by Aurelia Skye
“We weren’t talking about you behind your back, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Chris’s breath wafted against my neck when he spoke.
I shrugged, not sure if that’s what I had meant. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about the idea of them talking about our relationship with each other. I wasn’t trying to hide it, but I didn’t want them to be discussing it like it was some kind of feat they had accomplished.
Finn said, “I think it clicked for both of us last night when we rushed to you after what had happened, and you took both of us in for comfort. It was obvious that Chris cares about you as much as I do, and we just decided without even needing to talk about it that we would be here for you when you woke up.”
I smiled at Finn as I turned my hand in an awkward way so I could pat his stomach, wanting to feel a connection with both of them. “I’m glad you figured it out. I had planned to tell both of you, but hadn’t had the opportunity just yet.”
“We understand. I can’t speak for Finn, but I knew when we got involved that I would have to share you with others, and I’ve been trying to deal with any jealousy right from the start. I like Finn, and it could always be way worse.”
“Like who?” I asked in a teasing fashion.
Chris surprised me with his answer. “It could be Lian Chang.”
I stiffened. “You don’t get along with Lian?”
Finn snorted. “Hardly anyone gets along with Lian. He’s so remote and kind of standoffish. He doesn’t make it easy to be friends, and I think you have to have open communication among everybody in a partnership for this sort of thing to work long-term. I can’t imagine him talking openly about his feelings, or even being receptive to sharing.”
I frowned, remembering my brief conversation with him the night before. I thought we’d left on okay terms, but I could see where he definitely gave off the impression of being standoffish and perhaps rude. He had certainly reacted that way to me on our first meeting. I was still attracted to him, but decided not to mention it to Chris or Finn, because it was unlikely that anything would ever come from it.
Instead, I turned the conversation to Avi. “You should both know that I’m also involved with Avi. I plan to tell him about you the next time I see him, but haven’t had the chance yet.”
They both stiffened slightly, and though I couldn’t see Chris’s face from my current position, I imagined a similar flicker of jealousy flashed across his features as I watched it bloom and disappear from Finn’s. After a moment, their bodies both relaxed, practically in-sync, and I let out a breath I hadn’t been aware I’d been holding until just then.
“Is that okay?” I frowned at the way I phrased the question, realizing it sounded like I was asking permission. I didn’t like feeling as though they could deny me the right to share my body with whom I chose, and I quickly rephrased that. “I mean, how do you feel about that?”
“He’s a good guy,” said Chris behind me, his lips nuzzling my ear now.
“He’ll definitely keep you safe if we’re not there to do so,” said Finn.
In a slightly disgruntled voice, I reminded him, “I can take care of myself.”
“You’re an amazing, accomplished woman, but can you do this for yourself?” After asking the question, Chris’s mouth drifted down my neck to follow the line of my spine, where he hovered near the lumbar area to nibble and suck at the flesh there.
It was surprisingly erotic, and the low-grade arousal I’d been feeling since waking in their arms suddenly flared to an inferno. I shifted restlessly as Finn’s hand moved from my hip to my pussy, two of his fingers surging inside me with no preparation. I didn’t need it, because they both had me already dripping with need. “Can you do this for yourself?” asked Finn, mimicking Chris’s question in spirit.
Somehow, I focused enough to laugh before answering, though the words were drawn out, and it took more brainpower than I would’ve imagined to be able to speak. “Technically, I can do that for myself.” As his expression morphed to one of disappointment, I wriggled against his fingers. “But it isn’t nearly as nice when I do it.”
At first, I thought I had injured his feelings, and he was leaving when Finn pulled away from me and stood up. I started to call him back, reaching out a hand in his direction, but he was simply changing position. He lay down again a moment later, but this time his head was oriented where his hand had been. A moment later, his tongue darted inside me, reminding me that I definitely couldn’t do that for myself.
Chris’s fingers surged inside me while Finn’s tongue worked my clit. Writhing, a long moan escaped me as I thrashed against them in search of release. Finn’s teasing flicks changed to firmer strokes against my clit, and when he inhaled sharply, it triggered my orgasm. I was vaguely aware of Chris’s fingers withdrawing, and of the softening of Finn’s tongue against me as he gently reduced the pressure of his tongue, but I was too caught up in ecstasy to pay much attention to what was going on for the moment.
I let out a startled yelp when Chris’s fingers suddenly pushed against my butt before I could form the words to say no. Any resistance he encountered quickly eased, and he was inside me. I drew in a sharp breath at the intrusion, but it didn’t take long to decide it actually felt good. Especially when he wiggled his finger inside me when Finn started licking me again, the combined sensation enough to quickly elicit a second, though less intense, orgasm.
The bed dipped as they shifted positions once more, this time Chris spooning me from behind again. I held my breath as I waited to see where he intended to place his cock. He brushed teasingly against my puckered rosette before moving downward, and I let out a breath I hadn’t intended to hold. I wasn’t certain if I was happy, or perhaps a little disappointed, that he had chosen the conventional path as he surged slowly inside me.
My sheath clamped around him in welcome, drawing him in deeper, and I moaned when he was seated fully inside. As he started to thrust, my gaze focused on Finn’s cock, hard and waiting in front of me.
