One of the people around the fire coughed, sounding as if they had a chest cold.

She shook her head. Not worth the risk until they knew something for sure. A cough could be a symptom of living outdoors for too long. The nights got pretty cold. Or the cough could be a symptom of the virus they knew little to nothing about.

"What's on the menu tonight?" the man in the blue shirt asked.

"Soup. I'll add it to the pot once the water boils," a girl said, reaching into a bag Sara hadn't noticed. It looked at least half empty. She couldn't be carrying much in it. Sara wondered if it had been full when the woman had started out into the woods. How long had they been there, and how much longer were they planning on staying in the area?

"Again? I'm sick of soup." The girl who'd coughed earlier sniffled and wiped a filthy hand across her nose.

"It's soup or nothing."

"It doesn't have to be. Let's head to the city. I'm sure we can get in."

"The military won't have the city out of quarantine yet. If we're going anywhere, let's head away from civilization."

The girl with the cough stayed quiet while the others spoke.

The man who'd fetched the water took a swig out of a bottle of some amber-colored liquor. "I'm not going to any city until they get a vaccine or a cure, or at the very least, a treatment. I don't feel like dying anytime soon."

The girl tending their meal dumped a package of freeze-dried soup mix into the pot, and stirred. "I think we should go to the emergency station they set up at the border. They said no one is sick in Canada yet since the ships hadn't come into port there. We could get to the station, do our two weeks in quarantine then go across the border."

The man with the bottle took another long pull of his drink. "I don't want to live under someone else's house rules for two weeks. Listening to them tell me what I can and can't do and when. Nope. I'm going to take my chances out here, where I'm free."

"Well, I'm not. We'll starve out here once this food runs out, which won't be much longer. So unless you come up with a better plan, I'm heading north tomorrow. Anyone who wants to join me can."

"Why would I submit to their rules when even the CDC says you only have to be careful if someone with the virus bleeds or gets other bodily fluids on you? As long as we don't meet anyone else on our travels, there's no reason any of us should have to sit around in quarantine."

"It's for everyone's protection, not your comfort."

"Exactly. I'm staying far away. It might not be luxurious out here, but at least I'm still my own man, and I'll do what I want when I want." As if to prove his point, he tipped his bottle again, draining it.

The other two people didn't make their intentions clear either way, leaving Sara to wonder whether or not they'd still be out here in a few days if she and Dane came to hunt again. Maybe they'd have to find some other area to hunt in so they could keep their distance from the others.

Dane nudged her arm and signaled to return the way they'd come. When they were far enough away not to be heard, Dane spoke. "Best not to stick around here, with the amount of whiskey he downed."

"Did you hear them? The city is quarantined? How is it possible to quarantine New York City?"

"Manhattan is an island, so it would be rather easy to contain everyone." Dane pulled his bow off his shoulders and readied an arrow, scanning the area while they walked.

"What if my family didn't make it out of the city? They could still be stuck in there with a bunch of sick people."

Dane's voice was gentle and kind. "They might be the sick people."

Sara shook her head and bit her bottom lip, fighting against tears of the unknown pooling in her eyes. No. Her family was not sick. They were not in the city. They couldn't be.

Dane raised his bow, taking sight on something Sara couldn't even see. She waited, standing as still as possible so as not to scare their dinner away. A moment later, he let the arrow fly, and a scurry in the underbrush a few yards away came to an abrupt silence. Dane strode off to collect his kill, and she fell into her thoughts again.

Maybe her family hadn't made it all the way to the bunker, but the first thing on their list of plans was to get out of the city. No way were they in the quarantine zone, which meant they were somewhere between home and the bunker.

It seemed more probable than ever they'd made it to their Plan B location.

And if her family was there, then she wanted to be there, too. But could she convince Dane to come with her?

Dane took his last bite and set the bowl aside, leaning against the semi-comfortable futon in what they considered a living room. He'd managed to score a rabbit on the way to the bunker and added a few cans of veggies and stock to the pot to cook. A rich, savory stew resulted. It tasted like the home-cooked comfort meal they both needed.

Sara finished hers and took both bowls to the makeshift sink for a quick wash. When she returned to sit beside him on the futon, he pulled her onto his lap instead. She shrieked and giggled as she feigned protest. He could already see her nipples beading in antic.i.p.ation beneath her thin tank top and knew he had the green light to continue.

She didn't protest long. Instead, she pressed her mouth to his, her tongue slipping past his lips, finding his, and tangling with it. Sara tasted amazing. It was almost as if he could smell the sunlight on her skin even though she'd worn her protective suit. She reminded him of a lazy summer day, and he longed for those times again.

