LOLITA.
vii. | ❝ a cop, huh? ❞

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"JESUS CHRIST," Shane chuckled once the pair were back in their tent. "How'd you learn to fight like that, huh? You got some balls, for a girl."

The redhead winced, tracing her fingertips over her sore jaw gingerly. "That's more than can be said for him," she muttered. "My dad was a cop. He taught me what to do when a man.... Well, you know. Attacks you."

"A cop, huh?" A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, a nostalgic gleam in his eye. "Like me."

Their previous exchange forgotten, the pair of them talked like old friends as Shane bandaged his bruised knuckles and Cassandra pressed a cold flannel against her slightly swollen jaw.

"You're a cop?"

"Yeah." He paused, gazing out at the cluster of trees that rustled quietly just outside the opening of the tent. "Well, I was."

The strawberry blonde's small, nimble hand slid over his knee as she patted it reassuringly. "Things will be back to normal, soon. It can't be nearly as bad as we think."

His dark eyes fluttered shut as he felt the heat of her skin through the fabric of his trousers, before they fell open once more, reaching up to rub the back of his head absently. "I don't know," he ventured, glancing at her and catching sight of his dishevelled reflection in her big, brown doe-eyes. "I don't think Rick'll get back from Atlanta this time, somehow. Those things.... Walkers...." He shook his head, trailing off uncertainly.

"It'll be fine." A soft smile curled across her full lips as she reached up and ran her fingers through his dark, unruly curls. "I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Shane murmured, his piercing gaze locked on her own whirling orbs. They both knew that he wasn't just referring to Rick and the other men who had gone back to Atlanta to find Merle, but to something else. Something darker; something that involved a world of heated passion and desire that both of them craved, deep down.

Cassandra withdrew her hand slowly, her teeth coming to rest on her plump lower lip. Her breath caught in her throat as she suddenly realised how intimate the moment was between the two of them, with their bodies close and their eyes seeing nothing but each other. She waited a few moments before getting to her feet. "Thank you. For...." Pausing, the brown-eyed beauty searched for the right words as his penetrative and assessing gaze scanned her voluptuous body. "Thanks." She turned abruptly and practically ran out of the tent, her heartbeat skipping erratically and her thoughts revolving around nothing but her keen-eyed bunking buddy.

***

Dusk enveloped the camp. The survivors sat clustered around a lowly burning fire, laughing and chattering away like they were on an ordinary camping expedition, and the world hadn't come to an end.

Shane's gaze snagged Cassandra's from across the glowing embers, a half-smile tugging at his lips as she immediately glanced away, a rosy blush dusting her soft cheeks. No-one else seemed to notice the sparks of tension that flickered between the two individuals; as warm as the heat that radiated from the charred wood before them, and as unwelcome as the undead that swarmed the once thriving city of Atlanta.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked her younger sister who got to her feet, raking a hand through her light blonde hair.

"I have to pee," Amy replied with a casual shrug, a grin tracing her features as she turned and headed to the RV, muttering to nobody in particular: "Jeez, you try to be discreet around here...."

Scattered chuckles and murmurs broke out within the group, and once again, the pretty redhead looked up to find Shane's penetrative stare trained on nothing but her. This time, however, she didn't allow her gaze to falter. Instead, her whirling coffee-coloured orbs took in every contour and athletic bulge visible through his navy blue shirt, which clung to his brawny torso. His arms, so taut and muscular, ended with large, strong hands that she'd give anything to feel brushing against her delicate waist, or perhaps even sliding up her silken thighs.

A blood-curdling scream sliced through the air, drawing Cassandra out of her thoughts sharply. Her head snapped around, and a horrified cry left her plump, rosy lips as she caught sight of Amy, standing in the doorway of the RV with a walker gnawing at her extended arm. The geek fell to the ground as a bullet slid through his skull with sickening ease and, within moments, Amy was enveloped in the arms of her older sister.

"Cassandra, get behind me!"

The pretty redhead gasped as she was yanked to her feet by Shane, whose chiselled features were contorted in fear. Hordes of walkers stumbled out of the woods, surrounding the small circle of survivors. This had to be the end.

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