Chapter 42
More than Enough
Olivia
Bright sunlight shines through the car windows, rousing me from my panic-induced sleep and bringing with it a deep sense of relief.
Holy shit, we did it. We survived the night. All without freezing to death, getting mauled by zombies, or being captured by the Scourge. But, as I blink open my eyes to find myself curled up in Rhys’s lap, I can feel the drool drying on the side of my mouth and on his shoulder.
Fuck.
My cheeks heat and I don’t dare move. I hope Rhys is still asleep and won’t realise that I’ve drooled all over him like a dog. Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky because I feel him stir a moment later.
“There’s no point pretending, princess. I know you’re awake,” he says with a chuckle. “How are you feeling this morning?”
So he’s ignoring the drool? Thank God. “I’ve been better, but it’s not the worst sleep I’ve ever had,” I croak, glancing around the car. The windows have fogged over, making it difficult to see outside. At least it’s not freezing in here.
“Should I count the drooling as a compliment, then?”
Damn it. I cringe and flick my gaze up at him.
His eyes are like two pools of molten gold in the morning light, gleaming with amusement as he gazes down at me with a soft smile.
The purple and blue bruising on his face is stark against his pale skin, a reminder of the horrors we’ve just escaped.
The swelling has lessened, at least around his eyes and lips, but his left cheekbone is still puffed up beneath the thick scarring, making his scars stand out even more.
“Thank you for holding me last night,” I say as I reach out and trace my finger over the side of his face.
He shakes his head, his eyes softening. “You don’t need to thank me, Ollie. I did what any half-decent man would do.”
“Well, I want to thank you. You held me together and kept me from falling apart.” I lean in and feather kisses along the thick ridges of his scars, keeping my touches light so I don’t risk hurting him.
He sucks in a sharp breath, and I feel a tremor run down his body. Concerned that I’ve hurt him, I pull back, but he grabs the back of my head before I can fully retreat.
“Don’t stop,” Rhys says, begging me with his eyes.
It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen him, his soul-deep need to be loved and accepted for who he is bared to me. It steals my breath away, and in that very moment, I fall for him.
I trace more kisses along his face and neck, avoiding the worst of his bruising until I’ve kissed every inch of his skin that I can reach. Only then do I gently cup the side of his face and press my lips against his.
The kiss is achingly sweet as I pour every ounce of my love, respect and admiration for this amazing and complicated man.
He groans into my mouth, his hand tightening in my hair as his other hand snakes around my waist to pull me firmly against him.
He’s warm and hard beneath me, his heart pounding as I press my palm against his chest.
The kiss quickly evolves into something more heated and desperate as Rhys takes control of it.
He tips my head back, changing the angle before plunging his tongue between my lips.
Arousal bursts inside me, lighting my nerves on fire as wetness drips from my aching pussy to coat my thighs.
His erect cock is burning hot as it presses against my lower stomach, pre-cum smearing against my skin.
I moan, the hand cupping his face sliding into his hair while my other moves to clutch his shoulder. My clit throbs, demanding attention, and I can’t help but grind against him, overwhelmed with need.
Rhys hisses and jerks back as if I’ve struck him, his face contorted with pain. The fire raging within me is immediately snuffed out at the realisation that I hurt him.
“Shit, I’m so sorry,” I say and move to get off his lap.
His hold on me tightens, stopping me. “No, stay. You just jostled my ribs is all.”
I glance down at his chest and stomach, noting that while the bruising on his face is extensive, the black and blue mottling on his side is worse.
He definitely has at least one or two broken ribs.
I grimace, only just noticing the blood we’re both covered in too.
While my body mourns the interruption, I ignore it.
We have better things to worry about right now.
Like working out where the fuck we are and how the hell we’re going to get back to Haven alive.
That doesn’t stop me from glancing down to the hard cock poking my stomach. Damn, does Rhys have a nice cock. Perfectly sized to where he has the length and girth to give an enjoyable stretch without making it painful or overwhelming.
Having one of those is more than enough.
“It’s not going to go down if you keep staring at it like that,” Rhys grumbles, although I can hear the male satisfaction in his tone.
I tear my gaze away and instead look out of the fogged windows of the car.
