Chapter 94: Giant baby

Come nightfall, the crew gathered together to scrounge up some dinner.

Ray parked himself on a battered wooden crate, his long legs planted wide apart to box May in completely. He hadn’t even taken off his grease-and-blood-stained tactical jacket, keeping it zipped all the way up. Resting his chin squarely atop her head, he shielded her like a hawk guarding its prize.

If anyone so much as threw a glance in their direction, he pinned them down with a lethal glare.

Jack ambled over carrying a chipped enamel mug, thick white steam curling off the freshly boiled canned meat soup inside. Clumsy and eager, he chimed in, "May, I brought you some—"

Ray flicked his eyelids up, his pupils burning like red-hot coals as he locked eyes with Jack.

"Beat it."

Jack shuddered in fright, nearly sloshing the hot broth everywhere. Ducking his neck, he shuffled back two quick paces and slunk away.

Over by the base of the wall, Ace was busy wiping down his blades. His eyes flicked over, and just as his lips curved into a slight smirk, Ray’s hand dropped straight to the grip of his sidearm.

"Ace, your blade still looks filthy."

Ace’s hand paused for a fraction of a second. Letting out a soft chuckle, he lowered his head and resumed polishing, refusing to lift an eyelid again.

Mitch kicked an empty ration tin away with a string of curses before stomping off to sulk in the corner.

Theo remained the picture of absolute composure. Pulling a compressed ration block from his medical kit, he peeled open the wrapper and took a slow, methodical bite, never offering so much as a stray glance.

Yet May knew better—not a single one of these men possessed an innocent motive.

Seated right in Ray’s lap with her back pressed against his burning chest, she could feel the tension radiating off him. He was suffocating on his own suppressed rage. He didn’t yell at her, nor would he let anyone else lay a finger on her; he just sat there stewing in silent jealousy.

Eating up all the attention and refusing to share an inch—that was him to a tee.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, the men scattered to find their own sleeping spots.

Jack dragged out a tattered straw mat, collapsed onto the floor, and immediately started snoring loudly enough to shake the rafters. Mitch and Ace leaned against a wall and a pillar respectively, closing their eyes to feign sleep. In the far corner, Theo sat flipping through a grimy medical textbook he had salvaged from somewhere.

Only Ray remained unmoved.

He held May tight, sitting motionless until the firewood reduced to glowing red embers, crackling softly in the dark.

Only when the room fell completely dead silent did May feel the iron grip around her waist loosen slightly. Slipping out from his embrace, she cast a quick glance back over her shoulder.

Ray was still sitting there in the exact same position.

The dying firelight flickered across his impassive face, but his eyes were bloodshot and his eyelids drooped heavily. Two empty liquor bottles lay discarded on the floor beside him.

The man had been drinking.

A sudden wave of tenderness washed over May’s heart, sweet as if someone had stuffed it full of cotton candy.

Her man was actually feeling deeply aggrieved. My, my... look who’s practically drowning in jealousy, ts-ts.

Fighting back a smile, she slipped away under the guise of using the restroom and swapped her outfit via the system menu.

She returned wearing a white silk camisole nightgown. The fabric was as sheer as a whisper of mist, cut just right at the neckline to reveal a pristine expanse of her collarbone and a subtle hint of cleavage.

Treading barefoot across the cold concrete, she crouched right in front of Ray.

"Ray," her voice dripped with delicate sweetness as she rested her hands on his knees, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "Why aren’t you sleeping yet?"

Ray lowered his heavy eyelids, staring down at her without uttering a word.

"The ground is freezing, let me take you back inside to rest." May reached out to take his hand.

Ray flipped his palm and clamped down on her wrist with terrifying force.

"What were you two up to?"

His voice sounded as raspy as if he had swallowed a handful of sand, a potent wave of alcohol breath fanning directly over her face.

May’s heart skipped a beat, though she kept up a picture-perfect front of sheer innocence. "Up to what? We didn’t do anything at all! Ray, you’ve had way too much to drink."

