Brushfire Plague Read online

  He put his arms around her and softly stroked her back in circles. “It’s OK. It’s OK,” he constantly repeated, whispering softly into her ear. She eased her grip to a firm, but no longer painful, hug. He could feel her breath, panting hot on his chest.

  “Take a deep breath, breathe in.”

  He was relieved when she followed his instruction. Slowly, her breath slowed down and her grip eased. She pulled away from him to speak, her eyes looking at his chest.

  “I’m sorry for that. I’m not used to breaking down like that. I don’t know what happened,” she said, her voice breaking up, and quickly wiping tears away from her cheeks.

  “It’s OK. It’s very common. You just went through a traumatic ordeal. You survived it by not letting your emotions in. Now, they’ll come up when it’s safe to do so. Don’t feel bad about it.”

  She looked up at him, and patted him on the chest, “Thank you. Thank you.”

  Her eyes glistened with her tears. Her face was soft with emotion. Her lips, a deep red, were pressed hard against each other. The setting sun made her hair glow. Suddenly, he could feel every part of his body where hers touched him. He didn’t like what he felt. It wasn’t arousal; it was something deeper than that. It was just like when he’d first met Elena. He swallowed hard, a chill of apprehension running down his spine.

  No. I won’t let myself feel that. He put his hands on her shoulders, moved back a step, and broke eye contact with her. His action was abrupt enough that Julianne knew he’d suddenly become uncomfortable, but she didn’t say anything. He stepped around her and grunted, “This way.” She gave him a curious look, but fell in a step behind him, bustling to keep up with his urgent, and longer, strides.

  ******

  When they arrived at the main intersection, the place was buzzing. About twenty people were clustered in small groups, discussing recent events with animated conversation. Neither Peter nor Freddie had arrived yet, so when the crowd saw Cooper approaching, they streamed toward him. Jake ran to his side at a dead run. He slammed into Cooper and hugged him tightly. Cooper laughed and hugged him back, “I’m OK, son. Everything is fine.”

  When he loosened his grip, he directed his attention to Julianne, “Jake, this is Julianne Wheeler.”

  “Pleased to meet you, young man,” she offered him her hand. Jake shook it warily and buried his face against his father’s side.

  Arthur Stamm, a twenty-two year old with bright red hair who stood a shade under seven feet, came up, “What happened, Cooper? We heard we repulsed an attack by a dozen men!” He was panting from excitement.

  Cooper shook his head and chuckled, “No. No, nothing like that. We just saw some people in trouble down the road a bit and we helped them out.”

  Julianne stepped from behind Cooper, pushing him aside, “Cooper is being too humble. This man helped us, saved us. No one else dared raise a finger when we were attacked by a group of violent bastards, in public, at a grocery store. But, this man,” she grabbed his arm and squeezed it, “he stepped up and saved us.”

  “What’d you do to them?” Arthur asked.

  “Two are dead. Two wounded. The last we stripped down to his underwear. We sent the two that were still alive back home without their shoes. I think we showed that this neighborhood is well defended.”

  Unexpectedly, the group erupted into a round of cheers. He spent the next ten minutes answering questions and recounting further details. When Peter and Freddie arrived, the excitement picked up again and he was forced to endure another round of questions, most of which he’d already answered. Julianne was interrogated, as well. Finally, he was able to break away from the group and head into his house. He motioned for Julianne to follow him and she did so.

  He leaned the rifle up against the wall, next to the front door. He kept the automatic pistol on his hip. Funny how quickly guns have become normal to have around all the time.

  He turned toward Julianne, “I think it’d be best for you to stay here.” The flash of an impetuous smile from Julianne’s face made him quickly add, “I mean in our neighborhood, tonight. It’s almost dark and I don’t think it’s worth the risk to run you back home in it. You can either stay here with us or I can find you some space at Lisa’s across the street if you’d prefer that.”

