by Coralee June
I took a few steadying breaths and clenched my fists. I knew I was close to heartbreak. But when I opened them again, I nearly gasped at the sight I saw. Maverick was washing me. “Good morning, Ash,” he said in a soothing voice as he reached for my cheek and brushed the coarse rag against my lip.
“Is this a dream?” I asked. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. Maverick was okay. We did it. We found the cure. My eyes roamed over his skin, noting the faded blotches and scabs from the sores.
He reached for my hands and pulled me to a sitting position before gently guiding me to my feet. Pulling me over to the shower, he stripped me of my clothes and set me under the spray. I gaped at him, feeling a blend of thankfulness and disbelief. “This is real,” he replied while washing my hair. “I woke up about seven hours ago. You were pretty exhausted, so we decided to let you sleep. It gave me some time to get cleaned up and get some strength back.”
He ran the cloth over my skin, taking care to wash every inch of my body. “You should have woken me up!” I exclaimed.
“We tried,” Maverick answered before dropping lower to wash my inner thighs. “But you really were out of it. You’ve had a traumatic few days, Ash. I would have let you sleep longer, but it was killing me to see you sleeping while covered in my blood.”
I scoffed. “I’ve had a traumatic couple of days? Y-you were dying, Mav,” I stuttered. He stood back up, and splatters of water covered his shirt, soaking the fabric which was clinging to his chest. I shut off the water and headed to the sink where a toothbrush and toothpaste were waiting for me. I didn’t bother drying off. Droplets of water traveled down my skin as I cleaned my teeth and stared at Maverick in the reflection of the mirror. “It’s really you, right? This isn’t some dream?” I asked before spitting toothpaste into the basin and spinning around to face him.
He smiled at my naked body and clutched me to his chest. I shivered at the way his lips touched my ear as he whispered. “It’s real, I’m here.”
I let out a sigh then lifted up to kiss Maverick. I was still partly shocked at how lucky we were. I poured my fears of losing him into his mouth and started unbuttoning his shirt, tracing my fingers down his scarred and scabbed skin as he went to unbuckle his belt. “I knew you were there the whole time,” he whispered against my lips before stepping out of his pants and guiding me to the tile wall. “It was strange. Like there was a wall between reality and the illness. But I always knew you were there,” he croaked.
I wrapped my leg around his waist and rubbed our bodies together. “Where is everyone?” I asked before wrapping my arms around his back. Our movements were frantic, like we couldn’t get close enough or feel enough. We’d come so close to losing one another that I needed to prove to myself that he was actually here.
“Back at Stonewell Manor coming up with a plan for mass production,” he replied before lacing our lips together once more. He tugged on my lip with his sharp teeth as I whimpered. Everything felt so vibrant.
“Should we go?” I asked. I’d been so consumed with saving Maverick that I hadn’t really been helping them. I needed to hug Cyler and laugh with Patrick. I missed them. We all needed to celebrate together.
“First, I need you,” Maverick whispered while dragging his nails along my scalp. Within an instant, his mouth was back on mine. He picked me up and grabbed my other leg. I was braced between him and the wall and his hard erection slipped easily inside me.
“Yes,” I moaned as he bounced me up and down, in and out. It was hard to believe that he was on his deathbed just hours ago. “This cure works fast,” I said with a grunt as he nipped at my neck.
“Luckily for me,” Maverick replied before pulling me off the wall and guiding me to a table. After sitting me down on the cool metal, he pulled me closer and continued to thrust in and out of me. “You feel so perfect. Never ever taking this for granted,” he cooed while lifting his hand to tease my nub with his thumb. I thrashed against him and let him fill me up. I was overwhelmed by the emotions of the last few days but still thankful for this time with him.
Each stroke of his thumb was timed perfectly with his thrusts. He pounded me harder while holding me still on the table. I nearly rolled my head back from the sensations. “So beautiful,” he whispered. “You saved me, Ash.”