"Didn’t do anything?"

Ray gave a sudden, hard yank, hauling her straight into his arms so that she ended up straddling his thigh.

The distance between them collapsed instantly, nose to nose. Dipping his head, he buried his face right in the crook of her neck, taking a deep, heavy breath.

His nose brushed against the tender skin above her collarbone. The hot, damp air he exhaled carried the stinging, harsh scent of strong liquor.

Straddling his lap with her legs dangling freely, the cool silk hem of her nightgown rode up her inner thighs, rubbing against his rough tactical pants and sending a flush of goosebumps across her skin.

"Ray, just how much did you drink..." She reached out to push his forehead back, but the second her palm touched his skin, he grabbed her wrist tight.

Ray lifted his head.

Those long, narrow eyes that usually ran cold enough to freeze blood were now laced with vivid red veins, veiled beneath a glassy, drunk haze.

He stared at May for two long seconds, his Adam’s apple bobbing down his throat, before—

His head dropped sideways, thudding straight into her chest.

"Just... what did you two do..."

His muffled voice vibrated against her chest, sounding far less like an interrogation and more like a needy, spoiled child throwing a tantrum.

A six-foot-five brute weighing nearly two hundred pounds, using his head on me like a nutcracker?! Who would have thought... beneath that rock-hard, terrifying exterior lies a giant baby who knows how to act needy! Slurp! I absolutely love it!

She felt as though her ribs were about to cave in from the weight of his skull.

"We really didn’t do anything, Ray, I swear." She freed one hand to run her fingers through the hair at the back of his head, trying to lift his face up. "You’re completely hammered, let’s just go to—"

"Ugh... Theo... he..."

Ray yanked his head back up, clamping both hands firmly around her waist. His thumbs pressed deep into her waist dimples with enough pressure to lock her spine straight.

"Where did he touch you...?"

May gasped internally.

Oh boy, he didn’t just drink liquor—he drank a whole tub of pure vinegar! The jealousy monster has officially taken over.

"Ray..."

"I don’t want to hear it! I won’t listen! Talk... tell me!"

Ray’s gaze landed squarely on those two symmetrical bite marks branded onto her neck. His pupils contracted violently, his jaw setting as hard as a steel plate.

Releasing one hand, he pressed his thumb directly against the left bite mark. The force was firm and measured, landing squarely on the darkest spot of the bruise.

May winced sharply, shrinking her neck back.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes! Be gentle!"

"Did it hurt when he bit you?"

May was completely rendered speechless.

Ray stared at her, the thick haze of alcohol and jealousy swirling together deep within his eyes, threatening to pop the veins at his temples.

Releasing his grip on her waist, he balled his hands into fists and began lightly thumping her upper chest—right at the soft junction between her shoulder and collarbone.

Once, twice, three times.

The force was calibrated perfectly—it didn’t cause real pain, but it felt hilariously stifling. Like a deeply wronged toddler taking out his frustration on a stuffed doll.

"You let him bite you." Thump.

"You let him touch you." Thump again.

"You—you let him..."

The third blow never landed. Ray’s fist hovered in mid-air, his knuckles trembling slightly before opening up. Replacing the fist with his open palm, he cupped her shoulder, his fingers tightening to hold her firm.

Looking at his expression, the last thread of restraint in May’s mind snapped entirely.

HAHAHAHA, how can Ray look like a little kid when he’s drunk!

She mimicked his inner monologue: "You let him bite you... you let him touch you... Hahaha" This man doesn’t even blink when slicing through hordes of infected, but two bottles of liquor turn him into this?

"Ray..." Her voice turned impossibly soft as she cupped his face with both hands, her thumbs stroking across the light sheen of sweat on his cheekbones. "Theo was only treating my injury, it really was just medical treatment..."

"Medical treatment," Ray repeated the words, his lips twisting into a smirk that looked far more pained than a sob. "You call that medical treatment?!"