“You’re like an over-protective parent,” Gage said grimacing.
I felt a slight quiver in my bottom lip, so I pressed them tightly together. “You’re all I have left.”
“What about him?” Gage jerked his chin slightly in Shawn’s direction.
“That’s different and you know it. I care about him a lot, sure, but you’re like… like… my family,” I said.
“That explains the over-protective parent thing,” Gage said with a smirk. He quickly waved it away. “I feel the same but you have to trust me too. You have to let me help take care of everyone. You don’t have to do this alone.”
I looked away from his intense stare. My body felt warm. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” Gage said.
“Don’t say that,” I pleaded.
Gage took my hand into his. “I’ll always come back, okay? Nothing can stop me.”
“You don’t know there is no way I can believe that, right?”
“That isn’t going to stop me from saying it,” Gage said. “Shawn can take you to the house. You’ll barely even notice I’m gone.”
“If you’re absolutely sure about this—”
“I am,” Gage said. “We can try to get away but we may also need to be able to protect ourselves.”
The room was silent. Everyone was trying to listen to what Gage and I were talking about. That only made the voices outside that much more noticeable.
I couldn’t make out what they were saying but I was worried. Was it them? The people Jake warned us about?
Maybe it was already too late. I grabbed the shotgun from where we kept it next to the door and pulled my shoulders back.
This was our home. I wasn’t about to let anyone take it from us easily.
10
Joss
I paced the floor near the window. The lit candle made peculiar shadows on the walls as I moved about.
“We shouldn’t have gone there,” I said.
“It’s fine,” Robby said. “It was probably just someone from the party trying to avoid your noisy friend.”
“Our noisy friend,” I corrected.
Robby wrapped his arms around my middle. “You’re making me seasick.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have had so much to drink.”
“Please,” Robby said. “That was nothing.”
I sighed. “I’m just worried. It’s not like I want to get in trouble for this.”
“You think it was one of Rex’s men spying on us?” Robby asked.
“Maybe. It could just be that he has people watching everyone, not necessarily just us,” I said. “But we are new. He probably doesn’t trust us any further than he can throw us. I wouldn’t, would you?”
Robby shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t. But let’s not forget that I was in charge of people at the store and they betrayed me. That’s not something I’ll forget easily.”
“I guess we’ll find out sooner or later if Rex is going to kick us out,” I said.
“Jenna will never forgive me,” Robby said stepping away from me. He flopped down on the bed, folding his hands behind his head.
I sat down next to him and yawned. “I’m tired.”
“How tired?” he asked raising a brow.
My heart raced and my lips curled into a smile. “I’m never that tired.”
Robby rolled me on top of him. I lazily twisted my fingers into his hair. His lips were soft on mine. I could taste the warm beer that had stained his tongue.
“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?” Robby said.
“I don’t think I can hear it enough,” I said smiling at him.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” Robby said looking me over as if I were a precious gem.
I drew in a breath, letting his words envelop me in their comforting warmth. The way he looked at me was enough to make me feel like something important.
He was my everything. I couldn’t comprehend how I’d gone as long as I had in life without him. And yet, at the same time, it felt as though I’d known him forever.
My hands ran down his damp shirt, stopping at the hem. I tugged upward and he wiggled as I pulled the shirt over his head.
His muscles popped out like they should. He’d gotten healthier since we’d been in the town thanks to the regular meals and sleep.
It wasn’t just Jenna that needed the town… we all did. We shouldn’t have gone to the party. Rex let us stay in his town. He fed us and gave us shelter and we repaid him but going to a stupid party.
“Everything okay?” Robby asked narrowing his eyes.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said with an exhale. I hadn’t wanted to get distracted. Robby was usually my distraction.
“Where did you go just now?” he asked as he kissed down the side of my neck.
I smiled. “Sorry, I don’t really drink. I guess it’s affecting me a bit more than I thought.”
“Oh, do you want to stop?” Robby asked.
“Definitely not.” I drew a straight line down the center of his stomach, stopping at the button on his pants. “Do you want to stop?”
Robby shook his head. “Are you kidding?”
He grabbed my shirt, yanking clumsily until I helped him get it over my head. Robby growled as he flipped me over. We bounced lightly and the bedsprings squeaked under our weight.
His hands on my body made me feel weightless. We simultaneously shimmied out of our pants, unable to wait for a second longer to feel each other completely.
I clung to him as he rocked into me. It was like we were on the ocean, riding the gentle waves as the sun beat down. I closed my eyes and I could feel the heat from the sun’s rays.
My fingertips dug into Robby’s shoulders and my head tipped back as a wave of pleasure crashed over
