Chapter Text
Getting out of the bunker had been touch and go.
Everything had changed. Parts of the dam had crumbled, draining into the lake below, and when they finally reached Joseph's old compound, half of it was underwater. But Joseph had swanned in from where he had been hiding all those years, and then John had shown up…
Leaving the three Seed brothers to hug, whilst Dita stood there awkwardly in a crowd of people she’d actively tried to kill seven years ago, with three children.
“Mamma, who are they?” Rosh whispered to her.
Dita reached down to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her eldest’s ears. “Those are your uncles, Joseph and John. You’ve spoken to them on the radio before, remember?”
“Mamma I’m boooooooooored,” was all the warning she got before Jesse was rushing off towards his father, and Jared strained in her arms, trying to chase his older brother.
“F- Jacob!” Dita barked “A little help here?”
Turning, Jacob scooped his son up in his arms, and Dita approached the three men, holding the wiggling toddler in the air like a dangerous animal.
“Gentlemen,” she greeted. “Nice to see you again.”
“Deputy Bachchan.” John nodded to her. He hadn’t changed much. “I see you didn’t outstay your unexpected welcome in Jacob’s bunker.”
“Even brought along some guests.” Dita held the toddler out to John. “Baby of the family, meet baby of the family.”
“Nooo,” Jared protested, kicking a little. “I’m not a baby!”
“Yes he is,” Jesse assured them all. “He’s little. And he’s squishy.”
“Ok, Jess, no more,” Dita chided him. “Kids, say hello to your uncles and then I think we need to find somewhere to shelter everyone for the night.”
“Hi,” came a chorus of three small voices.
“It is good to see you, Deputy,” Joseph finally broke in. “You have truly become one of our family, despite everything.”
Dita gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, well, we can talk about it later. Right now everyone needs a place to stay. We’ve got about, what, 200 people here without a bed?”
“We will take care of that,” Joseph assured her. “There are still a few places that can be safely used to rest tonight. Tomorrow the real work will begin.”
“I need to see who survived,” Dita said. “Uh, and probably best I do that… not here.”
The three men exchanged glances, then Joseph nodded.
“I will trust Jacob to steer you,” he decided. “Brother.”
“Thanks, Joe,” Jacob muttered, looking back to Dita as she unhooked her radio from her belt. “You stay out of trouble.”
“And I need there not to be children here,” Dita added. “Just… in case of bad language.” She held out Jared. “Jake?”
Setting Jesse down, Jacob let out a heavy sigh that had none of the frustration it sounded like it should have, and hauled the boy over his shoulder to Jared’s loud, giggly delight.
“All right, kids. Your mom needs to be alone,” he announced. “So we’re gonna go find you someplace to sleep tonight that isn’t three feet underwater.”
“Shoulders,” Jared protested. “I wanna sit!”
Jacob righted Jared’s seating so the tiny legs were either side of his jaw. “Let’s go.”
Skipping off into the forest, Dita held down the receiver as she reached the north bank of Joseph’s island. “Ok, officially Deputy Punching Season. Who’s first?”
“Deputy Bachchan.” Eli. “Well, I’ll be damned. You made it.”
“How are you holding up?” she asked. “Can you get out?”
“Gonna be a hell of a run to get out quickly, but I think we can.” Eli sounded tired. “Not sure what we’ll do next, though. Been living in the Whitetails all my life. Suddenly it’s all gone. And there might be others stuck too.”
Dita swallowed. The thought of just how many people were stuck… “If I can do anything down here… I know we said each to their own, but… I still care about you guys, Eli. No matter how damn stupid I am.”
“I know, Deputy. You worry about your kids, though; I can handle what’s left up here.”
“They’re cute kids,” Dita told him. “They look a lot like me.”
Eli chuckled. “Now that’s a blessing. No red hair?”
“One pair of blue eyes.” Dita paused as her eyes fell on movement on the bank ahead of her. “Eli, you’re not gonna believe this, but the wildlife out here is fucked up now. I’m looking at a brown and white moose with blood-red antlers.”
“That is fucked up. All right, I’ll note that down. ‘Fucked up wildlife.’ Thanks Deputy.”
