by SM Olivier
“Did you do a rotation in Labor and Delivery?” I blurted out, hoping to divert my mind from dirty thoughts. No matter how right it felt, I feared I was going too fast with them.
“I did, and I’ve already talked to Stephanie.” He chuckled knowingly. “That was another reason why we decided to acquire an ultrasound machine. I plan to give her an ultrasound tomorrow. I’d like to see the baby's growth, see where we are. We were able to obtain Pitocin and Epidural anesthesia, just in case, too. I don’t want to induce her, and she doesn’t want an epidural, but I wanted to make sure we had the medication on hand in the event we needed it. I also obtained birth control for any of the females that wanted it. Did you…”
He seemed unsure how to proceed, and I appreciated him thinking about us females. In this zombie apocalypse, I believed everyone needed to be protected, in any way possible. The times were too perilous to have to worry about getting pregnant. The thought of being pregnant right now gave me the cold chills—not that that was a possibility right now. Wyatt had used a condom, and until I could get over my hang-ups, I planned to continue using them.
“I have an implant,” I said, feeling my face warm. “I got if after I lost Bella. I had no intention of accepting Trevor back, but eventually, when I was in a relationship again, I wanted to have control of the situation. I got pregnant the first time because Trevor conveniently forgot to use a condom, and I hadn’t known until it was too late.”
We had always used condoms. I didn’t trust the clinic on campus, and in order to see an OB, I needed my dad’s insurance to visit one. I knew Dad wasn’t dense, but I didn’t want to make it so obvious that I was sexually active. In his eyes, Emery and I would always be his little girls, and I wanted him to continue seeing me as his little girl.
Easton made a sound between a growl and a hiss of anger as he wove his fingers through my conditioned hair, combing out my knots. “We’ll have to make sure we record as much of everyone’s medical information as possible. We’ll need medical histories, list of allergies, etc. And you’ll need to remove that IUD eventually, even if you choose to implant another one afterward.”
He seemed to have flipped a switch mentally and become a doctor right before my eyes. I didn’t know if it was because he didn’t want to say something that might offend me, or if it was his way of coping with my truth.
“Maybe we should draw blood from everyone as well,” he added thoughtfully.
I laughed. “Maybe we should finish our shower first, Dr. Rains, before we start sticking people. I’ll help, though, when the time comes. Do we have enough supplies to collect samples from everyone?”
“We have enough to start,” he confirmed with a chuckle. He placed me back into the stream of water.
I tilted my head back and let the water wash out the conditioner. I started when I felt him come back to me with a loofah. I opened my eyes and watched as he began to rub my arms down. He looked at me through dark eyelashes before he moved in closer. When his erection brushed across my stomach, I bit back a moan.
“May I kiss you?” he asked huskily, and just like that, the doctor had left the office.
“Yes,” I hoarsely whispered.
I sighed as his lips brushed mine. His lips were so full, so soft, so supple. I didn’t know what I expected from our first kiss. Maybe something reticent or reserved like him, but that’s not what this was. It was passionate, sensual, and had my blood pumping within seconds. He took control of our kiss without being overbearing or suffocating.
I vaguely registered that he continued to wash me down at the same time his tongue flicked out to trace my lips. I opened my mouth and entangled my tongue with his. He made a noise of appreciation in the back of his throat, and it further enflamed me. I rubbed against him, restlessly wanting more and knowing I was quickly losing control.
He abruptly stepped back and resumed washing my body. I let out a sound of disappointment and frustration.
He smiled crookedly at me before placing a kiss between my breasts. “I want you,” he softly explained. “But if it’s okay with you, I want to take my time and savor this for a little longer but later. Is that okay?”
I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want to wait, but at the same time, he was just echoing my earlier thoughts.
“Yes.” I smiled at him before grabbing some shampoo. “I’m okay with that, more than okay with that.” I threaded my hands through his curls and applied some pressure to my fingertips.
He groaned and tilted his head back. “Are you sure?”
I could hear the hint of vulnerability in his voice. I knew most guys would hop at any chance to get their dicks wet, but he struck me as someone that didn’t have sex just to achieve physical gratification. He was an intellectual person, and I was sure he desired to connect with a woman on a mental level first.
A part of me wondered why he would have ever wanted Jade and Natalie, but I tamped those thoughts down. They were in the past. For all I knew, they had some desirable traits that I had yet to see.
He leaned in and kissed me. “I don’t want to mess this up. I don’t want to ruin what we could possibly have.”
I sighed against his mouth before gently nipping at his full bottom lip. He groaned, and before I knew it, my back was against the wall, his hands were in my hair, and his erection was rubbing against my stomach.
I mewled and arched my back towards him. My mind told me I should respect his wishes, but my body wanted him desperately. I grasped his cock, and he hissed and groaned.
Shit! These guys were well above average, all of them. Well, at least I thought they were, even if I hadn’t seen or felt Kingston up yet. I thought it was safe to assume, however, that Easton and Kingston were roughly packing the same length and girth, considering that they were pracitally identical.
I stroked down his warm, hard length before sliding back up. His mouth hungrily nipped, sucked, and ravaged mine.
