Page 26 of Purgatory (Devil Dogs of the Apocalypse #1)

“I think I have an idea for dessert! Think we might be able to light up the fireplace and roast these babies?” she asks, holding a bag of marshmallows and wagging her eyebrows. Fuck, I forgot all about those too.

I get up and move towards the living room.

“Hell yea! Let’s light ‘em up!” Cole and Jax agree.

Well, Cole agrees enthusiastically while Jax just smiles and grunts.

At least he smiled at her suggestion. Better than nothing, I guess.

I get started, filling the fireplace with wood and kindling, Cole runs outside to get a few twigs and Jax saunters over to the kitchen to get some chocolate, graham crackers and strawberries, adding to our campfire dessert.

We make quick work of stabbing the little white devils and charring them to a golden brown.

Some of us are impatient and down the ooey gooey goodness by themselves while some choose to turn them into smores.

Jax goes all fancy and puts sliced strawberries on his smore.

Bougie bastard. Gotta hand it to him, though. It’s fucking delicious.

We’re all getting comfy in the living room with our desserts when a quiet moan is released and it’s all hands on deck as we turn as a unit to stare directly at the source.

Aly’s hand is covered in melted chocolate and sticky marshmallow and she is sucking it off of each of her fingers, moaning and rolling her eyes back into her head as she does so.

My dick twitches at the sight and judging from the slight seat adjustments and hand placements, Cole and Jax are in the same headspace.

Fuuuck, why is that so hot .

She continues that way for a minute or so, oblivious to our stares, before Jax coughs to break up the tension on our poor forsaken balls.

Aly looks up at our lust filled eyes. When she realizes what’s going on, her eyes widen and she sheepishly looks away, muttering “oh shit, sorry.... really fucking good.”

Cole and I chuckle at her response while Jax continues to be entranced although reluctant. He doesn't react any further, just stares at her vacantly. It must make her uncomfortable and she goes to stand.

“Well, thank you for the delicious meal. It was, oh my gosh, the best fish I've had in a while. Oh, and for indulging me with the fire. You have no idea how much I like marshmallows and this was... this was great. Thank you. I’m going to head off, take a shower and get to bed. Long day and all.” She trails off and moves towards the stairs.

The rest of us continue with the treats we’ve already made, refusing to touch anymore of her pillowy treasures.

We weren’t able to have a private talk yesterday but tonight, we can let out what we’re all feeling about our new situation.

We should definitely have a house meeting to go over everything that’s happened.

That thought snowballs into more thoughts about Aly and what happened between us and before I know it, I’m daydreaming right there on the couch.

I sit there with a stupid grin on my face off in La La Land when Cole throws a pillow at me. I catch it before it hits my face and stuff it behind me, lifting my feet and sprawling out .

“She’s great, isn’t she?” I ask no one in particular. Cole nods his head in agreement.

“Yea, she’s one of the good ones. I like her. How did fishing go?” He looks back to me.

“Fishing was amazing. She, actually, caught the bass we had for dinner. She put up a good fight to get it too. Love it when a girl likes to do outdoorsy stuff. I... I really like her.” I sigh leaning back and staring at the ceiling, really wanting to go up there and kiss her goodnight.

Maybe lay in bed with her... maybe more.

.. fuck... cock... go away for second, dammit, you can come back later.

I go to sit up, effectively hiding Mr. Man and look to Jax. He’s staring a hole in the floor. Something must be really interesting there...

“How about you?” I probe. “What’re your thoughts on our little damsel?”

He looks up to me, then to the ceiling, probably imagining what she’s doing right then, and then sighs.

“We almost had a run in with some walkers today. Don’t worry. I spoke with her about it. She’s obviously not hurt from the encounter.” He puts his hands up when Cole and I almost jump to our feet to get details. But we settle back down when Cole asks what I’m wondering.

“So, what happened?”

“She wandered out while I was taking a break from fixing the fence and a swarm came by. I pulled her back before they could sense her, brought her back to the field where it was safe, talked some sense into her, she hit me... I might have kissed her...” He shuffles his feet on the floor and looks away, swallowing while Cole and I are floored trying to work through what he just said.

“What?! ”

“I said what I said.” Jax grinds his jaw, still not looking at either of us.

That’s not good. He can talk to us about anything.

Usually does. Why’s he hiding now? Is he ashamed?

Embarrassed? No. Jax doesn’t get that way.

This doesn’t make any sense. I think it’s time to break down the fortress he's built around himself so we can help him work through this. Time to loosen him up a bit...

“Erm...well, in that case... Jax and Aly kissing in a tree, K.I.S.S.I--” Jax jumps up faster than if he was on hot coals and powerbombs my ass on the couch.

“Fuck off, asshole,” he grunts as we wrestle off the couch and fall to the floor, sparring a little to let go of whatever is bugging him.

After a few minutes, and a noticeably calmer Jax, we separate and Cole comes and falls down across both of us perpendicularly, his legs on Jax and his head on my waist looking up at both of us, a sly look on his face.

“Hell, I don’t care who she kisses, I just hope she gives me some kisses too.

” I raise my eyebrows at that. “Oh, don’t look at me like you don’t want some too.

We can see how you were staring at her all night, just like the rest of us.

” Jax stiffens at Cole’s words. So, he does like her, after all. Interesting.

What’s concerning, however, is that we all like her.

If that’s the case, then, who gets her? Who would she choose.

Does she like all of us? We kissed at the lake earlier, but that doesn’t mean much in the way of exclusivity when she kissed Jax also.

We’ve never talked about sharing anyone before.

