"More?" he asks.
I nod.
He reaches for another bottle on the nightstand. I drink half of it before the heat surges back in.
I gasp and curl forward. The bottle slips from my fingers. Malcolm catches it before it spills.
His hand spans my lower back. "There you are."
The heat surges back fast. Vicious. My body doesn't care that I just woke up, that I'm sore or that I can barely think.
It justneeds.
Malcolm shifts me onto my back and moves between my legs. When he pushes inside I sob with relief.
He fucks me into the mattress with hard strokes that never seem to let up. I gasp and moan and whine for every one of them.
He knots deep and I come apart twice before the world goes quiet again.
Then I pass out again.
***
The next time I wake Finn is there.
He's sitting on the edge of the bed. Fully clothed. His hand is cool on my forehead.
"Hey, sweetheart," he says softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"Sweet girl. You're doing so well."
I blink up at him. "Where's Malcolm?"
"Resting. He's been with you for hours." He says it softly. "You're doing so good, Vee. I’ll help you now."
"Alex?"
Finn's expression softens. "Still outside the door. He's not going anywhere."
I don't know if what I feel is relief or sadness or just exhaustion.
"Why won't he come in?" I hate how whiny my voice sounds.
"He will. When it's safe. I promise. He's doing this for you, Vee. So you'll have a choice if everything works out."
I don't understand but I'm too tired to push.
Finn helps me sit up. There's a protein bar on the nightstand. He unwraps it and hands it to me.
"Eat."
I take a bite. It tastes like cardboard but my stomach doesn't care. I'm starving.
Finn watches me eat with that careful attention he always has. Like he's cataloging every small thing.
When I'm done he takes the wrapper and sets it aside.