  “If it’s OK with you, I’d prefer to just stay here. I know you already and I trust you, a little bit at least. Both of you,” she added, indicating Jake. He looked back at her like a cat defending his turf, with squinted eyes and tight lips.

  “Alright. We’ll make something to eat and then turn in. We’ll sleep upstairs. Jake and I in the bedroom and you in the loft, just outside.”

  “We’re not sleeping in the basement?” Jake asked.

  “Not after what happened the other night. If those idiots come back, we need to be in a different place to catch them off guard.”

  Julianne left eyebrow cocked. Cooper responded, “We had some unwelcome guests the other night. We dealt with them and I’m 99% sure we won’t see them again. But, I like to be safe.” She nodded in agreement.

  Chapter 16

  Cooper cooked dinner, with some help from Jake and Julianne. Jake circled her, avoiding contact. Must be what a bear looks like guarding her brood, Cooper chuckled to himself. He cooked some steaks from the freezer, rice pilaf from a box, and some broccoli with butter and garlic. Uncharacteristically, he downed two whiskeys on the rocks while cooking. After today, I deserve it. He was thankful his body performed well in combat, reflexes sharp and without hesitation. However, he always felt like crap afterwards. A doctor in the army had once told him that there were two kinds of people: those who performed well under extreme stress but felt lousy later and those who didn’t and ended up lousy during combat. Cooper was happy to be the former, but he still hated how badly his body felt afterwards. Julianne joined him, but drank red wine instead.

  They made small talk at dinner. Cooper learned that Julianne worked for a medical firm doing who knows what. She had a PhD in medical biology and did research where she worked. Cooper became animated and sought her opinion on the plague sweeping the country. She adroitly evaded his questions and only responded in generalities. As he pressed her a few different times, she became emotional, teared up, and changed the conversation. Cooper assumed she had lost someone, or some people, who were very close to her. She didn’t wear a wedding ring, but perhaps it was a long-term lover, parents, or a sibling. She wouldn’t talk about her family either, so he had no way to know. In fact, as the night wore on, he noticed that she deliberately kept away from any serious or personal topics. Cooper chomped on a bite of steak, and I thought it was supposed to be men who were closed off! She asked him what he was smiling about, but he demurred by shaking his head. Cooper couldn’t remember if he’d had two or three whiskeys with dinner. There was no ignoring the empty bottle of red wine next to Julianne and the second one started. I guess we both had a rough day, didn’t we?

  After dinner, he put Jake to bed upstairs. Cooper tried to read a story to Jake, but he fell asleep before he finished. I guess these events are taking their toll on him too. Looking down at his peaceful, slumbering face, he couldn’t help but believe that it had grown more mature looking in the last few days. His jaw line appeared more square, the eyes a bit deeper set, and his mouth more firm.

  Cooper returned to find Julianne in the kitchen, holding a drink out towards him. His head was already swimming a little. The whiskey had warmed his belly and now it was working up past his chest, toward his head. Julianne’s constant smile and slow gait revealed she was feeling it too. They moved to the living room and sat down on the couch. It was a deep, chocolate brown, with a high back; Victorian-style.

  They sat down, each at either end of the couch. She brushed her hair back over her ear and looked deeply into his eyes, “I just wanted to thank you again for what you did today. I owe you a lot for it.”

  Her eyes had an electric effect on him. They pulled him in. Closer, they cooed. This
close, he could not deny how stunningly beautiful she was.

  “No thanks needed. Anyone would have done the same.”

  She shook her head emphatically and waved her hand side to side, spilling a drop of wine onto her blouse without noticing, “No. No! Not anyone, Cooper. I saw a dozen men watch us all get rounded up in that parking lot today. Like cattle,” she spat the word. “Not a one lifted a finger.”

  “Maybe they weren’t armed,” he defended.

  “You are too damned kind. Since two days ago, every other man on the street has a gun with him. Some of them had to be armed. But, they just stood aside. A damned women round up! Yippee-kai-yay!” She mimicked a lasso.

  “OK, I give in! You’re welcome.”

