Dark Paths: Apocalypse Riders by Britten Thorne

feet. But Call will probably be happy to finally get me out of his hair.
    Call rested a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s not wake anyone. She’ll stay with me for tonight.” Sheedy raised an eyebrow but Call ignored it. “And we need to talk. Tonight. Gather whoever’s here and bring ‘em to the church.”
    “Fuckin’ hell,” Ripp muttered. “I’d make a joke about sleeping when I’m dead but we can’t even look forward to that anymore.”
    Call chuckled. “See you in twenty.” He led her past the men, towards the office building to the left, towards his home.
     
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    Call stripped off his boots and his vest as he stepped inside, sighing with contentment. He flicked on some battery operated lights along the walls. “Home,” he said with a grand gesture. “It ain’t much.” She looked around the small apartment that had once been a large office. He had a bed - a real one, not just some mattress lying on the floor. She gave in to the urge to flop across the sheets on her stomach with a grateful groan. He also had a small table and two chairs, a desk, a recliner, and what looked like a makeshift kitchen. It was small but homey somehow. Comfortable. Safe.
    “Forgive me if I just die here,” she said, stretching her weary limbs. He chuckled.
    “Make yourself at home,” he said, “Just one rule. No boots on the bed.” She tried to kick them off but they were tied too tightly. But she didn’t want to move. “Lazy.” He sat next to her legs and untied the laces for her.
    “Thank you,” she mumbled, her words muffled. She crossed her arms beneath her head and closed her eyes. Her boots dropped to the floor.
    “I might just die right here, too, if it’s all the same to you.” He stretched out next to her on his back. “Goddamn.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said, “I’ll get out of your hair soon, I swear. Maybe the girls can make room for me tomorrow.”
    “What? No. Come here.” He pulled her closer, draping her arm across his chest. She propped herself up and looked down at his face. He looked relaxed for once. The lines around his eyes were still there, but less tense. Maybe this compound really was as secure as he said. “You can stay here as long as you’d like,” he said, then squeezed her arms. “I want you to stay.”
    She wanted to. Thoughts of seeking out her adopted sisters and Father Speer faded as she looked down at Call. He’d been kinder to her than anyone ever had. He laughed at her sometimes, sure, but he’d never told her she was bad, never told her she was sinful. He never made her feel like there was something wrong with her.
    He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “What are you thinking?”
    “I… I think I’d like to stay. If you’re sure, I mean.”
    He responded by pulling her down for a soft kiss. “Stay,” he whispered. He grabbed her thigh and pulled her over his waist so she was straddling him, her knees to either side of his body. “Stay right here with me.” He guided her mouth back down to his.
    She sighed as she kissed him back. Her hands wandered the hard planes of his chest - he felt so strong and solid. Staying with him sounded so right. It felt right. But is it a good idea? Should I? His fingertips left warm trails along her ribs as they snuck up inside her t-shirt. She tensed.
    “Stop?” he asked. She shook her head. His hands trailed higher until he was cupping her breasts. They were warm against her bare skin and she found herself leaning into his touch. “Nice, right?”
    “Yes,” she breathed. She could feel him start to stir in his pants, right at the apex of her thighs. He pressed up against her, coaxing a gasp out of her lips.
    “Rock against me, baby,” he said. His thumbs brushed her nipples. Oh, God. She was overheating. She pressed herself down on his swelling cock, earning a similar gasp from him. Too hot in here. Too fast.
    She broke their kiss and asked the question that had been nagging her