“Servant of the people, me.” Dita sighed. “Speaking of…”
“Hey Rookie.” Staci. He sounded- almost like himself again. “You survived Jacob.”
“Jacob survived me,” Dita protested. “And tell Tammy it was only three kids!”
“Only?!” she heard Tammy yell back. “I wouldn’t have let that dick near me once !”
Dita couldn’t help grinning. “You ready to get out?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I am. But I don’t think I’ll stick around.” Staci’s voice was heavy, regretful. “I’m sorry, Dita. I can’t be here. Not anymore.”
“Hey. It’s ok. The Peggies aren’t going anywhere and neither is Jacob, so you do what’s best for you.” She wanted to reach through the receiver and hug him. “No judgement here. Not that I even have any right to.”
“Damn right.” He paused. “...can’t get you to leave, huh?”
“You all know I’m an idiot.” Dita’s smile didn’t feel real. “I’m not scared of them. Or him. And I’ll do everything I can to… rein them in, if possible.”
“Good luck with that.” Eli again. “All right, I’ve got work to do. Emergencies only, got it?”
“Yes sir.” Dita took a deep breath. “Bye, Eli.”
“Goodbye, Deputy.”
That heavy breath came out in a soft sob. It didn’t hurt any less now than it had seven years ago, but she’d had long enough to get herself ready for it. She didn’t have long to dwell on it, though; there were plenty more people she needed to call.
“Don’t suppose Fall’s End is listening?” she sighed into the handset.
“John’s procession came through not long ago. I was wondering when you would emerge, Deputy.” Jerome did his best not to sound angry. “How are you holding up?”
“Y’know, mother of three children, currently surrounded by a bunch of people I tried to kill, but it could be worse,” Dita replied. “You guys?”
“We’ve been up here for quite some time, actually. Doing plenty of digging. Seven years’ worth of dirt is a lot more than you’d think and it takes time and energy to move.” The exhaustion was obvious.
“I would offer my help…”
“Not yet, Deputy. A few wounds are still raw.”
“Understood.” She bit her lip. “...so how’s Earl and Joey doing?”
“Better than they were. Earl is content to stay, but Hudson I think will want to move on.”
“Tell her Staci wants to do the same. Maybe they can leave together?” Dita suggested.
“Thank you for letting me know, Deputy. I’ll pass that on.”
“No problem. Let me know if there’s any emergencies,” she told him.
“Good luck, Deputy. I hope you continue on unscathed.”
“Yeah, me too. See you around, Jerome.”
Dita took her finger off the receiver and breathed as she tried to relieve herself of the stab of pain in her gut. Seven years really didn’t make it any easier to hear for a second time.
She’d been saving Adelaide for last after all this, knowing she would need her to be a ray of warmth in that sea of anger. She couldn’t even blame everyone for how they felt. She would be feeling that way too.
Except she was an idiot, and she was in love with Jacob Seed.
“Calling Fort Drubman, come in Fort Drubman.”
“Po-po! What’s up, man?” Sharky asked. “You get outta dodge and need a friend?”
“Hey Sharky, no, just taking five minutes to talk to people,” Dita sighed. “Listen, is Addie there? I need to hear her voice.”
“Hey there, sugar. You miss me?”
Dita smiled, her eyes prickling. “Hey, Addie. Hurk. sr not around?”
Adelaide snorted. “Him? Honey, that man took off years ago. Good riddance.”
Dita’s mouth fell open. “I- thought he was oddly quiet! What happened?”
“Decided to chance dyin’ outside than spend another minute listenin’ to me fuck my boy-toy,” Addie chuckled. “So, you call for something special or just to listen to me?”
“Oh, we’re all hanging around in the remains of the compound, actually,” Dita admitted.
“It’s safe outside?” Adelaide asked. “Damn, you shoulda said!”
Dita bit her lip. “Not… sure if it is, at least not in your area. There seems to be a tiny bit of the Whitetails that’s safe, but most of it… well, it’ll sting for starters.”
“Hmm.” Adelaide paused. “I can get all four of us in the chopper, and if I can get high enough off the ground, all that shit shouldn’t touch us, right?”
Relief flooded through her. “Right. And hey, you better come visit.”
