Page 58 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

He couldn’t believe he’d just had sex with Haley. After all these months. And it had been beyond his wildest expectations. Hers too. That had been obvious to all of them.

He couldn’t keep the smile from forming on his face. My God. The perfect woman nestled between his two best friends was theirs. For life. He vowed to never let anyone or anything come between them. Their days of tiptoeing around pretending they weren’t into her were over.

Braylon glanced over at Rush who was still sitting upright. He had a peaceful expression on his face.

Braylon wondered what he was thinking and why he kept holding himself at arm’s length. Was he doing so out of respect for the others who’d laid claim to her months ago? Or was he uncertain himself?

No matter what happened, he would forever be part of their lives. It didn’t matter that Braylon had been the first to make love to her or who went next or how many times they had sex with her.

Rush was the father of their first child. Why was he holding back?

Braylon wondered if there was any chance Rush already had a family. Perhaps someone or more than one person he was in a relationship with where his people resided. He’d said otherwise, but anything was possible in this strange world they lived in. Anything was possible.

Rush glanced at Braylon and smiled before finally lying down on the opposite side of the pallet.

After several deep breaths, Braylon closed his eyes and let sleep drag him under.

* * *

The room was brighter when Bray woke up several hours later. He felt rested, and he pushed to sitting to find everyone else was up. They were sitting in a circle a few feet from him, each of them holding something in their hands and chewing.

Braylon pushed to his elbows.

Haley was once again dressed. She swallowed her bite and smiled at him. “We tried not to wake you.”

“You didn’t. How long have you all been up?”

“Not long,” Storm informed him. “We were starving. I’m surprised our stomachs didn’t wake you.”

Braylon stood and stretched his arms above his head. He felt more rested than he had in a long time. Sleeping alone in his childhood room after his marriage had not settled well. The only reason he’d slept at all had been because he’d known Storm wouldn’t let anything happen to Haley while he rested.

Now that they were no longer living under his mother’s thumb, they could all sleep, even if they had to take turns.

Braylon padded over toward his makeshift family and bent down to kiss Haley, cupping her face and holding her gaze. “You okay?”

She smiled, her cheeks pinkening. “Very.”

He chuckled and dropped down with the rest of them, taking a sandwich from Riggs’s outstretched hand.

“How long do you suppose we slept?” Braylon asked as he took his first bite. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

“Not sure,” Storm responded, pointing at one of the skylights. “I tried to figure that out by the brightness and the direction, but I wasn’t successful. I can’t tell which way those are even facing.”

“I think it was about five hours,” Rush stated. “I’m used to keeping one eye open.”

Braylon nodded, focusing on Rush. “Have you been on the run a lot?”

Rush shrugged. “Even though I’ve lived in the main bunker of The Wanderers compound for three years, I still go on supply runs. I’m the main doctor. Or I was until three months ago. When I ran out of supplies, I often accompanied someone to get what I needed.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Haley said softly. “I mean, obviously it was. You got captured.”

“Yeah, but that’s unusual. Especially for the military with The Republic to be that far West hunting down men. I still don’t understand why they took me in particular. I never got answers. I spent three months sitting in a jail cell being useful to no one.”

Braylon stopped eating and set his sandwich down in front of him. All the blood drained from his face. He swallowed hard. “Three months without a word and suddenly someone brought you to my parents’ estate?”

Rush nodded. “Yes. I still assumed they were taking me somewhere for my medical skills. Why on earth would anyone randomly stop me and my friends while I was out on a supply run if they didn’t need me for a purpose?”

Braylon’s heart started racing. “I know why.” He palmed his forehead. “Jesus. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

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