  “Thank you. Was that so hard? That’s all I wanted from you,” she said, tilting her head to the side and looking up at him. The top few buttons on her shiny gray blouse were undone and a hint of cleavage drew his eyes. Her firm breasts pressed against the blouse as if they wanted to push the next button open, as well. He felt the cushions move as she edged closer to him.

  Hovering at the edge of touching hip to hip, she bit her lower lip. Her lips were red, full, and moist, “Well, it’s not the only thing I wanted from you.” Her hand was on his thigh and she leaned in to whisper into his ear. “I hope you won’t think this is too forward. I need something else from you. Will you hold me tonight? I can’t bear to be alone. Not tonight.” He felt the wetness of a tear fall onto his neck as she nuzzled her nose against his ear and recalled the intense connection he had felt when they’d met earlier. Her hand squeezed his thigh, moving to the inside. Her right arm snaked around his waist and pulled her closer to him.

  Cooper’s head whirled. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He had had other women come on to him, some very strongly, but never in his living room. And never one so beautiful. There was no denying what feeling stirred now. This was pure lust. The mix of adrenaline from what had happened earlier in the day, the whiskey, and her attraction was overpowering. He was drawn to her, powerfully so. He wanted her, right now, on the couch, and yearned to bury himself inside of her. He wanted that connection with her. He felt as if he needed it.

  He felt her moist, full lips on his neck, delivering a gentle soft kiss, with a seductive hint of suction. “Just hold me. Please.” Her hand slid further up his thigh.

  He pulled her head away from him. His eyes furiously swept over her. He couldn’t help but imagine how it would feel to run his hands over her, feeling every part of her firm body. Her eyes tantalized him again. Wet from her tears, they beckoned him. They beseeched him to come in and become lost inside of her; lost inside the moment. He ached to pull her in close and give in to what he desired.

  But I won’t. He moved away from her, breaking the spell. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this. My boy is upstairs and my wife, who I still love, is not a few days gone.”

  She pulled back, her arm uncurling from his waist and withdrawing from his thigh. He couldn’t help noticing how she squeezed his waist as she did so. She averted her eyes towards the floor.

  “It goes without saying that I want to. But, I just can’t.”

  Her face looked crestfallen, “You’re a rare man, Cooper Adams. Will you at least give me a hug before we turn in? I could really use that.”

  “Of course. And, you can tease me twenty years from now about how I missed the opportunity of my life to spend the night with such a stunning woman,” he smiled at her.

  They stood up, drained the last of their drinks, and embraced. She pressed herself fully into him. Her grip was strong, one arm around his lower back and the other going over his back with the hand gripping his shoulder. He squeezed back. Her left leg slid in between his and she pressed it along the inner side of his right leg. For just a moment, her thigh pressed against his groin, arousing him again. She never gives up. Before he could pull away, she withdrew her leg and resumed a wider stance.

  They stood in this embrace for a long time. Their breath synchronized. The intense physical attraction faded and it felt like earlier today. He couldn’t help the connection he felt towards her. She must have felt it too. She caressed his back, moving her hands from time to time. He didn’t grow impatient in her arms. It just felt right to him.

  When she pulled away, he felt a twinge of regret. “Thank you. I needed that,” she breathed.

  “It was my pleasure. You give good hug, Ms. Julianne Wheeler.”

  She smiled impishly at him, “It’s not all I’m good at, Mr. Cooper Adams.” With that, she turned and sashayed her way to the bathroom. She exaggerated the swing of her hips as she did so.

  He looked after her, admiringly, and shook his head in silent, amused, appreciation.

  ******

  A voice startled him awake well past midnight. Cat-like, he slid out of the bed and with shotgun already in hand, crouched at the ready. There it was again. Female. From the next room. It must be Julianne. He crept forward on his toes silently and quickly. He pushed the door fully open and took several steps into the loft area that adjoined his bedroom.

