Of course, most of Earth’s governments hadn’t believed they were here to help and instead spread rumors that claimed they were here to take over the planet. That was a dark chapter in Earth’s history and the reason why our planet got fucked the way it did. Now, we were working with the Xarc’n warriors to save what we could. Well, at least some of us were.
“I can take the books,” Natalie said, offering a hand.
“Here,” I said, handing her my much lighter project bag instead. “Take this if you want to help. I want to come visit anyway and say hi to everyone.”
I had ulterior motives. The food in the original main survivor building was decent, especially now that Janice and her team had a good set of recipes designed to use up the food we’d stockpiled, grew, or traded for, but nothing beat Evie’s cooking. Over at the hunters’ compound she was a bit of a legend and I didn’t quite believe it myself until I visited one fateful evening and had some of the leftovers.
We used to have Siobhan’s pies, which rivaled Evie’s mystery mashups, but Siobhan spent most of her time with her hunter now making deliveries across the continent.
Finding an excuse to go over had been why I told Rajiv’k that I’d bring the manuals to him when I got them. Nothing was going to stand in my way of food. I just hoped they had leftovers today. They usually did.
The smell of delicious food greeted me the moment we stepped inside. So did the rush of warm air, making my cheeks feel hot and red. Several pairs of eyes turned to us, and Natalie’s cousin, Alice, grinned and waved.
“Hey Dottie! How’s it going over at the new library?”
I grinned. I found it funny that they still called it the “new” library even though we’d moved it from the old building to the community center a while back.
“Good! There’s more space, but it’s already starting to fill up.”
As Natalie and I made our way into the main room, Alice narrowed her eyes at us. “You’re both drunk.”
Natalie giggled. “It’s not my fault.”
“Nina brought the newest batch of booze she made. It was good, like, really good. But also really strong,” I explained. “I feel great now, but morning is going to suck.”
“Eat something,” Alice suggested. “It’ll help. We’ve got some leftovers. Evie made enchiladas. I’ll pack you some to take home.”
Jackpot! Mission accomplished!
I made my rounds, saying hi to Jack and Lena, and Connie and Jorg’k. Tooth, New Franklin’s squirrel mascot, was nowhere to be seen, and I assumed he was already tucked into his nestfor the night. Waffle, Tilly’s Pomeranian and Maltese mix, was demanding her share of pets and cuddles. Then, after my short stay, I was stepping back out into the cold with a container of saucy enchiladas in hand.
I walked fast, my only goal being to make it back inside before the yummy food got cold. I turned the corner and bumped right into a giant purple chest.
“Whoopsie!”
I looked up, up, and up, into a pair of striking golden eyes. The eyes belonged to a hunter I’d seen around but didn’t know well. His face was chiseled and stern, but in the dim glow of the LED lights illuminating the covered pathway, I could just about make out the streaks of gray in his hair. He must be the Overseer from the lost mothership.
Damn it! I didn’t remember his name. But he was visiting New Franklin for the first annual Trader’s Market that just passed. It wasn’t just the salt-and-pepper hair, though. I also recognized him because the tip of one of his horns was missing.
I’d seen him in passing and admired what a fine specimen he was. He might be a little older than the rest of the hunters, but he kept himself trim and was a total silver fox. And here I was completely plastered to a well-formed and very muscular chest. Warm hands grasped me by the shoulders.
“Something smells good.” The lowly growled words had lust tickling my belly.
My eyes landed on the container of food in my hands, tied all pretty in a kerchief.
“Oh.” The single sound came out more as a giggle than a word. “It’s the enchiladas. They have leftovers if…”
I trailed off because I was suddenly aware that I was still completely smashed up against him and neither of us had made the effort to get away. To my credit, he was ridiculously warm, and I hadn’t zipped up my parka, so I was soaking in his heat like a lizard under a lamp.
He smelled so good too. Musky and masculine and… I found my fingers tracing the details of his abs, wondering how his skin could be so warm even when it was freezing out. His skin was soft too, even though his muscles were hard as steel.
A rumbling purr emanated from his chest.
Purring? For little old me? I must be imagining it. Maybe he was cold after all and it was a shiver. There was a rather confused look on his face, which was utterly adorable. So adorable in fact that the thought of kissing him completely bypassed my brain and went straight to my arms and lips. I blamed it on the booze.
One moment we were standing there in the cold, and the next we were sloppily making out like two teenagers. It felt completely awkward at first; he’d probably never kissed anyone before, and I hadn’t done so in over a decade. But boy, was he a fast learner.
The sexy-as-sin hunter had me clinging to him and moaning into his mouth with every sweep of his tongue. One of his massive hands slipped under my parka, drawing me tight to his body by the waist. The low rumble in his chest vibrated through me, making every nerve ending light up.
