The Red Sky Series Box Set Books 1-4: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series Read online

  “You didn’t have a problem with Blair,” I said wishing I could take the words back.

  Jamie laughed. “I didn’t ask her out. She more or less demanded a date.” Jamie shook his head. “You know how she is. Anyway, she’s the last person I want to be talking about right now.”

  Jamie leaned closer. I could feel his breath against my cheek.

  The already warm room had suddenly turned into a tropical rainforest. My heart rate quickened as he inched in closer and closer. Each second felt like an eternity.

  His fingers slid off my hand and onto my thigh sending a shiver down my spine. Every fiber of my being tingled.

  “Jamie,” I said breathlessly as I stared at his lips through half-closed eyelids.

  His mouth was so close that he and I were sharing the same oxygen. It was mind-numbingly intoxicating.

  As his hand slid further up my leg, it felt as though my body was being wound like a clock. Each twist of the dial tightened every muscle in my body.

  His lips curled into a small smile as if he could tell what he was doing to me. “Gwen.”

  My name coming out from between his lips was like him speaking an exotic foreign word. The way his lips moved when he said it was overwhelming. Intense.

  I stood abruptly, unable to take everything. It had become far too much for me to hold on to. I needed fresh air. I needed to get away from him.

  After four steps, something came over me. I realized it wasn’t that I wanted to get away from Jamie, in fact, it was the last thing I wanted.

  Since the moment I first saw Jamie I wanted him. Of course, I never thought it would happen. Just because I was trapped in a giant storage bin didn’t mean I should deny myself of what I wanted. In fact, it was all the more reason I should have what I want because maybe I’d never get a chance like this again.

  I wasn’t going to deny it any longer. I wanted to be closer to Jamie. To feel alive.

  Our eyes met through the darkness, and he charged at me. He noisily slammed his palms against the wall boxing me in before I could escape.

  His body moved closer. And after a long moment, neither of us could stand it a second longer. Our lips touched as if we’d both gotten a green light.

  Chapter 24

  Jamie’s hand felt like a hot coal as it slid down my back toward my bottom. The air between us was so hot, it felt like I was in a sauna, but yet, his touch caused me to shiver.

  His lips moved down my neck as he grabbed my wrist and pressed it tightly to the wall over my head. I gasped as Jamie pressed his hips forward and I bit my lip at the feel of him through my pants.

  The metal coffin we were stuffed inside of was noisy. The bed squeaked, and the metal walls clanked.

  My fingers twisted into Jamie’s hair as he kissed every inch of my exposed skin. He twirled the fabric of my shirt around his fist and pulled it downward giving himself more of my flesh to torture.

  Jamie was a different person. Passionate. He knew what he wanted, and it was driving me wild.

  His hands moved over my body as if he was trying to memorize every inch.

  “I want you,” Jamie whispered into my ear as his fingers popped the button on my pants. “I want you so bad.”

  “I want you too,” I said, my head spinning with desire. It was like I was a balloon slowly being filled with air and sooner rather than later I was going to burst.

  Jamie jerked his knee between my legs and drove them apart. My fingertips dug into his muscular shoulders. I slid my hand down his rock-hard chest and over his abs.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled it up over my head with the other one. Jamie held both hands tightly with the one. He grinned at me as he rocked his hips from side to side.

  I swallowed hard before smiling back at him. Jamie gazed into my eyes as his finger grazed my cheek. His thumb glided over my lower lip before he kissed me again, letting his palm glide down over my breast, finishing where he’d left off at my pants.

  My breath felt as though it was stuck in my throat as he yanked down my pants letting them drop to the ground. I looked up at him through my eyelashes as I stepped out of them.

  “So beautiful,” Jamie said, his eyes moving up my body stopping when our eyes met. He leaned closer kissing my jaw.

  I couldn’t stand his torture any longer. I wanted him, but I couldn’t move my arms. It was almost as if he was waiting for my okay.

