her arm was flung across his waist. She smelled good, like expensive soap, and felt even better. The shirt she wore to bed had hitched up around her waist, leaving her legs bare and twined with his.
He let himself enjoy the sensation for a moment—too long—before he battled back his reaction, his desire to flip her onto her back and plunge into her soft, sweet body, to kiss every inch of her skin, to feel her come even as she woke up.
That would be a huge
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