Page 20 of Bailey

“Good idea! While you and Ethan do that and wheel all the carts over to the trucks, why don’t Boone and I take Bailey to that one section we found to see what she thinks,” Caleb said cryptically.

“Think about what?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” Boone said in my ear, nipping the lobe before releasing me. I dropped the bag of seeds onto one of the carts and followed them through the store wide-eyed as I took in the massive amount of things filling the shelves. When they stopped in an area filled with mattresses and looked at me expectantly, I was confused.

“You wanted to know what I thought about beds?” I asked.

“Yes,” Boone answered.

“We have beds unless you want to get one for yourself, so you aren’t stuck sleeping on the couch.” That made sense, and I hadn’t even thought about that.

“That’s one route, but we were looking more at this bed over here,” Caleb said, guiding me to a massive bed. It was standing in the shelf slot with the tag " California King. “We thought maybe we could bring it home and replace your bed with it.”

It took a minute for my brain to catch on to what they were asking. Did I want a bigger bed in my room so we could all sleep comfortably together? That’s where this relationship was heading; I never thought about the sleeping arrangements. It made sense, but it also felt like saying yes to the bed was saying yes to everything, and I still wasn’t sure I was ready for everything. I chewed on my lip nervously as I debated what to do.

“We can put your bed upstairs so I have a place to sleep, then when and if you’re ready, we will have a bed big enough to snuggle in together when the temperatures drop,” Boone suggested easily. I swear that man had a direct line to my thoughts. He always seemed to know what I was struggling with and had a solution to ease my worries.

“I think that’s a great idea,” I told him. I smiled at them both. "Let’s get it.” They both grinned as Caleb reached for the bed to pull it out. Boone grabbed the other end, and I trailed behind them as they carried it to the trucks. I got distracted in the paint department and fell behind them looking at color samples. I was picking out my favorite colors when I heard growling to my left. I looked over to see Witch approaching me and snarling.

“Listen, you little Witch, how many times do I have to tell you I will shoot you if you bite me?” She ignored me and lunged, making me shriek and crouch down as she went sailing past me and attacked the zombie that must have been sneaking up on me. I’m honestly not even sure where the fuck it came from or how it had been so quiet. Annoyance flashed through me at another zombie getting the drop on me. I’m not usually this oblivious. I blame the new men in my life.

“Bailey?!” Panicked shouts reached me from different directions as they responded to my scream.

“I’m in paint,” I called out. I got to my feet and faced the scuffle as Witch kept the zombie back without getting bit herself. She would dart in, throwing her weight against it, then dart back out before it could get its hands on her. I pulled out my knife and got ready to take the zombie down. “Witch, come!” I said to her sharply, hoping she was smart enough to understand me and do as she was told.

She was and came running over to sit by my side. The zombie turned to follow her, and I attacked, plunging the knife through the eye socket and into its brain. It fell to the ground, and I turned and crouched in front of Witch. “What a good girl you are,” I crooned softly. She sat there stiffly as she allowed me to check her for injuries; thankfully, she had none. “Thank you, Witch. Maybe we can learn to be friends after all.” I continued petting her, and she had just started to lean into my hand when the guys came running up in a panic.

“What happened? Are you ok?” They said, speaking at once. Witch huffed at me in annoyance and trotted over to Ethan to sit by him. I guess we can only be secret friends.

“I’m fine. I was looking at paint samples, and this thing came out of nowhere. I probably would have gotten bitten if Witch hadn’t seen it and attacked. She saved me. And I’ve decided you guys are incredibly distracting. That’s the second time now that a zombie’s gotten the drop on me, and I don’t like it. So whatever you’re doing, stop.”

Even though I had said I was fine, Pike still searched me frantically for injuries. When he found none, he pulled me into his arms and squeezed tightly. “Why were you alone? Why was she alone?” he demanded angrily as he let me go and turned on Caleb and Boone.

“She was alone because she’s a big girl capable of taking care of herself,” Caleb said. The annoyance in his tone was unmistakable.

“Thank you,” I said to him. “Pike, I’m fine and capable of handling a zombie. I just need to be more alert so they stop sneaking up on me so much. I blame the fact that I feel safe with you guys around. I feel safe, so I drop my guard. That won’t be happening anymore.

“It better not, or one of us will start sticking to you like glue at all times,” Pike growled as he stomped away.

“You’re not the boss of me, remember?” I called after him. He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning back to me. He crowded into my space, making me walk backward until my ass hit the paint samples display.

“Understand something, Sweetling,” he murmured as his hand slid up my body to wrap around my neck lightly. “We look out for each other; your safety is a top priority. I don’t doubt that you can take care of yourself, but if you aren’t at the top of your game like you said, someone will stay with you to watch your back.” His thumb stroked my pulse as it began to race. “This isn’t about who is in charge. However, I have no problem putting you over my knee and turning that pretty ass red if you need a reminder about safety.” He squeezed my neck tighter for emphasis, then turned and walked away.

The others chuckled as they walked away, leaving me leaning against the display, trying not to pant. What the fuck did I get myself into? And why did I like it?

Chapter ten

Theguysdraggedabunch of other mattresses over to the trucks and laid them on the floor so we had something to sleep on for the night. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful as they packed everything up. We ate the rest of the food as they talked. I tuned them out as I sat a little away from them with my arms wrapped around my legs in a ball. I was trying to figure out what the fuck I was doing. I didn’t know these men. I didn’t know what they were capable of. What if this was all an act, and they ended up being abusive?

I didn’t realize my breathing had become labored as I started hyperventilating until Boone’s worried eyes entered my field of vision. “Hey, Honey Bee,” he said quietly. He moved behind me and slid forward until I sat between his legs and his chest pressed against my back. “It’s ok, Bailey. Just breathe with me, ok? In and out. Pike didn’t mean to scare you. He just came on a little stronger than he needed to because he was so scared that you were in danger and wasn’t there to protect you. Isn’t that right, Pike?” Boone said pointedly.

“That’s right. I shouldn’t have done that, Sweetling, and I’m sorry. I went too far,” Pike said, sitting three feet in front of me. The others filled in around him, ensuring they kept at least three feet away from me so I didn’t feel caged in or trapped. “I would never hurt you out of anger; none of us would. And if that isn’t the sort of thing you’re into, it will never happen again,” he assured me.

I concentrated on the rise and fall of Boone’s chest as my breathing evened out again. I felt foolish freaking out like that as I felt the concern and care radiating off these men. They were so understanding and considerate, always focused on my needs and comfort. Maybe if I had voiced my concerns and discomfort sooner, we could have talked about it, and I could have avoided the panic attack completely. Silently I vowed to myself that I would start speaking up about my feelings more in the moment instead of keeping them to myself.

“I didn’t hate it,” I whispered, finally speaking. I was staring at my knees but felt the heat of their eyes on me.

“What was that, Honey Bee?” Boone asked, his chest vibrating against my back.

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