A Valentine from Harlequin by Christine Nancy u Bell Catherine u Warren Maggie u Spencer Michele u Shayne Hauf Page A

have been making out with another woman? No, she knew John, she trusted him. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt until the coast was clear and they could have a rational discussion.
    If the coast would ever be clear… “Tell me the truth, John. Can you really get us out of this mess?” she called, following him through the dark hallways. “When all around us the world is coming to an end?”
    “The whole world isn’t ending, Charlotte. Just a small chunk of it.”
    “Yeah, but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re on that chunk.” As they paused outside a door and John listened acutely, Charlotte’s nerves prickled the hairs all over her body. “John?”
    He nuzzled her into a firm hug and kissed her. “I’m scared, too,” he whispered. His voice gentled her fears expertly. “We’ll be scared together.”
    They crept inside the room, listening for any noise and scanning the darkness. Charlotte turned and flipped the light switch.
    “What did you do that for?”
    “I hate those stupid horror movies where they never flip on the light,” she explained.
    “But what if the zombies see the light under the door? Remember, Charlotte, they are rational, thinking creatures. It is only when they consume massive amounts of carrion that their intelligence seems to wane.”
    “Right. So in other words, don’t feed the zombies. I just wanted to look around better.” She searched the room, realizing it was Tina’s. “No signs of the undead.”
    Hearing a shuffling sound on the other side of the door, Charlotte slapped the switch off. John tugged her toward a closet door highlighted by a beam of moonlight. “In there,” he said. “Hurry!”

Chapter Three
    The closet was huge, stocked with every brand of shoe in the universe. Classic Tina.
    Charlotte kissed John’s bruised eyelid softly, the blood dried now, and then whispered, “So they’re as smart as us?”
    “Yes, but they are ruled by their hunger. Consuming flesh makes them stupid, and…”
    “Less durable?”
    “The older ones, for sure.”
    She let out a tiny, fearful moan.
    “I’ve got you,” John said as he tugged down the torn sleeve of her gown and pulled her closer. “Mmm, you smell good. Your skin, your neck.” He kissed her there, laving his tongue along it in a delirious wave of sensation that set her nipples to tight buds. “Your brains.”
    “Please, not now with the humor,” she muttered.
    “Right.” He paused, turning serious. “Mrs. Masterson…I need you. Can you understand that?”
    “Yes, I can. As inappropriate as the timing should be, it seems right.”
    “Mmm…I’ve wanted you for months, but the desire I feel tonight? It’s a craving. Let me make love to you, wife.”
    Bending over her petite frame, he kissed the top of her breast and dashed his tongue over her nipple. She arched her back, silently begging him for more. He tore aside her dress and kissed the other breast. The urgency of the moment heightened every touch and sensation. Adrenaline raced through her veins, making her drunk with desire and want.
    Beneath Charlotte’s roaming hands, John’s muscles flexed and hardened, and she responded in kind. She gripped his erection through his dress pants, and he hissed at her breast then nipped her none too softly.
    “Do you know how many times you’ve accidentally brushed over my cock when we’ve been making out and I’ve wanted to tear away your clothes and have my way with you?”
    “I’m yours now, love. Let’s make up for all those times—”
    He kissed her to silence. Many a night she’d lain in bed imagining her lover’s hands on her. It was real now. And nothing was more real than the two of them, skin against skin, urgently seeking satisfaction when around them the world was being consumed.
    “End-of-the-world sex?” she asked as he lifted her against the door and she wrapped her legs around his hips.
    “Wish it didn’t have to be this way.” Gliding his burning hands between