Zombie Island (Zombie Apocalypse #1)

Reese and Tobe give relieved sighs when the two of us show up. When Ryder sets me down and climbs into the driver’s seat of the jeep, Tobe runs over and hugs me. There are tears welling up in her eyes, and she smiles shakily. “When the fighting got done and we realized you weren’t here, we feared the worst. We had to look at each of these things to see if one of them was you. I’m so glad you’re ok.”

  She pulls away from me and climbs into the jeep without another word. I notice that during our exchange, Reese kept a respectful distance, and he doesn’t move to hug me or even congratulate me on surviving on my own for the remainder of the fight. He just looks away and hops into the back with Tobe, leaving me up front with Ryder. I’m not sure what’s going through his mind, but I don’t like it.

  When I get in next to Ryder, he finally speaks. “I’m glad you’re ok,” Reese says softly. I look over my shoulder at him. “I was really worried about you.” He’s looking out the window, and I wonder if that’s all that’s bothering him.

  He might be jealous of Ryder, a part of me whispers. Ryder got to play hero and carry you away like a damsel in distress. That might have angered Reese a little. He’s probably wishing it was him that got to save you, not his brother.

  Is that what’s happening? Am I creating a rift between the brothers? Ryder and I seem to get along alright, but I wouldn’t consider us friends, let alone anything more than that. Reese is the one that’s shown interest in me, not his brother. I don’t know where he’s getting this idea, if that’s even what he thinks.

  Ryder and I are two completely different people. I’m shy, trusting, and a follower. He’s brave, abrasive, a born leader, and not to mention perfectly capable of taking care of himself and others. Unlike me.

  Suddenly, I remember something my mother said to me once. “Opposites attract, Sam. Sometimes your soul mate is that man that annoys the hell out you and makes you just want to smack some sense into him.”

  I glance at Ryder from the corner of my eyes, and frown. Ryder definitely fits part of that description. I can’t count the times I’ve wanted to reach over and smack him, but that’s because he’s annoying and often times rude, not because I’m secretly falling for him.

  Am I?

  It shouldn’t be possible to fall for one guy that you’ve only known for about three whole days, let alone two guys. Let alone two brothers! What the hell am I doing?

  While we drive back to the SUV, I start to think about both Ryder and Reese. Reese has a sense of humor, and he’s often more patient with me, and he actually tried to get to know me better. I don’t have a lot of experience with men, but I’m fairly certain he’s shown genuine interest in me.

  Ryder, on the other hand, has made no attempts to get to know me, and he doesn’t have a sense of humor. He gets angry and frustrated easily, and he hasn’t shown interest. At times, he seems to tolerate me only because Reese does.

  But those eyes…

  I think about the soft look in his eyes and the gentleness of his hands as he cleaned and bandaged my leg. He didn’t try to take advantage of me, or make any rude comments about my stupidity; he just took care of me, and then carried me back to the others.