Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,279

curtain where Jacob was currently getting sanitized. She squealed when she saw Jacob, and he ran out from behind the curtain, clutching a towel around his waist and swatting the air behind him.

As the others arrived, I waited until all my men were accounted for. Once it was Patrick's turn to sanitize, I joined him behind the curtain. I helped him out of his shirt then casually turned around, allowing him to undress me.

His hands slid the fabric off my shoulders, and he groaned when he saw that I wasn't wearing a bra beneath my dress. "I know now isn't the time, but if Louis weren't right there listening to us, I would take full advantage of this situation."

I bit my bottom lip, almost feeling guilty that I was out here contemplating letting Patrick distract me with his touch after what we'd just witnessed. I turned around, hoping to remove the temptation, but he merely groaned once more when he saw my ass.

"No funny business, I'm in a hurry," Louis called to us, making me almost smile.

We both took a moment to sanitize ourselves, and I finally asked, "Are you okay?"

Patrick took a moment to respond. "Not really." His voice lacked all of its usual playfulness and the easygoing lull I'd come to expect from him. I could usually gauge the seriousness of a situation based upon Patrick's ability to push past the gloom and lighten the burden of everyone else.

"Am I wrong for feeling happy that it was Allaire and not Maverick? I know he was a friend...once...but I'm glad." I breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting go of the question about ethics that had been haunting me. I shut my eyes, trying to block the image of Allaire's head falling away from his body.

With gentle hands, Patrick spun me around and started spraying the hazy sanitizing mist over my chest; the cool spray was refreshing. Finally, Patrick replied. "I'm glad it was him. If that makes me a terrible person, so be it."

Once we were done, Patrick wrapped me up in a towel and returned the wand to Louis, who went inside. Hidden here, Patrick took his time enjoying my naked frame, and his cock hardened beneath my stare. He was beautiful...so damn beautiful that it hurt.

"Patrick," I began while shuffling closer. I leaned up to kiss his lips then wrinkled my nose when I tasted the sanitizing serum. He laughed, and the sound was like pure music, invigorating me and pushing past the pain of the day.

I stroked his hair while scraping my nails along his scalp. "You're so beautiful," I murmured.

"I'm beautiful, huh? Not manly, sexy, or intoxicatingly addictive?" he joked, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to hold back my laugh. Patrick was beautiful, in every sense of the word. It wasn't just his tall, muscular frame, blue eyes, and bright smile. It was the way he put everyone above him. It was in the way he calmed me in times of crises—and today was a significant time of crisis.

"You're all of that, but mostly, you're beautiful, Patrick," I said again. He cupped my face but paused before leaning in to kiss me, laughing when he remembered that we were both still covered in the gross-tasting sanitizing spray meant to prevent the spread of influenza X.

"Are you okay?" Patrick finally asked.

"No, but I will be," when I have all my men back. "This is a dangerous game we're playing, Patrick."

"I know, Ash. I know."

I was brushing my hair when Kemper found me. Wearing white after the execution felt wrong today. I didn't want to be Shade for a few hours; I wanted to be Ash. So I slipped into one of the casual outfits Jules wore. Tight pants, form-fitted through the ankle, the material clung to my legs. An off the shoulder grey top was loose on my thin frame, but still comfortable. "You ready for that surprise?" he asked, shuffling his feet and looking down at the ground. "I was going to take you tonight, but it looks like you're going back to Cavil's tower."

"Yeah," I said with a small half smile. I had spent the last hour worrying about going to Cavil's estate, so an afternoon with Kemper before going back into the lion's den was just what I needed.

He held his hand out for me to grab before saying, "Let's go," with a small smile. Guiding me outside and down the hall, he paused at the door