“Of course! Your kids gotta meet their Nana Addie! Might kick back for a bit and chill in the sunshine again, but… think I’m gonna take Xander, head south. Go somewhere warmer.”
“Everyone’s leaving,” Dita complained, her stomach lurching in grief at the thought. “What, Hope County isn’t good enough anymore?”
Adelaide sighed. “Place is suffering a serious Peggie infestation, darlin’, and I ain’t got enough years left for me to wanna spend it worryin’ about their religious bullshit. No offense.”
“I’m stickin’ around though!” Sharky called.
“Me too!” Hurk added.
Dita cracked a smile. “I’m glad to hear someone’s gonna be there for me. Where would I be without my explosion boys?”
“In one piece. Or at the very least, not on fire.” Adelaide’s voice was dry. “Ok, we’re gonna get packed up and ready to go. You need anything, I’m a call away. See you soon, sugar.”
“Yeah, and it better be soon,” Dita said, trying to sound jovial, failing, her voice catching, “I’m really bored of people running off on me.”
“Oh honey.” Adelaide’s voice was soft. “Sometimes the heart wants dumb shit.”
“That’s a fucking understatement,” Dita muttered. “I’m just a radio call away, and if I don’t answer, well… use your imagination.”
Adelaide’s responding snort was the only answer she got.
Heading back for the compound, Dita was surprised to find it was nearly empty already. Everyone seemed to have been divided into groups and sent off to find places to sleep. The brothers seemed to be working quickly.
She shouldn’t have been surprised, though. They weren’t exactly strangers to organising large groups of people.
But Jacob was waiting for her by the water’s edge, and Rosh perked up when she saw her.
“Mamma! Uncle Joseph says he found us a place to sleep tonight!” the girl called, running over with her arms out.
Dita scooped her up. “That’s good to hear. I was worried we’d have to camp out and get rained on. That wouldn’t have been any fun.”
“What does rain feel like?” Rosh asked.
“Like a shower,” Dita replied, heading over to the group. “Only cold.”
Rosh made a face. “Ew.”
“Yes,” Dita agreed. “But sometimes you get thunderstorms and those are fun to listen to.”
Rosh curled into her. “When do thunderstorms happen?”
“When there’s enough heat and air pressure in the sky,” Dita told her. “It comes with lightning. Flashing lights. Electricity.”
“Wow.” Rosh looked up at her dad. “Have you seen lots of storms, Daddy?”
“Plenty.” Jacob had Jared on his shoulders still, with Jesse on his arm. “You’re in luck. Joseph says there’s space in the bunker for us.”
Dita’s brow rose. “Isn’t that… kind of favouritism?”
“You wanna sleep outside?” Jacob retorted.
Dita made a conceding face. “All right, I guess I can accept it.”
His brow quirked briefly. “I knew you’d see it from my perspective.”
“Well, you’d better lead the way before it gets too dark,” Dita suggested with a smile.
“Always with the clever mouth,” Jacob muttered, but he tucked Jesse under his arm and started heading for the road, his other hand holding Jared’s ankles firmly.
“Is Uncle Joseph’s bunker gonna be like ours?” Rosh asked.
Dita swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Well, actually… it wasn’t originally Uncle Joseph’s. It belonged to a man named Dutch Roosevelt…”
Dita was pretty sure she was about to go insane.
Three weeks cramped with a bunch of people who hated her, trying to negotiate with a bunch of people who hated her for entirely different reasons, making sure that no toes were stepped on and no harm came to anyone. And of course she had been the only one capable of doing this, because the only people that the Peggies and the survivors hated more than Nandita Bachchan were each other. She was just lucky that the three brothers had taken it upon themselves to be in charge of building and growing New Eden, as they were calling it.
They swapped out on who had the kids, and Dita found it easier to make the trek into Fall’s End if one of them was with her, particularly Rosh. Her daughter had made immediate friends with Carmina Rye, to the point that Dita had actually considered letting her stay overnight sometimes, if only she could get Jacob to agree. The fact that the kids looked nothing like their father or their uncles was a blessing, and it made things smoother.
One quiet evening, the four remaining police officers had met up in the Spread Eagle to drink. Everyone had hit her on the arm, then toasted being alive. Not much had been said, or needed to be said, and after that drink, Staci and Joey had hugged her. Dita knew they were making plans to leave, and she squeezed their shoulders when they let go of her before she did the same.