  Julianne lay on the air mattress that they kept on hand for guests. He lay the shotgun against the wall. She was restless, moaning unintelligible words and phrases. The blanket had been pushed off of her. She was wearing an oversized red flannel shirt that he had loaned her. It came to just above her knees. Now, it clustered just below her waist, failing to conceal her sapphire blue lace panties. Her well-muscled legs moved in slow tandem, rubbing against each other.

  He stepped next to her, grabbed the blanket, and draped it over her. As the blanket dropped onto her, her voice startled him.

  “It’s been worse than you thought,” she said wearily, deep sadness clouding her voice.

  Cooper looked at her quizzically. Her eyes were half open. He almost started to ask her, “What was worse?” before he realized she was still asleep.

  She moved again, rolling over so he could no longer see her face.

  “So much worse than you said it would be,” each word catching in her throat.

  Cooper pivoted and resumed his position at the foot of the air mattress. Minutes crept past and all he heard was her breathing rhythmically. She had fallen back into deep slumber. Cooper’s mind buzzed with questions. What was she talking about? What was worse? Who was she talking to in her sleep?

  The mystery tantalized him. After five minutes of relative silence, he knelt down and lightly tickled her foot.

  She stirred again and rolled onto her back. Her half-open eyes stared right at him. For a moment, he was terrified that she had awoken and would ask what the hell he was doing. But, the eyes were unmoving. He let out a silent sigh of relief.

  She hissed angrily, “We shouldn’t have done it, don’t you see? It’s cost too much.”

  Surprised by her angry outburst, he stood up and backed away. She shifted again, onto her right side and resumed breathing steadily. He watched for several more minutes, but she did not speak again. He decided not to risk disturbing her again, despite how his mind was alive with questions about what she’d said. A ray of light from the streetlamp caressed her face. A full minute later, Cooper realized he’d been staring at her. He shook his head to clear his mind and went back to bed. His alarm clock told him it was just after three in the morning. He couldn’t sleep, as questions about what she’d said, and the powerful emotions she had stirred pestered him.

  Around five o’clock he gave up and went downstairs to begin preparing breakfast.

  ******

  Cooper had almost finished making a breakfast of French toast, sausage links, and hash browns when he heard the creak of the stairs as someone descended. Louder than Jake. It must be Julianne. He was setting a pitcher of orange juice onto the table when she rounded the landing and stepped into the dining room.

  The long flannel shirt he had let her borrow hung just below her knees. Her deep black hair was only finger-combed. She brushed the left side behind her ear and looked up at him. H
er eyes were alight. Powerful as black holes, they pulled him in, and seemed to go on forever.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning. How’d you sleep?” He knew he was going to ask her about what she’d said in her sleep, but he’d wait before doing so.

  “Oh, I slept well. As good as could be expected after yesterday, I guess.”

  “Good. I’m sorry I didn’t have something better to offer you than that air mattress. We were never set up well for guests.”

  “Oh, it was fine,” she leaned in, setting her hand on the small of his back. She whispered into his ear, “I’m sorry about last night. I know I came on strong last night. I can be unbearable when I want something. I’m sorry for that.”

  He craned his neck back, so he could look at her, “Don’t worry about it. I was flattered, really. You are an…incredible woman. But, I’m still in love…I know it sounds crazy…but I’m still in love with my wife.”

  She patted him on his shoulder, “It’s not crazy at all. It’s normal. I was the one who was off base. It’s sweet. It’s why I said you’re such a rare man.” She stopped and laughed to herself.

  Cooper looked puzzled, “What?”

  “Oh, I can’t. It will make me sound like an arrogant slut.”

  He looked plaintively at her, “Oh, you have to tell me now. You can’t bring something like that up and not say anything.”

  She dropped her shoulders, “Oh, alright. I guess I owe you that. It’s just that you’re the first man, ever, to reject my advances. Single. Married. It hasn’t mattered. I do believe once even a gay man said yes to me.”

  He looked back at her, straight faced.

  “What?” she pleaded.

  “You’re right. You are an arrogant slut,” a wide smile betrayed the levity.