Apocalypsis: Book 2 (Warpaint) Read Online Free Page A

me.”  I started snorting into his neck.
    He was giggling now, still struggling but losing some of his strength.  “Stop!  I’m ticklish!  Not in my neck!  Aaahh!”
    “Oh, Peter,” I swooned exaggeratedly, “you’re the best cuddler in the swamp.  How have I lived so long without your loooooove?”  I left his neck alone and just hugged him then, burying my face in his arm.  When I spoke again it was muffled.  “Everyone needs cuddles, Peter.  Even me.  Now hug it out right now with me or I’m gonna cry.”
    Peter stopped laughing and took a deep, calming breath.  “Maybe I could hug you back if I had the use of my arms.  But right now I’m more involved in what I’d call a cuddle attack … or a cuddle straight-jacket.”
    “If I let you go, will you hug me back?”
    “Fine.  Yes.”
    “Promise?
    “I said I would.”
    “Promise.  Or I’ll stay like this all day.”
    “Oh, God, please don’t.  I promise.”
    I slowly let go, keeping my eyes on him, ready for him to make a break for it.  I was totally serious.  I was going to force him to hug me.
    But it turned out that I didn’t need to.  He put his arms out and took me into a nice, if a little bit boney, hug.  His arms were like matchsticks, but I could feel the affection regardless.
    “There.  Are you happy?” he asked, over my shoulder.  He tried to sound all put-out, but I knew it was just an act.
    “Nope.  It’s not hard enough.  You’re just humoring me.  It needs to be a real cuddle-hug.”
    He sighed but squeezed harder.  “How about now?”
    “A little better.”
    “That’s as good as I can do.”
    “Well, I think it’ll do for now.  You’ll get better with practice.”
    “You mean I have to do this again?”
    “At least three times a day.  I’m high-maintenance.”
    He patted me on the back before pulling away and saying,  “Aren’t we all.”  He stood to return to his can arranging.
    Bodo watched the whole thing in silence.  When I turned my attention back to him, he looked very sober.
    “Jealous?” I asked.
    He shook his head.  “I will never be jealous of something like dat.  I will only be sad if I can’t have some of your affection too.”
    I squinted my eyes at him.  “Bodo, I can’t tell if you’re messing with me now or what.  It’s making me crazy.”
    He took me by the upper arms and pulled me closer to him.  I didn’t fight him at all, even though my heart rate had instantly increased fivefold.
    “I’m a very serious persson sometimess.  But you will know for sure dat I am, when I do dis …”  He leaned in and kissed me. 
    His mouth was warm and smelled of bread.  I thought it would be a chaste kiss on the lips like last night, but this time, he was more insistent that it go further.   He pulled me closer and his mouth moved over my lips, going hard and soft at intervals, while his tongue reached out to slide across mine.
    I kissed him back for a few seconds, reveling in the heady sensations that took over my body and mind.  My hands reached up to rest on his upper arms.  I could feel his muscles flexing underneath, and it turned me on instantly.  I got tickly sensations in my stomach and other places lower down.
    Buster barked and Peter cleared his throat, causing the sensual fog that had moved into my brain to clear in a hurry.  I started to pull away hastily, embarrassed for some reason about being caught making out, but Bodo took me by the back of the head to keep me close, resting his forehead on mine, his eyes still closed.
    “You are a very good kisser, you know dat?” he asked quietly.
    “I was thinking the same thing about you,” I whispered back.  And I meant it.  It was like his lips were meant for mine.  We had the same rhythm in mind when they were touching, and our mouths worked perfectly in synch.  His lips were full and soft, but firm when they needed to be.  Kissing him was nothing short of incredible.
    “Hey, guys!  What’s up?”