Faith had survived too- Rachel, now. In the chaos of the bombs she had escaped, slipping her chains and disappearing into the destruction. All that Bliss had saved her somehow, though her hair was bone-white and she had the same eyes as an Angel.
Sharky apparently found it hot, though.
The Drubmans and Xander remained for now, though Adelaide was bereft of her marina. Dita had heard her talking about heading to Cuba.
Most of the Whitetails made it out, some perishing in the attempt to evacuate other survivors. Eli was one of the many who punched her on the arm, but that was all, and he soon joined the efforts to dig out the old tunnels leading out of the county. Tammy and Wheaty hadn’t said much to her other than to say hello, and that was it. Dita was starting to get used to all the goodbyes and oncoming goodbyes.
That didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt.
She slept curled up next to Jacob in Dutch’s old bunker every night, glad for someone in her life that wasn’t planning on leaving. And if Jacob knew why she clung to him so hard every morning when they had to wake up, he didn’t make any comments about it.
Fuck, she loved him.
Except there was one thing she couldn’t do since they were in the bunker with five other people, two being his brothers, three being their children. And as the stress mounted and the weeks ticked by, Dita was rapidly growing more and more frustrated with the amount of things to do and the lack of time, space and privacy to fuck Jacob in peace.
So when Jacob pulled her aside one evening just before she went into the shower and kissed her, she almost burst out of her skin and hit him, slapping him across the arm.
The kiss broke immediately. “The fuck was that for?” Jacob asked, pulling back.
Dita let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. I just- I’m wound super fucking tight and- I’m gonna go crazy, Jake. A kiss isn’t gonna cut it.”
His thumb ran along her jaw. “You should’ve said. Here was me thinking you just weren’t up for it right now.”
“Oh honey, I am so up for it.” She let out a soft groan. “God, I hate having five other people in here with us.”
There was a pause. “Go take a shower, then meet me outside when you’re done,” Jacob ordered. “I’ll talk to my brothers.”
Fuck.
The heat that bloomed under her skin was immediate and heavy. Dita let out a ragged breath before she nodded, and stepped into the shower room to do as he’d told her to. It was probably the shortest shower she’d ever had, and she felt almost too hot after she was done with it, but walking around naked wasn’t an option, so she got dressed in something clean and headed for the door that led out.
Jacob was leaning against his truck, and at the sight of it, Dita let out a tiny laugh.
“You’re kidding,” she murmured, coming over. “This old thing?”
“Needed to get it going again,” he said, as she reached the passenger side.
“Oh, that we have in common,” Dita sighed, climbing in and putting her seatbelt on. “Jake?”
He was already in the driver’s seat. “Yeah?”
“If this explodes, I’m coming back to haunt you,” she warned.
He just laughed, and switched the engine on. The truck rattled a little, but it roared to life, and Jacob put his foot down, heading south.
“So, anywhere in particular you had in mind?” Dita asked.
“Thought I’d take you somewhere quiet and abandoned,” Jacob replied as they passed the old Johnson lookout, keeping his eyes firmly on the road for any wildlife.
“Very romantic,” Dita chuckled.
But she relaxed back into the seat and finally got to enjoy the world around her for a bit. Running around Hope County like her ass was on fire didn’t exactly give her much time to appreciate it, and the mass of thick pink blooms and verdant terrain was beautiful now that she could take a moment to relax.
“Thank you,” she found herself saying, reaching out to stroke his arm. “I think I was about to lose my mind. Everything’s been- busy. Way too busy. I knew getting out of there after all this was going to be tough, but…”
“You’re playing the hero again,” he chided, a little sing-song note to his voice.
Dita rolled her eyes. “Not this again, honey. You know I’m gonna jump head-first into helping people the moment I can.”
“Didn’t say there was anything wrong with that.” They reached the road that led off the island, and Jacob carefully drove across it before taking the northeast road. “But you keep running yourself ragged.”
“You’re only upset because we haven’t had sex in three weeks,” Dita pointed out.
“You gonna give me lip for telling you the truth?” Jacob drawled.
