Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

As the truck bounced along the uneven road, jostling side to side, Emma tried in vain to ignore the vivid dreams that haunted her restless sleep and now seemed to threaten to invade her waking moments. She'd barely slept peacefully once the unit returned.

In her dreams, she was no longer desperately fleeing to a safe haven, but had arrived there, surrounded by the men who had sworn to protect her. All five of them were exactly as they'd been since the moment she stepped out of the radio tower. Chris, the stoic and disciplined leader, always vigilant and ready to lay down his life for her. Liam, the charismatic second-in-command whose easy smile masked a fierce loyalty. William, the quiet one, whose eyes betrayed a well of unspoken pain. And Alex, the cocky flirt with a heart of gold.

In her dreams, they weren't just her protectors but something more. Their eyes lingered longer, their voices softened in a way that made her cheeks burn. They vowed to protect her not only from the harsh world outside but also from the ghosts that haunted her dreams .

Chris's deep voice from the dream echoed in her mind. "We'll keep you safe, no matter what."

Liam's infectious grin flashed before her. "You're one of us now, Em. We've got your back."

Bash's intense gaze made her heart skip a beat. "We'll find a place for us, I promise."

Alex's cocky smirk never faded. "You're stuck with us now, beautiful."

William's kind eyes seemed to grow kinder. "Where you belong."

And then they'd had their way with her.

Body and soul.

If she'd ever dreamed of being pleasured by five men at once, she would have thought herself crazy. But in her dream, they had each taken their time with her, exploring until she came undone under their touch. Even awake, her body still remembered it as if it had been real.

The truck hit a pothole, jolting her back to the present. Chris remained asleep along the far wall next to her, his broad chest rising and falling in the rhythm of slumber. She wasn't certain when he'd returned last night, but Liam took one look at him this morning and demanded the leader get some rest.

She looked over to where Chris rested against the truck wall, his muscular arm flung out casually across his face, showing off his tattoo of a star with their unit initials. Her pulse raced thinking about what those thick fingers could do to her if given another chance.

A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered what Liam had whispered in her ear afterward. ‘We're not just protecting you from monsters outside this building, Emma.' Her cheeks flushed remembering how he had looked at her when he said it.

Bash and Liam were playfully bantering on from the front, but it was Alex and William holding her focus now that she'd snapped from her day dream.

They were attempting to play fetch with Ranger, tossing a sponge from one of the boxes back and forth across the impossibly small interior.

And yet, Ranger jumped back and forth, tail wagging and tongue lolling out of his mouth like it was the best play he'd ever had. For a moment, her thoughts drifted to Bo and Shadow, and her eyes misted over.

They're okay. Just like we are.

Knowing that there could have been an airlift option, Emma almost wished the men had done it so she could have taken all three pups.

Maybe when you arrive Bo and Shadow can be sent for.

When they got to the safe haven Emma knew there was no way she'd willingly these men to the lives they lived before she met them. They'd risked everything for her—and maybe it was what they were paid to do, but she refused to believe that a connection hadn't been forming.

Emma didn't think she'd ever imagine a connection like this in her wildest dreams. She assumed they'd drive her cross-country, leave her, and start the process all over again.

Then she'd learned they weren't actually in the business of transporting women to the safe haven, and the sharp spike of betrayal had lasted only a few moments.

The thought of them together ignited something deep within her. A fierce love that burned bright like embers from the fire. It wasn't just lust for any one particular man but an all-encompassing love for all of them.

They moved as one unit, functioning seamlessly despite living in such chaos. Even when they disagreed on strategy or tasks, they always found common ground quickly enough. Emma swore she could feel the camaraderie between them reverberate through the air like a living thing. It was almost enough to make her shiver with delight.

It was in everything they'd all done in the last week and everything she believed could happen in the days to come.

Ranger's panting echoed through the back of the truck as he switched to tug-of-war with his leash. Alex clearly didn't pull as hard as he could on the end he held.

Alex's eyes were filled with delight as he laughed, and Ranger grunted as the game continued. He was a man who hid behind the jokes to cover the feelings that he felt he had to hide—feelings that had always had him helping others, from long before the bomb destroyed everything.

William did nothing to help Alex, his blue eyes shining as he cracked up as well, petting Ranger and encouraging him on the tug.

Chris roused then, sitting upright and rubbing at his eyes.

Emma couldn't help but take in his muscular frame and broad shoulders, her heart fluttering at his presence. The scar on his cheek only added to his rugged appeal.

If she'd turned her head to look in the front, she knew she'd feel just as much attraction to the men seated up there. Men who were polar opposites—one filled with stern control and the other a loving touch.

What would the safe haven be if she were not with them? Would it be a haven, after all?