Page 10 of Save Them

Nodding at Riggs, I join him at the bench, bumping his fist with mine. “How’s she doing?”

“Intensely focused, a little ragey,” Riggs answers, looking over at Lay with a soft expression. “She was doing so well. Rhys and her were laughing over how to deal with a zombie stalker or something, I didn’t really get it, but she was laughing. This anger and rage is still better than having her laying in bed day in and day out. I just worry she’s pushing herself too hard after barely eating or drinking for a week.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her and try to get her to slow down a bit. You should head out and pick up Hailey.” I clap my hand on his shoulder before handing him my bag to take back to the locker room with him. “Tell your mom to send cupcakes to us soon. I think Lay would really like them.”

“Right. It’s Lay that would really like them, eh? Not you or anything.” Riggs shakes his head at me with a chuckle. “I’ll let her know you want some cupcakes.”

“Well, I do, but I was definitely thinking of making Lay happy. She deserves happiness,” I murmur, looking over at the vixen in question.

“Yeah, she does.” Riggs follows my gaze, his face going fiercely protective as he looks her over. “We’ll make sure she’s happy.”

We say our goodbyes, Riggs heading to the locker room with one last longing look at Lay. She doesn’t move her eyes away from the punching bag in front of her. Sweat is dripping down her back, her tightly coiled hair coming loose around her neck and sticking to her skin. She looks like a fucking warrior ready to defend herself and those she loves.

Watching her hit that bag like it hurt someone she loves is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. This woman is pure strength and fire. She’s a motherfucking hellcat with the claws and bite to back up her glorious attitude. Helping Lay get through the past week of mental torture that that Kevin asshole put her into was worth every fucking minute when you see the woman that came out of that.

Alayna Morgan is the most beautiful, insanely strong, and absolutely incredible woman I’ve ever met. The other two have had more time to get closer to her while I’ve been making up for the prick I was to her at the beginning. They’ve forged stronger bonds with her than I have, but that doesn’t make her any less mine.

The weights Riggs left behind go completely untouched by me as I watch every move Lay makes. It’s hypnotic the way her muscles flex and move beneath her glistening skin. The thoughts going through my head are anything but innocent at the moment. I want to lay her out beneath me and run my hands down her body, feeling every ounce of exposed skin.

Adjusting on the bench, I do my best to push all other dirty thoughts to the back of my mind for later. No one needs to see my erection through my black sweatpants. Well, maybe Lay would like it, but I doubt the brute doing deadlifts to my right would feel the same way. That would be an awkward encounter.

Laughing to myself at that image, I look up at Lay again who’s finally taking a water break. My smile grows as I stand up, careful not to trip over the weights on the ground with my prosthetic leg. I can’t exactly feel anything with it. A young guy approaches Lay before I can move to her, coming from the pull up bars on the other side of the gym.

My body goes rigid as I make my way over to them. Lay isn’t looking scared or trying to find an escape which brings my anxiety down a notch or two. Lay knows what her stalker looks like, at least enough from what his father looked like, so that means it’s probably just an asshole hitting on my girl. Coming up behind Lay, I stand just behind her, not alerting either of them that I’m there.

“Your form looks great, but I think you need to adjust it just a little bit. Want me to show you?” The young guy asks, folding his arms over his chest and flexing them to make them look bigger.

“Nope. I’m good,” Lay responds, popping the p hard and keeping her voice very uninterested. “You can go now.”

Taking a step back, I look away and cover my mouth, trying desperately not to laugh at this guy. He pulls his shoulders back, dropping his arms and narrowing his eyes at her. Lay cocks her hip to the side and taps her foot impatiently when he doesn’t immediately leave the area.

“Look, I’m not interested in anything from you. I’d like to finish my work out and then head home with my boyfriends. Go find someone else to bother.” Lay turns to place her water bottle down, noticing me standing behind her. She winks at me, throwing a small smile in my direction.

“Fuck you. You’re not even that hot!” The guy bitches loudly, taking a menacing stance towards Lay. Cracking my fingers, I step closer to Lay only to stop when she raises her hand. “I’ve had women ten times hotter beg for my attention. You’re lucky I’m even stooping to your level to give you attention.”

“Good for you. Go find one of them to beg you. I honestly don’t give a shit who sucks your three inch dick, I just want to work out in peace.”

“I’ll show you three inches,” he sneers, grabbing his crotch like a fucking creep.

Clenching my teeth, I respect Lay’s wishes and don’t approach or intervene even though everything in me wants to avenge my girl. Humans are fucking trash, both men and women alike. The fact that this asshole thinks he can talk to Lay like this because she rejected his advances makes my blood boil. My fist wants to connect with his self-absorbed, piece of shit face badly.

“And I’ll show you what a fucking blunt force castration feels like. Walk. Away. Now, or I’ll finish my workout by using you as my punching bag and I’ll make sure to go for the soft spots,” Lay threatens, her shoulders pulled back and her head held high like the badass bitch she is.

It’s now that I finally step up, placing my hands on Lay’s hips and pulling her into me. “I believe my girl just handed you your fucking ass. I suggest you heed her warning and run away with your tail between your legs like a good little boy. I don’t feel like cleaning your blood off of her hands today.”

Everyone in this section of the gym has their eyes on us as he finally does what he should have done at the beginning and walks away. Lay rests her head on my chest and entwines her fingers with mine on her hips. We stand like that for a minute until everyone goes back to what they were doing now that the drama has passed.

“You’re a badass, hellcat,” I murmur into her hair before moving to nuzzle into her neck.

“I’ve had to be,” she answers honestly, leaning into me more. “No one was there to help me aside from Dec. Everything I am now is because I needed to find a way to survive.”

Turning Lay around so I can look into her deep grey eyes, I brush my hand down her face softly before cupping her jaw. “You aren’t just surviving anymore, baby. You’re fucking thriving, and no one can take that from you.”

“Maybe one day I’ll see myself the way you see me,” she whispers, almost so low I don’t hear her. Shaking her head, she looks back up into my eyes. “I think I’m ready to head out. Want to go grab pizza or something?”

“Definitely. Why don’t we grab it and bring it back to the cabin so we can relax. I’d love to take my leg off for a bit.” Rubbing above my prosthetic, I add an extra wince for dramatics.

“You don’t have to pretend, that sounds perfect to me,” Lay calls me out with a small raspy laugh. “You’re such a drama queen.”

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