I grinned just as he flicked my clit. “Technically, Kemper saved you. I just administered the medicine.”
“True, but I’d prefer to not be thinking about Kemper right now,” Maverick replied, deadpan. I started to laugh, but it felt hollow. I was still in shock and feeling desperate to appreciate this moment, especially since just moments before, we weren’t so sure he would survive.
“Fair enough,” I said as he continued to pump into me. I carefully traced lines down his back, dodging the raised, healing wounds. I briefly wondered if they would scar, as some of them were pretty deep. He pressed his forehead against mine and went still. We both just sat there, connected but unmoving. I allowed him to fill me up and took comfort in that he was really here—really okay.
“You scared me, Mav,” I said in a whimper. “When are we going to stop with the near-death experiences, huh?”
He chuckled then started moving in and out again, his pace leisurely and slow, like he wanted to make this last as long as possible. “I solemnly swear to try and not die ever again,” he replied cheekily.
This sex was completely unlike anything I’d ever had before. It was slow but intense. It was a connection our bodies craved like none other, a passion that couldn’t be disrupted. But even more so, it was like our souls were holding hands, reassuring one another that it wasn’t over—yet.
His thumb was massaging me to my peak as he drove in and out, in and out. I felt myself quiver as he kissed my neck. My orgasm was like an explosion of relief. Every muscle in my body contracted and relaxed. He sighed as I went limp in his arms, then he started pushing harder and faster. With his lips parted in ecstasy and a quick grunt, he came in an instant. His eyes burned into mine with each jerk of his body. It was perfection.
“I love you, Maverick,” I whispered, not really knowing what else to say. It seemed love was enough just then.
“I love you too, Ash.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
I had to take a moment to center myself when I walked through the front door of Stonewell Manor. In all my years of living there, I’d never seen it so alive and happy. Maverick had his hand at my lower back when we walked in, and everyone whooped and cheered the second they saw us. Huxley was in the formal sitting room with his feet propped up on the table. I knew that if Mistress Stonewell were here, she’d have a fit and give him a lecture about table manners.
Cyler was scrolling through his tablet when he looked up to stare at me. And Jacob was rounding the corner wearing my old apron and licking a chocolate covered spoon. He paused mid-step, and his mindspeak broke out, “Do you think they’ll notice that I’ve been eating the batter?” He then cursed and waltzed up to me. “Happy we’re all together. Tonight we’re celebrating,” his mindspeak said before he tapped the chocolate covered spoon on my nose. I used my finger to wipe it off, and Maverick grabbed my hand. Within an instant, he was licking the batter from my fingertip, swirling his velvet tongue around it to get every decadent drop.
“Hey, there are children here,” Patrick scolded, and I drew my attention to the corner of the room where they were playing cards. The moment I saw Payne, my entire body seemed to light up. He still looked pale and thin, but he jumped off the table and eagerly ran to me. I wrapped my arms around him as a sob shook in my chest.
“I was so worried about you,” I said before crouching down to meet him eye to eye.
“Mistress Stonewell was really nice, Ash. She even gave me chocolate from her purse. Pa-Patrick told me what happened. I’m going to miss her,” he stuttered while hot tears welled up in his eyes. I felt so sorry for him. The poor boy had experienced so much loss. We all had.
“She cared for you a ton.”
I ruffled his hair and made a mental note to give him the violin once things had calmed down.
“And I know about my momma,” he added in a darker tone. I was then brought back to the memory of me promising to bring Dominique back to him. Would he hate me for not fulfilling my promise? “Mistress Stonewell said she died to keep me safe,” he choked out. The room had gone completely still, and I silently thanked Linda for that private mercy. I wasn’t sure Payne was old enough to comprehend exactly who his mother was and what her involvement in Influenza X was. Payne was safe because he had the cure running through his veins, but that didn’t necessarily mean that extremists wouldn’t want revenge. For now, we’d keep the explanation to a minimum then give him the entire story once things had settled.
