Undead Love: A Post-Apocalyptic Romance Read online

  "But I didn't bring any pajamas," Melanie said. "And where would I sleep?"

  "That's fine. I can lend you one of my shirts to sleep in," River said. "And... well, I could let you sleep on the couch, but wouldn't you be more comfortable in my bed?"

  "With you in it?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, if you're willing to let me sleep with you, how can I refuse?"

  River arched an eyebrow. "I take it you mean literally and not figuratively, right?"

  "Uh, yeah?" Melanie scratched her head. "I mean... I guess we should see where the night goes, right?"

  River chuckled. "I'm glad you're willing to keep your options open."

  "I guess you could say that," Melanie said with a mischievous smile.

  "Let's go upstairs, shall we?" River held his hand out to Melanie. "I'll lead the way for you, my lady."

  "So proper!" Melanie giggled and took River's hand, allowing him to lead her upstairs.

  When they got there, River reached into his dresser and threw a large shirt at Melanie. "Here you go. Change whenever you're ready."

  "Or wherever I'm ready?" Melanie made a move to take her shirt off right there, then stopped. "Just kidding."

  River chuckled, "You are such a tease," he said, shooing her off. "Go get comfortable."

  Melanie went into River's bathroom to change; much to her relief, the shirt was long on her. Though River would probably end up seeing her underwear anyway, she still felt inclined to maintain at least a little modesty. She came out and did a little twirl. "Well, what do you think?"

  "Ah, I forgot to give you pants," River said from his lounging position on the bed. "Though if you're fine without them, so am I."

  "I think the shirt covers enough," Melanie said, plopping on the bed next to River. "Glad to hear you're willing to keep your options open, too."

  "You got me on that one," River said. "So, what should we do now?"

  "Let me think for a bit about that," Melanie said. "Is there anything good on TV?"

  "Let's see." River grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, pulling up the channel guide on it. "The late night talk shows are too political, but I think there's a comedy special on. Not sure if that'll be more or less political."

  "Let's give it a shot. Maybe it'll be funny." Melanie's eyes were on River as he worked the remote.

  The comedy special ended up being largely ignored in favor of silly banter, though at one point, popcorn was made with the express purpose of throwing it at the screen. The night seemed to blur together after a while, and before they knew it, the two of them were dozing off.

  Chapter 10

  At one point, Melanie found herself awake in the middle of the night. This was probably because River was playing a game on his phone right next to her. After a stretch and a groan, she mumbled, "What'cha playing?"

  "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" River clicked his phone off and set it aside. "I had a bit of trouble sleeping, so I decided to entertain myself. I guess the light was too bright."

  "No, I just kind of woke up on my own," Melanie said. "Really, what were you playing?"

  "One of those 'gacha' games," River said. "The ones where you put in in-game currency and get a randomly chosen cute girl to fight your battles for you."

  "Sounds fun," Melanie murmured. "Are they as cute as me?"

  River chuckled, "You're cuter. These girls are a bit... overdone, like they're following a recipe for cuteness. 'We need to add one tablespoon pink hair, a pinch of a weird verbal quirk, and two D-cups.'"

  "That sounds really weird when you put it that way. They're not like, chainmail bikini girls, are they?" Melanie adjusted herself so she could rest her head on River's chest.

  "There are a few, but they're more like schoolgirls or 'girls next door,'" River said.

  "I could be a schoolgirl for you," Melanie said.

  River gave one small laugh and patted Melanie on the head. "Thank you for offering."

  "Say... there is one thing we could do," Melanie said. She was going to attempt something very spur of the moment, but at that second, she was very sure it was something she wanted. "How about we... get a little more comfortable?"

  River arched an eyebrow, a gesture barely visible in the darkness. "And?"

  "And what?" Melanie sighed. "I want to try you out."

  "Oh, I see," River said, turning over to enfold Melanie just that much more. "Feeling frisky, are we?"

  "Yeah, let's go with that." Melanie leaned forward and gave River a kiss on the lips. "Good thing I'm not wearing pants, huh?"

  "I do believe you're trying to seduce me," River said. "I might be wearing pants, but I suppose that's something I can easily fix, right?"

  "We need to fix that quickly," Melanie smiled, fumbling around in the dark for the waistband of River's bottoms.

  "Let me help you." River guided Melanie's hand to his waistband; once he was through with that, he slid his hands under her shirt. "Gotcha!"

  Melanie gave a protracted, melodramatic "Oh, noooooo," though she was clearly joking around, as she giggled right after. "Do you like what you feel?"

  "Oh, yes," River moaned. "Your skin is very soft. What's your secret?"

  "A strawberry-scented moisturizer," Melanie said, tugging River's pants down. "Oops, your pants are down."

  "Oops." River's hand slid upward, eventually resting gently on Melanie's left breast. "Oops again."

