18. Tori

18

TORI

“Last night was quiet,” Jay murmured before shoving a spoonful of eggs in his mouth.

I scoffed, and Dad raised his brows.

“Yeah, I noticed the two dead bears outside during my watch. Obviously it didn’t stay quiet. What the heck happened?” Dad asked, grabbing his bottle of water and unscrewing the top.

Jay’s eyes widened as he glanced outside, and his face paled. “They weren’t there earlier in the night.”

“Micah noticed them.” I took a bite of eggs, chewing lazily before swallowing.

Micah finished his last bite before gulping a few mouthfuls of water and taking a slow breath. “They were trying to get into the barn, but Tori and I subdued them.”

“What other animals should we be watching for?” Mom asked, wringing her hands together in front of her on the table.

“There could be…” Micah started listing some of the animals, but I couldn’t focus on him because Daisy stormed into the kitchen and slapped her hands against the table, glaring directly at me.

“Why would you have the photo album out with photos of you and Jay? Telling your new boy toys a sob story to make them hate us?”

My mouth fell open as I dropped my fork on the plate with a clang. I glanced at Jay, and redness climbed up his neck as he ducked his head.

“Don’t look at him, look at me,” she snapped, and I turned to her and glared. “Don’t act like Micah didn’t pity you so much that he fucked you in the kitchen last night! I heard you guys!”

My body flushed with heat of embarrassment, and I blinked a few times as I registered what spewed out of her mouth. Daisy was always a bitch, but she wasn’t always a bully. And she never used to hold so much hatred for me.

“You did what in the kitchen?” Mom whipped her head toward me in horror.

Dad’s jaw clenched as he glared daggers at Micah. “Daisy, don’t come in here and shout at my daughter.”

“We killed the bears!” I defended our actions before narrowing my gaze at Daisy, my heart in my throat as I stared at a woman I used to call my best friend. “As for the photo album—”

“I opened it,” Calix interrupted me in a cold tone, pushing his plate away as he placed his mask back on. “I pulled it off her shelf and asked her about it. There was no sob story. I didn’t hate you before now, but the reason I do lies with you and not my girlfriend.”

“Why were you being a total creep and listening to them anyway?” Spencer curled her lips into a sneer. “And to bring it up at the table? You’re more of a bitch than I realized.”

“Spencer, Daisy, stop,” Mom pleaded in a whisper.

“Daisy needs to stop causing issues with Tori,” Dad stated, gaze locked on Micah’s. “As for what happened last night, what if something had happened while you were distracted?”

“Don’t forget she fucked Jay only a few days after meeting him,” Daisy added in snidely, and anger flooded me so fast my vision dimmed. “Your sweet daughter isn’t as innocent as you two would like to believe.”

“I said stop!” Dad’s voice shook with anger as he glowered at Daisy.

“And you are?” I shook my head in disbelief. “At least I’m not a backstabbing whore.”

“Look who’s talking. How many guys are you even having sex with right now?”

“Enough!” Mom’s hands smacked the table so hard it shook as she stood up, and her entire frame vibrated as she glared at everyone.

“Stop talking about my sex life. It’s none of your business, Daisy,” I seethed, trying to keep my tone calm but knowing my demeanor was anything but.

Daisy snickered, getting to her feet and crossing her arms. “Funny. You never used to have one with Jay. That’s how we connected after all.”

“And you said Tori was a whore? But now she’s a prude?” Spencer snorted. “Make up your mind.”

“Shut up!” Dad’s voice boomed through the kitchen, and I jolted in my seat. “This is ridiculous!”

Micah grabbed my arm and helped me up as Nathan and Calix stood beside me as well. “This conversation is over. We’re leaving,” Micah declared, tugging me with them until we were outside.

“I can’t believe your parents actually cared about the sex in the kitchen rather than the absolute shit Daisy said.” Nathan scrunched his nose up.

“To be fair, her dad did try to shut the bitch up,” Micah growled the words out.

Tears burned my eyes as I blinked rapidly. “God! That was such bullshit.”

Micah pulled me into his arms and kissed my head. “It was. But it’s unacceptable, and I’ll make damn sure they know that.”

“Are you okay?” Calix ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to leave the album out.”

“It’s not your fault, man.” Nathan shook his head. “They were clearly snooping in the room.”

“And that’s so weird,” Calix muttered.

“Maybe they just noticed it.” I sniffed and pulled back.

“Maybe.” Nathan ducked down and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Either way, that was a shit show. What the hell is up with that girl?”

