His hands on my neck - Joel Miller.

33.

The night fell on the city of Jackson right after the sunset. Joel was sitting in the kitchen, looking outside of the window as he held a cup of coffee in his hands. The conversation with Hope wasn't leaving his head ever since. It was like a constant pressure that was becoming worse and worse with every single day. For the first time in a long time, he was asking himself, was it really the person they could trust? What else she could hide?

The coffee got cold. He put it down the drain as the front door opened and Hope let herself inside. Joel stood in the doorframe of the kitchen, watching the girl removing her jacket. They both looked at each other with soft smiles while the silence was growing between them.

-    Had a rough night at the hospital? – Joel decided to be the first to break the silence. At least, he had to show no suspicion in his words no matter what was in his head. After all, he was good at many things, and self-control was one of them.

-    Yeah, just a lot of people, - Hope sight, she let the shoes fall down on the floor and took another deep breath, trying to distance herself from the long day she had.

-    Come here, - He didn't want to bring in suspicion, but had to be soft with the situation. The man offered his semi-hug, by holding the girl closer to him as his strong hand landed on her shoulder.

-    Joel, you're so good, - She whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. It was a moment of comfort that she enjoyed, but it was so rare for the man to be this soft, and something in such actions was even strange for the both of them.

-    Shh, you deserve some rest, - He led her into the bedroom, holding her hand in his. Joel carefully put her on top of the blanket, he made his way down just to spread her legs for him.

After her phrase, something inside him said that it wasn't right, but the man had to do what he was planning, just for their own protection. Yes, it wasn't the best way to do it, but it was the perfect way to get anything out of her mouth. For this, the man had to involve his own mouth. He could feel the goosebumps on her skin as his cold fingertips were removing her panties. Hope always knew that he had a lot of ladies in his bed, and trusted the man with his actions. After all, practice makes perfect, and sometimes she thought that he knows how to give her more pleasure than she did. She would lie if she said that she didn't enjoy the look of him in between her legs. The man started slowly licking and playing with her clit before letting his tongue explore deeper. A girl let a loud moan out her lips, as she felt the moves of his experienced tongue.

-    Honey, where is the gun? – Joel didn't want to look into her eyes at this moment, so she won't feel the pressure from his side. He wanted the exact opposite, the moment where she could share it and not even expect it from herself. He put his mouth back, as his tongue was playing with the clit, waiting for her to give up under the wave of orgasm.

-    In the closet, - Hope said on the last breath before reaching her peak, she grabbed Joel's head to push him closer to her and grabbed the bedsheet in the other hand as she moaned out loud in pleasure.

-    Good girl, - He whispered, raising back up as he was ready to take the place on the bed next to her. A bit of relief got inside his mind, but there were too many 'buts' in this situation.

At the end of the day, he knew that before he and Ellie stormed into her house she was living alone. Having no protective weapon other than a kitchen knife for a young woman in a post-apocalyptic world would be pathetic. They both knew she wasn't that stupid not to protect herself from anything that could happen. They both enjoyed the company of each other, especially in bed. And knowing if there was any other weapon in the house other than his after all was just a formality.

It will take her some time to realize what happened. She heard the calm breath of the man as he was falling asleep next to her. Ever since that phrase slipped out of her lips, Hope couldn't even think about the moment of sleep.

What will come next?

Will he just leave as he promised her in case she lied?

An uncertainty was hugging her like a blanket, but she knew, that whatever it could be, it won't just pass.