  Melanie giggled, yet shuddered at the same time as a small rush rippled through her. "Your hand slipped?"

  River's other hand slipped to cover the other breast. "Yes, and then the other one slipped after it."

  "So naughty!" Melanie giggled again and rolled on top of River, grinning at him. "Hi."

  "Hi." River gave Melanie as deep a kiss as he could muster. "You're a little silly tonight, aren't you?"

  "It's fun to play with you," Melanie said.

  "Mel, dear, could you do me a favor?" River's hand stretched to his right. "Could you open the nightstand drawer for me? I've got something nice for you in there."

  "I thought it was in your pants."

  "That's more than just a nice thing," River grinned. "Go on, go get the thing."

  Melanie did as she was told, and she felt a square packet. "What's this? A tea bag? It's very square."

  "Oh, come on, you know what that is! Tea bag?Where did you even get that from..."

  "Oh, a condom, right." Melanie passed the condom over to River. "I'm ready whenever you are," she whispered, wriggling out of her borrowed sleep shirt and tossing it aside. Her panties were next.

  "You'd better be ready, because I've got something more in store for you." River carefully rolled Melanie onto her back. "Well? Are you ready?"

  "Yes!"

  "Saying yes like that already, and I haven't even started," River mumbled. "Let's see if we can keep that up."

  When River entered, Melanie practically squealed. She reached up, touching him, stroking him all over, getting a feel for his musculature. He came at her with thrust after thrust, and there was one point where she thought her eyes rolled back in her head. He massaged her body, rubbing gently with just the right amount of pressure, and the added stimulation made her feel excited all over again. She continued giving him rather loud verbal feedback, resulting in an exchange when she called out his name.

  "Don't they say the orgasm's fake if she calls out your name?" River said through a laugh.

  "I'm not faking!" Melanie huffed indignantly. "I love it, I want you inside me forever! Better?!"

  "You're too funny," River said, rocking Melanie with another thrust.

  "How do you even know how to do this?" Melanie nearly yelled.

  "It's a trade secret."

  "Fuck you, it's not a trade secret!"

  "Aren't we already fucking?"

  "Now you're being silly, Riv."

  "Fine, fine, I'll give you the River Sutra later!"

  The sex ended up d
isintegrating into giggles after they both came. River got rid of the condom and came back to Melanie grinning so widely he could even see it in the dark. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

  "I'd say so," River said as he slid back into bed and wrapped himself around Melanie. "You come up with good ideas sometimes."

  "Only sometimes?" Melanie whined.

  "Oh, hush, you know what I mean," River grinned. "I feel better now, after that. I might actually be able to go back to sleep. What about you?"

  "I feel a lot better," Melanie said. "Like you said, sometimes I have good ideas."

  "You know, I'm wondering," River spoke, pausing for a moment. "What made you decide you wanted sex at that moment?"

  "I don't know," Melanie confessed. "It just seemed like the right time and place for it. When I see an opportunity, I go for it."

  "I see," River sighed and gave Melanie a squeeze. "You're a great girl, Melanie. Don't think otherwise."

  "Are you just saying that because I had sex with you?" Melanie asked.

  "Absolutely not," River scoffed. "Even if you were skeptical at first, you accept me for what I am, and you embrace me as a person. It's hard to find people who do that these days. Some people only see one side of you and only care about that one side, and once they see another, they stop liking you."

  Melanie made a sad noise. "It sounds like you're talking from experience."

  "I suppose you could say that," River said. "I've met people like that in the past. Some people just aren't prepared to love a person wholeheartedly, regardless of who they are or what their true self is like."

  "That's their problem," Melanie said. "You're a catch too, River, you know that?"

  "You flatter me. Also, I see what you did there."

  "I'm not flattering you! I'm serious. You're open, inviting, and patient with people who might not get what you're talking about. If you weren't such an accepting person, I wouldn't be here right now." Melanie paused, then added, "Also, what did I do there?"

  "River... catch... do you see it? You know, like catching fish from a river?" River was met with silence. "Fine. Don't worry about it then. We can deconstruct your accidental wordplay more thoroughly in the morning."

  "Okay." Melanie snuggled up close to River. "You know this already, but it doesn't matter to me anymore that you're a dragon. I was freaked out at first, but I got over it. I really do love you for who you are. I know you won't eat me or spray me with dragon snot."

  "Again with the dragon snot," River said through a groan. "It doesn't even work that way! The water doesn't go that far up."

  Melanie giggled. "I guess dragon snot is one of your fun buttons to push, huh?"

  "Fun for you, I guess. But I know your other fun buttons." River gave Melanie's nose a gentle push. "Boop."

  "What?" Melanie stared at River, confused. "I don't think there's a button in my nose. I don't think I even have a button nose."

