Chapter 1

Lourdes had kissed him! A year ago extraterrestials had invaded Jamil Dexter's world killing nine-tenths of the population. Eight months ago he had been fighting to keep his family alive in the ruins of Boston when he heard rumors that there was finally organized resistance. Three months ago he had buried his mother and his brother in the same shallow grave because the 2nd Mass had to bug out before they were overrun by Skitters. Eight hours ago he had escaped over a bombed out bridge patched by his engineering team. But forty-five minutes before their escape the angel of mercy who had lived in his dreams since the moment he met her, kissed him. This was the best day of his life!

After securing the debris from the alien crash site Ben Mason had discovered, he found Lourdes in the new medical center head crashed against one wall asleep in a chair. Even tired and grimy she was still his angel. He squatted down and shook her knee. She bolted awake instantly. Okay that hadn't been as cool a move as when he had thought it out in his head. "You're exhausted. Let me take you home."

"I don't have a home anymore," she said.

He raised them both up. "Come on, let's find you someplace to sleep." He already knew where that was going to be. After a few steps she fell against him. "Want me to carry you?"

"You're tired to," she mumbled.

When she nearly fell again, he ignored her protests and picked her up. His guys had moved fast to claim the cabins by the garages and the best furniture, so he had real bed for her tonight. She went to sleep before he finished taking off her shoes. She looked so perfect lying there his chest swelled like he was breaking in two. This was definitely the best night of his life.

. . . . . . . .

Lourdes wasn't plagued by nightmares about the Skitters. Her dreams were intensely more disturbing. Her subconscious seemed engorged with sinful impulses about Jamil. In her dreams they did everything the nuns taught her was immoral. And it had all felt so good! Better than any happiness she had ever experienced and she never wanted it to end. She woke up under Jamil's arm in the deep night. Fear shot through her. Had something happened?

Jamil stirred. Instead of removing his arm he pulled her tight against him. His body heat shot spikes through her. "Nightmares?" he asked.

"Uh, huh," she managed to say.

"I get those sometimes," he said.

She felt his lips against her forehead. Where was she? It felt like they were lying on a mattress, so this was probably his new quarters. Someone knocked on the door.

"Go away," Jamil said.

"Open this door or I'll kick it in," Maggie shouted.

Jamil bolted up to open the door. Flashlights blinded her, then Maggie came into view.

"Are you all right?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled away Lourdes's covers.

"I'm all right," Lourdes said.

"Do you want us to take you back to your quarters?" Maggie asked.

Who was us? Lourdes noticed Jamil and Captain Weaver in the doorway. Their conversation seemed very animated. "I don't know where my quarters are here?" Lourdes said.

Maggie handed Lourdes her shoes. "You can stay with me."

She put on her shoes, got up, and followed Maggie to the doorway. Jamil stepped in front of her. He pulled her chin up and kissed her. Lightening went off behind her eyelids. She was going to have a lot more dreams of immoral behavior with him tonight. He just smiled at her. "Looks like we set off some alarms. See you tomorrow."

Once they were away from Jamil, Maggie started asking questions again. "Do you want me to wake Dr. Glass? Did he do anything to you? You can tell us. You're safe."

"I don't think so," Lourdes replied. As disturbing as the dreams had been she didn't think Jamil had molested her. He wasn't the type or at least she didn't think he was the type.

"Maggie, all of her clothes are fastened in the right places," Captain Weaver said.

Maggie snapped back. "Which doesn't prove anything. She's not even eighteen."

"I have seventeen year olds leading combat missions. If they are old enough to die in battle, they're old enough to have sex." Weaver said.

That's what this was all about. Maggie and Captain Weaver thought Jamil and her had been fornicating. She knew there were plenty of unmarried couples in the camp living in sin, but didn't they know her better than that? "We weren't sleeping together," Lourdes said quickly. "I mean we were sleeping in the same bed, but we weren't doing anything, but sleeping. I mean I'm very tired."

She stayed in her cot past breakfast to avoid Jamil. He found her anyway in the medical center where she couldn't easily escape him.

"I missed you at breakfast." He kissed her on the check. It wasn't as fiery as a mouth kiss, but she felt hot just the same.

"Last night was disturbing. I overslept." She said.

"Yeah, Captain Weaver read me the riot act last night about never carrying a woman off unless she's fully conscious. I just thought you needed some sleep." He said.

She asked the obvious question. "In your bed?"

A sexy smile spread across his lips. "It could be our bed."

Fear shot through her followed by anger. Who did he think he was? She stepped as far away as she could and tried to look busy arranging bandages. "One kiss isn't a license to haul me away."

She felt his hands on her upper arms stroking away the tension. Warm breath flowed down her neck chasing out the winter cold. It was so much like last night's dreams that she wanted to turn around, kiss him again, and let him carry her off to do what he wanted. She remembered the nuns, the saints, the martyrs, and reaffirmed her resolve. She wasn't naïve enough to deny desire, but she was strong enough to refuse sin.

"I'm sorry. I should have known you would want some time," he said.

He sounded sincere. That made her feel safer. Then without warning his arms went around her tight as steel and he lifted her a few inches off the floor so his lips touched her ear. "Just don't keep me waiting long. We're living from day to day."

She nodded. She would have to think of a way to handle this that didn't require her to lose him. She wanted Jamil's company, but not at the price of mortal sin. But what else was left for them in a shattered world? It wasn't fair. She had always been virtuous. She had always avoided temptation. Every touch from him felt like one of Job's trials.

"Can I see you tonight?" Jamil asked.

"Okay, but not in your room." Alone was too dangerous.

A different sexy smile crossed his face. Everything the man did seemed to radiate lust. "There's a band in camp now. It's mostly fiddles and flutes, but it's music."

She did enjoy the music. Even more she enjoyed being with Jamil. In his arms she felt safe to a point. She didn't think about the battle to survive. But after awhile all she thought about was sex. When he left her with scorched lips at the door to her and Maggie's room, she knew her dreams would be wet and restless.