When I had finished eating three out of the four steaks that Blake had brought over, I felt a lot better and a lot more myself. In fact, I felt great!

The constant cold feeling that had been under my skin for two days now felt warm and it pleasantly tingled. My body felt alive and vibrant and when Conner helped my down from the counter top, I noticed that once again my skin was so sensitive and came alive at his touch. I was positively panting by the time that my feet touched the floor. My libido had come alive and was now begging to be sated.

So much so, that before I could stop myself; I stretched up on to my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck and then placed a soft lingering kiss to the closest part to his face that I could reach, which just so happened to be the crook of his neck. His comforting scent enveloping me and fuelling the fire deep within my body.

Conner froze. His body, stood so still for so long that I started to second guess the show of affection that I had just displayed. In all my life I'd never put myself out there like that before and it was seriously scary stuff. I'd never made the first move. The meat in my stomach churned uneasily as his rejection resonated through me.

Releasing my arms from him and removing my lips from his neck. I took a tentative step back. Embarrassment burning me alive from the inside out.

"Agnes-" His voice husky as he trailed off. But what surprised me was the use of my name. Instead of the cute little nicknames that he usually called me. He called my Agnes. Oh boy, this was a mistake.

"I'm, I'm sorry I-"

I had no idea what I was apologising for but it just felt appropriate. It didn't matter why, because I didn't get to finish my apology. Before another word left my mouth Conner's strong hands were grabbing my face and his lips were crashing against mine in a fevered kiss that not just destroyed my soul but also rebuilt it in the same instance.

His hands slid under the fabric of his shirt that I was still wearing to my hips, gripping the bare skin as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He backed me up until my back pressed up against the refrigerator where he picked me up by my thighs and wrapped my legs tightly around him. The cold of the metal made me gasp from the contact to my exposed skin. Giving his tongue the full access to my mouth it desired. The position also gave me more leverage to kiss him back with the same ferocity as he was kissing me. Throwing gasoline on an already burning inferno.

My hands tangled in to his shaggy dark red hair gently pulling on the strands as his kneaded the globes of my ass, grinding my core against his hardness and generating sweet, sweet friction that had us both growling in pleasure.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea" Blake interrupted us. Conner pressed his forehead against mine, both of us panting and staring in to each others eyes unblinking. Conner's liquid silver eyes didn't leave mine as he answered him.

"I think it's a fan-fucking-tastic idea" and I whimpered and melted as he ground his hips against me once again. The deep smirk on his face spoke of so much carnal promise that an involuntary shudder radiated through my body.

I thought it was a fan-fucking-tastic idea too. But I didn't say anything, I probably couldn't even if I wanted to. He had literally stolen my breath away.

"Well you would, how about you stop thinking with your dick and come in to the living room and watch the latest on the news"

"No thanks, man. As tempting as that offer is, there's another room I wouldn't mind visiting first and your interrupting ass will not be in it" He leaned back in pressing his lips against mine, picking up where we had just left off. Except, this time, his kisses were softer, more languorous. They made my toes curl.

"She may be infectious" Blake blurted out. Killing the mood in an instant.

He may as well have thrown a bucket of ice cold water over us. No one wants to be told that the half naked girl they're making out with may be infectious!

He better be speaking the truth or I will rip his nut sack off.

Luckily Conner took the revelation quite well and didn't drop me on my bare ass and run like most people would have. Instead, he lowered me to my feet and tucked me back into his side with his arm around my shoulder. He seemed to be taking on this protective stance more and more over the past few days and I couldn't help but wonder what it could possibly mean. I also really liked it.

With a past like mine, I could probably count on one hand all of the people that had cared enough to protect me. I wasn't used to it and the emotion of it all made me shy. I gripped his t-shirt in my hands and buried my nose in to his chest. Conner pulled me tighter against him.

"Ok, you have my attention" He waited patiently for Blake to carry on but he didn't he just turned and walked back into the living room where Jay was waiting. Seeing as he left us with no choice we obediently followed behind him quietly.

When we walked into the room, Jay's eyes took in our appearance and closeness of which we were stood. Raising his brows, he didn't say anything but there was some emotion hiding behind his eyes, I just couldn't tell what it was. Guilt flooded my chest. I really liked Jay too. Just as much as Conner but I had no idea what to do about it or about them. I felt a connection to both men but above all that they were best friends and I couldn't be the thing that came between them.

My mind resolute. I pulled away from Conner and curled up at the very far end of the couch earning me a raised eyebrow from all three men!

"What?!" I questioned, my voice raising an octave higher than was natural to be nonchalant.

"Nothing" they all said in unison shaking their heads with the same infuriating smirk on their faces. I had no idea what was running through their heads but I had a feeling that if I did, I would be calling them all bastards.

She looked so tiny curled in to the end of the sofa, trying her hardest to keep as far a way as possible from us as she could. She was so damn cute.

I knew exactly why she pulled away from me when we entered the room. I saw the look in Jay's eyes and felt the change in her posture when she did too. We all knew that he liked her. He's made no secret of that fact and it was obvious that she liked him too. But I don't feel jealous or threatened. After all, she likes me too.

