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“We’ll be home tomorrow,” Fallon added. “We don’t want to drive in this weather longer than we have to. There’s an outpost a few minutes from here.”

“Understandable,” Calax said begrudgingly. “But be careful. All of you. See you tomorrow.”

With a resigned sigh, I handed Fallon the radio, and he placed it back in his backpack.

“You’ll see them tomorrow, Kitten. No reason for that sad face.” Ryder wrapped his arm around me, hugging me tightly. Sometimes, it felt as if he wanted to meld our bodies together, to make two become one.

“I just worry,” I admitted with a helpless shrug.

Whatever Ryder was about to say was interrupted by Ronan slamming on the brakes. We had pulled up in front of an immense building, two guards blocking the entrance. This outpost was located on the remnant of a football stadium, the vaulted roof able to withstand the storm and the metal gates manned by men with guns.

“Let’s get this party started,” I murmured dryly.

Four manly chuckles greeted my less than enthusiastic statement.

* * *

“They totally looked at your asses,”I mumbled stubbornly, tossing my backpack onto the ground of the cubby we found ourselves in. It had once been a food stall, but the outpost owners had removed all of the equipment and replaced it with torn mattresses.

The owner, a kind, younger gentleman named Derrick, had originally offered us two rooms, but my men had disagreed. They wanted us to stay together.

As we’d walked the long halls, the rain pelting the vaulted roof and lightning flashing overhead like a giant spotlight, I couldn’t help but note the sultry stares of the women present. One had purposefully dropped her notebook, bending down to give my men an ample view of her cleavage. Another had the gall to offer her services to Asher who looked ready to tear her head off. The final straw occurred when a blond bimbo placed her hand on Fallon’s arm with a tinkling laugh. If looks could kill, or at least penetrate skin and bones, I was sure her manicured hand would fall to dust. Fallon merely glared at her offending fingers with an almost incandescent fury until she removed it with a muttered apology.

“Did you see the way Derrick looked at you?” Ryder countered with a grin.

“He was nice,” I protested.

“He wanted what was ours,” Fallon said briskly. He moved to light the few candles adorning the perimeter of the room. There were some outposts that had generators for electricity, but this was not one of them.

“I love it when you get all possessive,” I said idly, unzipping my backpack and pulling out my nightshirt. It was a bright garnet and fell to my knees, the name of some obscure band sewn across the chest. It was Ronan’s old shirt, and I knew he loved it when I wore his clothes.

Ronan, who was leaning against the moldy wall, flashed me a grin. “You’re wearing my shirt, Princess. I believe I have the right to be possessive.”

Sticking my tongue out at him, I pulled my shirt over my head - reveling in the four sharp intakes of breath as I revealed my pale skin and lacy black bra - before slipping into my nightshirt. Honestly, they acted as if they hadn’t seen me naked only...oh...two hours ago. Needy shits.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, moving to sit on one of the cots and absently running my fingers through the frill of the quilt. “I don’t know why I’m acting so jealous and shit. I was never like that before...before, you know, The Announcement.”

Asher placed a hand on my thigh, lightly squeezing.

“It’s hormones, Sweetheart. Completely understandable.”

“Hormones suck ass,” I grumbled. Absently, I placed my hand on my stomach. “Everything about being a woman sucks ass. Periods? Sucks ass. PMSing? Sucks ass. Like, who would want to bleed out of their vaginas?” I tapped a finger against my chin, pondering the questions of the universe. “Remember when we watched that vampire movie at the one military base? And he wanted to drink her blood? Well, what would happen when she was on her period? Actually, I’m sure a lot of those females were on their periods. Wouldn’t the vampires go all murdery? All bitey? I mean, all that blood…”

Cue: four rather confused faces. Actually, appalled faces would be a better description.

“Well...that just killed the fucking mood,” Ryder said petulantly, but his eyes betrayed his amusement.

“What mood?” I teased. “I wasn’t trying to seduce you motherfuckers.”

Ryder crawled towards me on his hands and knees, eyes half-lidded with heat. Want. Need. This voracious hunger that made my nipples harden. “Stripping down? Talking about our baby inside of you? The way you’re ours so completely? I don’t know what else could possibly be more of a turn-on.”

I made a strange sound - a combination between a moan and a mewl. My entire body was coiled tightly, a snake preparing to strike, and Ryder was my victim. The need to memorize the feel of his shoulders, the fullness of his lips, to trace the tattoos snaking down his sides with my tongue was almost overwhelming.

Ryder leaned closer, lips inches from my own…

Before he was abruptly pulled back by Fallon.

“Later,” he said fervently. His eyes flickered to mine over Ryder’s shoulder, and the blistering heat in them was nearly my undoing.