Relay for Life (6 page)

He hesitated long enough for Marcel to catch the look. It was one that all seasoned field agents got after a particularly trying mission. Something had happened to him to take the “thrill” out of the job.
That explains why he was off duty
. “You know it,” he said finally. However his smile was a little less bright when he said it. He wondered if Andrew caught the pause.

Matthew glanced behind him and caught Marcel’s gaze. The other agent reached back and grabbed his arm, dragging him between them and giving him a conspiratorial wink. “Come on up here with us. You don’t have to be antisocial.” He looked back to Andrew. “So how did you become a run kid?”

“I have always been a run kid. Though I got hired for it at sixteen. I dropped out of secondary school to join Deadzone as one of their sponsored runners,” Andrew said. “I was never very good at academics, but I was always a good runner. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do it for a living. One of the recruiters watched me at the sector finals and gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Right on. I’ve seen your stats. You’re pretty good. Number two in New America, right?” Matthew asked. Marcel was surprised he knew all that. He must have been more knowledgeable about the run kids than he’d originally let on.

Andrew nodded. “Yeah. That’s what the stats say. Though I debate that Rodney Nickels actually didn’t win Daytona last year. He shoved me fifteen yards from the finish line.”

“You watch out for this guy next time,” Matthew said, shoving Marcel playfully. Marcel nearly stumbled. His eyes instantly went wide with concern, and he reached out to steady him. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Marcel assured. He still didn’t know quite how to take Matthew yet. He was attractive, playful, and honest. But, Marcel still wasn’t sure if he could trust his gut reaction to him. He was different than any of the men he’d encountered before. He still wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t just fucking with him to snag a three-way with him and Andrew. Even if he flirted with him before he knew Andrew, the possibility was very real. If he knew Andrew’s stats, he had to know how beautiful he was beforehand. Pictures of the running star were everywhere after all. But he seemed so genuine.

Andrew grabbed his arm. “Are you all right, Marcel?” The touch went all the way to his toes.
“I’m fine, baby,” Marcel said, running a finger down Andrew’s cheek without thinking about it.
“Baby?” Andrew asked, looking up at him with awareness for the first time in Marcel’s recollection.
“Marcel, weapon out,” Matthew snapped. “Three heat sources, coming up on our right side, fast.”
Marcel reacted, pulling back and reaching for his weapon at the same time. Matthew tapped Andrew on the shoulder, handing him over a pistol. Everyone in New America was trained to use one.
“We’ll talk later,” Marcel promised. He acted as a buffer on one side of Andrew while Matthew did the other. He tensed, anticipating the streak of movement that would signal a Necro’s approach. Instead, the sound of drumming unlike anything he ever heard filled the space. He tilted his head and listened closer, frowning.
What in the world
?
Three stags broke from the woods at a flat run, their hoofs thundering against the packed dirt of the river bank. They turned at the last second and ran the path ahead of them. The tension went out of his shoulders in an instant. He laughed and slowly lowered his weapon. “I can’t wait to get out of here,” he said. “All these zombies and Necros have me scared of anything with a heat signature.”
Matthew gave a weak smile. “You and me both. The lack of knowledge of the terrain is killing me. Usually I’m prepped a lot better and the heat sigs have identifiable markers to match the biology of the area.”
That surprised Marcel. What sorts of missions did a guy have to go on to get those sorts of smart toys? In his experience, the more dangerous the mission, the more high-tech the toys. It was one of the reasons the run team didn’t have as many gadgets as the rest of the field agents on a normal run. They were considered very low risk. He’d known when he’d gone to the equipment room to get him arms and had been surprised by the amount of weaponry he’d been expected to carry. Granted, the rest of the team would be traveling in a small ATV transport that would follow Andrew, but it was still a heavy bit of equipment to lug around for a group of men not used to carrying it. It had been one of the reasons for their failure, if he was honest with himself.
He glanced over at Andrew, and it all came rushing back to him.

