“What about me?”
“You didn’t.” My face burns. “I mean, I?—”
“You should get some rest.” He settles onto his back, drawing me with him. “Try to sleep. I’ll keep watch.”
I prop myself up on my elbow. “We take shifts.”
“Stubborn.”
“You need sleep, too.”
“Fine.” He sighs, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. “I’ll wake you.”
“You won’t.”
“You know me too well.”
I huff, tracing idle patterns on his chest, following the ridges of muscle and scattered scars. “Can I ask you something?”
His hand strokes my hair lazily. “Mm.”
“Have you…” I’m quiet for a moment, gathering courage. “Ever done this before? With other women. I mean… obviously, you have. That was stupid. But?—”
“I have.”
“A lot?”
“Some.” He tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Does it matter?”
“No. Maybe.” I press my face back against his shoulder. “I just—You clearly knew what you were doing.”
And they probably didn’t leave you hanging, not like me. He probably had amazing sex with them while he doesn’t even want me to. How can I keep up with that?
“There’ve been others,” he says. “Yeah. Some serious, most not. What about you?”
My throat constricts. “I—My parents kept me on a short leash. The only guys I met were ones they approved of.”
“Like Cameron.”
“Like Cameron.” I laugh, but it comes out hollow.
“And now?”
“Zombies kind of put dating on the back burner. Don’t you think?”
“Makes sense.” He continues stroking my hair, the rhythm steady and soothing.
“Relationships wouldn’t work, right?”
His hand stills for a fraction of a second before resuming. “Right.”
Right. It was just a distraction from the apocalypse. We keep each other warm in a world where we can’t leave the fire or lights on. Practical.
His hand catches mine, stilling it against his skin. “You should sleep.”
I nod, swallowing hard. “Good night.”
Despite my racing thoughts and determination to stay alert, the warmth of his body and the exhaustion of the day pull me under.