Dita took a breath. “...no, I just… who else is gonna do it, Jake? My friends hate your people, they won’t listen to anyone else but me, and if I take my eyes off the situation for five minutes, we’re gonna have another all-out war.”
“Have you tried lettin’ someone else do it, girl?” Jacob asked.
Dita opened her mouth, then paused as they passed the old Hollyhock saloon. . “...no.”
“Playing’ the hero,” he told her. Then he took the north road towards the old campground. “Face it, Dita. You’re scared. Your fear is making you weak.”
“We’re back to the brainwashing talk, Jake,” Dita warned. “I don’t like where this is going.”
They crossed the bridge, and Jacob pulled off the road to park up. Dita rubbed her eyes, swallowing, as he unbuckled and got out. She remained seated, sighing. Then her door opened, and she looked down to see Jacob standing there, his hand out to her.
“You trust me?” he asked.
“...yeah,” she finally replied, undoing her belt and sliding out, accepting his hand.
Jacob led her down the old road, towards the crumbling bridge. The first section of it was still standing, but the rest was sunk down into the water. And on the north bank, the blackened soil and dead trees left Dita with a cold spot in her chest. That had once been beautiful mountains and valleys, and now it was all gone.
“You know if you wanted to kill me you could’ve done it earlier,” she teased, even as she leaned into him.
They reached the edge of the bridge as Jacob’s arm wrapped around her waist. “Sometimes I do wanna strangle you, girl, but I didn’t bring you out here for that.” He urged them both forward. “C’mon. Got something for you.”
Dita dug her heels in. “Honey, I love you, but I’m not going down there.”
Jacob chuckled. “You said you trust me.”
“You I trust.” She gripped his jacket. “This bridge is probably older than the two of us put together, though, and I don’t trust it.”
“I tested it already,” Jacob assured her. “C’mon.”
Sighing, Dita let him walk her over.
The wood still felt firm under their feet as they reached the end of the first section. It cracked and bowed just a few feet up ahead of them, sloping down until it met the turquoise-blue waters.
Shit, even if the world had ended, it was still beautiful where it had survived.
“You know I’m just scared because I want this all to work out,” Dita admitted softly. “I know it’s not going to be all sunshine and roses. I can’t snap my fingers and have everyone forgive you and get the other Peggies to act nice with the survivors. But I want the two halves of my life to work together. Because,” she swallowed, “if they can’t, I’ll need to choose a half.”
Jacob’s fingers tucked into her jeans as they stood at the edge of the bridge. “Yeah?”
“And it’s gonna be you,” Dita added. “It’s always gonna be you. Only you. And I’m just scared of what that says about me, Jake. Picking you over anyone else.”
She glanced up at him, and he was gazing down at her, and her breath caught.
“You keep talking like that and I’m gonna forget what I brought you out here for and just fuck you in that truck until you can’t leave.” Jacob’s voice was rough.
“Jacob Seed, hopeless romantic,” Dita murmured. “C’mon then, Jake. What was it you came out here to do?”
Jacob reached into his pockets, and pulled out a familiar box. Dita couldn’t help the revulsion that tore through her as he brought it closer, but then he held it out to her, his right arm still tucked comfortingly around her waist.
“Take it,” he urged, his voice gentle.
“Do you know what I’m gonna do with this box?” Dita asked, her fingers brushing along his, inching towards the wood. “Because it’s never gonna survive.”
“Figured that would be the case,” Jacob replied. “I was gonna let you do it in the bunker, but then I pictured you doing some kind of controlled burn and didn’t want the risk. Wasn’t gonna survive a nuke dropping on my head just to die because you set the Gate on fire.”
Dita couldn’t help laughing, and it helped cut through some of the ugly feeling in her belly. She finally took the box, squeezing it. “You’re probably right. But, you know you’re never gonna be able to use this again? You never know. I could go rogue.”
“Are you gonna?” Jacob was still watching her, eyes fixed on her, soft.
“Hmm.” Dita pressed into his arms. “No, probably not.”
“Didn’t think so.” He dropped his hand, letting her hold the box. “Well, go on then.”
