Free Apocalypse Cowboy: Futuristic Romance with Zombies by Eve Langlais

delays. My motorcycle broke down. A few times, I ran into survivors, and I stopped to lend a hand. I ran into trouble with one group of folk who thought they could order the rest of us around. It’s a shame violence and ignorance didn’t die along with the rest of the world.”
    Hannah shivered at his words. With the world decimated, it boggled the mind that anyone would even think about it. Wasn’t the zombie threat enough?
    Brody saw her shudder and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry, kitten. I’ll never let anyone hurt you.” The dark menace in his words frightened her, but even more shocking, they sent a thrill through her.
    Brody would proudly stand as her knight in shining armor if she let him. But that would mean trusting him. Trusting he wouldn’t leave her again and break her heart. What if he got bored or thought the grass was greener elsewhere and just took off?
    Like a cold shower, these plaguing thoughts woke her from the comfortable zone she’d allowed to sink over her while in his presence. How easy it was to forgive and forget. But she still remembered how hard it had been to go on after living through heartache once.
    As if he read her mind, he spoke softly. “I’m never leaving you alone again, kitten. I wish you’d believe me. I still love you.”
    And I still love you. She just didn’t know if it was enough.
    With a strangled cry, Hannah jumped up from the step and tore into the house.
    She fled to her room, wanting to hide from the fact that she loved him. Loved him so much it scared her.
    And where will fear get me? Certainly not getting her heart crushed. But, on the flip side, she’d be alone. I’ve been given a second chance. How stupid would I be to turn that down? This is a new world. A fresh start. Maybe I need to stop being a fraidy cat and learn to live again. I can’t hide forever.
    Because, in this new world, she could only be sure of today.

Chapter Thirteen
     
    Would she or wouldn’t she?
    Not long after dawn, Brody waited for Hannah out front. He’d barely slept the night before, excited at the prospect of spending a few hours alone with Hannah—if she hadn’t changed her mind.
    She’d taken off so abruptly the night before after he’d confessed his love to her. Should he have perhaps waited? Yes. And no. Hannah might not have proven receptive to his declaration, but he wanted her to know. Life was too short for him to hide how he felt.
    Unable to stand still, he fidgeted with the straps on the luggage rack attached to the back fender of his bike where he had a cooler and the fishing poles strapped down. Good thing he’d been able to break the rods down into smaller segments or else they’d have had to carry them on the bike, jousting lance style.
    With a yawn, Hannah finally appeared dressed in loose track pants and a hoodie, her hair back in a tight ponytail. She looked so soft and sleepy that he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until her blood rushed through her body, flushing her cheeks and brightening her eyes.
    It was so easy to picture other mornings, ones where he’d snuck into her room at night and they’d enjoyed the most decadent of sex, the kind that required absolute silence so no one caught them.
    How he missed those passionate nights and mornings, where she saw him off with a frantic, “You gotta go before my dad gets up.” Never mind that Hannah was old enough to move out and make her own decisions. They sneaked around, sometimes just for the thrill of it.
    Did she remember with the same arousal those memorable moments? Would reminding her make her let down the wall she guarded herself with? He hoped so because his craving for her wasn’t getting any easier. While he understood Hannah would come to him only when she was ready, he sure hoped it was sooner rather than later. Because if my balls get any bluer, they’ll probably fall off.
    As Hannah skipped down the steps, she approached the motorcycle, and he could scent