  “Jamie,” I said my voice squeaking awkwardly. I almost didn’t even recognize my own voice.

  “Yeah?” he said, grinning.

  “Yeah,” I smiled back, and he unbuttoned his pants with his free hand.

  I was barely able to draw in a breath before I felt him between my legs. Everything disappeared as Jamie pressed his lips to my neck and rocked his hips forward.

  I wanted to move my hands, run my fingers through his hair… or glide them up and down his back feeling his muscles tighten as he moved. But Jamie was in complete control of everything, including my body.

  “Oh God,” I said with a heavy breath as he quickened his pace.

  The room started to spin. All of the pale colors swirled together putting us into what felt like the eye of the storm.

  Every fiber of my being was wound as tight as it possibly could be. I ached for a release.

  My breaths quickened as Jamie brushed his lips against mine. His hips pressing me harder against the wall with each rapid movement.

  It felt as though I was drowning in pleasure when the eye of the storm shrunk and sucked us inside. Explosions rippled through my body, becoming bigger and bigger as the tension in my body hastily dissolved around me.

  “Oh God, oh God,” I repeated as the sparks of my release turned into fireworks.

  Jamie's lips pressed hard to mine as if attempting to silence our pleasure. After a moment he pulled back, touching his forehead to mine.

  The smile that stretched across his face was filled with satisfaction. I could feel the one on my face matching his as he lowered me back to the ground.

  Jamie held me for a moment making sure I was steady on my feet before pulling up his pants. He kissed my lips, my forehead, and then the top of my head.

  “Being with you makes me feel like a whole new person,” Jamie said with a smile that nearly turned my legs into jelly.

  I quickly pulled on my pants and patted my hands over the fabric smoothing out the wrinkles. My eyes were on the door. “You think he heard us?”

  “Probably,” Jamie said wrapping his arm around me.

  I covered my face with my hands. “I can’t ever leave this room.”

  Jamie chuckled and squeezed me tighter. He led me over to the bed and turned me, so I was facing him.

  “You should get some rest,” he said, the smile still on his face. Jamie rested his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me down until I was sitting on the mattress.

  I was face to face with his stomach. “You need your rest too.”

  “We’ll take turns,” Jamie said as he eased me down toward the pillow. “Go on, sleep.”

  He leaned down and kissed my forehead. My eyes automatically closed at the feel of his soft lips on my skin.

  I was too weak from everything to argue. I filled my lungs with oxygen only letting my body relax because of what happened between Jamie and I. If I stopped at let myself dwell on where I was or what was happening, I may not be able to fall asleep.

  My eyes were closed, but I still heard Jamie’s soft footfalls as he made his way over to the door. The knob squeaked as he turned it.

  “Jamie?” I said without opening my eyes. I didn’t even have the energy to move my eyelids.

  “Yeah?” he asked his voice softer than a whisper.

  “You said you had some things to talk about. What were the other things?” I asked.

  He exhaled. “Nothing important. Get some sleep.”

  And with that, he left the room, leaving the door open.

  Chapter 25

  When I woke, Jamie was next to me in
the bed. I smiled at him even though he was in a deep sleep.

  I slowly crawled out of bed trying not to make any noise, but the bedsprings squeaked. There was no way to know what time it was and all of the good feelings that had allowed me to actually fall asleep had vanished.

  I remembered where I was. I remembered that I was trapped.

  Danny was sitting on the sofa paging through one of the books from the shelf. I was sure there was no way he was actually reading it.

  “You can get some rest,” I said wrapping my arms around myself. “I’m up.”

  “I’m not tired,” Danny said tossing the book to the side. He leaned forward pressing his fingertips into his temples. He looked up at me. “I’m going to lose it in here.”

  My shoulders dropped. I wished I knew what to tell him, but I understood how he felt.

  “It’s better to try not to think about it,” I said.