Stepping out of his grip, she came closer to the edge of the bridge, turning the little box over in her hands. So many things that she could do. Blow it up, burn it, shoot it, smash it. But as her eyes fell on the inviting waters below them, Dita tilted her head, then glanced back at Jacob. He was watching her curiously. With a small smile, she looked back at the river, and then threw the box overhead, watching it arc and fall. It hit the water with a soft splash, then sank below the surface.
Everything seemed to drop out of her at once, and it was like Jacob knew, because as her legs buckled, he was there behind her, catching her before she fell.
“There you go,” he held her against his chest, arms around her stomach, “that’s it. There’s my girl. You feel better?”
“Yeah.” It came out breathless, with the hint of a sob there. Tears pricked her eyes.
“Let’s get you back to the truck.” Without asking, Jacob tucked his arms under her legs and picked her up, hoisting her into his arms, heading back towards the vehicle.
Dita curled into him, her arms around his neck. “I love you,” she whispered, tucking her head beneath his jaw.
He pulled open the back door on her side and set her down on the seat, closing the door so he could get in from his side. Dita was immediately moving towards him, leaning into him, wanting to just be with him.
“I love you too,” he told her softly, tugging her into his lap.
Leaning against him, Dita wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes closing. A heavy sigh escaped her, even as his hands grasped her waist.
“I need a minute,” she whispered.
“That’s all right.” His fingers pushed up under her shirt but didn’t go any further, just touching her bare back with his rough hands.
“Thank you, Jake,” Dita murmured. “For- doing that. Letting me get rid of it.”
“Surprised you didn’t do somethin’ worse. To the box.”
Her lips pressed against his neck, felt his pulse flutter beneath them before she pulled back a little to look at him. “Yeah? Why’d you say that?”
Jacob shrugged, glancing away before looking back at her. “You know I can still go and get it,” he pointed out.
Dita paused, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Would you?”
Jacob shook his head. “No.”
Dita settled against his chest. “Didn’t you just ask me if I trusted you?”
The laugh that came from him was a little bashful, and he made a conceding face. “Trusting me doesn’t mean you aren’t scared of me.”
Dita slid her hands along his shoulders before cupping his face. “I’m not scared of you, Jake,” she told him, her eyes meeting his. “I haven’t been scared of you since you told me you wanted to die.”
“Pourin’ my heart out is really the best way to get you to fall for me, huh?” he sighed. “Goddamn, girl. You make it so difficult.”
“Honey,” Dita leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, “if you’d had a good therapist after all the shit you went through, you would’ve found it easier to talk about how you feel. I might not be the greatest, but I did my best all these years.”
Jacob caught her mouth and kissed her, his hand sliding down her back to pull the elastic free and coax the waterfall of black and silver tresses out of its braid. Dita’s eyes fluttered shut, and she scratched her nails over his scalp, through the thick hair she’d finally persuaded him to stop shaving completely. Groaning against her mouth, Jacob gripped her jacket and pulled it off her shoulders, tossing it onto the passenger seat.
“Easier if I show you,” he murmured, pushing her shirt up her stomach to reveal the spiderweb of stretchmarks that lined her stomach. His eyes fell on them, and his fingers traced them slowly, newer ones first before the older ones. “You want another one, sweetheart?”
Dita’s brow rose. “You wanna try for a fourth, Jake? Holy fuck, we’re gonna run out of adults to look after them.”
“I picked up the slack when I was a kid.” Jacob was already tugging her shirt up and over her head, leaving her in just her bra and jeans, the rabbit’s foot dangling just below her breasts.
“Honey, that’s parentification, and we’re not doing that,” Dita said firmly. “I’m not gonna make our kids babysit each other until they’re teenagers. Look, you wanna show me you love me, how about you just fuck me until I’m not thinking about Fall’s End or New Eden or any of it?”
Her bra was off before she even realised he was unhooking it, and Dita was already half naked, with him sitting there smug and fully-dressed.
“I can do that,” Jacob agreed.
Pulling her up onto her knees, he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them over her hips, lips on her neck, licking down her breast until he was sucking on her nipple. Dita gripped his shoulders, moaning softly at each pull of his lips as he dragged her underwear down with her jeans. Cool air wisped over her bare skin, and Jacob effortlessly moved her, pulling off her boots so he could strip her. Naked in his lap, she pressed herself against him, sliding down onto his thighs so that she could kiss him properly. It had been way too long since she’d had the chance to do this.
