Page 38 of Property of Zombie

His earnest tone has me sitting up straight. “I’m not gonna think less of you. Besides, it’s not like I can’t make my own assumptions about what large snack means.”

He takes a deep breath, then another and another. “There were a few times Dr. Binks allowed us to dispose of bodies inside the zoo. Whatever the larger animals didn’t destroy was given to the pigs.”

My stomach rolls as I imagine my animals eating human flesh and bone, and I cover my mouth with my hand. “That’s so gross.”

Surprisingly, Zombie laughs. “It is.”

“So, you’ve killed people?”

“Yes,” he replies without hesitation.

“How many?”

“No clue. Enough that I’m going straight to Hell when my time comes but not so many that my soul is completely black.”

Does his answer shock me? Yes. Does it make me think less of him? Nope. If anything, all I want to do is climb onto his lap and give him a hug.

You also wanna fuck him, hussy. The adrenaline rush that’d come from knowingly having sex with a killer…

I shiver at the thought, and Zombie lifts the blanket I discarded when he knocked on my door and wraps it around my shoulder. “Better?”

“Yeah,” I lie because I don’t know how to tell him that I’m not cold. In fact, I’m so damn hot I might combust. “Are you going to want me to let you dispose of bodies?” I ask in an attempt to get back on track.

“I don’t know. I hope I never have to, but I also won’t make a promise I’m not sure I can keep.”

“Makes sense.”

Silence ensues for several minutes, and then Zombie pulls me onto his lap. “So, wanna get to know each other?” he asks, pressing his nose into my neck and nuzzling.

My smile is instant. “Yes.”

“How about we order a pizza and play twenty questions?” he suggests. “We can watch a movie later, too, if you want.”

“I’m game for the pizza and twenty questions,” I tell him. “But maybe we could get outta here later?”

“Sure, whatever you want.”

What I want is him to take me to his place. He’s telling me things, but he’s not showing me anything. If he really wants me like he says, that means letting me in to his life beyond the sex and felonies.

Thirty minutes later, we’re sitting on the floor with an open pizza box between us.

“Favorite color?” he asks before lifting a slice to his mouth and practically downing half of it with one bite.

“Teal. You?”

“Green,” he says immediately. “More specifically, the emerald-green of the dress you wore to the gala. Morning person or night owl?”

“Night owl. Who’s your best friend?”

“Lyric, our club president.” Zombie pauses for a moment and then says, “But you’re quickly rising up the ranks.”

“Good to know,” I say with a grin. I eat a few bites of the cheesy goodness before blurting my next question. “Missionary or doggy?”

With an arched brow, he smirks. “As long as it’s your body I’m burying myself in, doesn’t matter. That said, I really want to try all the positions at the zoo.”

“I think we can make that happen.”

“Did you always know you wanted to be a vet?” he asks.