We’ve always had our own interests but for some reason with her, she seems to tick all of our boxes.

It could work if we were all on the same page.

That way, no one loses. I nod to myself.

It could work. But how do I possibly think to even begin to broach that option?

I look to Cole and then to Jax, nodding my agreement.

“She’s beautiful, in every way. Even if she gave me a sliver of herself, I'd be a happy man. I haven’t smiled so much in ages.

” And it’s true. While I haven’t been a celibate little monk over the years, no one has come close to giving me the feelings that Aly does.

It’s simple, and effortless. She just fits.

I look to Jax and Cole, “I guess this is where we say, ‘may the best man win?” Cole furrows his eyebrows at that, making me question what he’s thinking about. Hoping we’re on the same page.

“Look... I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to fight with y’all over her.

I also can’t see myself backing out of any possibilities of being with her either.

We, obviously, are all attracted to her in some way, shape or form and if we fight over her it’ll just cause a rift and we don’t need that right now.

It’s tough times as it is.” Cole seems to process his words for a second before speaking again.

“Ok. Hear me out. What about, if she was with all three of us. You know, together? Not needing to choose. Obviously, she’d have to be ok with that but. .. I think I can see that working.”

For a second neither Jax nor myself answers. I don’t even think either of us moves or even takes in a breath waiting to see how the other would react. Before I voice my opinion though…

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?! How could she possibly be ok with that? You’re proposing she be romantically and intimately involved with three guys.

Three fucking guys, Cole? Are you fucking serious?

That doesn’t happen in real life!” Jax erupts, to which Cole responds. “You never know if you don’t try.”

He looks over to me for my answer. I take a second.

Could I share her with them? I’ve known them for years.

They’re my best friends. I trust them with anything.

With everything. Could I trust them with the girl I could see myself potentially falling in love with?

The answer is immediate. Yes. Yes, I could.

They would keep her safe. They would protect her.

Comfort her when I’m not around. God forbid if anything happened to me, they would be there for her in my place.

The solution seems so easy. Leave it to Cole to find a way to broach the subject, make us all happy and keep us all together.

Go, Alfred, Go!

“I think I could work with that.” I nod. “If it were any other bastards I’d say fuck no, but you guys are my brothers and I’d trust you with my life. If Aly is down and wants all of us, then I say, yes.”

Cole and I look to each other, silently agreeing on a partnership and look to Jax. He puts his hands up in the air in a surrender.

“Don’t look at me guys, it's not happening. I can’t do it, so have fun.” I jerk my head back at that.

“What do you mean you can’t do it? The possible sharing or do you just not like her and didn’t mean to kiss her?”

“Nah, man, the sharing doesn’t bother me.

You guys mean a lot to me and if we could make it work, I'd say go for it. Fuck, I’ve seen each of your dicks enough throughout the years it’s not like it would be weird.

And it’s not that I don’t like her. She’s gorgeous and fearless and.

.. shit, everything.” He stares off as he continues.

“She’s just too much like... her ...I can’t do it again.

.. it’s too close... the nightmares are back too.

..” He shakes his head in embarrassment, wiping his hands down his face.

He looks back at each of us. “I can’t go through that again. ..”

Cole looks at me and I nod back. We both know what happened just before we got here.

That whole situation was fucked up but it wasn’t his fault and he ended up doing the right thing in the end.

When he told us what had happened it was like I was living it through his story.

We’ve all seen death and destruction through work and it never gets easier.

But losing your partner to such bullshit is soul wrecking.

He had nightmares for a while after losing her, reliving the horrors, never really able to run away from reality.

After a while they lessened and then left completely.

I think that was about the time we got into our daily work.

Organization, schedules, regiment. It helped him overcome the darkness. But if the nightmares are back…

"Hey man, if you think we should stay away from her, that’s fine with us.

We’re a team. I’m not going to do anything you’re not comfortable with, OK?

” I say to Jax. It might kill me to refrain from moving forward with her if she was up for it, but Jax is important.

I wouldn’t jeopardize his sanity. Not if I could help it.

Cole nods his agreement with me. Jax looks to both of us.

“Look, I’m not telling you guys you can’t be with her because of my past. I’m not gonna do that.

Go... have fun.” He emphasizes. “Please. Believe me. I want to. But I can’t get close, develop feelings for her and potentially lose her too.

I just can’t do it. If I did, and I lost her too I wouldn’t be able to cope.

It would be my fault all over again. And I don’t know what I'd do....” Cole and I look to each other, taking in the severity of Jax’s words and understanding his concerns.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’ll still hang out with her and all but that will be it, totally platonic and that’s ok with me. ” He ends with a small smile.

On that note he pats his knees, gets up and walks to the door to the kitchen looking back at us, his grin widening. “She really is something though...” He, then, turns back around and saunters away, leaving Cole and myself to ponder the possibilities.

My mind floods with the thought of both Cole and myself worshiping her body together over and over again until she feels so loved she’s paralyzed by it.

Fuck there goes my dick again. Shit, and his face is right there.

Sonofabitch . Fuck... uh...zombies... gross, flesh-eating zombies.

.. eating... eating out... eating out Aly.

.. shit! He slowly turns his head towards me, a knowing grin on his face.

“ Well, hello, Clarece...,” Cole says, laughing after. “Can’t possibly imagine what you could be thinking of...,” he says sarcastically. I roll the asshole off of me, jump up and then turn to look down at him still lying on the floor.

“Shit, probably thinking about the same thing you are with that tent you’re pitching, ya damn horse!” I flip him off with a smile and run away to his fleeting laughter behind me.