“I had a hysterectomy to take out my uterus a year before I found them together,” I explained. “Endometriosis was hell for me, and I couldn’t handle it anymore so my doctor tried everything else but eventually caved and gave me the surgery. It made my sex drive non-existent, and it took me a while to heal from it. I guess that’s how she and Jay started their affair. I don’t know.”

“What a fucking dick,” Nathan hissed as the screen door screeched open, and my parents and Spencer came out, Daisy and Jay following behind them.

“Let’s gather everything up,” Micah said gruffly, and everyone did just that.

The atmosphere was tense as we stepped around the decay and death around us, gathering supplies and fixing up the animals and trailers for the horses to carry.

It was a full hour of silent packing until we’d finally finished getting what we could that trip.

The chickens were loaded in a few large cages with blankets on the trailer Dolly pulled, and with them were all of the supplies needed for them and the cows. The second trailer pulled by Trigger was loaded up with household supplies and some sentimental items.

The cows and bull were following behind the trailers and horses, and we planned to have Daisy and Jay lead them behind the trailers while the guys, Spencer, and I walked behind them to make sure they didn’t stray.

Mom stood facing the ranch with her arms wrapped around her center as tears flooded her eyes. “I’m going to miss our home.”

Swallowing did nothing to ease the tightness in my throat as I nodded. “We won’t be living there again.”

“It’s not safe anymore,” Dad added, but the worry lines creasing his forehead showed how hard it was for him to leave.

“I’m glad we have somewhere safe to go.” Spencer grabbed my hand and squeezed.

Dad turned and nodded at Micah and the guys. “I’m sorry for getting upset over you and Tori. It’s just that she’s my daughter, and you’re new to her life. It’s a weird feeling to treat her as an adult.”

“She’s been an adult for years,” Nathan muttered, and Micah elbowed him before clearing his throat.

“I understand the place of concern, but I only accept the apology on the grounds that you treat all of us as adults going forward.”

Dad groaned before reaching his hand out and shaking Micah’s. “Sounds good. I’m sorry, Tori.”

“It’s okay.” I glanced back at the house again, and my chest filled with a bitter nostalgia.

I’d grown up in that house my entire life, and it was home in more ways than one. It was where I learned all of my firsts, and the fun times I had with my family and animals there were ingrained in my memories, even if we were no longer living there. I’d packed most of my room, but I purposefully left the album Daisy and Jay made a big deal about, only grabbing the framed photos on my wall.

“I promise we’ll keep making trips until you have everything you need and want,” Nathan murmured with a kiss on my cheek.

“Thank you for doing this for us.” I turned toward him, and his lips met mine, sending tingles of comfort through me.

After a tearful goodbye to the ranch, my parents got on Belle to lead Trigger and Dolly with the trailers down the path back to the Oasis.

Daisy and Jay walked behind the trailers but ahead of the cattle, and the rest of us walked behind the group.

Spencer gripped my arm tightly as we walked away from our home, and I rested my hand on hers. The guys stayed behind us as we huddled together, and we didn’t say anything for the first hour of the walk.

Spencer’s grip loosened, and she turned to look at me with her brows furrowed together. “We’re really not going back home, are we?”

“Not to live there anymore,” I confirmed, and she nodded with a glassy sheen over her brown eyes.

“It’s weird.”

“It is, but at least we still have each other.” I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Yeah. I’m glad.” She glanced down as we walked over the cold ground, and the wind picked up, blowing chilly air around us until it seeped further into our clothes. “I’m sorry Mom got so hung up on the fact you and Micah had sex in the kitchen and totally spaced on what Daisy said to you until you left the room with the guys.”

A weak chuckle left my lips, and I shook my head. “It’s not your fault.”

“She and Dad did go after her when you left the room. I don’t think what she said to you actually sunk in until the initial shock wore off on them.”

“What’d they say to her?”

“Told her she was ungrateful and disrespectful. They told her if she kept that up, she could stay at the ranch and take her chances with the zombies.”

“Really?” My eyes widened, and Spencer grinned.

“Yep! As she deserved. She apologized, but I doubt she’s sorry. I don’t remember her being so hateful as kids.”

“She wasn’t.” I glanced up and saw her holding Jay’s hand and smiling up at him like she didn’t just cause a lot of unnecessary drama. “I don’t get it, but it’s not really my problem, is it?”

“No. It’s her problem.” She glanced over her shoulder. “So, you slept with Micah?”

A genuine smile spread on my lips as I nodded. “I did. Twice.”