“I’m sure you’re feeling a lot of things, Payne. And if you want to talk about it, we’re all here for you. We’re your family now, and I promise you aren’t alone. You’ll never be alone,” I said in a steel voice as he wrapped his arms back around me and held me close. After a few more moments, he guided me over to the table where he was playing cards with Patrick and then sat in my lap while playing. It felt so good to see him giggling with my friend, and for the first time in ages, I felt at home. I’d come full circle.
I shoveled more food into my mouth while laughing at Jacob’s mindspeak commentary regarding my moans. We would really need to get his mindspeak filter adapted since Payne was going to be a permanent fixture in our lives. I hadn’t precisely asked my men if they were okay with adopting the boy, but watching us all interact like a family was making my heart swell. It just felt right. Some things were predestined and some things you couldn’t ignore. Payne was family.
“So how quickly can we get this to the masses?” Kemper asked. He’d been working on mechanical design for mass producing the cure. It would take a few days to get it built and running, but pretty soon, we’d have enough medicine for everyone.
“I figure if we get out a signal telling everyone to go to Galla for the cure, they will come in waves,” Cyler said.
I chewed on the end of my fork while contemplating it. “What if we included the instructions and gene sequence for the cure in the signal? Some people can’t walk here in less than seven days. Most places have clinics of their own and could start manufacturing the cure there. And I like the idea of setting a precedence that the cure is for all. No more class systems.”
Cyler beamed at me, and I found myself nearly laughing at the idea of me talking about eradicating the class system while eating dinner Jacob made at Stonewell Manor. We were all sitting around the table as Payne shoveled mouthfuls of potatoes into his mouth.
“Excellent idea, Babe,” Cyler said with a grin.
“And we need to send volunteer scouts out to the deadlands,” I added. People with the cure. Most of them don’t have tablets or reception. We want to get the word and resources out,” I added.
Kemper grinned while flipping to the next page and making a checklist of items. “Anything else, Ash?” he asked. It felt so good to feel a part of their group. They were proficient leaders, and I was now a part of that.
“Can we also say that there will be a meeting at the end of two months to discuss government? All leaders or people interested in rebuilding the empire are invited to attend,” I said. This was a slightly trickier aspect of rebuilding things.
Cyler turned to the others while gauging their reaction. “Do you think we should try to have a summit? Start nominations for leadership and go from there?”
“We’re going to have to rebuild. And we’ll need some guidance. I think it’ll be a good idea, but we should make it for three months. Just to make sure everyone has enough time to recover and get the word out there. It’ll also give us time to get some voting systems in place. We want this to be a democracy, right? No more elitist birthrights or vaccine-related segregation,” Kemper said while writing down more items on his list.
“Okay. Let's do it,” Cyler said before reaching across the table to grab my hand. He squeezed it, and I looked around at my men, feeling a thankfulness seep into my bones. This was it. We’d finally done it. We’d survived.
“Anything else?” Maverick asked while playing with the food on his plate.
Patrick stood up and placed his hands over Payne’s ears. “Well, I for one am exhausted and would love to rest. With Ash. But not really rest. I know the concept of taking turns is a bit juvenile, but I’d say it’s my turn with our fiance, wouldn't you say?” He blushed while giving me a sheepish grin.
I blanched. “Fiance, huh?” I asked while standing to put my hands on my hips. “Last I checked, none of you have asked me to get married.”
“We haven’t? I could have sworn one of us took care of that,” Kemper replied with a chuckle.
“Somewhere between the torture and kidnapping and almost dying, right?” I asked.
Jacob’s mindspeak started blurting out insults, and Patrick cupped Payne’s ears tighter. “What have I told all of you about the art of wooing a woman! You can’t just joke around. We have to each get down on one knee while wearing suits. And we need to release doves or some shit. Are ring stores even open during the end of the empire?” I could see the anxiety of a perfect proposal crossing his features, and I nearly laughed.
“Yes,” I said, even though there hadn’t been a question. “When I first left Stonewell Manor, I never imagined I’d fall in love with myself, let alone, six other men. I love all of you. I want to get married—once things settle down, of course.”