The way she had reacted to me in the kitchen only moments ago let me know exactly how she felt about me. I know she enjoyed my body pressing in to hers, my hands grabbing her plump ass, her chest rubbing against mine. Fuck! I was making myself hard again.

Lets also not forget that she kissed me first.

Jay and I'd had previous conversations over sharing a girl before but due to the lack of contenders, the conversation had been shelved for a while now. Only now being brought up when we were drinking as a joke.

Maybe it was time for us to have a few drinks?

Blake unmuted the TV dragging me from my reverie, the news anchor bringing my attention to the latest story.

The government has issued a new warning to the public today that the pathogen that was released does not only affect the mental function of it's victims, but also affects the victim on a cellular level, making them become a weapon by proxy. The victims then become the pathogen and are able transmit the unknown chemical through the exchange of bodily fluids. The most common way being currently reported is by bite.

If you have been infected or know someone who has, isolate them immediately and call the hotline number showing at the bottom of the screen. Do not try and approach them and do not try seeking medical attention. The military will respond to all reported cases to take the infected to a specialist medical base that has been set up out side of every major city in the country until a cure can be found. Helping to keep the pathogen contained is now in the publics best interest for it's survival. So please, report even suspected cases. A simple blood test will determine if a person has been infected.

It is still unclear who is responsible for the attack but government officials say they're very close to finding the terrorists behind the biggest orchestrated attack in human history.

"Fuck-!" was the only word that was uttered in the room and funnily enough, it came from the only woman.

"I love your filthy mouth" I aimed at her, throwing in my infamous wink for good measure. She gasped before pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth. Heat blazing from her beautiful blue eyes. I could tell she was replaying our recent kiss through her mind which had me smirking.

"Do you think we should isolate her?" Fucking hell, Blake! I shook my head at not just his second intrusion of the day but to his fucking insensitivity. What the hell was his problem with Agnes?! I could have sworn that I had seen interest in his eyes earlier.

"You think I'm one of them?!" Agnes squeaked in disbelief while pointing a shaking hand towards the TV.

"Aren't you?" Blake deadpanned "You died in the attack and then came back" her mouth dropped open, unable to respond.

"Dude! You've seen the footage" Jay jumped in like the knight in shining armour he was "Those things were no longer human. They were mindless zombies ripping through anything and everything in their path! The reporter said that they were like that from the moment they came back to life! You, can't tell me you think she's one of them!"

He was right. I'd seen the footage myself. It was brutal and really hard to watch, even with the gory bits censored out. The vacant look in their eyes was terrifying as was the way they tore through anything that stood in their way, regardless of it being a threat to them. They had no self preservation and showed no remorse. Just an insatiable need to destroy anything living.

Agnes. She was not like that in the slightest. Despite her lack of a heartbeat, she was very much alive. She laughed, she cursed and she most definitely lusted. She was not one of the monsters we had seen on the news report. I had felt the life radiating from her as I pressed her up against that damn refrigerator and ground myself into her. And since she'd eaten she was warmer to the touch and that hot as fuck blush was back. Unless you had an ear to her chest, you would never even know there was anything different about her.

"It's just a blood test" Blake continued "If we called the number, they'd come and test her and make sure she wasn't infected and then if she's clear, no harm done" he shrugged it off as if it was that easy. But it wasn't

Along with the footage of the carnage that these monsters were creating, was also footage of the military rounding them up for isolation in their so called medical facility to try and cure. The way they cleared the streets left no doubt that they didn't care for the wellbeing of the inflicted at all. It was more about eradication rather than containment. They used water cannons, bull bars and even guns in their clearing methods.

I had no doubt that if we alerted them of Agnes, they would tear through here like a tornado and she will never be heard of again. The thing with Agnes though, she was different. She was obviously infected but not in the same way. It was almost like she was immune, caught between life and death. And if I was the government, this would be very interesting to me. They would rip her apart with tests to either find a cure or maybe even weaponize her. I can be a bit of conspiracy theorist but right now, anything was possible.

"No one is calling that hotline" I interjected "You saw how the government treated the infected. What if the test came back positive? Does she deserve to be treated like they were?"

Blake blanched thinking through what I had just said. He knew I was right. She didn't deserve any of that.

"What are we going to do?" Agnes whispered, her voice shaking and broken. She's so close to falling to pieces, we all could see it. She'd been putting on a brave face since we found her in the bathroom and the control on her emotions were getting weaker by the hour. Blake's bluntness seriously wasn't helping the situation.

Jay knelt on the floor by her feet taking her hands in his. Her rapid breathing nearly pushing her into a panic attack.

"Shhh, it's ok, beautiful" he lifted his hand tucked her fallen hair behind her ear. "We'll figure something out. I don't know what yet but whatever we do, we'll do it together. You're not alone in this Agnes. Do you hear me?"

She let out a breath and rested her forehead against his, easily taking his warmth and comfort

"That's my girl, just take deep breaths. Everything's going to be ok. I'm here. We're here." he cajoled.