I had to contort my body a bit to reach it, but it was worth a slight twinge of discomfort in my spine to solicit the deep groan that came from Finn when I clutched the base of his cock to line it up with my mouth. He let out a similar sound when my lips engulfed him, and I slowly eased my mouth around him until the point where my lips touched my hand. Then I began to squeeze and stroke him with my tongue, mouth, and hand until he was thrusting mindlessly against me.
I was briefly amused to realize Chris and Finn were unconsciously thrusting in sync. Each time Chris bottomed out inside me, Finn’s hips surged forward so that the head of his cock hit the back of my throat. I knew they hadn’t planned it, and I highly doubted they’d ever shared a woman before, at least not with each other, but they seemed to fall naturally into sharing me.
That was my last conscious thought as I lost myself to the two of them. When we all came a few minutes later, I was sated, exhausted, and happy—happier than I had been in a long time. Certainly since HLV, and perhaps happier than I’d ever been.
We curled together in a heap, my fingers stroking both their heads, lightly caressing their hair. For that moment, we were one harmonious unit, and I was reluctant to separate us for any reason, though I knew we all had duties to which we must attend. And I still needed to talk to Avi, because I wanted to share this with him too. I wanted this warm bond that I could barely describe to extend and encompass him as well as Finn and Chris. Maybe I was a greedy girl, but I wanted everything with all of them.
Chapter Seven
I was on the roster for runs again that day, so I reported to the same place as yesterday. Avi stood there, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked like he was running on his last reserves. Ignoring the chatter around me, I went straight to him. “You can’t go out like this. You look dead on your feet.”
He grinned at me. “Thanks, honey. I’m not planning to go out there though. I’ve rearranged the schedule so I can have the day off to sleep. You’ll be partnered with Lian toda
y, and stick close to him. He’s your tether.”
I was conflicted; on the one hand relieved Avi was going to stay behind and rest, because he was far more likely to make mistakes that could be lethal when he was as tired as he clearly was. On the other hand, I was ambivalent about being paired with Lian.
We had seemed to be cordial last night, but I wasn’t certain how he would greet me today, or if I could spend hours in his presence. Oh, who was I kidding? I could spend days with him if he was showing me the Lian he’d been last night. If he was the version I’d first met, today would be torture.
I pulled Avi away from the group, not wanting to be overheard. “Do you have a minute for us to talk?”
He nodded as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “You only have a couple before you’re due to leave.”
“It won’t take long.” I hoped. I needed to tell him about Chris and Finn, and unless it became an argument, it should be a quick confession. Confession held the wrong connotation though. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and Avi had known, just like everyone else, that I’d come to the armory with the intention of sharing.
I looked over my shoulder, making sure no one was in our immediate vicinity, as I still pitched my voice low. “I just wanted to make you’re aware of…” I trailed off, searching for the perfect words to describe what I was trying to tell him.
He frowned, and his thoughts had apparently gone a different way. “I know a lot of people don’t like Lian, because they think he’s aloof. He is, but partially he’s just reserved. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but I don’t think he’s stuck up or thinks he’s better than the rest of us. Just give him a chance.”
I let out a startled laugh. “That’s good to know, but it wasn’t what I was thinking.” Avi had no idea how much of a chance I’d like to give Lian. “I was actually trying to tell you that I’ve been involved with Chris and Finn too. Just for the last couple of days, but I thought you should know.”
He scowled and seemed to be on the edge of saying something angry, but his expression cleared as he took a deep breath and let it out. “I’ve been expecting you to find other partners, and I’ve been bracing myself for it. I don’t like it at all, and I’d love to keep you to myself, but I know that’s impractical.”
“Does that mean we’re okay?” I bit my lip as I glanced at the group, who was moving toward the exit of the room. I had to go, but I didn’t want to leave it with Avi in an ambiguous way.
He nodded, and though it was a bit stiff, I think he was sincere. “Yeah, we’re okay. I’ll see you tonight, if I have a chance.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my mouth. “You’d better hurry, or they’ll leave without you.”
I could tell he was still bothered by the whole thing, but he was willing to work through it, just like Chris and Finn. I felt like skipping out of the room, though I forced myself to walk in a more dignified pace as I double-timed it to catch up with the rest of the group.
I fell in step with Lian, giving him a cautious smile. “Avi said we’re partnered up today. What did you do to get babysitting duty?” I held my breath as I waited to see how he’d respond to my gentle teasing.
He surprised me by smiling in return. “I actually requested the duty. You need the best of us to keep you safe, so it was my responsibility.”
I laughed as I rolled my eyes. “Typical male ego.”
Lian looked unrepentant when he grinned at me. “It’s not ego if it’s true.”
With a shake of my head, I followed him into the truck. We were partnered up with two men I had yet to meet, but this time I sat by the door, and Lian was beside me. After a quick introduction to Jeremy and Logan, we were off. I was surprised when our truck drew up before a vet clinic a few minutes later. The other two trucks drove past, and I shot an inquiring look at Lian. “Aren’t we all staying together?”
He nodded. “Pretty close anyway. We all have radios for contact, and they’ll be in nearby buildings.”