Kemper switched over to the next sheet of paper and started scribbling more notes. “So in like a week? I think we could get a ceremony set up by then. Mia might not be well enough to travel, though.”
I cracked up while Huxley stared at me. His hungry gaze made every cell in my body snap to attention. “Oh no, no, no,” Patrick said before removing his hands from a confused Payne and speed walking over to me. “Don’t be giving her bedroom eyes. I know you want to name it and claim it, but it’s my turn, Huxley.”
I laughed. Maybe some would feel like a passed around doll, but I just felt incredibly lucky. Huxley growled at his twin, and I wrapped my hand around Patrick’s bicep. “Guess I’m going to bed,” I said with a giggle.
“Have fun!” Jacob’s mindspeak said. “Our boy is growing up. Should we take a commemorative photo?”
Huxley slapped Jacob upside the head, and the last thing I heard was them bickering as I fast walked upstairs.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So uh, where were we?” Patrick asked while leaning against the open bedroom door. The weight of his body made it shut, and he nearly fell to the ground before trying to open it again. Then, once he realized we were both inside the room, he closed it.
I watched in amusement, and though I tried to make each experience unique with my men, I couldn’t help but giggle about my first time with Hux, where he almost set the entire building on fire, literally and figuratively. Patrick’s face went stark white when I giggled at the memory, and I watched as his anxiety peaked. “I know this was presumptuous of me. You’ve had a hard few days—hell—a hard few months. If you just want to cuddle in bed and kiss some, I will completely respect that. I love you, there's no time frame we have to work on…”
He was rambling, and I loved him more for it. I took a step closer, a wry grin on my face as I tilted my head to the side. I observed the thudding pulse in his neck while wondering what his skin tasted like. “Remember a while ago? You told me that this”—I gestured between us—“didn’t feel wrong?”
I closed my eyes and sighed at the memory of him testing all my boundaries back in Black Manor. Patrick was the least sexually experienced out of the group, but he was one of the first ones to challenge that there was more between us than we originally intended. “Yeah,” he said while swallowing.
I slowly lifted my hand up to undo the top button of my shirt. And then the second. And then the third. I kept walking until the shirt was shed from my shoulders
. I wasn’t wearing a bra. Mine had been too destroyed from all the gore, which meant I was nothing but pebbled peaks waiting for him. “So tell me, Patrick. How does this feel?” I’d never in my life felt so wanton. I reached for his hand then guided it to my breasts. Encouraging him to squeeze with my own grip, I sighed when he took heavy handfuls and kneaded them.
“This feels so perfect,” he murmured in a reverent tone. Like he couldn’t believe he was really here, really touching me.
I brought my hands down to my stretchy pants and pulled them down to my ankles and stepped out of each leg, one by one. Once the material was discarded, I parted my legs then reached for Patrick's hand to guide him there. “How about this, Patrick? How does this feel?” I asked just as he slipped a finger inside of me.
“You’re so wet for me. It’s…” He grunted when I shivered against his palm. “It’s right. It’s so, so right.” He pulled out and started stroking my clit, moving with frantic friction as he slid up and down. I grinded against his finger while whimpering. Yeah, this felt damn right.
I quickly moved to pull his shirt off before lifting up on my toes to kiss him. The second our lips collided, he pulled his dancing finger from my slick heat and quickly removed his pants. I could feel him smiling against my lips, in true Patrick fashion. He was always playful, always fun and making sure the burdens were less for everyone else. I had a feeling that sex with him would ultimately reflect his personality, and after the heaviness of the last few months, I was looking forward to having fun and laughing with him.
The moment he was naked, I tried to pull away to get a look at the thickness I could feel pressing against my stomach. But he pulled my attention away. “Ashleigh,” he began in mock shock. “Were you just trying to take a look at my dick?” He started laughing then hoisted me up bridal style before tossing me on the bed with an oomph.