“Your turn,” she breathed, hooking her fingers into his jacket, coaxing him to slip it off.
“Not yet.” He did let her take his jacket, though, and he dragged both hands up the backs of her thighs to grab her ass and squeeze. “Just wanna look at you first.”
Dita traced his shoulders with her fingertips as his hands ran up her back, moving to cup her breasts. He spread his thighs a little, letting her rub up against his erection.
“This isn’t looking,” she protested.
“Sure it is.” His eyes followed his hands. “I’m just looking with my hands too.”
Dita leaned in for a kiss as her fingers grabbed his shirt, pulling it up. He let her strip it off him and toss it aside into the pile of her own clothes, and as her mouth met his again she reached for his belt, unbuckling it.
“It’s been three weeks,” she breathed. “Don’t leave me hanging.”
Jacob thrust his hand between them, pushing over the thick curls covering her mound, and rubbing his fingers against her folds. “You’re wet,” he murmured between kisses. “Wet enough for me?”
“Mhmm,” Dita whined, already trying to get his jeans off.
Jacob wrapped one arm around her and lifted her up, arching so he could get undressed with his free hand. His cock sprang free, and he set her down to kick off his boots and get his jeans and boxers off, leaving them both naked. Her fingers immediately reached for him, stroking along his cock, and he moaned, grabbing her hips. She angled him against her folds, and together they sunk her down onto him, until she was flush against him. His nails dug into her, breathing heavy. Dita’s eyes met his.
“How do you want me?” he asked.
“As hard as the last time we fucked in this truck,” was all she could think.
And god but that had been a while ago. Practically eight years ago. Back when he was still using taunting pet names and getting on her nerves and none of this had happened.
She wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“I think I remember that,” he drawled, rocking his hips.
“You’d better.” She lifted herself just enough to lower back onto him. “There was video evidence and we still have it.”
A dirty smirk curved at his lips. “And you were mad at me for recording us.”
“Well-”
Her words broke off as he thrust into her, hard and fast, like he had years ago but different. Because this time Dita clung to him as his cock drilled her from below, her mouth on his neck, bare chest pressed against his naked skin. This time Jacob scraped his fingers down her back, tangling in her hair as he panted in her ear, holding her against him. Protective and eager and loving.
“Good thing- ohfuck- good thing I- didn’t- have to- drag you to court!” Dita yelped.
“Would’ve been fun.” One hand cupped her breast before falling to rub her clit. “Would’ve fucked you in a closet somewhere in the courthouse.”
She could even imagine that; court adjourning, Dita being swept somewhere private to hear Jacob’s apology for his crimes against her, before they went back like nothing had happened. And it would be so like him. Once she would’ve been furious at the idea. Now it just made her laugh breathlessly between moans as they fucked.
“Shit.” His hand rubbed along her ass, coaxing her to move with him. “It really only been three weeks since we did this? Feels like longer.”
“Miss me?” Dita whined, rolling into him, her fingertips running through his hair.
Jacob’s lips silenced her teasing for a few moments as his thumb sped up, sending tremors of heat rushing through her.
“Miss you every second I’m not inside you, girl,” he panted, mouth brushing her jaw. “Counting until I am.” His hand clapped against her ass. “And you fucking know it.”
Dita keened, nails digging into his scalp. Jacob groaned softly, his lips brushing the side of her head, placing open-mouthed kisses down her cheeks and jaw to her neck where he sucked until she knew there’d be a bruise.
“I missed this,” she breathed, her eyes cracking open long enough to see that the windows had steamed up completely. She was tempted to reach out and put her hand on the glass to leave a print, but then Jacob’s teeth bit just above her shoulder and she let out a high-pitched yelp as her thighs squeezed either side of him.
“Good.” Jacob licked the bite to soothe it. “Cause- fuck- I’m never- gettin’ bored of this.”
Heat was coiling beneath his thumb and Dita rocked harder against him, clinging to him as she chased that pleasure. “Me neither!” she gasped. “Me neither, Jake, just, fuck, harder, please, harder!”
