Page 43 of Purgatory (Devil Dogs of the Apocalypse #1)

Cole

She’s so soft. I can see myself holding her like this forever and never grow tired of the way her hair and body feel in my hands.

The way her curves mold against my body.

Our chests so tightly pressed that I can feel her heartbeat as well as I feel my own.

Aly has become my drug of choice and I am shamelessly addicted.

I’m not sure where the events from earlier came from but, man, am I happy it happened.

I’m normally a calm person, but this, this feeling of peace and purpose is on another level.

It’s like this was all meant to happen. The pieces fell where they were supposed to and here we are, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle.

When I came upstairs, I didn’t know what exactly I would be walking into.

But seeing Aly standing there, naked in Hawks arms, afraid to even look at herself, pulled at something in me.

The same feeling came over me earlier on the boat.

I didn’t understand why she was avoiding her own reflection.

She's beautiful. That’s it. No other words necessary.

The girl is fucking beautiful. And she needed to see that one way or another.

If I had to be the one to break down her walls and build her back up into a confident, self-loving goddess then so be it.

I’ll, happily, be on my knees to worship her every night if I need to. I’m sure the same can be said of Hawk.

I was pleasantly surprised there was no awkwardness or resentment from him at my domineering nature.

It seemed to be working for him just as well as it was working for Aly and myself.

We’ve known each other for years and, after what we’ve been through, are closer than some actual brothers.

But I don’t think he’s ever seen that side of me.

It makes me wonder what else we can test out in the future.

Speaking of testing, Jax is just about to be testing my last damn nerve when it comes to his relationship with Aly.

I get it, he wants to maintain his distance and keep things platonic due to the events of his past and Aly’s undeniable resemblance to Emma, his ex.

But that’s not what it looked like an hour ago.

After the fucking hottest sexual experience ever, I got up to grab a warm wash cloth, cleaned her up, and covered us all in blankets.

Jax didn’t know I could see him standing in the hallway like a fucking stalker.

And I know Aly saw him, since they simply stared at each other for a few minutes.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the frustration in his jaw as it tensed, the anger in the way he clenched his fists, even the sadness radiating from his eyes.

He wants Aly as much as Hawk or I do. Hell, with the way he’s looking at her, he might even love her for all I know.

Stranger things have happened in shorter amounts of time.

But come on, it’s the fucking end of the world, own that shit before it’s too late.

I can’t deny the chemistry between all of us.

The deep pull on my heart whenever Aly enters the room or runs up to me, breathless with the need to draw me into a hug, or even better, a kiss.

It’s the same when I see her. The urge to drop everything I’m doing and go to her.

For nothing is as important as the need to hold her in my arms. I see the way Hawk’s breath catches when he sees her in the garden, the sun shining off of her blonde hair, making her look like a damn angel, stuck in the underworld with the dogs of hell.

It’s funny. In the Marine Corps, they called us Devil Dogs.

If you look at mythology, the devil dogs would guard the entrance of the underworld and protect its treasures.

The similarities to our current circumstances are unmistakable to anyone who took the chance to look.

We might as well put up a sign on the front gate saying “Welcome to Hell.” Fuck, with the current state of everything, it seems fitting enough.

And, with respect to Aly, we certainly have a treasure worthy of protection.

And she can bet her sweet, plump, little ass, we’d die to protect her.

Every one of us.

Even Jax’s grumpy ass.