“What about Nathan and Calix?” she whispered.

“Nathan and I have been intimate, but we haven’t had sex yet, and Calix and I have kissed,” I told her, and my cheeks started to ache from smiling.

“It’s so freaking good to see you smiling like that. I’m glad you found them, Tori.”

“I am too.”

A high-pitched shriek jolted us from our conversation as a small gray blur jumped from a nearby tree and onto one of the cows beside Daisy and Jay. Its head snapped toward Spencer and I, and its eyes glowed with an eerie yellow that made my heart drop into my stomach. Its fur was matted and disheveled, and its body was emaciated and rotten.

It snarled at us before opening its mouth and sinking its teeth into the cow’s back. The cow bellowed, and the rest of the cattle scattered from the bitten cow—surprisingly, even the bull.

“No!” Spencer screamed.

The squirrel leapt from the back of the cow, claws ripping at the cow’s skin before launching itself in the air, directly toward Daisy, whose face paled.

“Move!” Jay grabbed the bat he’d had and whacked it just before it landed on Daisy, and Daisy’s screams echoed in the forest as she dropped to her knees.

Its body went toward the trailer with the chickens, and I rushed toward it just as it jumped on the trailer and reached toward the cages.

“Stay away from our chickens!” I tightened my grip on my golf club before swinging it back and hitting the squirrel’s body with a thud, knocking it off the trailer. It hit the ground and rolled before staggering back up, the indent of the hit sunken into its gut.

My blood ran cold as I held the golf club up like a bat and readied myself for another attack.

“Tori, be careful!” Mom’s voice shook.

Dad was coming toward me with another bat, but before he reached us, the squirrel hissed, digging its claws into the dirt.

It launched itself toward me, and I swung again, but the squirrel’s paws wrapped around the shaft, and its body swung with the club before it started to climb up it and toward me.

Fear slammed into me, and I swung the club at the ground a few times, but it just climbed higher.

“Don’t move, Tori!” Micah’s gruff voice demanded, and I froze.

The squirrel moved up the shaft, only inches from my fingers before Micah’s axe hit its head, splitting his skull as its brains oozed out of it. He pulled his axe out, and its grip on the golf club ceased. The squirrel fell to the ground in front of me with a dull thump.

“It almost bit me!” Daisy sobbed, clutching Jay’s shirt as he held her to his chest.

I sucked in a mouthful of rotten smelling cold air and dropped the club before hugging myself with trembling arms. “Oh, my God.”

It had almost bitten me.

Nathan aimed his gun at the bitten cow and shot it between the eyes, and it fell to the ground hard. He put the gun back in his holster before he turned toward me and grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face him. “You can’t throw yourself into danger like that without backup. We need to have a plan before we act.”

“I…” My voice cracked, gaze straying toward the dead cow. “I didn’t mean to. The chickens…”

“Can be replaced if needed,” Micah finished.

“But I didn’t mean for it to almost bite me.”

Micah’s eyes blazed with anger as he shook his head. “Of course you didn’t! But it almost happened.”

“Calm down,” Dad said, walking up and checking me over. “She wasn’t hurt, and that’s what matters. You okay, honeybee?”

I nodded as Nathan let me go, but my body wouldn’t stop shaking. It had been way too close of a call.

“You did good,” Calix murmured, pulling me away from the dead squirrel and wrapping me in his arms. “You tried to protect everyone.”

“You did,” Micah agreed. “But from now on, wait until we’ve devised a plan.”

“If you run in without saying anything, you can be a liability,” Nathan added. “We just don’t want you hurt, killer. It would kill us.”

“Thank God you didn’t get bit.” Spencer went over to Dad and hugged him. “Can I ride with you and Mom?”

He nodded, leading Spencer away with Mom to gather the cattle that had spread out. “Let’s make sure we have the cattle ready and accounted for first.”

“It was so small. I’ve never had to fight any infected thing so small.” My voice wouldn’t stop shaking as I held onto Calix and inhaled his smell.

“It’s a good thing insects are all wiped out. They would’ve been the biggest threat.” Micah scratched his beard.

A shiver shot down my spine, and I nodded. “That would’ve wiped the entire population out.”

“This virus is doing a good job at that without the insects,” Nathan muttered, running a hand through his already disheveled hair.

Once we managed to get all the cattle back together, we started our journey to the Oasis again, this time without any zombie squirrels or any other zombie animals. The only infected we ran into were a couple of stragglers on the path that were put down without incident.

