“You’re full of questions,” he said.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
He sighed and turned to look at her. The intimacy of the moment wasn’t lost on her. Even though her mother had been ordered not to teach her, she’d still taught her in secret. Penny didn’t tell her father because she loved the books her mother gave her. She’d consumed the few romance books her mother kept. Intimacy was a mystery to her, and she was interested in both attraction and intimacy.
“No, I didn’t have a wife or children. My family was my parents and brothers.”
“What happened to them?”
“They were struck by the flu of 2215. I was doing a job for Don, and when I got back I found them dead. I buried them after that.”
She knew about the effects of the flu. It had taken her mother from her. Her father hadn’t been able to do a thing to save her mother. Penny remembered holding her hand as she took her last breaths.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? Shit happens, and I’m not sad about it. There are fewer mouths to feed.”
Penny didn’t buy his attitude.
“It still must hurt to be alone in the world.”
He reached over, stroking her cheek. “Don’t forget, princess, you’re the one who is also alone in the world. You left everything else behind to live here. You’re just as alone as I am.”
Damon turned away from her cutting off any chance of more conversation.
Closing her eyes, she turned away from him and faced the wall. She thought about life before she’d run away. Her family had been intent on selling her out. She didn’t know what her family would get for her, but she’d not waited around to see. She knew enough to know she was better off getting away from them than letting them use her.
Shaking her head, she let her body relax and sleep claim her. It had been a long day. She needed her rest.
Chapter Three
Damon opened one eye and stared at the woman in his arms. He froze, not wanting to wake her. They’d fallen asleep on opposite sides of the bed. Through the night they must have moved toward each other. One of his arms lay under her head while his other was over her waist. She looked so beautiful and innocent in his arms. The shirt he’d given her last night had ridden up exposing her waist. He knew it had because his arm was resting on warm naked flesh.
His cock thickened in his boxers. He was pleased he’d decided to leave them on. Any other night, he’d have taken them off.
He stared down at the woman in his arms. Her face was relaxed in slumber. She really was a pretty sight. Her skin was so soft that he couldn’t help but reach out and touch. He daren’t move in case he woke her.
How was he going to deal with her when she woke up? He wasn’t going to scare her off with his desires. Damon hadn’t been lying last night when he said he never forced himself on a woman.
In all of his thirty-five years he’d never given anything to a woman for sex. Never had and never would. It was a motto he refused to depart from.
The sun was shining through the ripped curtains. They were old, and he hadn’t been able to find any to replace them.
Why are you thinking about the décor? She’s used to a world looking like shit. Just because she was part of a family doesn’t mean she had a better way of life. She wasn’t originally from Don’s area, which means her life could have been worse than a city dweller’s life.
The areas were known for being different. Each leader had a different way of running things. Don preferred to try to run a peaceful area while others continued to be vicious.
He ranted inside his own head until he couldn’t stand it any longer. Damon pulled his arm away from her waist and tugged the one under her head. He saw her eyes flick open and turn to him.
“You were on me,” he said.
Damon climbed out of his side of the bed, stretched out his muscles, and walked to the bathroom. The bucket of water he kept didn’t look pleasing to him. The bucket of water was his idea of a shower. He couldn’t be bothered to heat the thing up. They had built several wells around the city for anyone to go and fetch water. Looking at his supply, he’d have to go and collect some more very soon. He tried to keep them in the buckets he’d found during several of his rummages. Damon placed his hand into the cold water. His wash this morning would be awful.
“You have a shower?” Penny asked. She stood in the doorway, the shirt she wore grazing the top of her knees. She looked so tempting with the sun shining behind her, outlining her gorgeous body. When she saw the bucket of water, her smile faded. “Oh.”
His cock hardened at the sight of her, and he turned away from her captivating presence. “No baths or showers here, just the pleasure of a bucket of water. The water comes from the well a couple of yards away.” He lifted his palm out of the water. “Didn’t you have bathing facilities out at the farms in Grimes’s area?” he asked, trying to distract his thoughts.