It had been quiet. The only sound was the unit chatting as Andrew turned right to follow the trail. They were about midway through the race now, and the distance between the runners and their run teams had grown over the past several hours. The last medi-check had taken fifteen minutes, but they weren’t due for another stop for another ten hours. Marcel had been content to watch Andrew as he hit his stride again. It was a beautiful sight. He’d been on runs enough with Andrew to know that he was just cresting that place where he was happy and flying high. However, he hadn’t hydrated in the past hour, and it was one of Marcel’s duties to make sure he didn’t forget to do that.

He noticed his bottle was running low, so he swapped Andrew’s with his own. Andrew needed the water a lot more than he did. He tossed his fuller bottle to him. Andrew caught it midstride and unscrewed the top before taking several deep swallows.

Andrew tossed it back, and it went a bit wide. Marcel nearly fell out of the transport trying to catch it, and the rest of the team cracked up at his flailing. He sat back in his seat and gave them all a sheepish grin.

Jax Delaney slapped him on the back. “Boy, you were about to swan dive onto the trail.”
He shrugged and looked back toward Andrew to make a joke about his aim but stopped when he saw him come to an abrupt halt. Marcel frowned and followed the direction of his gaze.
“Oh shit,” one of the new guys said. Marcel didn’t remember his name.
His eyes widened. “Oh shit,” he echoed. There was a veritable mine field of zombies in their path, thirty of them at least. He swung his rifle forward and ducked out of the AV while the two gunners on the upper section shouted at Andrew to get back. Andrew turned immediately and ran behind Marcel. He took aim at the nearest zombie and fired his weapon. It dropped.
“Marcel, Necros!” Andrew’s terror-filled shout drew his attention. On either side of the ATV, the faster-moving, more-intelligent infected ran toward them like a pack of predatory lions after some lost buffalo on the African savanna.
“Fuck!” Marcel shouted. More shots from the team rang out. There was no way. There were too many of them. They would overtake the ATV and the team. He looked toward the deeper-running river about fifty yards ahead. “Andrew, grab a pack and run into the river. I’ll cover you.”
“But, Marcel—”
“Dammit, Andy. I don’t have time to argue. Get your ass moving!” He lined up his sight and focused on clearing a path for Andrew to run through. He shouted up to his main gunners. “Keep the Necros off me while I clear a path for Andy!”
“Got it,” Jax said, firing away. Andrew grabbed the pack and ran forward, heading toward the river. He was a good sprinter, and Marcel made sure he had a clear path to run through.
“Pleasure working with you, Jax,” Marcel called up as Andrew disappeared down the river bank. It was up to him to survive now. Deadzone would send a retrieval team for him within hours. He hit his distress beacon on his vest.
“You, too, Mar. See you on the other side.”
Marcel sent up a prayer to whatever powers were listening and made peace with the fact that he was going to die.

Marcel blinked back to the present. He had no way of knowing at that moment that another field team whose runner had been snatched by a Necro just behind Andrew was coming to their aid. They’d helped them fight their way out of the mess, but they’d lost almost all of both teams in the process. The heaviness of their equipment coupled with the cumbersome amount of long-range weaponry had slowed them down. Jax hadn’t been infected, but he’d had gotten a serious head injury in the process when a Necro had thrown him headfirst into the side of the ATV. The rest of the team had been killed.

The only thing they could do was evacuate. He had been frantic to find Andrew afterward, but it hadn’t been possible. The intervening month had been hell. It was almost surreal to see Andrew walking beside Matthew, alive and well. He was so happy that the run kid was all right.