“I can’t resist you, but I need to,” he moaned before trailing kisses down my neck.
His large hands caressed my spine, my hips, and finally, my thighs. In an unexpected move, he bent down slightly before lifting me. “Wrap your legs around me, honey,” he bade before pushing me back against the shower.
I complied with no hesitancy. “I thought we were going to wait,” I gently teased him before taking his lips with mine.
“We should.” He looked down between our bodies.
I felt his hard cock graze against my clit and rock against me. I looked down and was mesmerized at his concentration as he continued to rub himself against my most sensitive area. The sensations he was evoking made every nerve end tingle with anticipation. I cried out and strived to lift my hips so I could fee him inside of me.
“Not yet, honey, not yet,” he hoarsely muttered before increasing the movements of his hips. He sensually grinded into me.
“Please,” I begged him, feeling so empty and knowing I needed him to make me fully.
I leaned over and took his lobe in my teeth. I nipped it before swirling my tongue around it.
He groaned aloud, and I watched his resistance snap before he lifted me with ease, and in one fluid moment, I was impaled on him. I cried out in completion and surprise, but then I froze when I noticed his stillness.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, breathless, before I attempted to unravel my legs from around him. “I know you wanted to wait. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”
“Oh, honey, you didn’t push me,” he breathed out. “I don’t have a condom.”
I moaned an unintelligible response. I didn’t care that he didn’t have a condom. I knew they were all clean, and plus, I was on the implant.
He groaned out as well. My eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head as he filled me with long, deep strokes. I began to make unintelligible noises as his pelvis rubbed against my clit. Every now and then between each thrust, he would rotate his hips in just a way to put more pressure and friction against me in the most delicious way.
“Easton,” I breathed out in shock as I realized my body was heading towards the edge.
“Yes, honey?” he breathed back as he nibbled along my neck and collarbone.
“I think I’m going to come,” I whispered in awe.
He chuckled softly. “Then come for me.” He licked my lips before delving into my mouth once more.
He made that erotic motion with his hips once more, and I dug my fingers into his shoulders. He seemed to know how much I liked the way he thrust and grinded into me, because he continued to do it but picked up the intensity and speed of his strokes. My approach to the end was no longer a gentle jog; now it was a sprint, and when I arrived at the finish line, I catipulted over it in a mind-numbing, toe-curling, blissful scream.
He made a guttural groan, and I could feel myself contracting around him, but instead of slowing, his movements became more desperate. The erotic rocking of his hips increased. I gasped out when I felt another orgasm approaching. Crying out in astonishment, I shattered around him once again.
He cried out my name, pulled my head back against the stall, bit down on my collarbone as I felt his hot come fill me. I felt weightless as I came down from my high. I think I was even hearing taste and tasting sights! Nothing made sense to me, and I felt the tug of exhaustion on the edge of my consciousness.
I frowned when I remembered reality stood on the other side of the exterior door. Our night wasn’t over yet. I was hungry. I had to help in the kitchens, and Easton needed to get something to eat. Then we had a debriefing. I didn’t want to do any of it all of a sudden.
“So beautiful,” Easton praised me as he gently kissed my lips. “I’ve never felt so…so…” For once, he was at a loss for words, and I giggled.
“Yeah, right there with you.” I laughed before nuzzling his neck. “Better than good. It was mind-numbing and earth-shattering. Can we skip the meeting tonight, and you just take me to bed?”
He chuckled, withdrew entirely from me, and guided me down his body. “We can press pause and continue this later on.” He kissed the tip of my nose.
I pouted. “No fun,” I teased as I leaned into him.
I could see a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked at me.
“Everything okay?” I asked him hesistantly.
“I wanted us to end up here, but I needed you to get to know me first,” he explained as he cupped my cheek and kissed my forhead. “I’m with you right now, but I have a tendency to obsess over things. Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in my work. I forget to eat, let alone give attention to others.
“Eventually, you’ll realize I’m not giving you enough devotion, and one of two things will happen. The guys will provide you with more than enough, and you’ll realize I’m not even needed in the equation, or you’ll grow to resent me because, when I’m in a specific frame of mind, I can’t snap out of it easily. With the apocalypse upon us, I know I’m going to spend plenty of time in the medical office and not enough time with you. The time you deserve.”
Now it made sense why the others wouldn’t have been interested in keeping them in their relationship. I could envision him getting like that. I could see him getting so wrapped up and lost in his head he would forget nearly everything around him.
Little did he know, I was okay with that. My father wasn’t always there for us, and when he was, he was so lost in his work sometimes that we all faded away to the background. I overheard a handful of fights between my parents, and it all had to do with his preoccupation and obsessions. Eventually, he had learned to balance it all, and when he forgot, Mom was there to gently nudge him to the living.
Mom learned to devote herself to her career and us. She learned how to coax my father out and when to let him be.
I could figure out ways to make it work. I realized I had only known him a few short days, but something about him was endearing. His calming presence was like a balm to my soul, and there was no denying our chemistry and attraction.