It took longer to reach the Oasis than usual, and when we finally arrived, the sun had already started to set, and the cold temperatures had taken a nosedive into freezing.

Bane growled as we passed through, and his gums were rotting away, showing rows of barely hanging on teeth behind the muzzle. I grabbed hold of Micah’s hand, and he gripped it tighter as we passed him.

Benjamin and Sally rushed over from where they were tending to the bonfire in the clearing, and my gaze widened as I took in all they’d done in preparation for us to come back. The Oasis had been amazing before, but now, there was a nice wooden chicken coop below where our treehouse was. There was also a new larger structure that was still being built, and it looked like a small barn for the animals.

My heart warmed at the effort they put in for us to be able to live comfortably here.

“Welcome back!” Benjamin said brightly, fixing his glasses on his nose.

“We weren’t able to finish the barn,” Sally said, gesturing to the half-finished structure. “Benjamin, myself, Ava, Charles, and Jack have spent every second available to work on it. The coop went up in a day, but we have maybe two or three more days to finish the barn up.”

“We’ll help,” Micah offered, and Nathan nodded.

“I’m going to go change,” Calix murmured before he made his way back to our treehouse.

My heart fluttered. Our treehouse. It sounded nice.

It didn’t take long to get the animals settled. The horses went into the larger shed without much fight. Sally had moved the supplies into the smaller shed to give them more room. Ava, Spencer, Mom, and I let the chickens and the rooster claim their new coop, and they seemed very happy to be warm and snug in it. We’d brought the blankets and wood chips they had in their old coop along and made sure to make it comfy for them.

I wiped my hands on my leggings and grinned. “Looks like they’re all ready for bed!”

“Stop it!” Ava groaned, shaking her leg, but it did nothing to stop Randy from pecking at her foot. “Go do rooster things!”

Spencer and I giggled as Mom grabbed Randy up and placed him on his little throw blanket that seemed to settle him.

“Randy only does that when he likes someone,” Mom explained with a chuckle.

“Pecking doesn’t equate liking someone, Randy,” she scolded our rooster with a waggle of her finger.

“He usually pecks Spencer,” I told her, and Spencer’s laughs grew louder.

“Thanks for the break!”

We locked up the coop, and we talked a bit more. Ava was so sweet, and she helped around the Oasis so much. It was obvious everyone here was a chosen family, and I loved it.

Calix walked up scratching his neck. The sun had fallen, and he held a candle within a silver candle holder. The flame’s glow flickered on his face, and my chest tightened so hard it was difficult to breathe. “Want to come back to the treehouse with me?”

“Sure!” I loved the way my heart flipped every time he was near—every time any of them were near. “What’re Micah and Nathan doing?”

“Micah’s working on the barn with Benjamin, and Nathan’s helping your dad with the cattle. They’ll be in soon.”

I smiled and glanced at Ava and Spencer. “See you tomorrow!”

“Have a good night,” they called back as Calix and I walked toward the treehouse.

Once we were inside, I inhaled the woodsy scent lingering, and my body relaxed. It was weird how fast this treehouse became home for me.

“I’m honestly shocked that Daisy and Jay actually helped,” Calix muttered as he stripped out of his coat, scarf, and shoes, and I did the same.

“I didn’t think they’d pull their weight at first when it happened, but they’ve actually been doing a lot.” I shrugged, and the cool air of the treehouse gave me goosebumps as I shivered. “It’s better than the alternative though.”

“I’ll start the fire.” Calix made his way toward the wood stove and started it up. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” I admitted with a sheepish smile.

He grabbed a few cans of vegetables and put them in the pan over the wood stove. I stood next to him, soaking in the heat of the fire in a comfortable silence. Once the food was done, he left the pan on the counter with enough for Micah and Nathan when they came inside, and we ate standing next to the crackling fire.

“I used to play a lot of plague-type world simulation games, and while it didn’t help my anxiety about how easily viruses and bacteria spread, it did give me hope that we’d have some sort of warning before it happened. There wasn’t a warning with this. No extra deaths, strange symptoms, or increases in any illnesses. Just zombies.” He groaned, placing his empty bowl in the bin and putting his mask back on.

“I agree with that. There was no warning with the zombie virus.” I finished my last few bites before doing the same, eyes locked on my usually closed-off boyfriend. I loved that he seemed to be opening up to me. It was a huge step forward from the bathroom incident. “Surprised was an understatement.”