“Now that we’ve all been scared out of our minds,” Matthew said, giving a short laugh. “Shall we continue?”
Andrew gave a shaky laugh as well. “Yeah. We should. The sooner we get to Brook, the sooner we can get home.”
The com link buzzed loudly, and Matthew answered it. “Yeah, Daniel?”
“Hi,” Daniel said. He sounded just as exhausted as before. “Just wanted to let you guys know, another team hired to pick up a lost runner from N Corpus picked up Bryan and Brook about half an hour ago. He phoned into Deadzone to let us know. You guys need to head out of there. Go north. Jason is sending an armored vehicle to the UMF border.”
“Thank God,” Matthew said, relief evident all over his face. “Is Brook okay?”
“Broken arm and some minor cuts and bruises, but otherwise okay. Bryan’s dog apparently saved his life. I think Jason is going to put a bronze statue of the thing in the hallway. He’s already given Bryan and the dog a permanent place on the field team if he wants it.”
“All right, man. Get some sleep.” They cut off the connection and Matthew raised his eyes. “Change of plans.”
“I actually like this plan better,” Marcel admitted. “I’d go through the fires of hell to get everyone out, but it seems like a much better strategy to get the hell out of this place as quickly as possible. There is something weird with the infected here.”
Andrew nodded his head in agreement. “You’re not kidding. It’s almost like they’re thinking. I know they’re supposed to have a hive mind when they mob, but whatever kind of monster the Necro King is, it makes the rest of them seem that much more intimidating.”
Marcel agreed. The sooner they got away from these things, the better. He glanced over at Andrew but then away when Andrew caught him looking. Unfortunately that had him staring into Matthew’s knowing face instead. The other agent winked, and Marcel’s stomach tripped over itself. Marcel was wary of the odd pull between them. What if he gave into it and lost Andrew in the process? He wasn’t sure he’d forgive himself for something like that. As much as he liked Matthew and was drawn to him, he was drawn just as strongly to Andrew, more so given their friendship and long-term connection. He cleared his throat and adjusted his pack.
“We leaving or what?” he asked.
Matthew nodded. “Sure thing. According to my readout, it’s a two-day hike outta here.”
Great
. All the more time for him to get into some major trouble.

Andrew would’ve been blind, deaf, and dumb not to notice the way they were looking at one another. Marcel would stare at Matthew. Matthew would stare back. Marcel would look away. Over and over, the pattern had repeated itself. They’d been walking for miles now, and it was becoming apparent that the two had the hots for each other. Of course, he also suspected that the flirtation thrown his way by Matthew meant the man wasn’t really interested in either of them or maybe he was just a flirt. He couldn’t really be sure. He didn’t know Matthew really.

What he did know was that he was enjoying watching the byplay, even if he wasn’t included. They were two seriously gorgeouslooking men, and it would be no hardship to catch them making out after the sun went down. He sighed softly and shook his head.
Great. Now I’m a creep
. Maybe he should just cave in to the pressure and try another online dating service. There had to be someone out there who would be interested having a relationship with an unavailable shut-in like him.

“We’ve got about fifteen minutes ’til sundown. We might want to set up camp for the night,” Matthew said, stretching his arms over his head and pulling on his arms, most likely to stretch out that gorgeous back of his. There was something to be said for a man who wore a black muscle tank, weapon straps slung over his chest, a pair of camouflage military-issue pants, and dull black boots.
The “something” is drool-worthy
. “According to the movements Deadzone just sent me, the infected are moving further south. We should be good to actually make camp tonight.”