“What are we doing at a vet clinic?”
“A lot of the animal medications are also human medications, just in different doses. This is a safer bet than going to the hospital, where so many people died. Those are germ colonies, so we try to avoid hospitals at all costs.”
I shuddered as I remembered Sofia’s brief description of the day she had gone with Ben and several others from Camp Utopia to scavenge supplies from the NICU to ensure our friend Maisie’s baby survived. I could see why they wanted to avoid hospitals if at all possible.
Raiding a vet clinic seemed like it would be a walk in the park, but I didn’t get complacent. I kept my hand on one of my guns as I followed directly behind Lian. Jeremy and Logan went ahead of us, splitting off to head down the hallway where the exam rooms seemed to be located. I followed Lian as he took the other hallway, this one having the look of administration about it. There was an office for the vets, and a storage room, which seemed to be our destination.
When Lian reached the door, he tried the handle, but seemed unsurprised when it remained locked. I frowned at it, wondering how the keycode could still work with no electricity.
“The keycode isn’t necessary to open it, but it remains locked even when electricity is disabled.”
It was eerie how he seemed to read my mind to answer the question that I hadn’t asked. As he lifted the butt of his rifle, I took a step back and prepared myself for the sound of metal striking metal. It took two good thunks of the gun before the door broke and swung open.
We swept inside quickly. There was no one there, and I hadn’t expected there to be. As soon as we were certain the space was clear, Lian shrugged off the empty duffel bag he’d worn behind him, slung over his shoulder, and unzipped it. He started loading it with medical supplies as I did the same with the bag over my shoulder. We took everything, including gauze, suture kits, and even ear cleaning solution. I wasn’t certain if it would come in handy for humans, but it certainly couldn’t hurt since I had room in the bag.
When we met up with Jeremy and Logan, they seemed to have a full bag between them, though I was curious what they’d managed to find in exam rooms. I spent a moment thinking about what I’d seen when I took in my cat, Voldemort, before he died two years ago. He’d been an evil little black monster, and I’d loved him to pieces. I remembered seeing tongue depressors, thermometers, and cotton swabs. I think they’d also kept stethoscopes in the drawer, but I couldn’t remember for certain. It didn’t really matter, and I didn’t care what they’d found as we moved out of the vet clinic and headed back to our truck, intent on exchanging our full duffel bags for empties.
We hadn’t quite reached the truck yet when there was a crackle on the radio. It sounded like rhythmic thumps, and it took me a moment to realize we were hearing gunfire.
“Red Two and Red Three, we need backup at the sporting goods store. Over.”
I followed their lead as Lian and the others dropped their bags into the back of the truck and scrambled toward the cab. I slammed the door on the back before rushing to join them. The truck was already rolling away before I even had my door closed, but I understood. The sense of urgency would have carried through Jim’s voice plainly, even if we hadn’t heard the gunfire peppered throughout while he spoke.
Jeremy drove like a madman, and we covered the distance between us and the sporting goods store nearby in less than a minute. He screeched into the parking lot and drew up beside the truck where Red One had parked, but there was no sign of them.
“They must be inside,” said Lian. As he spoke, he double-checked his ammo clip before slamming the cartridge back in his handgun.
I didn’t have to do that, because I’d checked my guns before we started out, and I’d had no reason to fire them.
We approached the store cautiously, and I could hear gunfire inside. Unless Red Three had arrived first, I knew the Red One team only had four people, and whoever was firing against them seemed to have an unlimited supply of ammunition.
Someone had already pried open
the sliding doors, so we were able to slip into the store one at a time, going low. The gunfire seemed to be concentrated in the back, and we moved stealthily closer, trying not to betray our presence. I was feeling a little over my head and was reassured to have Lian right in front of me. Jeremy and Logan seemed equally competent, and I had a good team, but it was still nerve-racking to go toward the sound of gunfire rather than flee from it. In my old life, as a CNA and geek girl, I would have been running along with everyone else.
As we neared the end of our current row, the sound of gunfire sounded closer than ever. I stopped with everyone else when Jeremy lifted his fist in the air. He cautiously peeked around before holding up five fingers. From my rudimentary training before heading out on a run the first time, I knew that meant to this group that there were five people in the other.
At least five people that he could see. From the sound of rapid and continuous gunfire, I thought there were probably more that he couldn’t count. Jeremy, still in a crouch, turned slightly to confer with Logan and Lian. I was technically part of the group too, but had little to add with my inexperience in such a situation.
“Logan and I can provide cover fire from this row, while you and Natalie get our people out of the other row, if you can.”
Lian nodded his agreement, and I nodded too. I wasn’t certain which was more dangerous—leaning out of the rows to provide cover fire, or going down the row where everything seemed to be happening. Either way, I had to conquer my fear and just do it.
We made our way down the aisle the way we had come, still crouched over. Jeremy and Logan were waiting until we reached the end before they started firing. As soon as we hit the endcap, their guns responded in kind to the ones being fired in our direction. Lian went first, moving low and with such grace that I couldn’t help appreciating his form even under the circumstances. I was certain my movements were nowhere near as graceful as I stumbled along behind him.