“Because of games like that and the media I fed into, my fear of germs was so high that I didn’t have any real life friends. I had a few online friends and work acquaintances, but all of them thought I was weird since I refused to go out. It’s difficult for me to get comfortable with people. I don’t know why it’s so easy to be around you, but I’ve even seen more of Micah and Nathan since you’ve come around,” he admitted as we stood in the kitchen.

“I’m really happy to hear that, Calix. You can’t help fear without controlled exposure, something you happened to be forced into, and I hate that for you. Screw the people who thought you were weird. They don’t matter anymore, and for the record, it’s easy for me to be around you too.” I stepped closer, and my hand reached out toward him before I paused and pulled back.

His hand caught mine, and he pulled me closer. “I’ve never wanted to feel someone the way I want to feel you.”

“What do you mean?” My words were breathless, and my heart thumped wildly in my chest.

“I mean innocently. Hold your hand, skim my fingers over your cheek, sleep next to you, comfort you, and hug you. I’ve done most of that with you now, and it’s been such a short time with us together. I’ve learned that time is even more fleeting now that we’re in the apocalypse, so I don’t want to prolong anything that I want or you want.”

“Calix…” My brows furrowed as I stared at his determined gaze.

“I was never as bad as my mother when it came to germs, but you have me wondering if it’s truly a phobia I have because I fear it or if it’s something I’ve been conditioned to fear. Or perhaps it’s just because I’ve adapted to the infected state of the world the way it is now.” He used his other hand to take his mask off before bringing my hand to his mouth and kissing my palm. “But I also mean intimately in a way that isn’t innocent. Ever since I walked in on you, Micah, and Nathan, I’ve been thinking about it. Knowing you and Micah were together last night doesn’t disgust me at all. It makes me want you more.”

“I want you too.” I swallowed hard and stepped closer, watching his body language for any sign of discomfort. My fingers slipped into his, and I squeezed his hand, feeling him tremble from the action. “I want anything you’re comfortable with.”

He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. “Anything?”

“Anything.”

“What if I want to try to have you completely, but I’ve never done it before, and I’m nervous about what it entails?” His voice shook as he pulled back and stared at me as if he were gauging my reaction.

I tiptoed up and kissed his lips again. “You can tie me up if you’d like. That way you’d be in control the entire time.”

His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“Are you sure?” His brows bunched together. “You have no problem with that? Even if I don’t know what to do?”

“It was my idea, Calix.” I stepped back and let go of his hand before I went into Micah’s room and came out with a rope he’d stored in his closet. “Where would you like to try it?”

“My room,” he answered instantly, and my heart soared from the invitation into his sanctuary. He cleared his throat and went to his door before opening it and letting me inside.

Nerves fluttered about in my gut, and my heartbeat thumped loudly in my ears as I took a step inside.

As expected, his room was clean and organized. His metal framed bed was made with a tan comforter and white pillow, and he had a white nightstand beside the bed where sanitizer, a spray bottle full of what I bet was disinfectant, and extra gloves were set out. The floors were shining wood from being polished many times before, and the wood of his walls were just as polished.

A fresh, clean scent filled the room, and a smile spread over my lips as I glanced over at him and offered him the ropes. “This is really clean.”

“Thanks.” He swallowed audibly before taking the ropes. “How do we do this?”

“That depends.” I carefully stripped out of my clothes, one piece of clothing at a time until I was completely naked. “Do you want me doggy or missionary?”

“Uh, what?” His gaze burned into my skin as he raked his eyes down the length of me and back. “What do you mean?”

“Do you want me on my hands and knees away from you or would you rather me on my back with my legs spread, facing you?” I explained, my legs squeezing in anticipation.

“That’s what I thought you meant, but I didn’t want to sound dumb,” he murmured, reaching out and tucking a piece of my flyaway hair behind my ear. “The first one, I think?”

“And you’re okay with me on your bed?” I paused before climbing up on it, and he nodded.

Once I was on my hands and knees, he came to the bed frame and tied the ropes to it tightly before tying my wrists together. It was tight, and the rope bit into my skin but not enough to make it hurt.

“Is that okay?” He pushed two fingers between the rope and my skin to make sure it wasn’t too tight.

“Perfect,” I assured him.

Calix stepped back and stripped from his clothes, and any air in my lungs whooshed out. He was slender with a good amount of muscles, but I had no idea where he hid his cock. It was thick and long with beautiful veins wrapping around it, and it was hard with pre-cum seeping from the slit.

My pussy throbbed in need for it, and I spread my legs wider as I arched my back more. “Calix, please,” I whimpered.

“Please what?” His eyes widened as he wrapped his hand around it.

