Free The Omega Protocol Chronicles (Book 1): Exodus by Courtney McPhail Page B

sorry.”
    His words, whispered into her ear with such regret and pain had her pushing back the panic that had set in. He had saved her life and he was blaming himself. She pulled back far enough so she could look up at him, eyes filled with regret staring back at her.  
    “It’s not your fault.” He shook his head but she clenched her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, tugging at it to get him to listen. “It’s not . You saved my life. If it wasn’t for you, that thing would have killed me.”
    The thought of what would have happened to Trey if she had died entered her mind. He had not only saved her but saved her son from becoming an orphan. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to place a kiss on his lips.
    It had been impulsive, a need to show him her gratitude and it hadn’t entered her mind that a simple peck could set off the kind of electricity that sizzled through her in that brief meeting of mouths. She pulled back, eyes wide as they rose to meet his but he was looking at her mouth. Her lips still tingled from the brief contact, the sensation heightened by the way his warm breath ghosted over her skin as he stared at her.
    She closed the distance between them, pressing her mouth more firmly to his, taking her time to enjoy the sensation. Their lips parted at the same time, tongues grazing, and it lit off a fire inside her. The kiss became something more primal as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, his wide palm cradling the back of her head. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she pulled herself tighter against his chest, needing to feel as much of him against her as she could.
    He pulled back to suck on her lower lip, nipping the flesh lightly before swiping his tongue soothingly over the mark. They parted with frantic gasps, both of them panting as they tried to catch their breaths. His head dipped down as he traced his lips across her jaw before trailing down her neck to suck delectably at her pulse point. Kim felt a heat ignite between her thighs and she moaned lowly as Malcolm licked his way down to her collarbone.
    The bell over the gas station door chimed and had them both jumping apart. Malcolm jumped to his feet instantly, ready to take on the next threat. Kim, on the other hand, was caught in a daze, blinking rapidly as she tried to clear away the arousal and focus on what was happening.
    “You guys okay in here?”
    Craig’s familiar voice had her shaking off the last of the haze and she suddenly realized that the body of the infected man was still only a few feet from her. Well, that was a definite mood killer. She got to her feet as Malcolm explained what happened, wisely leaving out any mention of the fear-induced kissing.
    What the hell had she been thinking? Making out with a man on the floor of a gas station only a few feet from a dead body? Was this really what her life had become?
    The more practical part of her brain reminded her that she had almost been killed so some less than rational behaviour was expected and she sure as hell wasn’t going to regret doing it. There was still a residual warmth in her belly and she had a feeling it would be there any time she was around Malcolm from now on.
    Craig had come to stand with them, looking down at the body. “Jesus, you did a number on that one. Where’d it come from?”
    Malcolm nodded back to the storeroom. “It was hiding in there. No idea how I missed it on the first pass.”
    “Some guy outta Maryland told me the freaks like to nest in small dark spaces when they sleep,” Craig said. “Maybe it was holed up in a cupboard back there.”
    “I didn’t know they needed to sleep,” Kim said. “They seem like they only care about mindlessly attacking us.”
    “Every animal has to sleep sometime,” Craig said with a shrug before smiling at her. “So what was it like to see our fearless leader play the hero?”
    “He was every bit the part.” She smiled as she glanced sidelong at Malcolm, feeling