I hoped that at least my violent blush wouldn’t be visible in the fading light, because Einar’s real intent behind this decision was glaringly obvious.
Jean-Luc quickly looked away with a choked cough, but Albert chuckled, shaking his head amusedly.
“Seriously?! What if more infected come?” he protested.
“That’s simple, just drive away,” Einar deadpanned. “Let’s go, love.” He put his hand on the small of my back as if to propel me forward, ushering me away from any further discussion.
We trudged the narrow dirt path in silence all along the camping village and then between sleepy wood and golden fields. All the while, my embarrassment was gradually turning into excitement. With ferocity made possible only by seeing too much death in the space of a single day, I found myself looking forward to the feel of Einar’s marvellously warm, live body pressed against mine, to the masculine musk of it, so pleasant after the sickly-sweet smell of decay.
The beach strip opened in front of us. The setting sun was bleeding dramatically into the frothing sea, making its gentle waves blaze orange, pink and purple. Even the white sand was painted with warm light.
“Oh, how marvellous! Beach at sunset!” I exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm. “It couldn’t have been more perfect if you planned it!”
The excited grin froze on my lips when I noticed Einar’s sheepish expression.
“Wait ...did youplan it?”
He stopped in his tracks, and so did I, my feet sinking into the moist sand. Einar took a deep breath and lookedapprehensively into my face, the dusk’s glow splendid in his eyes.
“I might have ... I’d hoped it could be nice if I timed it right. Minus all the cadavers and cannibals, of course. Not that you seem to mind those too much.”
Anxious lines materialised on his forehead as he arched his eyebrows slightly in assessment of my reaction. I realised that my lower jaw was hanging low, my mouth opened in a perfect, incredulous ‘O’. I closed it promptly.
“Why?” I asked simply. “Why would you go to any trouble at all forme?”
His hands sought mine, and our fingers intertwined. The wet sand itched on my ankles, but I refrained from scratching myself, not wanting to disturb the delicate harmony of the moment.
“Yesterday, you asked me whether I didn’t think you were worth any effort. I felt bad about making you question that. I just wanted to show you that, from what I know of you already, I think you are worth a great deal of it.”
The tremulous smile he gave me made the breath catch in my throat. He traced my cheek softly with his fingertips, and my innards dissolved in warm wax.
“But ...why?”
His smile widened as he ran his fingers through my hair. He raised his eyes momentarily to the orb melting pinkly into the waves before turning his sight back on me with a discreetly fervent look.
“Because I want to,” he replied simply and enveloped me in an embrace with a measured pull of his hands, still not taking his eyes off my face. “Because if the past months have taught me anything, it’s how very short life is. And there are rarely second chances when you let an opportunity pass you by.” He kissed myforehead. “Because your eyes are almost green in this light and your hair looks aflame.”
He took a step back, not letting go of my hands.
“Because there are only a few extraordinary moments in life that feel as if the whole universe conspired to give them to you. Only fools cover their ears when they hear their destiny calling.”
We lunged at each other then with the kind of madness that only raging, mutual need could incite. I staggered backwards with the hard impact of Einar’s solid bulk against my considerably more compact frame. But he held me fast, steadying me. I threw my bow and quiver to the ground. We peeled each other’s clothes off in a mindless frenzy, and I pressed my body to his with a loud moan. We kissed hungrily, clumsily, our teeth colliding, noses and hair getting in the way. We separated after a while, both panting, only for him to sweep me off my feet effortlessly and set me down on top of himself as he lay down in the sand.
I cried out when I lowered my hips to take all of him in at once, greedily and voraciously, without caution.
He grabbed my hands and placed them firmly on the flesh near my entrance, only to pull them to the side.
“Stay this way,” he commanded. “Spread apart and on full display for me.”
His hands closed around my hips to lift me until only the tip of him remained inside, before he brought me crashing down, slamming into my cervix like a battering ram trying to break through. Violent, brutal pleasure rippled through me.
“All I could think of today was how much I wanted to watch you make yourself come on my cock,” he rasped, lifting me again.
I was only able to reply with an incoherent ‘aaaah’ as he jerked me back down. And then ‘ooooooh’ as I ground my hips against him without rising, keeping him pressed firmly againstmy cervix, working our contact against my clit into unyielding friction.
“That’s it, be a good girl and show me how well you can fuck yourself on me. Use me like your toy, like something that only exists for your enjoyment.”
When I made to rise again, his grip on me hardened to assist me, the traction against the swollen bud of my mounting arousal undiminished, the tip of his hardness inside gliding firmly across my front wall until it touched an area that made me spasm with bliss. I stopped in my upwards trajectory, and he didn’t force me any further. Instead, he held me fast, helping me stay in the position I enjoyed. Guided by the rhythm of the sea waves, I swayed, letting him rub the sweet spot inside, and I tilted my head backwards with a moan, looking up into the bleeding skies.