“Please touch me.”

His face flushed as he nodded, and he reached out with his gloved hands and slid the latex down my exposed back, following the curve of my spine before moving them around to my breasts where he squeezed gently.

A moan fell from my throat, and pleasure vibrated through my body. The only thing that would make it feel any better was if he removed the gloves. “Calix,” I moaned again, encouraging him to keep going, but he pulled back.

“I need to really be able to feel you.” The sound of rubber pulling hit my ears as he placed his gloves on the nightstand and came back, his hands molding over my breasts, and his palms skimming over my nipples as he explored them.

“Please!” I cried out. My pussy was dripping so bad, I felt wetness on my thighs, and I needed him. “Calix, will you please fuck me?”

He choked on a breath before his hands left again, and his bed shifted as he got on it. One hand gripped my hip, and he groaned. “Oh my God, honey, you’re drenched. Is that all you?”

“Yes,” I hissed, lowering my head and making my legs spread more for him.

“Did Micah come inside you?” he asked in a low tone, and I froze before glancing back, but I couldn’t fully see him.

“Yes. He did. I didn’t even think of that, Calix, I’m sorry. If you want to wait, I totally get it.”

“I promise I want to do this,” he assured me, but his hand left my hip.

“I get it. It’s too hard to get around.”

“No, honey, no it’s not. This is for me, and I fully intend to take full advantage of this situation. I want you, Tori.” His hand splayed on my ass before his thumb spread me open more, and I felt the tip of his cock nudge through the opening until he pushed inside all the way until he bottomed out.

“Calix!” I moaned, and my body shook with ecstasy at the feeling of him filling me so completely.

He gasped, his other hand planting on my other hip, and his fingers dug into the flesh of my hips almost painfully. “This feels incredible. Oh fuck. You’re so warm and wet, and you’re squeezing me so tightly.”

Pulling almost all the way out, he moaned before moving back in and stretching me for him. My pussy quivered around him as my own climax approached just from how truly full and at his mercy I was. He figured out his pace quickly, holding my hips for support as he bucked into me at a steady pace.

His moans mingled with mine in the room before stars exploded in the back of my head, and a scream tore out of me. Tremors shook my body as I slumped forward, but my arms stayed upright thanks to the rope, and Calix kept my ass up in the air as he continued fucking me.

He throbbed inside of me before his moans faded and his body tensed. “Tori,” he murmured, giving a few more hard thrusts before his body trembled, and he stopped moving.

“Calix,” I panted, trying to catch my breath as my heart pounded loudly.

I felt him pull out, and a squeak came from him before a loud bang echoed through the room with him falling off the bed.

“Calix? What’s wrong? What happened?” I pulled at the ropes, but they bit into my wrists more.

His breathing became ragged, but he didn’t reply.

I pushed off the bed with my knees and moved to the top of the bed where I was tied and looked over at him, and our cum flooded stickily down my legs. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry.” Calix was on his ass, staring at his dick with a nauseated face. “I wasn’t expecting all those fluids to come out after we…”

“What happened?” Micah opened the door with Nathan behind him, and their gazes went from my wrists being tied up to his bed, to me, and to Calix. “Oh.”

“Kinky,” Nathan mused, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.

Calix shoved up off the floor. “Don’t say anything else, please.” He rushed out of the room and locked himself in the bathroom without saying anything else.

Heat flushed through me, and I yanked my wrists again, but it did nothing. “Can someone untie me?”

“I don’t know, killer. Should we untie you or take advantage of the situation?” Nathan strolled over and leaned his shoulder against the wall next to the nightstand.

“I got you, darlin’.” Micah rolled his eyes and came over to untie me.

“Thanks.” I let out a breath of relief as I rubbed the raw marks on my wrists. “Is he okay?”

The door to the bathroom slammed open before his footsteps echoed his fast pace until he came back in. “I’m so sorry, honey. I forgot to untie you and left you on the bed. All because I couldn’t handle the fluids.”

“It’s okay, Calix, I promise.” Micah pulled his flannel off before placing it over my shoulders, and I put it on. “I should’ve told you that it’d be messy.”

“I should’ve known that. I was just excited. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I assured him as I got up and wrapped my arms around his waist gently. “I understand.”

“Thank you, Tori.” He cupped my face and pulled me back until his lips sealed over mine.

Micah and Nathan shared a look before smiling at us, and my heart fluttered with the fact that I’d finally been intimate with Calix. We’d bonded tonight in a way I hadn’t expected us to in a while, and I felt so much closer to him.