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Rev wraps it in his larger one and squeezes briefly before letting go. “Been expecting you,” he says.
“So I hear.”
Up close, I see the creases beside his eyes and framing his mouth. They look good set into his tanned skin. Some men age well. Rev could be their spokesperson. At fifty-two, he’s a lot older than my twenty years and the oldest one here by quite a bit, according to Doc. For some insane reason, that doesn’t stop me from feeling that familiar warmth in my center when he winks at me.
Speaking of Doc, he’s the next man I notice. My sweet, handsome Cajun, who’s taken me under his wing and helped me adjust to this new life. With his styled, dark blond hair and movie-star good looks, he’s the pretty boy of the group. Leather and jewelry, both present in abundance, give him a rock-and-roll vibe that makes my center melt, and that’sbeforehe moves to my side to greet me.
Ignoring Jud’s growl, he kisses me on the lips, and says, “How’d you sleep,chér?”
What he’s really asking is how it went with Jud last night. Doc’s look of approval helped me be brave last night, when I chose Jud over the newcomers to spend the night with. Jud had been a jerk to me, and it wasnoteasy to choose him. But it did feel necessary. Jud is the leader here, and the other six men all look up to him. They look to him for safety and direction. They look to him for survival. They’re so loyal to him that I wonder if being a leader is part of his Gift, along with his ability to look into people’s hearts and know whether they’re good or bad. Even though Jud drives me crazy, I felt like it was important to acknowledge his position. That’s why I chose him last night even though he was the last man on Earth I wanted to sleep beside.
Apparently, my choosing him made Jud awfully happy. He shared that happiness with me. Several times. All while respecting the boundary I had set: no going inside.
I smile at Doc. “I slept like a baby.” After multiple rounds of mutual stroking, sucking and licking, but I keep that part to myself. “Thanks for asking.”
Jud’s hold tightens on me. “You mean, you slept like a kitten,” he purrs in my ear, his lips brushing my skin. “A warm, furry, sexy kitten, in my armsaaaaallnight.”
I clear my throat and ignore the heat in my cheeks, hoping Doc didn’t hear that.
“Sounds cozy,” Doc says with a smirk, showing he’d heard every word.
My cheeks are getting hotter by the second, and not only because of Jud’s words and possessive touch. Being this close to Doc also makes my body tingle all over in that delicious, new-obsession way. His scent of leather and spicy cologne combines with the heat in his deep brown eyes to remind me of our night together. Doc was the first man ever to show me that I’m not broken because of what Leon did to me. He gave me something beautiful and pure, and he did it while respecting my one boundary.
Doc must be remembering too, because his eyelids lower, and he brushes a thumb over my cheek before backing away. He returns to his seat, and I notice the man across from him. Hard not to, since he’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen.
“This is Brawn,” Jud tells me, facing me toward the giant.
According to Doc, Brawn is seven feet tall, and he looks every inch of it, even sitting down. He has on a buttoned-up flannel with ripped-off sleeves showing off arms that could break a log in two. He’s the muscle of the operation. His Gift is strength.
The baseball cap pulled low over his eyes looks too small on his shaggy head, but I’m guessing it’s a normal adult-sized cap. His beard is thick and black. In the center is his mouth, soft and unsmiling.
He barely holds my gaze for a second before crossing his arms and staring at the tabletop. I should feel intimidated by him, but I don’t. I want to get to know him. I want to know why he looked away so soon when the others seem to be eating me up with their gazes. Maybe I even want to know what that beard feels like under my fingers.
“There she is. Our heart.” The words bring my attention to the other end of the table, where Scrap sits with his back to the table and his legs splayed out nearly to where Rev stands. His coloring is darker than the others, his skin a shade of caramel that greedily soaks up the sun. His hair is dark brown at the roots and bleached at the tips. He wears it in a messy faux mohawk. A pair of goggles hangs around his neck, and he has on sweats with a low crotch and a ribbed tank top. His arms are tattooed sleeve-style, and he wears ear stretchers and a barbell in his nose.
He moves lithely when he gets up. He’s around six feet tall with a wiry build. He’s the group’s mechanic. His Gift is he can fix anything. He’s also closest to my age, according to Doc. Looking at him now, I would guess he’s in his mid-twenties.
“Name’s Scrap,” he tells me, holding out his hand. “And you’re Cora.”
I shake his hand. “That I am.”
He doesn’t let my hand go. Holding it in his warm grasp, he lifts it to his lips and kisses the back like a count in the olden days. “Feel free to pick me tonight,” he says, and he wags his eyebrows at me, making me laugh.
Doc leans over and smacks him in the back of the head. “What Rico Suave means is it’s nice to meet you.”
I’ve officially met the scavenge crew, and I have to admit, they’re not as scary as they seemed when I first saw them spill out of the monstrous rig that came thundering up the road last night. Speaking of “Bessy,” as the rig is called, I’m guessing today’s work will involve unloading supplies and fuel gathered from the scavenge. I look forward to helping.
Jud chooses a seat for breakfast, and I scoot in close beside him. Like last night, I’m making a statement. He’s the leader, so I give him my attention first. Not to mention, I spent last night with him. It wouldn’t look good if I jumped at the first opportunity to get away from him.
Surprisingly, I don’t want to get away from him. Not after the gift he gave me this morning and not now that I’ve seen his sweet side.
From his position down the table from us, Doc nods his approval at my choice of seats, and I preen a little. I’m starting to get these men. They have a system in place that works for them. They’re like that motorcycle club on Netflix. There’s a hierarchy with one guy in charge of it all. Everyone has a job.
I realize that even though Eagle Peak is beginning to feel like home, this is no family. I would give anything to be part of a loving family again, but I don’t think that can ever happen here. There’s not a lot of warm, fuzzy affection going on. Rather, the feeling in this room is hard and survivalist. But I’m a survivor, too, and I’m determined to fit in.
“Breakfast is ready!” Shep’s singsong voice bellows from the kitchen, and the passthrough is surrounded by ravenous beasts. Six of them.
One is missing. Grim.
