Josie cried for Chester for hours. Evey carried her while she wept into her shoulder. She had cried herself to sleep by the time they stopped for the night. Ford cleaned the house, and Evey woke Josie up so they could eat a cold can of soup.

She did not cry again, but her bottom lip was stuck in a pout. Evey's heart ached when she looked at the little girl. She had lost her only sense of normalcy. When Evey put the twins to bed, she tried giving Josie an array of stuffed animals. She did not want any of the bears, bunnies, cats, or dogs. Evey sighed and ran her fingers through her curls before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Evey," Josie said. The blankets were tucked under her chin. Joey was already asleep. "Can we go get Chester?"

"It's too dangerous," Evey said. "I'm sorry."

"He's all alone."

Evey bit down on her lip, unsure what to say.

"Try to get some sleep," she said.

She kissed Josie's forehead before leaving the room. She dragged her fingers along the wall as she navigated through the strange dark house. Ford was sitting on the couch in the living room. A candle flickered on the table in front of him. The smell of apple cinnamon pie tried to defeat the smell of decaying flesh.

Evey sat next to Ford. He put his hand on her knee. Her chest tightened as her heart fluttered. Why did she feel this way around him? She had never had such a strong pull to a man before.

"Kids okay?" he asked.

"Josie is really upset," she said. "She loved that bear."

"It was a toy."

"Toys mean a lot to a kid. Didn't you have something that you always carried around?"
"I had to share all my toys in the foster homes."

Evey sucked in her bottom lip and nodded. She had forgotten about Ford's difficult childhood. It seemed selfish to ask him such a question.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't," he said. "I don't want your pity."

Ford lifted his hand from her knee and stretched his arm across the back of the couch. His fingers grazed her shoulder, and goosebumps broke across her skin. He shifted his weight on the couch, so his thigh was against her leg. She was staring down at their laps. The knife was still strapped to her thigh. She never thought she would be in this situation with a man.

"I still feel bad about that bear," Evey said. "She probably won't sleep tonight."

"We would have died," he said.

"Not if I noticed sooner."

"Evey." She loved the way her name sounded in his voice. "It's not your fault. She'll get over it."

"She shouldn't have to. They shouldn't have to go through any of this."

Ford put his hand under Evey's chin and forced her to look at him. Shadows were cast across his face by the candle. She could not admire his blue eyes as she loved to. He slid his hand from her chin to cup the side of her face. She leaned into the rough skin of his palm.

"You're too good," he said. "You're like an angel in this nightmare."

Evey's lips spread into a smile. Ford was so grumpy, yet he said something so sweet. Her heart fluttered as her eyes fell to Ford's lips. He leaned down to kiss her, but she pushed him back and swung her leg over his lap. She crawled over him and pressed her hands against his hard chest. He chuckled, and the sound was so foreign to Evey. Was Ford capable of laughing?

Evey leaned down and pressed her lips against Ford's. He had one hand on her hip and the other on the back of her head. He held her tight against his body as his lips dominated hers. His tongue swiped along her bottom lip, and she moaned. She could feel him growing hard underneath her, causing wetness to pool between her thighs.

Evey was desperate for Ford's touch. She balled her fists in his shirt. She grinded herself against Ford's hardness. He groaned before he pulled away. Evey leaned in and pressed her lips against his neck. Ford moaned as his fingers curled into her hip.

"Evey," he said. She continued to trail kisses down his neck. He pushed her back. "Evey, we can't."

She furrowed her brows as she sat straighter.

"Why?" she asked.

"Don't want to take advantage," he said.

"Of what? Me? The situation?"

"Don't want to exert my power over you."

Evey rolled her eyes and crawled off Ford's lap. She held her hands out in front of her. He raised a brow.

"What?" he asked.

"I don't know who you think you are," she said. "But you're not more powerful than me."

"You're a civilian."

"You won't be dishonourably discharged if you fuck me."

Evey wiggled her fingers, motioning for Ford to grab her hands. He did not say anything, but his mind was racing. He let out a deep breath before he grabbed Evey's hands and stood. He spun Evey around and tightened his hold as they walked toward the stairs. He kissed the crook of Evey's neck, and she giggled.

Gomez's comments lingered at the back of her mind, but she forgot about them when she focused on Ford's lips. They walked up the stairs and down the hall into the bedroom. Ford bit her ear before he pushed Evey down onto the bed. She giggled as she pushed herself back. She unstrapped the knife from around her thigh.

The moonlight pouring into the room was the only light. Evey was disappointed that she could not see Ford as he pulled the shirt over his head. She licked her lips at the thought of what he must look like. He crawled on top of her. She ran her hands up his bare chest until she reached the dog tags around his neck.

