by A. J. Snyder
Normally I would hate to eat something so alive and beautiful, but times are different now. You can't just go to a restaurant and get something to eat. In this world, we have two options: hunt or be hunted.
And I'm going to prove my worth to these four men. I want to prove that I can be helpful.
I just hope that they'll let me stay. At least for a little while.
CHAPTER 9
LUCAS
THAT NIGHT WE dine on Jack and Trinity's catch of the day. They managed to wrangle up some beautiful rainbow trout. And I had to laugh when Jack begrudgingly told us that Trinity caught the biggest fish earlier since Jack is so competitive and hates to lose at anything.
As we're gathered around the table for dinner, I can't help but allow my gaze to linger on Trinity for most of the meal.
She's breathtakingly gorgeous and naturally pretty without a stitch of makeup. Her long, auburn hair is secured in a ponytail high on her head with a piece of white ribbon she must have found somewhere. And her stormy, gray eyes make me melt every time she glances my way.
Just having her here is like a breath of fresh air.
And even though the guys and I haven't really discussed anything about her staying long term, I'm pretty sure they're just as enraptured with her as I am.
Carter is pretty much the only one that has voiced his infatuation with her, but he's the most outspoken one of the group. And that's putting it lightly.
"Trinity, would you like me to show you around the farm tomorrow? You can even help me feed the animals," Carter suggests, catching me completely off-guard.
"Sure, that'd be great," Trinity answers him with a smile.
Damn it, I mentally curse. I wanted to show her around the farm tomorrow since Jack took up most of her day today. The only real time I get to spend with Trinity is when I'm sleeping on the floor next to her, silently pining over her like a teenage boy.
I could easily go downstairs and sleep on the couch, but there's no way I'm leaving Trinity alone. Just hearing her soft, even breathing at night lulls me into a peaceful sleep like I've never experienced before.
But the past few nights have been torture for me. And it's not because the hard floor is killing my back either. It's because, fuck, I want to do so much more than sleep in the same room as her. I want to touch her, kiss her…make her mine.
If the guys keep stealing her away from me, she might fall for one of them first, leaving me in the dust.
Grumbling, I take my empty plate to the sink, relishing in the fact that at least Carter will be doing the dishes later while I'm alone in my bedroom with Trinity. Even though it's strictly platonic between us for right now, I enjoy spending time with her, nonetheless.
After everyone is done eating, Jack brings out a couple stacks of playing cards. They're battered and torn from use because, fuck, we play a lot of card games. There's not much else to do around here at night. It's not like we can turn on the TV and watch football.
If we end up doing a supply run soon, I'm sure playing cards will be number one on Jack's list of things to keep an eye out for.
It's amazing how much you can miss small things like that until you no longer can just go to a store to buy them. I miss eating Cobb salads and big, juicy steaks. I miss mundane things too like name-brand toothpaste and deodorant. We try to make our own deodorant and soaps and stuff, but it's not the same. Thank god we have a well, hot water and can shower often. Otherwise, we would be stinking up this place to high heaven just from sweating during the summertime.
Jack deals out the cards, and Trinity sits next to me so I can explain to her the rules. Every time I lean in to whisper something to her, I have the urge to pull her in close and kiss those pink, bee-stung lips of hers.
But I keep myself under control and do my best to focus on the card game.
Carter wins almost every hand and gloats to no end. I swear he was a card shark before the apocalypse.
Jack is good at bluffing since he always wears the same serious expression morning, noon and night. That's how he wins most of his hands.
And Owen…he's so damn quiet and shy that no one knows whether he has a good or a bad hand. But he usually ends up folding, so we never really find out either way.
On the last game of the night, it's down to Carter and Trinity. Jack, Owen and I folded early on. Peeking over Trinity's shoulder, I see she has a pretty good hand, but Carter's cocky smirk on his face indicates that his might be a little better.
Carter stares at Trinity over the cards spread out in his hands and asks, "How about we make this more interesting?"
I cock a brow at him. What game is he playing at now?
"What did you have in mind?" Trinity asks innocently.
"Winner's choice. So if you win, you can choose something you want…and vice versa."
"And what is that you want?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.
He licks his lips, his eyes darting to her mouth before he answers with, "A kiss."
I can see the blush creeping up her cheeks as she tears her gaze away from Carter and studies her cards. That son of a bitch. I'm totally convinced he has a better hand now, but Trinity ultimately falls for his charm.
"Fine," she says, glancing at her cards again, outwardly confident in her hand. "If I win, you have to wash everyone's laundry for a week."
Carter chuckles and nods. "You're on."
A smile forms on my lips. Carter hates doing laundry and bitches about it all the time. So, if Trinity can pull this off, she just made his life that much more miserable. Crossing my fingers under the table and hoping that she wins, I watch in anticipation as they lay their cards out on the table.
Trinity has a full house.
And Carter has…a royal fucking flush.
"Bastard," I mutter under my breath. He knew the whole time he was gonna win, and he played us all.
"I'll take that kiss now," Carter says with a lopsided grin on his face as he stands.
