Free Flesh 01 by Kylie Scott Page A

sweet and honest and caught her off guard. His fingers twitched and he snuffled. It was endearing.
    And she had to face it, liking him was unexpected, but real.
    His breathing was slow and regular, and the stars kept twinkling overhead. She dared herself to keep watching them. Made herself.
    None were falling.
    There was a moan off in the distance, low and grating, but she ignored it and concentrated on the rest of what the world had to offer.
    Stars were far and away prettier to contemplate than whatever roamed out there, rotting and festering.
    She needed to find her happy place.
    His leg really did weigh half a ton. At least. Maybe more. She didn’t want to disturb him, but she was losing sensation in her toes.
    Pins and needles started up in her feet.
    Ali pushed against his thigh with both hands, wiggling out from beneath it. A hand closed firmly around her shoulder, holding her in place.
    “Huh? What …” Daniel’s eyes flew open and found her and then his face relaxed. “What’s wrong?”
    “Hey. It’s okay.” She changed tactics, pushing against his shoulder until he relented and rolled onto his back, letting her go, re-closing his eyes.
    He was clearly exhausted. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep the night before. Stil , he remained full of tricks. She had no sooner stretched out, unencumbered, than he rolled back onto his side and grabbed her with both arms before returning to his back, taking her with him this time.
    “Hey!” she hissed.
    “Ssh, sleeping.” His iron bars for arms held her to him. No, tree roots, thick and stubborn. She braced her elbows on either side of his head, and set her knees to the mattress beside his hips for leverage.
    “Aah, man. Stay put, babe. Pander to me a little, please? That was a hell of a long day.”
    “Daniel, open your eyes. Look at me.”
    Sighing, he did, a scowl on his face, expecting trouble, obviously.
    The wise words set to appease died on her tongue. She had no intention of going anywhere. He didn’t need to worry. That was al she had been going to tel him, and it wasn’t good enough … Not by half.
    She wanted more for him. Wanted more for herself.
    When she pushed against his hold, trying to sit up, his arms fell away from her, fal ing back onto the thin mattress. He made a noise of weary resignation. “Fine. Better?”
    “Yes.” Before she could wuss out or lose her nerve entirely she whipped her shirt off over her head, tossed it out of reach.
    There. Done. No turning back. She could control this. He was putty in her hands. The ultimate power of whipping out your tits, it got them every time. As ancient as Adam and Eve with her dropping the fig leaf. Absolutely perfect. There would be no heartbreak. No losses. She felt powerful sitting astride him, safe. Shoulders back, breasts thrust forth.
    Perfect.
    And Daniel’s eyes bugged out of his head in a most gratifying way.
    You would have thought she was in French cut lace, as opposed to some nice sensible dark cotton that had been washed a hundred times.
    His hands flew to her hips and held tight, not in an
    “I have to have my hands on you ” fashion. It felt closer to a “don’t you dare
    disappear on me” grip. The look he gave her was mostly lust, but desperation tinged the edges. Shit, she couldn’t be anybody’s world.
    Handing over her heart to him couldn’t happen, certainly not yet. When he looked at her like that, though, how could she hold back?
    Emotions were slippery things. Her grip on them might be more tenuous than she had imagined.
    Maybe this could have waited for a better time.
    No.
    “I’m sick of being afraid. Daniel …” All of a sudden the world tumbled. It happened so fast her head went woozy. Her back was against the mattress and Daniel loomed over her, his big body shaking with tension. Those blue eyes of his blazed with some internal fire.
    Her heart stuttered in her chest.
    Maybe, just maybe, she had well and truly bitten off more than she could