His hand grabbed her breast. Evey went to close her legs as her core throbbed, but Ford's knee was in the way. Ford trailed his lips down her neck and to her throat. He squeezed her breast in his hand. Evey closed her eyes and rolled her head to the side to give him more access.

Ford reached for the button on her shorts and undid them. He slipped his hand under her panties. Heat rushed up to her cheeks as she was already wet. She could not see Ford smile as he circled her clit. Her body shuddered from a wave of pleasure that overtook her body. He dipped two fingers into her core.

"Ford," Evey moaned.

He moved his mouth off her neck and brought his lips mouth up to her ear.

"Kalen," he said.

Evey knit her brows until she realized what he meant.

It was his name.

She never thought about what Ford's first name would be. None of the soldiers used them. She liked the sound of his full name.

"Kalen," Evey said.

He kissed her and pulled his fingers out of his core. He pulled Evey's shorts and underwear down. The cool air hit her wet sex, and she was glad Ford could not see her blush. He leaned down and kissed her once more before getting off the bed. Evey sat and watched Ford's form move around the room. He grabbed the flashlight, and there was a beam of light.

"What are you doing?" Evey asked.

"Condom," he said.

"Oh."

She felt foolish for not thinking about protection. She was so swept up in the moment that she forgot they would need condoms. The last thing they needed was a pregnancy during the apocalypse.

Ford walked out of the room. Evey laid back down and drummed her fingers on her stomach. She prayed that Ford would find what he was looking for.

"Good news," he said as he walked back into the room.

Evey pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra. Ford shone the light onto her, and she instinctively covered her chest with her arms.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Wanted to see you," he said.

Evey shook her head and batted the flashlight to the side. Ford chuckled as he turned it off and set it on the nightstand. Evey laid on her back and listened as Ford undid his belt. Her heart was pounding. This was actually going to happen.

The bed dipped as Ford got on his knees on the mattress. Evey could barely see his body as he moved around. He grabbed her knees and spread her legs. She closed her eyes as she imagined Ford lining himself at her entrance.

Her eyes flew open when Ford dragged his tongue up her slit. He swirled his tongue around her clit. Evey grabbed the blankets underneath her as her body tingled. Her toes curled, and Ford pinned her knees to the bed to stop her from squeezing her thighs around his head. Her breathing picked up as she was teetering on the edge of an orgasm.
Evey struggled not to cry out as she came. She did not want the twins to hear what they were doing. Her body trembled as she tried to control her breathing. Ford kissed her, and she could taste herself on his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. Could he feel how her heart was pounding?

Ford broke the kiss. He stared down at Evey, despite not being able to see her face. She brushed a curl off her forehead.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I am more than okay," she said.

"You want to keep going?"

"Yes."

Ford shifted his weight on the bed. He pressed himself against Evey's core. She dug her nails into Ford's back and stretched around his length. She moaned while he slowly let her adjust to his size.

"Fuck, you're tight," Ford groaned.

Evey tried to speak, but it came out as a soft moan. She fought back the urge to scream out in pleasure as Ford started to pump in and out of her. She could not let the kids hear them. She bit down on his shoulder to silence herself.

Ford was breathing heavily while he fucked her. Evey's toes curled, and she dug her nails deeper into Ford's back as her pleasure built. She almost never had an orgasm during sex with any of her exes, but it felt different with Ford. He moaned and softly swore under his breath as he thrust into her.

Evey's body shook, and she tightened around Ford's cock when she came. The feeling pushed Ford over the edge. He groaned, and his muscles tensed as he came. He fell on top of Evey, and they both struggled to catch their breath. Ford kissed Evey's cheek before pulling out of her.

Evey grabbed the flashlight and then searched for her clothes on the floor. Ford was lying on his back and running his fingers through his hair.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to check on the twins," she said.

"They're fine."

"Kalen, I'll be quick."

Using Ford's first name felt odd to her. She took a mental note not to use it when they were in front of the others.

"Better be," he said. "I'm on watch soon."

Evey slipped on her clothes. She used the flashlight to navigate her way to the twins' room. The door was open a crack. It was strange as Evey had closed the door after she tucked them in. One of them must have gone to the washroom. She prayed they did not hear her and Ford having sex.

She nudged the door open and peered into the room. Joey was sleeping on the bed, but the other side was empty. Evey furrowed her brows as she turned and flashed the light into the washroom. It was empty.

Evey lightly tapped her knuckles on the door. Joey stirred in his sleep. Evey checked around the room for Josie but could not find her. She shook Joey's shoulder until he woke. He yawned as he dug the heel of his hand into his eye.

"Where is Josie?" Evey asked.

"She went to find Chester," Joey said.

Oh no, Evey thought. This cannot be happening.