He kissed a trail down her neck as she groaned and let her head fall to the side. When he reached the hollow between her collarbone and her shoulder, he licked her skin, and she squirmed against the sensation.

If she would let him explore her body for the rest of eternity, he'd never want for anything again. He was pretty d.a.m.ned satisfied already. What more could he ask for in life than a full stomach and Sara in his lap?

"I think the fresh red meat went straight to your brain," she teased, slipping her hand between their bodies to rub the length of hardness still trapped in his jeans.

"That's not my brain, darlin'."

"True, but it is the part of your body doing the thinking at the moment." She laughed, and the vibration made him strain against his pants even more.

"Maybe you need an anatomy lesson." He'd be happy to give her one. In explicit detail.

"Only if it's a hands-on cla.s.s."

He laughed with her this time. "Is there any other kind?" Pulling off her tank top, he took in the sight of her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "You are more irresistible every time I see you."

"Unlikely."

Dane had known Sara for a month, and in that time, she'd changed his life in immeasurable ways-one of which was ruining him for any other woman. He couldn't imagine being with anyone else since he'd been with her. They moved in unison like they were pieces of the same ent.i.ty.

Sara went up on her knees, allowing him better access to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He palmed one, caressing the bud while his mouth went to work on the other, suckling and licking until she quivered. She raked her fingers through his hair then down his back and shoulders.

Having had enough chitchat for one night, he twisted, taking Sara with him until she lay on the futon. He hovered over her, taking in the sight he'd never tire of. She looked so beautiful lying there, her hair sprawled out behind her, her eyes half-lidded, her mouth parted and tempting him with the thought of more kisses.

He stood long enough to pull off her cargo pants as well as his clothes and grabbed a condom from his pocket. He'd gotten used to carrying a few with him at all times. If she hadn't mentioned being in the middle of her cycle, he would have skipped one altogether and h.o.a.rded it along with the rest of their limited supply. This time, the threat of a baby was bigger than the threat of running out of condoms.

The bunker offered little entertainment. A man could only read so many spy thrillers. Luckily, Sara tended to be as bored as he was-and willing to do whatever it took to pa.s.s the time. They'd cured their boredom in every square inch of this bunker over the course of the last two weeks.

"Come down here to me." She reached for him.

The look in her eye, the gentleness of her voice, the silkiness of her skin-he'd miss all of it if she ever left him, for any reason. When they'd ventured outside the bunker earlier, he'd been worried something bad would happen. Fear had almost paralyzed him when they'd spied on the strangers around the fire. He couldn't lose her. No matter what else they had to deal with, he'd manage, as long as he had Sara.

Dane pulled her across the futon so her legs were wrapped around his waist. She tugged on his shoulders, lowering him, but he paused. He traced the outline of her lips, nose, ear, and jaw before letting his hand dip down to her breast.

"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." His voice softened more than he'd expected. But she had that effect on him sometimes. She made him feel things so intense, he could barely force the words out of his mouth.

"You're not going to lose me." She whispered the words, as if they had to fear being overheard even though they were alone in the bunker.

"I hope you're right. At least I have you here tonight, right where I want you."

"Then what are you waiting for? Do what you will with me."

Dane pressed into her as her legs tightened around his waist, holding him. He sighed and let his head fall forward onto her shoulder while he absorbed her heat around him. He ached for her d.a.m.n near all the time, and when he got her, it seemed as if he'd come home after a long, cold winter in the wilderness. She was always warm and satisfying on his most primal level. Being with Sara was nothing short of incredible.

She tilted her hips, encouraging him to pick up his pace. He didn't deny her, finding his rhythm. Moving her hips beneath him, they connected deeper and deeper, their labored breathing becoming louder, shorter, harder.

Sara arched her back and scratched her nails down his chest as she called out his name in a breathy voice. The sound of her reaching her breaking point pushed him over the edge. Tremors vibrated through his body, leaving him spent and satiated.

Dane collapsed on the futon beside her, gathering her in his arms, her body spooned against his chest. His breathing slowed, and all the tension from the day vanished in a puff of post-s.e.x endorphins.

Not a religious man, he didn't know if heaven existed or not, but if it did, he believed it must give you a feeling like the one he experienced with Sara.

"Why did you sound so worried about losing me earlier?" Sara asked, snuggling deeper into his side.

"Because we went out there for no good reason. Dangerous and not our best decision-making thus far, don't you think?"

"But we were fine. And safe in our gear. Nothing bad happened."

He shrugged. "I'd feel a lot safer if you didn't make us go outside anymore. We have everything we could need right here."

"We don't have everything." She turned in his arms to meet his gaze. "My family is still out there somewhere. I have to find them."