  “I swear to God if they open that door I’m going to make a run for it.” He shook his head. “I don’t even care if they shoot me down. Anything is better than this.”

  “Maybe you need something to eat,” I said opening the cabinet.

  Danny groaned as he let his head drop back against the top of the sofa. “Already ate.”

  He stood up and paced back and forth so fast he was going to wear a hole in the ground. I felt bad, wishing there was something I could say but I knew there wasn’t anything I could do or say to ease his mind.

  I pulled out a jar of peanut butter and grabbed a spoon before sitting on the sofa. My eyes followed Danny as he moved back and forth across the floor.

  After I took my second scoop, I heard noises outside our giant metal prison. The sounds of a door opening were close by… very close by.

  Danny stopped moving and stared at the door. I dropped the jar of peanut butter on the sofa and dashed into the bedroom.

  The springs inside the mattress squeaked as I knelt down and started shaking Jamie. “Wake up! Wake up!”

  “What? What is it?” he said, his eyes popping open.

  “Someone’s out there,” I whispered. “I think they’re coming.”

  Jamie sat up and adjusted his shirt before leaning over and clicking on the lamp. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Shit.”

  We walked back out into the living room, and Jamie pressed his ear to the door. His eyes were glued to mine as he shook his head.

  “Nothing,” Jamie said, mostly mouthing the word.

  “Well they were out there,” Danny said turning toward the door. “Think we can break it down?”

  Jamie shrugged. “Maybe, I only remember the one padlock, but even if we do get through, we’re going to get shot in the back.”

  “Will we though?” Danny asked. “They want us here.”

  “It’s a risk, and I’m not ready to take it just yet,” Jamie said glancing in my direction. “They aren’t going to leave us in here forever.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Danny gestured at the cabinet of food. “They could leave us in here for a very long time.”

  I chewed on my raw cheek. “I need to get back to him, Jamie. There has to be something we can do.”

  Just as I finished my sentence, the clanking noises flittered through the air. Jamie’s eyes widened as he waved his hand toward the bedroom.

  “Get back,” he said. “Both of you.”

  The noises were louder. I could hear them talking through the wall even though I couldn’t make out what they were saying. They opened the padlock, and my heart raced. I expected them to just walk in and start shooting us down, but instead, they knocked.

  “May we come in?” a voice asked.

  “Do we have a choice?” Jamie said with a nervous chuckle.

  “Sure,” the man’s voice said. “For now.”

  Jamie looked at Danny and me over his shoulder. I shrugged, and Danny took a step closer to me. He was trying to hide it, but I could feel him trembling.

  The door opened, and Jamie took a step back, holding his palms up. I could see Tom’s men standing with their guns outside the door, but it wasn’t Tom at the door.

  “Hello,” the man said stretching out his hand. When no one accepted it, he let it fall to his side. It didn’t seem to faze him even a little. “I’m Paul, and I understand you’re here looking for a safe place to stay and rebuild. Tom has already told me all about you.”

  “It sounds like Tom has lied,” I muttered.

  Paul studied me for a long moment before his hand moved up to his forehead and he lightly scratched above his eyebrow. “I hear that a lot.”

  “Bet you do,” I said. “It’s because Tom keeps kidnapping and bringing people here against their will. My guess is when he stops doing that, you’ll stop hearing it.”

  Paul chuckled. “I’ll offer you the same deal I offer all the folks that want to leave.”

  I glanced at Jamie. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

  “You give me a week of your time, staying here and contributing and if you still want to leave when times up, I’ll tell Tom that it won’t work out with you.”

  “All of us? And he’ll just let us go?” I asked.

  “All of you.” Paul shrugged. “He’s let others go, but only after I tell him, it’s not going to work out.”

  It sounded like a deal worth taking, the only problem was, I didn’t have a week to give him. We needed to get back to Nick and the others.

  “Is there any way we can leave sooner? Like now?” I asked, swallowing down the sour taste at the back of my throat.