Crack. His hand hit her ass again and Dita cried out, feeling his hand grip her hip and use it to fuck upwards into her until her voice was filling the truck in high-pitched moans.
“That’s my girl, fuck,” Jacob panted, leaning back against his seat. “There you go, that’s what you needed, huh?”
God, the way he spoke, the way those wintry blue eyes looked at her as the wet noise of their bodies filled the air. Dita gripped his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him as she let out a soft little mhmm, agreeing with him. She felt protected. Like Jacob had her best at heart and knew exactly what to do for her, how to look after her.
“We’re gonna have a place, fuck, all our own.” He pulled her back so he could look her in the eye. “And we’re gonna do this every night.”
Yep, they were absolutely having a fourth.
“Yes, please,” Dita keened, as her thighs started to tremble, tension coiling tight between them with every thrust. “Oh god, Jake, please.”
“You keep beggin’ like that and you’ll finish me off, girl,” he warned her, cock twitching.
Dita raked her hands down his arms. “I’m close, please.” She hit that edge. “Jake, please!”
“Fuck.”
He pulled her against him as she clamped down tightly on his cock, feeling it jerk as he filled her up. Their lips met, muffling loud moans and heavy growls, hands tangling into loose and rumpled hair as it started off frantic before slowly relaxing with every second that the afterglow settled over them.
Sweat dripped down his stomach, her thighs, his sides, her back. Despite that, she slumped against him, tucking her head beneath his jaw. His cum dripped out of them, onto the seat below, as she tugged her hair to one side.
“Did you ever clean the seat?” she mumbled. “From, y'know. Years ago.”
Jacob chuckled. “Yeah, girl. I cleaned the seat.”
“...it’s gonna need another wash.” She could feel his heartbeat thrumming against hers, and let out a long, content sigh. “God, this… I needed this.”
“I can tell.” His fingers traced patterns along her spine. “You haven’t slapped me.”
“I’m sorry for that,” she mumbled, kissing his collarbone.
Jacob carefully stroked through her messed-up hair, his other hand slipping below her jaw to tilt her head up. “I know. Just, next time you do it, I’m gonna spank you.”
Dita’s cheeks burned. “Is that meant to be a way of dissuading me?” she asked with a smile.
Jacob kissed her. “If you’re looking to get bent over my knee, sweetheart, you don’t need to misbehave, remember?”
Dita did remember, especially the first time he’d ever spanked her for fun, and she couldn’t help the way she squeezed around him. Jacob smirked, running a hand down her thigh.
“I should clean you up,” he murmured. “Since last time I fucked you in this truck I made you cum five times.”
Five-
Dita cleared her throat. “In that case, you owe me another four, honey.”
“Mmm.” His hips rolled against hers. “You don’t mind waiting, do ya? I like bein’ in you like this. Nothing needing doing. Nobody callin’ for us.”
Dita’s lashes fluttered briefly and she nodded, tracing her fingers over his shoulders. “God, yeah. How did three weeks seem to last so long?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Mmm. Nothing stopping us doing this every night, though, now that the truck works.”
“Oh, don’t tempt me,” Dita groaned.
“Temptation is a sin,” Jacob pointed out.
Her brow rose. “Like lust?”
“Mhmm.” Those pale eyes were fixed on her.
“...so it wasn’t lust?” Dita asked. “After the Reaping started, all the times we were…”
Jacob’s thumb was rubbing along her shoulder. His eyes never left her. “Nope.”
Dita’s heart fluttered. “Jesus christ, Jacob,” she whispered, “you really fell in love with me then and there.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “Turned out pretty well for me.”
Dita groaned. “Fuck. I love you.”
He kissed her, hot and heavy and leaving her panting. “Say it again.”
“I love you,” she repeated, cupping his face. “I love you, Jacob.”
“I love you too.” He brushed some stray hair out of her eyes. “Don’t have a clue what’s coming next. But I’ve got what I need. Got you. Got my family.”
That fluttering sensation in her chest again. Dita kissed him this time, her eyes shutting, and when she opened them again she brushed her thumb over his beard. “I do too. I have everything I could want.”
He leaned up to kiss the top of her head. Letting out a soft, contented sigh, Dita curled into him, her head over his heart.