"Look-" Blake started, guilt written all over his face. He obviously regretted the emotional rollercoaster he had just put Agnes through. "I'm sorry. I'm jumping the gun here. It's early days and everything is still so panicked and scary as hell. You guys are right. She's not like them, not at all and the best thing to do would be to hide out and keep her hidden until we know what is actually happening here and in the world".

The relief in Agnes's face was instantaneous. Blake's words had put her fears at ease, for now at least.

"You've had a rough couple of days" He continued "And from what I've heard you've had no time to relax and process everything. Between the three of us we can make sure that someone is always here for you if you need us."

My heart wrenched when tears filled her eyes. I could tell she wasn't used to having people around her. A support system. A family. And that broke my fucking heart.

I made my way over to her, the urge to hold her strong within me. Sitting next to her, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her head to rest on my chest. She came easily but still kept her grip on Jay's hands in her lap.

Jay's green eyes flicked up to meet mine. The emotion swirling within them had me transfixed and my insides belly flopped. This girl brought something out in all of us and the dynamic of our small group was shifting. It was turning into something new, exciting and scary as hell.

I gave Jay my trademark wink making him chuckle and lightening the heavy mood in the room.

"How about I run you a nice hot bubble bath, seeing as we interrupted yours yesterday" A mortified look crossed her face as Jay snickered. I was pretty sure I was missing something here so I made a mental note to try and get it out of Jay later. It seems we had a lot to talk about.

"and then when you get out I'll make you a hot drink. How does that sound?"

She nodded eagerly

"That sounds like heaven, thank you"

"Anything for you, Red" I kissed her forehead before raising to me feet. I was about to head out of the room when her small voice stopped me.

"We shouldn't do that anymore. I couldn't live with myself if I infected you. Any of you" She gestured with her hand around the room at us all.

Yes, it was true she was infected. But was she infectious? From the kiss we shared earlier, I was pretty sure of the answer to that. With how deep my tongue was down her throat, if she was infectious, I would be ripping out my best friends throats by now.

Pretty sure of myself. I took the step back towards her and bending at the waist, I pinched her chin between my thumb and forefinger bringing her luscious lips to mine. The kiss was quick, soft and gentle but had the desired affect. Her body relaxed and a moan echoed in her throat.

As I pulled away, I turned my eyes towards Jay who was staring intently at Agnes and I. He'd had a front row seat to the panty melting kiss that I had just landed on her sweet mouth and he was clearly affected by the tent in his pants. The sight emboldened me.

I shrugged a shoulder before leaning across, grabbing the back of his head and repeating the exact same kiss that I had just given to Agnes. The taste of him making me groan this time.

I pulled away to see the stunned face of my best friend. Thankfully he didn't look mad.

"We'll talk about this later" I said looking between Agnes and Jay. He just nodded, still looking shocked. I turned on my heal and made strides to towards the bathroom. Happy that I had now made my intentions clear to Jay. I was willing to share if he was.

Blake's shit eating grin didn't go unnoticed when I passed him.

"Fucking hell, that was hot!" Agnes exclaimed as I left the room making laughter erupt from all of us. I was glad she thought so because I planned on doing that again and soon.

I strolled into the bathroom. Set the bath running. Then picked up her box of toiletries that I had dropped to the floor yesterday. Digging through it's contents, I found her shampoo and body wash, as well as a large jar of pomegranate bath salts. Flipping the lid, I inhaled the fruity scent before pouring a couple of scoops into the tub, tainting the clear water a soft pink colour. I must admit, it looked inviting. I wonder if she'd let me join her? My dick twitched at the thought.

"Tub's ready" I stated as I strolled back into the room.

I watched enamoured as Jay pulled her slight frame up from the couch by her hands.

"Let me know if you need help washing any hard to reach areas" I quipped hopefully as she passed earning me a raised eyebrow and a quick "fuck you".

Even though there was no venom behind it, I couldn't help myself as my hand shot out spanking her on her bare ass cheek. She yelped before running out of the room giggling.

I chuckled to myself as I walked deeper into the room and took up her place on the sofa next to Jay who was no longer on the floor.

The room stayed silent until we heard the tell tale click of the bathroom door.

Just as I thought he would. Jay spoke first.

"Fucking hell, Conner! What the hell was that?!"

I laughed

"That was me, opening up the lines of communication"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jay asked confused before realisation spread across his striking face. "The pact-" he whispered to no one but himself.

"Yup!" I stated "I want to bring that conversation back to the table and I want us to do it with her" I gestured with my hands in the direction of the bathroom.

"I don't think she'd be into that" he said cautiously.

"This isn't about whether she'd be into that, yet. That will come later. This is a conversation about if you'd be into that." I pointed my finger over to him now. "I know we have talked about it loosely in the past but there was never anyone of interest. Until now-"

Jay's head swung towards the bathroom before looking back over to me again.

He repeated the action two more times before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Conner, I'd-"

A loud pounding came from the apartment door, cutting off Jay's words.

"Who the hell could that be?" Blake quizzed, getting up from his perch and heading to the door. Me and Jay following closely on his heals.