Trinity swallows hard before standing and going to Carter. All of our eyes are glued on the two of them as she stands before him. I watch as Carter gently cups her cheek in his palm and leans down to press his lips against hers in a sweet, unhurried kiss.
I'm surprised he isn't somehow taking advantage of the situation, but then I watch as he runs his hand along her waist before tightening his arm around her back to suddenly pull her closer and roughly press her up against his chest.
Trinity gasps in surprise at the abrupt movement, and Carter uses that to his full advantage, dipping his tongue into her mouth in a passionate kiss.
Fuck, I want to look away, but I just can't. The way he's kissing her and the way she's going weak in the knees has me riveted. I never considered myself a voyeur, but I begin rethinking that statement when I feel my cock twitch in my pants and lengthen.
Jack, Owen and I sit there helplessly as we watch Carter devour Trinity right before our very eyes. And when he finally pulls back, Trinity has a dazed look on her face like she's never been kissed like that before in her life.
And I'm seeing fucking red.
Standing abruptly and knocking my chair over from the sudden movement, I hiss, "I say we call it a night." Then, I walk out of the room to cool off…and to readjust myself. I'm so damn hard it's almost painful. Watching the two of them together turned me on, but I can't even begin to wrap my head around that.
Trinity rounds the corner and looks up at me with a worried look on her face. "You okay?" she asks tentatively.
My chin jerks as I give her a tight nod before stalking towards the stairs, taking them two at a time up to the landing.
As I stand at the top and listen for Trinity's steps on the staircase, I can hear Jack downstairs double-checking the locks. That's his nightly routine, and it makes me feel safer.
Anything could come in if it wanted in bad enough, but Jack sleeps so lightly that he could probably hear a pin drop from a quarter mile away. He sleeps with a gun under his pillow, and I know he'd take ou
t anyone that would try to harm us.
We have our own alarm systems around the perimeter of the property — old cow bells on trip wires mostly. They're all connected, and if anyone steps on one or gets tripped up on the fishing line, it will let out a resounding chorus of bells, alerting us to approaching danger.
That would be enough to wake us all up, I'm sure. Hell, I don't think Jack is the only one who doesn't sleep soundly. I mean, how can you when the world is like it is today?
I arrange my sleeping bag and pillow on the floor as Trinity goes into the bathroom to get ready for bed, as per our usual routine. She emerges a few minutes later in tiny shorts and a tight t-shirt that must have belonged to a teenager at some point. My eyes peruse her body…the way her long, sculpted legs move towards me, graceful like a dancer…and the fact that the shirt leaves nothing to the imagination, showing off her gorgeous, generous tits…before I snap them shut, effectively blocking her out. And if I thought my cock was hard before…it's made out of pure fucking steel now.
Brushing past her, I mention taking a quick shower, leaving her staring after me in bewilderment at my sudden change of attitude.
Once under the hot spray, I palm my dick and stroke myself. It feels so damn good and takes the edge off immediately, sending a shiver through me. Images of Trinity and Carter making out fill my mind at first, but then slowly I begin thinking of her and me…us kissing…us fucking…
It doesn't take long until I'm so fucking close I can't even think straight. "Oh fuck," I groan, slapping my free hand against the tiled wall as I come, hard, my release washing down the drain.
I stand under the hot spray for a while. I thought getting off would make me feel better, but it doesn't. I'm still pissed off that Carter kissed Trinity in front of all of us. I'm even more pissed off that he probably thinks he claimed her now as his.
But I have news for him. I'm not giving her up without a fight.
I slip on a pair of clean shorts and a t-shirt and stare at myself in the mirror as I brush my teeth with the last tube of toothpaste I have in my possession. I scowl at my reflection. I'm mad at myself that I didn't put a stop to the stupid bet. I should have known Carter had an ace up his sleeve, so to speak.
When I walk out of the bathroom, I see that Trinity is lying in my bed, wide awake. We don't say a word to each other as I walk over to the sleeping bag and climb in it. A second later, the room is doused in darkness as Trinity blows out the candles on the nightstand.
I try to fall sleep, but I soon find myself tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable…and trying to get the image of Carter kissing Trinity out of my mind.
"Lucas?" I hear her melodic voice whisper in the dark.
I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. "Yeah?"
"I know that Carter offered to show me around the farm tomorrow, but…would you want to come too?"
I grin at her words and the hidden meaning behind them. She feels safer with me and wants me with her…even though he kissed her first. "Of course," I tell her, and I can almost sense her smile in the shadows.
"Goodnight, Lucas," she whispers.
"Night."
I know Carter will be pissed, but that makes me smile even wider. I'll be fighting with him for one-on-one time with Trinity, but I know in the end I'll win.
I want her too much to lose.
CHAPTER 10
TRINITY
THE NEXT DAY, Carter and Lucas show me around the farm. At first, there's a lot of tension between the two of them; thick enough to cut with a knife. But eventually, they get so wrapped up in showing me around that they forget all about what they're obviously upset about. Not that I actually know what Lucas is upset about, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with Carter kissing me last night.