“How about you let me decide that,” I reassured him before leaning into him. “I know a bird needs to fly. It wouldn’t be fair to clip their wings so I could keep it close. I know you’re a brilliant man, and I will choose to watch you fly, and when I feel neglected or desire your company, I’ll come fly with you, even if it’s just to share a cup of coffee or a meal.”
“Do you mean that?” he asked me, his gaze unwavering as he carressed my back.
“I more than mean it.” I nodded. “I promise you, we can make it work. I know you all work better as a unit. I’m just touched and honored that you’re allowing me into your tight-knit circle.”
He gave me the sweetest smile and stepped back. It was then that I realized my legs still felt like jello. He chuckled and stepped forward. I was happy when he continued to hold me. When he felt like I had gained my footing, he finished washing me, and then I finished washing him. It was wonderfully intimate and sweet as we talked, kissed, and explored each other.
I may not have planned to become intimate with him so soon, but I didn’t regret it. It just felt like another piece falling in place. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to enjoy having him in my life.
Chapter 21
“What took you so long to get down here?” Kingston eyed us suspiciously as Easton and I both took a seat at the long conference table in the recreation hall.
All our guests had retired for the night, and the kitchens were closed by the time we’d made our way down. Trudy had left me a note commanding me to rest and reassured me that she could handle the bread tomorrow morning.
I reheated some stew and buttered hunks of bread for us before we made our way to the meeting.
“We took a brief nap.” I smirked as I curled up in a chair with my food.
I was glad I chose to dress in comfortable boyfriend-sweats and a tank top. I hadn’t even bothered with a bra. I was too tired even to pretend to care right now.
“Is that what you call having sex with all the men you live with?” Emery sneered nearby.
I hadn’t even noticed that she was sitting in the corner beside Trevor. The whole room was nearly full, including Uncle Mitch, Aunt Carol, Aunt Pam, Trudy, Axel, Corbin, Wyatt, Kingston, Eddie, Josh, Amy, Chad, Trevor, Emery, BJ, and some guy I vaguely recognized as one of Uncle Mitch’s employees.
My first instinct was to show embarrassment and look at Uncle Mitch, Aunt Carol, and Aunt Pam. They were the closest things to parents I had here, and I would die of mortification if my dad were here. I would much rather let him know in person that I was interested in all five of the men in my life before it was announced to a room full of people.
Then I realized that was her intention. Once again, the ugly green-eyed monster that resided in Emery was called forth. She wanted me to be embarrassed. She wanted to shame me for my ability to care for five men and their return of those feelings. If the situation were reversed, she would be basking in all the attention, flaunting it in everyone's face. She clearly despised me for not being as affected by her relationship with Trevor as she thought I’d be.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I smirked at her before I made an exaggerated show of dipping my bread in my stew and taking a large bite of it. “In fact,” I said around my food, not caring I was being uncouth and rude, “…it’s none of your business.”
“Simmer down, Em, no one cares for your theatrics right now,” Corbin growled. “Unlike you, some of us actually did hard labor today. We just want to get this meeting rolling and get to bed.”
“Emery worked today,” Trevor protested half-heartedly once Emery shot Corbin a pointed look.
I tried not to look at Trevor. He had already tried to corner me before we’d left this morning, and I wasn’t ready to talk to him. It was evident that he didn’t like the fact that I was in a relationship with Corbin and Wyatt. He wanted to give me advice, like I was still his best friend, but he lost the right to have a say in my life when he became emotionally unavailable to me and cheated.
“
More like she hid from work,” Wyatt scoffed. “You showed up at the dining hall for five minutes, Emery, and then disappeared. When my mom found you, she sent you to the supply building, since you insisted you couldn’t work in the kitchens. You lasted thirty minutes in there before you disappeared again.”
“I was told we were going to all get jobs that played to our strengths,” she protested vehemently. “I don’t like cooking, and the supply building is disgusting.”
“What exactly are your strengths?” Corbin said with a slight frown. “We all agreed yesterday that we needed to work together to make this community successful. In order to make things work, we’re going to have to do things we don’t necessarily enjoy.”
“It’s not like we need models or fashion designers, princess. You’re going to have to adapt,” Wyatt added. “It’s not fair that people who have no family ties to the campgrounds are pulling more of their weight than you.”
“Exactly,” she nearly screeched. “My family. I shouldn’t have to work nearly as hard as all these freeloaders.”
I gaped at her audacity, then looked around the room and quickly saw the look of shock cross the faces of Eddie, Trudy, and Donny.
Uncle Mitch stood up, looking angry. “You’ve gone too far, Emery. You can leave the meeting right now. Your father would be so disappointed to hear the nonsense you’re spewing. Some of these people have contributed above and beyond expectations. For you to treat them like quote un-quote ‘freeloaders’ is highly unacceptable. Especially since I haven’t seen you do anything but complain and act entitled to something you never earned. In fact, you're going to have to earn your way back into our meetings. Tomorrow you’ll be working by my side. I don’t care if you think anything I assign you is below you, you will do it.”
“Or what?” Emery almost sounded fearful for a moment before she looked over at Trevor. “Are you going to let them gang up on me? Are you going to kick me out, Uncle Mitch? Will you do that to family? You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do.”