Andrew frowned. “I think I’d rather sleep in a tree. I don’t trust those infected.”
Matthew shrugged. “Your call. I’m sleeping in our tent with a blanket. You’re welcome to join me.”
“I’m going to have to go with Matthew on this one,” Marcel said. “I don’t want to be in a tree if the infected find us, either. Might be easier to hide, but it’s harder to escape a tree.”
Andrew sighed. “Fine. I’ll sleep on the ground.”
It took next to no time to set up the tent and arrange the packs for easy grab should the time come. The other tent had apparently been a better one, according to Matthew, but this one would do in a pinch.
The moon seemed just as bright as it had the previous night as the sun set and the sounds of night took over from the daytime creatures. Andrew really liked listening to the crickets. There were none in or near his apartment building in the middle of town. Maybe when he got home he’d get an audio track to play in his garden at night.
Marcel tapped his shoulder as he sat down beside him just outside the tent. “Grub?”
Andrew nodded and reached for the packet of chow Marcel extended. “Thanks. What is it?”
“No idea. I can’t read the labels in this light.”
Fabulous
. He popped the insert and shook it, waiting for it to cook whatever it was inside. Marcel leaned their shoulders together, and Andrew felt a tingle of awareness run down his arm. Being in a zombie crisis situation should’ve killed his libido, and it had for the past month. But being surrounded by two virile field agents was wearing on his control. He wished they’d either touch him or leave him alone. Being around them felt like an utter tease to his senses.
“I’m really glad you’re all right, Andy,” Marcel whispered as Andrew popped the lid for the snap-and-eat open. It was stroganoff by the smell of it. His mouth watered. It probably wouldn’t have mattered if it was raw meat. He would’ve eaten it. Being half-starved made him uncaring of what he was eating. Everything tasted good.
“Me, too. I’m glad it was you who came.”
He called me baby earlier
. He’d forgotten about it in the intervening time between the threat of danger and finding Brook. He looked up and found Marcel staring at him. “What is it?” he asked, his heart fluttering at the heat in Marcel’s shadowed gaze.
“Nothing,” Marcel said quickly, turning his head so that he stared out into the darkness of the forest instead of at Andrew.
“Oh, for god’s sake, both of you are pathetic,” Matthew rumbled. Andrew’s head snapped up. What did he mean by that? “You both are aching to kiss the other. So why don’t you hurry up and do it already?”
Everything in Andrew froze. Marcel crossed his arms over his chest and drew away from Andrew completely. Andrew mourned the loss of contact. “Matthew, knock it off. We’re in a hostile situation here, and it isn’t the place for that.”
“Why not?” Andrew asked. His heart started galloping at his bold question. If Marcel was holding back for his sake, then he needn’t bother. He’d liked Marcel since he was sixteen, and they’d been friends since Marcel had accompanied him on his first race. He would welcome his advances.
Marcel’s head snapped in his direction. “Um,” Marcel stammered. “Well, we, I—”
“For heaven’s sake,” Matthew interrupted, pushing himself to his feet and stalking over to Andrew. Andrew looked up in confusion. Matthew reached down and grabbed his wrists, hauling him upright.
Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Matthew’s warm lips were on his and demanding he respond in kind. Andrew’s mind blanked as his lips were coaxed open and the first thrust of Matthew’s tongue invaded his mouth. Matthew’s strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling them flush together so that the hard ridge of the field agent’s erection dug into the flesh of his abdomen. Andrew hadn’t been kissed in so long, and Matthew was a supremely good kisser. He tentatively touched Matthew’s tongue with his own. Matthew growled and tightened his arms around him.
He barely registered when Marcel surged to his feet. “What the fuck, man?” he snapped, pulling them apart. Andrew blinked in confusion, and he nearly tripped backward as he was pulled out of Matthew’s embrace. “What’s your game?”
“Don’t feel neglected, Marcel,” Matthew said, his white teeth displaying his grin despite the lack of light. “I’ve got one for you, too.” Then Matthew grabbed Marcel’s head and dragged him forward for a kiss. Marcel seemed to fight it for about twenty seconds, but he obviously got overwhelmed by Matthew’s sheer sexuality, because then he was kissing him back with the same ferocity he’d growled at him with.
God that’s hot
. Andrew pressed his heel to his suddenly misbehaving cock. He wanted to see them in full daylight, wanted to see them touch and kiss and be touched in turn.
Wow. I’m turning into a slut out here
. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. It seemed like he’d spent a good portion of his life denying his impulses to do things a little against the grain, and this situation had shown him more than anything that he needed to take just a few risks.
Maybe
.
Matthew broke the kiss but didn’t let Marcel go. The fact that Marcel allowed it surprised Andrew. Matthew waved him closer. “Come here, Andrew. Marcel has wanted you for a long time. Show him some love.”
Andrew took a step forward and let Matthew draw him forward, back into his embrace. Matthew leaned down and whispered into his ear as Marcel’s gaze bored into him. “Kiss him, Andy. Kiss like you want him to kiss you.”
