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He set a small kerosene lantern on the table It was a tiny surface, no hteen inches on each side, with three unpadded wooden stools for seating The table was scarred fro cards on it with his buddies before the cabin had even been finished They'd sat outside, cos with just each other for couys

The entire cabin was only twelve feet by fifteen feet, with a kitchen at one end and an open area at the other for sleeping and everything else The place was heated with an old potbellied stove that was also used for cooking Caleb had dug a water well on the property, and the gas generator ran a pu a pressurized tank so there was at least a little water available through the kitchen faucet even if the generator was turned off There was no lighting beyond what one sht, they'd have to use candles or lanterns

The stock of fireould last for a couple days, but David was going to have to cut more soon If he knew Caleb, there was probably another pile of wood nearby that was already chopped and aging David would make sure to replace whatever they used

Noelle washed her hands at the deep kitchen sink, using a bar of soap they'd brought along with them She hissed as she turned off the water and searched for a towel "Man that's cold"

David nodded, handing her a neel All the towels he'd found in the drawers had been the recent home of littlethe the fire that now blazed inside the old black stove, though

"It's ater, which is runoff froher up in the ers blue"

"I don't suppose thatany hot baths anytime soon, either, huh?"

The look on her face was so forlorn that David had to struggle not to laugh She was so cute wearing his jacket, her red curls a complete mess, her full mouth turned down in a little pout

"We can heat water on the stove for washing, but unless you want to curl up in the sink for a bath, that's as good as it's going to get, I'hed "It still beats that damn safe house"

They sat down to eat Or at least David ate Noelle stared at her plate as if it held the , aren't you?" he asked

Noelle jumped and looked at him ide eyes like she'd just noticed he was there

For soet his presence so easily 'Cause Lord knew he couldn't forget hers Every ti on those steps, he couldn't help but stare The sun had filtered down through the few leaves left on the trees, burnishing her hair into a blaze of deep copper What he wouldn't have given to run his fingers through those curls, letting his hands get tangled against her scalp until he had a good, firm hold on her head, so he could kiss her just like he wanted, deep and hard, without a chance of her getting away before he was done

It would have taken hiet his fill of her ine how they'd feel against hisover his throat, chest, abdomen, Lower

David's fork bent under the force of his grip and he had to pull in a controlled breath before he could relax his hand enough to set it down

She looked at hiaze and reached out a slender hand toward his face "You okay?"

David didn't ht of his lust, which tightened his groin and made his sto since he'd had sex He hadn't even so much as touched himself since Mary died, either It just didn't see pleasure of shallow self-fulfillment When he'd disconnected from the world, he'd disconnected froon the dark stubble that he hadn't bothered to shave Her fingers were cold fro and he could feel the iertips

David couldn't help but reach up and cover her hand Before she'd co without contact that he feared her pulling away--feared that it ht be another two years or e to touch hih, too harsh to deserve anything rese kindness

Because the table was so small, her head was close to his and he could s with the woodsht dusting of freckles across her nose, an imperfection that only served to enhance the beauty of her pale skin

He wanted to reach across the table and pull her close for a kiss that would eventually lead thes lay He wanted to taste her, to show her with his ue what he intended to do to the rest of her body He wanted to consuotten every lover she'd ever had He wanted her to be his Completely

The need clawed at his insides, screa at him to pounce on her He would woo her with his hands andfor e of sanity, wanting him as much as he wanted her, would he fill her and quench the need inside him

But he couldn't do any of that to her They had no life together No future She was already a hunted woman If the Swarm found out that she was David's woman

He couldn't even bear to consider ould happen to her If he wasn't careful, Noelle could end up just like Mary Without even trying, David could still see Mary vivid in his led body tied to that chair, sitting in a pool of her own blood