Chapter 9: Wandering hands

Those words of pure envy were practically written across every man’s face.

Just then, Alex, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly clutched his chest and went pale. He staggered, gasping for air.

"Oh no..." he murmured weakly. "My chest... it hurts so badly. I can barely breathe..."

As he spoke, he conveniently swayed toward May, seeking her embrace.

"May, I think I must still be shaken up from earlier. Let me lean on you for a moment. Just for a little while..."

The performance was Oscar-worthy. Although in this case, the award would probably be in the shape of a golden dildo.

May nearly lost her balance when his weight landed against her, almost sending both of them right onto the bed.

His brown-haired head was just about to disappear into her arms when a large hand reached over.

Ray caught Alex by the back of his collar with perfect precision and hauled him away like an unruly puppy, tossing him aside without ceremony.

Annoyed, Ray didn’t even spare the dizzy Alex a glance. Instead, he bent down, reached out with one long arm, and scooped up the still-confused May.

"Ah!"

She cried out and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

A moment later, he placed her securely against the far side of the bed, her back resting against the cold wall.

Then the mattress sank.

Ray’s massive frame settled onto the outside edge, completely separating her from the five wolves watching them from the room.

He turned onto his side to face her. They were close enough that she could almost feel his breathing on her skin.

That strong scent of smoke, sweat, and raw masculine warmth surrounded her once again.

"Sleep."

It was a simple command.

He closed his eyes immediately afterward, but the faint tremor of his lashes and the tension in his jaw betrayed how unsettled he actually was.

The other five men stood beside the bed, each wearing a different expression, but the envy, jealousy, and resentment in their eyes were practically tangible enough to burn five holes through the blanket.

May lay trapped against the wall. On her left was cold concrete. On her right was a human furnace radiating seemingly endless heat.

She stiffly closed her eyes and barely dared to breathe.

Someone, please help! This giant heating pad is going to toast me alive!

"Ahem."

Alex cleared his throat, barely managing to hide his amusement.

"Ray, you’d better stay flat and behave yourself. Don’t roll around in your sleep. The bed’s so narrow that if you accidentally squeeze May into the wall, we’d never manage to scrape her off."

"If you can’t sleep, get outside and stand watch."

Ray didn’t even open his eyes, and those words came through clenched teeth.

Mitch clicked his tongue and leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded.

"Playing favorites under the excuse of duty. Some people had better behave themselves tonight and keep their hands where they belong."

It was unclear who exactly he was talking about.

Jack found the corner farthest from the bed and curled up there with his knees drawn to his chest. Even in the darkness, the redness on his face remained faintly visible.

Ace and Theo said nothing, but their gazes were sharper than knives.

Eventually, under the suffocating pressure of Ray’s increasingly dangerous silence, the others reluctantly found places to settle down.

The light went out. Darkness swallowed the room.

May could hear the breathing of the men around her, some soft, some heavier.

But the clearest sound was Ray’s heartbeat beside her––steady and powerful.

Thump.

Each beat seemed to strike directly against her eardrum.

Damn... Looks like this giant has a war drum instead of a heart.

She tried to keep her mind occupied, but the more she inhaled Ray’s scent, the more his heat penetrated her body, the more unsettled she became.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed.

Two rounds of night watch came and went, and eventually the breathing around the room became slower and more regular.

Under the combined weight of exhaustion and nervous tension, May finally drifted into a deep sleep.

Around midnight, the temperature suddenly dropped.

One of the abandoned hospital’s windows had been shattered, allowing the freezing night air to pour inside without restraint.

Sleeping soundly, May shivered. Her body’s instinct took over, searching automatically for warmth.

She rolled over in her sleep and instinctively curled toward the enormous human furnace beside her, much like a kitten seeking the warmth of its mother.

Her soft cheek brushed against Ray’s hard, heated chest.

One leg followed, settling against him as well.

Ray woke the instant she touched him.

Every muscle in his body tightened.

He became as rigid as a bow pulled to its limit, his breathing stopping for a fraction of a second.

There was a soft, warm body curled against him. And filling his senses was that sweet, milky scent that threatened to dismantle his remaining composure.

He wanted to push her away. His arm even lifted halfway. But when he looked down at her sleeping face, completely defenseless and unaware, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Damn it.

Ray cursed silently.

His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed, and in the end he could only remain frozen in place, allowing the girl in his arms to treat him like a giant pillow.

Unfortunately, May was anything but a peaceful sleeper.

Apparently, she decided that her "pillow" wasn’t warm enough.

Her little hand began wandering restlessly, searching for the warmest spot.

First, her palm landed against his defined abdomen. Her cold fingertips traced the ridges between his muscles, sending a fine shiver through his body.

Ray’s breathing grew heavier.

Then that wandering hand continued downward.

It slipped past the lines of his abdomen and eventually stopped somewhere that felt particularly warm.

"...!"

Ray’s entire body suddenly went stone-rigid. He sucked in a sharp breath, the muscles in his arm tightening until the veins stood out beneath his skin.

For one brief moment, it felt as though all the blood in his body had moved to one place all at once.

And May, completely unaware of the trouble she was causing, only seemed more comfortable.

She nestled closer into his arms.

Her head rested against his arm while her warm breath repeatedly brushed across his neck.

Each faint exhale felt like a feather... or a tiny electric current.

It made his scalp prickle and his remaining self-control rapidly disappear.

"Mmm..."

May even let out a quiet, contented sigh. Apparently, she had finally found the warmth she wanted.