  “Tom doesn’t do that,” Paul said his cheerful expression fading.

  “So, what does he want us to do?” Jamie asked.

  The fake smile reappeared on Paul’s face. “It’s simple. I talk to you, and you’ll do basic chores until we feel you’re ready to join the team in a bigger role.”

  “Talk to us?” I asked.

  “Yes, privately.” Paul folded his hands in front of him.

  I shook my head as I crossed my arms. “Talk about what?”

  “It’s like an evaluation,” Paul said.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “And if I refuse? I mean, I have no idea who you are. What even qualifies you to evaluate me?”

  “If you refuse, Tom will keep you in here, waiting until you’re ready to talk,” Paul said rocking back on his heels. “Cooperation will get you far here. I started where you are, in fact,” Paul said looking around the room, “this was my room.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Jamie said with a laugh. “This hasn’t even been going on that long.”

  “Tom has been prepared for a long time,” Paul said pulling back his shoulders. “Anyway, shall we get started?”

  My body tensed.

  “It won’t be long. Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes,” Paul said looking at me. “You’ll be back with your friends in no time. Gwen?”

  I shook my head.

  “Are you sure that’s how you want it to be? It’ll be so much easier for you if we just get started,” Paul said taking a step toward the door.

  I looked at Jamie hoping to find the answers in his eyes. But all I found inside his blue eyes was worry.

  “I get it, you want some time to think about it,” Paul said steepling his fingers and tapping the tip on his bottom lip. “Let me step outside and give you a few minutes to talk about it.”

  Paul didn’t wait for a response. Danny looked as though he was considering attacking the man from behind but after taking two steps changed his mind. When the door closed, I found out why.

  “The guys out there had their guns aimed at me,” Danny said. His shoulders were rising and falling quickly. “I think we could take them.”

  “We couldn’t even get one out before another shot us,” Jamie said.

  We didn’t have much time to dwell on what we could or should do. It wouldn’t be long before Paul came back in to collect his answer.

  “What should I do?” I asked, my words flowing so quickly they bumped into one an
other. “He’s going to come back in here any second… I’m almost afraid to tell him no.”

  “I don’t want you going with him alone,” Jamie said shaking his head as he crossed his arms.

  “Do I have a lot of choices?” I asked my eyes widening with every passing second. “Because if I do, please let me know what they are.”

  Jamie started to pace. “Maybe it’ll be okay, he did say he wanted to evaluate all of us, that means he’ll be back.”

  “What if they don’t bring me back?” I said the dryness in my eyes making them feel scratchy.

  “I’ll find you,” Jamie said reaching out and grabbing my hand.

  My cheek was bumpy from how much I was chewing on it. “You’ll be locked in here.”

  “I’d find a way, or die trying,” Jamie said looking into my eyes, barely blinking.

  Our discussion was cut to an end when the door was abruptly pushed open. Paul looked at me as if I was the only one in the room.

  There was a darkness in his eyes that chilled my bones. “Well,” Paul said a grin slowly stretching across his face, “what’s it going to be?”

  Chapter 26

  I followed Paul out of the room. The bright sunlight pierced my eyes as if my eyeballs were being poked with thousands of needles… repeatedly. It took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to the change in lighting.

  “It’s been mostly sunny around here, but the humidity in the air tells me it’s going to storm soon,” Paul said over his shoulder.

  Jamie stepped out of the small building before Paul’s armed guard had gotten a chance to lock it behind us. The guard stared at him for a moment before he started to laugh.

  “Jamie? Jamie from the delivery service Jamie?” the man said. He was tall, at least six foot four, and his hair was more orange than the sun above. His chest was broad and muscular. He looked as though he could have picked up the delivery truck. “Remember me?”

  Jamie stared at him for a long moment. Paul examined them both looking unsure of what he should do. It was obvious in the amount of time they’d been running their camp, they hadn’t run into anyone else recognizing each other.