His arms tightened around her, wanting to protect her against everything, including her own bad judgment. If she was suggesting what he feared, they were going to have a big problem because he could not let her out of this bunker again unless the place threatened to burn down.

Chapter Sixteen.

Sara glared at Dane from across her bowl of oatmeal. After the amazing s.e.xy time they'd had the night before, he'd shut down at the mention of wanting to find her family. He'd barely spoken to her since. And there hadn't been an encore presentation like usual.

"Ready to deal with it yet?" she asked. She didn't want to talk about it either, but sitting around playing the silent-treatment game wouldn't do them any good. Better to air out their grievances.

"I don't understand why you want to leave something you worked so hard to get."

"I don't want to leave. I have to leave. Don't you see the difference?"

He shook his head. "Either way, you're saying going out there and risking what you have in here is worth it, when I don't agree."

"You don't agree finding my family is important enough for me to risk my comfort?" Shocked didn't begin to encompa.s.s what she felt. "I can't forget they exist. And now I know the world hasn't completely collapsed while we've been in here. I have to go find them."

"I thought the plan was to get here. Stay here." Dane smacked his hand on the table, making the dishes jump and their coffees spill.

"It was. But we were supposed to be here together, with my family, and we aren't. I have to find them. They would look for me."

"Where are you planning on looking for your family first? That cl.u.s.ter of forest, or the other? Or maybe you want to go looking for their cars on the highway. Sounds like a fun way to get yourself shot by scavengers."

Sara couldn't stop the annoyance creeping up her spine. Dane didn't give her any credit. He thought he always knew better than she did in every situation. Well, look at where that had landed him-right in the middle of a group of angry men who had been intent on taking them both out. It had been Sara who'd saved him. Yet he spoke to her like she was a child incapable of taking care of herself.

"I won't get shot, and I'm not looking for a needle in a haystack. This," she said, motioning to the bunker, "wasn't the only investment we made in our futures. We had plans, then more plans, then backup plans beyond those."

"So, you really think you know where your family might be?"

"Yes. If they didn't make it here, then they went to our Plan B location." Her confidence grew.

"And if they didn't make it to Plan B, wherever the h.e.l.l that is?" he asked.

"Then they made it to Plan C," she said, matter-of-factly.

Dane crossed his arms. "How many plans are there?"

"Enough that my family will survive where others will fail." She lounged in her chair and copied his pose. If he wanted to act like a hard-a.s.s, then so could she.

"No. It's too risky. Too many variables. Too many unknowns."

Did he just say no, as if he's my keeper?

"Your family wouldn't want you to compromise your safety by going on a wild goose chase. Especially when there's a chance you could search all the locations and still never find them."

"I'll find them." Sara walked out of the room. Her emotions were one step away from being out of control. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with Dane, but he was being so d.a.m.n ridiculous. How could he expect she would be content to wait around for her family to show up when they could be out there in trouble, hurt...needing her?

Sara stood in front of a large landscape picture hanging on the wall. It simulated the feeling of looking through a window at the outdoors. At the moment it showed a winter landscape with a clear blue sky and sun twinkling off the frosty crust on the snow-covered ground. A poor simulation compared to the late summer sunshine they'd experienced for real the day before.

Dane wrapped his arms around her, and she cuddled into his chest. She might be annoyed with him, but it didn't stop her from craving his touch every chance she got. She didn't know if their feelings for each other had grown so intense because they were all each other had, but regardless, she needed to feel Dane's strength around her like she needed oxygen.

"Stay here with me," Dane whispered.

Here with him? Is he planning to stay in the bunker if I leave?

"What do you mean? Won't you come with me to look for my family?" Sara turned in his arms to face him, her hands resting on his chest. She resisted the urge to trace the sculpted ridges of his pectoral muscles. She always liked those the best.

Dane sighed. "I can't support you leaving here." He kissed her and her mouth parted for him despite her frustrations. "I want you to stay, here, where I can keep you safe."

Sara stepped away from him. She shook her head. "I don't need you to keep me safe. And I'm not going to force you into doing anything. But if I go, you can't stay here."

"An ultimatum? Come with me or get out?" His voice sounded harsh.

"No, it's a fact. You can't stay here without me. If my family arrives while I'm gone, and they find you inside, eating our food, using our supplies.... It'll be bad."

"I'll tell them where you are, and it'll be fine. Don't worry."

He didn't get it. Her family didn't think like everyone else. They'd done all this work prepping and planning, and they wouldn't even consider listening to Dane long enough to find out his story.

"If they find you here, they will shoot you. Don't you understand? They won't have a drink while you explain our history and how you found the bunker. If they don't see me, you will be an intruder and they will protect what's ours. No, you're either coming with me or you're on your own, but you're not staying here."