Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,66

the zombies once before. This time, I’ll be right there with you. To get to you, they’ll have to go through me first.”

She kissed him, seeing the worry coupled with resolve on his handsome face. It touched her to know he cared about placing her in possible danger. She didn’t think there was much chance of having problems with Sellars, or anyone who might be working for him on campus. Aside from a few wooded areas, most of the campus was brightly lit and patrolled by the university’s own private security force.

While the security guards wouldn’t be much help against zombies, they could certainly raise a ruckus if they thought someone was being abducted right under their noses. Sarah could scream with the best of them and she was armed, too. She wouldn’t make it easy for anyone who tried to take her.

And then there was Xavier. She doubted anyone who meant to do her harm would make it past him. Even if they hadn’t just crossed the line from coworkers to lovers, Xavier was the kind of man who took his job very seriously. The minute she had accepted the position on his team for this mission, she had become part of his job. Keeping her safe was no doubt something he took very seriously—just as he took the safety of his men seriously.

She continued to be impressed by the fact that he wouldn’t put them directly in harm’s way against the zombies. The three men she’d met were skilled Special Forces operatives, but no one knew whether they were immune to the contagion. Unlike she and Xavier, who had been bitten and lived to tell the tale. A bite, or perhaps a mere scratch, could kill them. What was worse, they would then rise from the dead as mindless drones, only to become the enemy.

Xavier refused to take that chance with his men, keeping all the action and possible confrontation with the creatures for himself. And Sarah. She was his partner now. She had his back. They’d face the horror together.

“Thank you, Xavier,” she whispered as she broke their kiss. “I want you to know that if anything does happen to me—”

“Nothing will,” he interrupted.

She placed a finger over his lips to silence his words. “If it does, I want you to know that I value the time we’ve had together and I trust you to do your level best to protect me as I protect you. We’re a team, Xavier. And working with you on this mission has been…” She paused to think of just the right words. “It’s been one of the strangest, most challenging, off the wall”—she moved her hand to caress his cheek, and then brushed back his hair in a tender gesture—“and magical times of my life.”

He gazed into her eyes. Words were unnecessary between them. In that moment, the looks on their faces said it all. Promises were made and accepted. Vows were understood.

Xavier dipped his head for another kiss, this one more tempestuous than what had come before. When he pulled back, her senses were adrift in the pleasure he brought her. She was under his spell, a willing slave to whatever he wanted. Funny thing was, she didn’t feel threatened by knowledge. Their relationship had been fast and furious but also one of the deepest and truest she had ever shared with any man. They were more than colleagues, more than lovers. They had a deeper connection, forged in the fire of their experiences and the danger they’d faced together.

It was an unnatural way to develop a relationship, to be sure, but it worked for them. For now. Whether it would stand the test of time, she didn’t know. While it lasted, though, it was a beautiful thing.

“I believe you said something about turnabout being fair play?” His mouth curved in a devilish grin.

“Well, yes, indeed. I believe I did.” She squirmed under him, already tingling at the idea of him handcuffing her.

His gaze shot to the curtains. They were long silk drapes, closed now but usually held back by wide strips of matching silk that had loops at either end. The loops slid easily over a hook that protruded slightly from the wall, making the ties easy to remove for washing and other maintenance.

“I told you all the soft fabric in this room was giving me ideas.” He refocused on her, still grinning. “That’s how this all started, isn’t it?”

Mutely, she nodded, wondering what he might do. He rose