Read Online The Way Home by Shannon Flagg - Free Book Online Page B

Houdini. I won't. And now that we're back here with all these women you know, ones who want you, you should take advantage of that, but just please be discreet.”
    Susan screamed as Houdini grabbed her arms, he spun her around as quickly as possible in the tiny room so that her back was pressed against the door. “You're forgetting something, Susan. I'm with you because I want to be with you, I'm with you because I love you.”
    “I don't want to be with you. I don't love you.” Susan realized she'd have sounded more convincing if she didn't let out a sob in the middle of the sentence.
    “That's a fucking lie, we both know it is. You think you're protecting me or saving me from something. We could argue it for hours right now, but we're not. Right now, we're going to find a bed.”
    “Fine, we'll fake it for old times' sake but come tomorrow, we're going to figure something out.” Susan pushed him away from her. “Please don't touch me again.”
    “We're not faking shit,” he closed the distance between them, covered her mouth with his. Susan resisted the kiss, brought her fists up to shove with all her might at his chest. As strong as she was, he was stronger. But still she struggled against him until she was too weak to continue.
    “Look at me, Susan,” his voice was low, rougher than she expected.
    It was hard to meet his eyes, almost impossible, but finally Susan did. She drew in a deep breath at the dark expression in his eyes. She'd seen it once before, when he told her of losing Willow and Junior in a hail of gunfire. Why was he looking at her like that now? “Houdini.”
    “You're not walking away from this, from us. Be as scared as you want to, that's fine. But you don't get to walk away, it's for better or worse. You understand that? I love you. It's not changing, and I'll be damned if I don't touch you. Nothing is changing between us, not one fucking thing.”
    Susan could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek, just as she could feel the rage inside of him. Her arms ached where his fingers dug in; she'd be bruised the following day. He was hurting her, and she was too scared to say it. Too scared that if she did, it would only become worse. For as long as she could, she tried to keep from trembling, but she failed, miserably.
    The next thing she knew, she'd slid out of Houdini's grip somehow and was on the floor, her arms around her legs and her head on her knees. Houdini loomed over her. He knelt down. She knew it was him but flinched when he reached out to touch her. “I just need a minute.”
    “I'll go and find us a bed.” He didn't try to touch her again, and she was glad for it. Glad for the silence that almost let her think. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd offer himself in her stead if she went to Shepard and as a doctor, she knew he wouldn't be able to withstand the whipping and exposure to the elements that one of her kind could. She would not see him suffer like that.
    She would hold back from him. He was already frustrated with her; if she gave him nothing then she could hope he'd pull away, finally realizing that she wasn't worth his time. Susan had nearly convinced herself that she deserved this and him, which must have been why Rick was so much at the front and center of her mind. It was her mind's way of reminding her that she would never deserve this. All she could do was stay her course, heal and help those in need.

Chapter Six.
     
    Houdini peered under the bandage on his cheek, deliberately he left it off and tied his hair back as he left the bathroom and entered the kitchen. It was a small group tonight: Adelaide, Caro, Shepard, Lina, Deke, Vera and Susan. Everyone glanced his way, except Susan. She'd been doing a damn good job of ignoring him lately. Ever since the moment they had in the bathroom, she'd completely pulled back from him again. It reminded him of when they'd first fled to Wyoming. It had taken months for her to relax to him. The idea that all that