Page 97 of My Undead Love Life

“That’s stupid,” she murmured. “I don’t understand how they lasted as long as they did.”

“Because I was there to fix their mistakes.” I swallowed hard. “Until they cast me out, even though I’d saved their lives countless times.”

Spencer’s hand tightened around mine. “They kicked you out?” Anger leaked into her tone, sharp enough to make me look at her. “How could they do that?”

“They didn’t call it that.” I let out a humorless breath. “They suggested that I leave. Said I was making people miserable and that I was acting like a dictator. They said if I couldn’t trust the group, maybe I shouldn’t be part of it.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Maybe.” I stared at the floor. “Or maybe I was too hard on them.”

“You were trying to keep them alive.”

“I was trying to control every variable because the last time I trusted someone else’s worthless information, Ryan died.”

Her face softened immediately. “Oh, Mad…”

“I left because I’d rather survive my way than try to herd people who refused to listen,” I said. “Clearly, I made the right choice.”

“You did,” she agreed softly.

Silence settled between us.

Spencer shifted closer. I didn’t notice when the space between us disappeared. Only that suddenly I could feel her warmth and see every little shift in her expression.

“It sounds like they weren’t very smart or kind,” she whispered. “But you still lived with them for a year. You still tried to save them. I’m sure it hurts, but you don’t have to carry it alone.”

That did something to my heart. Something I wasn’t ready for. Not when she was still grieving Keith and that message in the van had given her hope for him again. She was falling for more than just me on top of it all.

My hand tightened around hers. “Spencer…”

Her eyes flicked to my mouth, just for the smallest moment. That was all it took for the air to turn thick between us.

I should have stopped. My best friends liked her, and she liked them, and Keith might be alive. Those thoughts should have shut me down completely. Instead, it made everything feel more urgent. Like the world had taken enough, and if I kept waiting for a perfect moment, I’d die without ever feeling her lips against mine.

She leaned in first, and I couldn’t hold back. My free hand came up, fingers brushing along her jaw before settling at the back of her neck, pulling her toward me.

Our lips met, and all the restraint I had left when it concerned her snapped in two. The kiss was messy and desperate, our tongues tangling together as she made a small sound that went straight to my cock.

My grip tightened instinctively, pulling her closer. Fuck. She was everything I wanted.

Her hands fisted in my shirt, tugging me closer, and all of the fear in me twisted into heat. The carnage outside didn’t disappear, but for the first time, I could put it to the side because of her.

I slowed just slightly, the kiss shifting, deepening in a way that was less desperate and more desire. My thumb brushed along her jaw, grounding myself in the moment instead of getting lost in it.

We broke the kiss to breathe, our foreheads resting together, breaths uneven.

“Mad…” she whispered.

I let out a quiet, disbelieving breath. “Yeah?”

“I need you.”

The words hit me hard and spread warmth low in my body. “Spencer.” My voice came out strained. “If we do this, I need to know you’re sure. Not because you’re scared and not because we almost died today.”

Her eyes searched mine. “I am scared,” she admitted. “We did almost die today. But that’s not why I want you. I want you because you’re Mad. And you make me feel safe.”

My chest tightened.