  "Ah, live a little, humor me a bit just this once," River said.

  "I banged a dragon, I think I'm living more than just a little," Melanie laughed.

  "Good luck bragging about that," River said with a snort.

  "Oh, please, I know better than to tell people I'm literally with a dragon. Not everyone knows the truth," Melanie said. "More like no one, really, but I'm fine with it being a secret until you're ready to tell anyone."

  River frowned. "I don't know when dragons will be ready to reveal themselves to the world. I don't think it'll be too soon, but hopefully it won't be too far away either."

  "That sounds about right." Melanie yawned and stretched. "Whew... I think you wore me out a little."

  "Good to hear that I performed well," River said with a chuckle.

  "Yes, you get an A+ and a gold star on your dick," Melanie mumbled.

  "Please don't put anything on my penis."

  "Yeah, okay." Melanie giggled. "Stop making me laugh, or I'll never get to sleep."

  "I should say the same to you," River said. "You're a funny one tonight."

  "All right, all right." Melanie leaned up and gave River a kiss. "Good night, Rivvy."

  "Rivvy? That's a new one." River returned the kiss. "Good night, Mellie."

  Though it was a whimsical decision, Melanie did not mind what had happened one bit. She felt closer to River than ever before, like she had gained a new understanding of him. Even if someone had treated him poorly in the past, she wanted to make up for that. She would give him all the affection she could so that the people who had slighted him would wash away. She had a wonderful man, and she knew it.

  Chapter 11

  As time went on, Melanie's visits and overnight stays at River's house became more frequent. After a certain point, she thought that she was starting to get used to waking up in his arms, and that she was spending more time at his house than her own. Then again, she didn't mind. River was an excellent companion.

  One particular day, Melanie ate cereal at the poolside while she watched River swim about his pool in his dragon form. "You should know that I know better than to spray you while you're eating," he said into her mind.

  "Don't you dare," Melanie said, waggling a finger at River. The dragon ducked his head under the water with a soft roar, then emerged with a squeal. "Are water dragons supposed to sound kind of like dolphins, or is that just something you do?"

  "We are," River said. "It's a bit of an odd coincidence, but it's a thing."

  "Very odd." Melanie took a bite of cereal and watched River swim about. At one point, he dunked his head under the water again, and she had a feeling she knew what was coming next. "Don't you dare spray me," she reiterated, pointing at him with her spoon. She was rewarded by a spray of water to her side that still made her jump. "What was that about?!"

  "Just a compromise." River swam over to where Melanie was sitting, and lowered his head to her level. "Can I have a bit?"

  "I guess. Just try not to bite my hand off," Melanie said.

  "On second thought, I don't know if I can get my mouth there that precisely. I guess I'll just have some of my own later." River gently nudged Melanie's forehead with his snout.

  Melanie made a squeak, then giggled and gently patted River's snout. "Good boy."

  "I don't know how to feel about that." River drifted over to the deep end's pool ladder, and he was enveloped in light once more as he shifted back to human form. He climbed out of the pool and sat down beside Melanie, putting his arm around her. "You finish up; I'll go dry off and clean up."

  "All right, see you then." Melanie watched River go off to the showering area, then absentmindedly finished the rest of her cereal. Next thing she knew, River had his arm around her again. "That was quick."

  "I can be a real quick change artist if I need to be," River said, kissing Melanie's cheek. "You know, I think your tendency to get tired after a swim rubbed off on me. How about we relax upstairs for a bit?"

  "Huh? Sure." Melanie had a feeling that she knew where this was headed, but she wasn't in the mood to object, regardless of the outcome. She followed River out of the basement, made a quick detour to deposit her bowl and spoon in the sink, then caught up to him in the bedroom. He was laying spread eagle on the bed, his eyes half-closed.

  "What took you so long?" River asked. "I nearly fell asleep waiting for you."

  "I wasn't going to take my bowl and spoon with me," Melanie said. "You need to pull yourself in a little bit, or there won't be any room for me."

  "Fine, fine." River pulled his spread limbs in, then patted the spot next to him on the bed. "Better?"

  "Much better." Melanie sighed happily and plopped down next to River, curling around him. "I love holding you. You're so... solid and sturdy, and so warm. It feels nice to lay on you."

  "It sounds a little weird when you put it that way," River said. "But I can appreciate your softness when you lay on me."

  "Hmm." Melanie adjusted herself so that she was slightly more on top of River. "Is this bet
ter?"

  "Better for what? I can feel more of you, yes." River put his arms around Melanie and gave her a squeeze. "I wouldn't mind getting to feel even more of you."

  This time, Melanie put herself completely on top of River. It was a compromising position of sorts, and she knew it. "Like this?"

  "Yes, like that." River chuckled, "You really are a tease."