We’re on a completely unfamiliar street, surrounded by burned-out buildings and rubble.
There’s nothing to indicate where we are or how far we might be from Haven.
The only thing we have going for us right now is that the sun’s out, and the temperature has risen to where it’s no longer hovering just above freezing.
“Do you have any idea where we might be?” I ask, keeping my gaze firmly on our surroundings so I don’t risk staring at his dick again.
“I have a suspicion of the general area, but we’d need to find a sign or something for me to confirm.” He sighs. “Speaking of which, we should probably get moving and find somewhere to grab clothes and supplies.”
Clothes sound amazing right now. Something warm and comfortable to cover my body.
“Are you okay to move?” he asks, brushing his hand down my back.
“Me? I’m fine. What about you, Mr Potentially-Broken-Ribs?” While it’s sweet that he’s concerned about me, I’m more worried about his condition. He’s been beaten twice in the span of three days with no food and barely any sleep.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse,” he says, waving me off.
My eyes narrow. I’m pretty sure if I dismissed injuries like that, he’d be doling out punishments… Hmm, maybe I can punish him? An image of Rhys naked and bent over my lap while I spank him flashes in my mind, causing me to snort out a laugh. Yeah, there’s no chance in hell that’s happening.
Although, could be something fun to taunt him with once I know how bad his punishments are…
“I don’t know what you’re laughing at, and judging from your expression, I don’t want to know,” Rhys says, interrupting my thoughts.
I shoot him a cheeky grin, clinging to the lightness of the conversation. “I don’t know. Could be fun for both of us.” I waggle my eyebrows at him.
He huffs and shakes his head. “You’ve been spending far too much time with Theo.”
His best friend’s name is like a punch to the gut. My amusement is sucked from my body as I’m reminded of the other two important men in my life. Alex and Theo. The two men I’ve fallen for. God, I miss them so much.
And not just them, I miss everyone at Haven. My brother, Lauren, Rachel, Andy… They must be out of their minds with worry after Rhys and I disappeared that night… And that’s if they’re still aliv—
I shove the thought away. Nope. I’m not going to allow myself to think like that, not when I’m trying hard to keep myself together.
While my car-induced panic is under control, the same can’t be said for fear over what happened to everyone at Haven.
It’s hovering just beneath the surface, waiting to pounce.
My throat tightens, and unshed tears burn my eyes.
“I’ll do everything in my power to get us back to them, princess,” Rhys says softly as he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead. “I promise.”
I nod, not trusting my voice, and scramble off his lap, taking my tattered and bloodied blanket with me.
Swiping a hand across the foggy car window, I peer through the glass to make sure there’s no Scourge or zombies lingering around before opening the door.
Cold air rushes into the interior, chilling me to the bone, but I grit my teeth and force myself to step outside.
My feet scream in protest, my soles bruised and cut from our escape yesterday. Hopefully, we can find something to clean and treat them before they become infected.
Rhys follows, his blanket tied around his chest like a towel, leaving his hands free. I copy him, struggling a little with my numb fingers but finally get the blanket tied securely around me, turning it into a makeshift dress. Too bad it does little against the frigid wind billowing around us.
I wrinkle my nose. “If we ever get society back to the way it was before, I’m moving to Bermuda. At least then I can be warm when the next apocalypse happens.”
Rhys snorts. “Agreed. I’ll even pay for our tickets. Now let’s get a move on. I want to find something to eat and drink.”
Oh yes, food. I’d do anything for a fat, juicy burger and chips right now. Or an enormous bowl of hot tomato soup with a cheese toastie to dip into it. Or maybe even a fresh pizza loaded with melted cheese and toppings.
I groan at the thought and hurry after Rhys, who’s already striding away like a man on a mission.
It takes a while for us to pick our way through the rubble before we finally come across anything resembling a shop.
Unfortunately, it’s completely barren inside with rotting food spilling across the floor and a decomposing body.
The second store isn’t much better, although at least it doesn’t have a body.
The third is where we get lucky. A couple of unopened bottles of water have rolled underneath the shelving and remained undiscovered until now.
Rhys also finds a packet of untouched paracetamol and throws back a couple of tablets to help with the pain I know he must be suffering.
Even better, there’s a packet of salt and vinegar crisps lying next to them.