His entire attitude changed after the kiss, so I can only assume that he's mad or maybe even jealous. The fact that he could be jealous makes me kind of giddy inside, though, because I've been harboring secret feelings for Lucas ever since I first woke up in his bed.
But I'm also torn, because when Carter kissed me, it was like no other kiss I had ever experienced in my entire life. My knees went weak and my head went foggy. His lips and his taste lingered on my mind for a long time last night.
Then there's also Jack and Owen.
While I haven't gotten to know Owen very well yet, he's very attractive and smart and the typical type of guy I would have gone for back in the old world.
Jack, who is the complete opposite of Owen, is also on my radar. When he took me fishing, I definitely found myself becoming instantly attracted to him. He's big and strong and totally the alpha male of the group.
And, wow, does that turn me on.
I've never been so insanely attracted to more than one man at the same time, let alone four. The whole thing is exhilarating and terrifying all at one.
"Over there is the garden. We grow as many crops as we can to feed ourselves as well as the animals," Lucas explains, showing off his perfect smile and effectively breaking me out of my inner musings.
It's interesting to learn what was here before they arrived and what they've done since then to sustain the land and prolong their stay here. As we're walking to the barns, I notice Owen in the distance hovering over a bunch of what can only be described as car and machine parts laid out on a low table. "What's he doing?" I ask Lucas.
Lucas glances down that way and gets a big grin on his face. "He's working on making a wind turbine with a car alternator so that we can have electric for the house and barns."
"As if his DIY solar panels aren't awesome enough already," Carter pipes up.
"Yeah," Lucas says with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Thank fuck he came up with that idea. I don't know what I would do without a hot shower every morning."
The guys start walking towards the barns again, but I stand still, staring at Owen from afar. He looks up, notices me staring and gives me a small, awkward wave. I sport a big smile and wave back.
Owen is definitely an enigma wrapped in a riddle. He's so quiet most of the time, but I have a feeling that a million things are swirling around in that big brain of his.
"Trinity, you coming?" Carter calls.
"Yeah," I say, reluctantly turning away from Owen and jogging to catch up with the guys.
Carter unlocks the door and opens it only wide enough for us to go inside. There aren't any lights to turn on, but thankfully the big skylights above provide enough natural light to see. The barn is huge, sectioned off to house different animals.
There are several chickens running around a corral of wire fencing with a chicken coop on the left-hand side. And on the right are five goats playfully head-butting each other.
Lucas walks over to a large bin and lifts the lid. I see that it's filled with numerous labeled containers.
"The chickens eat lots of little critters that we catch outside like crickets and mealworms, plus some crops we grow, even fish. It's tough keeping them fed sometimes, but we make it a priority, because we need the eggs they lay," Lucas clarifies.
"As for the goats, those fuckers will try to eat almost anything," Carter says with a chuckle.
"But we feed them mostly plants and hay," Lucas cuts in.
"We milk them every morning," Carter says, patting one of the goats on the head. "And they also give us some good, stinky fertilizer for our garden."
Lucas reaches into one of the containers and grabs a handful of grain. He throws it over the wire fencing, and the chickens go crazy pecking at the ground to eat it.
"The hens lay eggs almost every day." Lucas opens a piece of the fence and motions for me to go inside. "We usually collect them while they're busy eating. Otherwise, they get pretty protective of their eggs."
Lucas and I collect several eggs, putting them in a small bucket before leaving the same way we came in.
"The goats are more fun to feed," Carter says with a wink. He pushes a handful of hay into my hand and steers me towards the awaiting goats.
&nbs
p; They start making all sorts of noise and running towards me as soon as they spot the food. I squeal in fright as they all crowd around me, trying to eat the food in my hand.
Carter and Lucas chuckle in amusement as they watch me try not to get trampled to death.
There are a few older goats, at least one male, two females and two baby goats. The two baby goats eagerly feed from their mothers while they're distracted with the hay in my hand.
It's like being a kid in a petting zoo all over again. They're so damn cute.
Carter brings over more food, and the goats go to him. He kneels down, petting them softly as they eat, and it's nice to see this softer side of Carter.
When he looks up and catches me staring at him, he looks surprised at first. But then he simply gives me his signature smirk and wink.
He's definitely the bad boy of the group, and his body definitely looks like it was made for sinning.
I haven't had sex or even thought about sex for so long. I honestly didn't even know I could still be attracted to another human being. Out there in the wild it's all about fighting to stay alive. No one was focused on relationships or love or much of anything else other than living day to day and staying alive.
I tear my gaze away to find Lucas watching our interaction. Perhaps my lust is written all over my face, but I can't help it.
Being stuck in a house with four attractive men will do that to a girl.
After we're done feeding the animals, we leave the barn and return home.
Home.
Even though I've only been here for a short time, it is starting to feel like home to me.
I just hope they let me stay a little while longer.
CHAPTER 11
TRINITY
AFTER A FULL day roaming around the farm with Lucas and Carter, feeding the animals, tending the garden and getting a feel for the land, I'm ready for bed right after dinner.