Andrew wrapped his arms around Marcel’s neck and dragged him down to do as Matthew asked. It was something he’d wanted to do for years, and it was finally happening. He didn’t know if he would’ve been bold enough to initiate it without Matthew’s warm presence beside them. Their lips met much the same as Matthew’s and his had, but he fell into it faster because Marcel was so familiar. His head swam as Marcel groaned into his mouth. He felt his hard cock just below where Matthew’s had pressed.
Without really intending to, he worked his hands under Marcel’s black T-shirt and caressed the hard ridges of his abdomen. He was just as firm as he’d imagined he’d be. He was instantly obsessed with the texture.
How is it going to taste
? It was like he’d been starved for attention so long that now he would go on withdrawals if he was made to surrender the touch.
Matthew went to take a step away from them, but Marcel reached out at the same time Andrew did and grabbed his arms to pull him back. He felt right there. Andrew was insanely happy that Marcel had obviously felt the same. They broke the kiss, both of them breathing a little heavier.
“Beautiful,” Matthew whispered, his voice a husky cadence. Andrew reached out and traced a hand down his chest.
“Thank you,” he said. He wanted to kiss Matthew, too, but didn’t want to come off as a slut. He was sure Marcel knew he didn’t normally throw himself at people, but Matthew didn’t. He swallowed. It was a weird impulse for him. He didn’t make it a habit to make out with more than one man in any given night. Granted, there had been a time or two when he’d gotten drunk in an effort to calm his nerves at conventions or after-race parties and made out with a few people. But he was completely and utterly sober and wanted both of them with a depth that would’ve scared him if he stopped to think about it too long.
Marcel was staring at Matthew again, and Andrew wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Despite the clarity in darkness that the moon gave, it was still impossible to pick up Marcel’s expression as he gazed at Matthew so intensely. “Andrew?”
Andrew looked up at him. Why was Marcel staring up at Matthew when he was talking to Andrew? “What?”
“Do you want to kiss him, baby?”
Andrew swallowed. “Is that okay?”
“I don’t own you, baby.”
“That’s not answering my question.” Andrew wasn’t going to do it if there would be tension and resentment on Marcel’s end. It was better to stop it now if that was the case.
Marcel sighed. “I think it’s hot. All right? I thought it was hot when you were kissing, but I didn’t want to be left out.”
“Not going to leave you out, Marcel,” Matthew cut in. “I told you I wanted both of you. I wasn’t kidding.”
“Like sex?” Andrew asked, his mind starting to clear from the two kisses he’d received.
“I wouldn’t take sex off the table,” Matthew said, smiling in the darkness. “But I’d like to take you both out as well when we get back to civilization.”
Andrew considered it. He saw how happy Jim, Jason, and Ager were and had seen other threesomes that were equally as happy. But it was never something he’d considered for himself before.
Why not
?
“You don’t have to do this, Andy. Don’t feel pressured,” Marcel cut in before he could answer the statement.
“You don’t have to protect me, Marcel. I’d be willing to give it a try if you were.” The arousal that had dipped shortly into their conversation came flaring back to life as the idea of the three of them tangled together ghosted up in his mind. He didn’t want to wait.
“So you like me?” Marcel asked. The question was incredibly vulnerable for a man so used to being in control, and Andrew accepted it for what it was.
“I’ve liked you forever, Marcel. What took you so long?”
Marcel didn’t answer. Instead he crushed his lips with his own and proceeded to kiss him back into the frenzy he’d been in a moment ago. Matthew crowded in behind Andrew and pressed several kisses to his neck this time, and he was ensconced in 360 degrees of hot male. Marcel broke the kiss, and Andrew was left panting.
“We need to do this right,” Marcel said. “We can’t just start this with sex.”
Matthew chuckled against the curve of Andrew’s neck, and he shivered. “What better way to begin this? We aren’t guaranteed to live through tomorrow. Why not?”
Marcel didn’t have an answer, apparently, but Andrew certainly did. “I want this, Mar. Give it to me. He’s right. We don’t know if we’re going to live through tomorrow. If I die never having experienced you both, I’d regret it.”
Marcel let out a string of curses and took a step back. “I don’t want you to fuck me because we might die. I want you to fuck me because you really want me.”
Andrew frowned. “Didn’t I make that clear? I like you. You like me. We both like Matthew. This doesn’t end because we get back to civilization.”
“What if you change your mind?” he asked, shifting away. “What if it’s just the fear talking?”
Andrew pulled him back to them. “I made up my mind a long time ago about you, Marcel.” He leaned back into Matthew. “And I like the way we feel together. Now come here and make sure I sleep well tonight.”
Marcel hesitated for what seemed like forever before he stepped back into their combined embrace. Andrew sighed as everything inside him seemed to fall into place. This just felt right.