"No one is going to take what I have. It's not the Wild West out here."

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. People who are desperate enough will pillage everything in their path if they think it will save them."

"We're not exactly in the end of days, you know? I don't expect to see villagers with pitchforks come through here on a supply hunt." He laughed. She was a little ridiculous.

"I do. And those two guys who came sniffing around here the other day? They know you have at least one gun, and I bet they're smart enough to figure out that where there's one, there's probably more. You're officially a target."

"For those two jokers? No way."

Her gaze penetrated into him questioningly. "Why are you so set on staying here?"

He met her look straight on. "Why are you so set on leaving?"

"Because I have family waiting for me." She sounded as if she choked on the words.

"I don't. This cabin-my sister's cabin-is the closest I will ever be to her. When I'm here, I feel like she's here with me."

"Don't you have parents you need to worry about? Isn't there somewhere else you could go so you're not alone to defend this place on your own?"

"No. I don't."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice quiet. "I didn't realize your family was all gone."

"Well now you know, but I still don't know what you're leaving for."

"And I still can't tell you."

"Why?" he challenged.

"Because you're not allowed to come with me. No one is. I'm supposed to go alone. It's the deal. The plan. I can't risk the safety of my family by telling you."

Dane grabbed their dishes and took them to the sink. He needed to be away from Sara for a few minutes while his temper calmed. He couldn't believe what she'd implied with that statement.

He washed the dishes in the sink he'd filled earlier when he'd run the generator, not caring the water was cold. It would work well enough and he didn't have the patience to boil water to clean two bowls.

"I'm sorry," she said, coming up behind him. Her touch on his back was gentle. Much gentler than her words had been.

"You're sorry you can't tell me where you're going, or you're sorry you insinuated I'm a risk to your family. Like I'm some kind of threat to you. Nice. I open my home to you and this is what I get in return."

"I wasn't implying that at all. It's a general rule we decided on as a family. If your family asked you to do something, would you go against them?"

"I don't have a family anymore, so it's a little hard for me to answer that question. If they were still around, they'd probably tell me I was stupid for offering my home, my food, and my weapons to some strange girl I found in the woods. The difference between you and me is, I wouldn't have listened to them and left you out there. I would have still acted the way I knew was right instead of the way they told me to in some made-up doomsday scenario."

"You're determined to stay in this stupid cabin forever. Why do you even care where I go? You wouldn't come with me anyway, so what difference does it make?" She threw her hands in the air and walked out of the kitchen.

He tossed his dishtowel onto the counter and went after her, grabbing her by the arm and spinning her around to face him. "The difference is that I trusted you these last couple of days and you can't be bothered to offer me the same courtesy. Even knowing I have no desire to tag along, you still won't tell me your big secret. Well, guess what? I don't give a s.h.i.t where you go or if you get yourself killed along the way. From now on, it's your business, not mine."

Sara sucked in a sharp breath as if she'd been slapped. He turned and stalked to his bedroom, slamming his door behind him like a petulant child-but not quick enough to block out the sound of Sara breaking down into tears.

Chapter Eight.

Dane paced until he couldn't pace any longer. The silence coming from the living room was unnerving. Was she still out there? Had she left? He hadn't heard the front door open, but that didn't mean she couldn't have gone quietly. And what if she had gone? His last words to her had been that he didn't care if she lived or died.

That wasn't true. He cared a h.e.l.l of a lot more about her than that. More than he should.

d.a.m.n it.

He had to fix things. Even if she was leaving in the morning, never for him to lay eyes on again, he had to clear the air between them.

Pulling open the door, he set his shoulders and his resolve, then strode down the hall in search of Sara. He didn't have to look far. She sat cuddled into the corner of the couch with a blanket across her lap, staring at the fire. If she heard him, she didn't pay him any attention as he wandered into the kitchen, scrounged around for what he hoped would help, then went back to the living room.

When he sat on the couch beside her, he handed her a gla.s.s of red wine and a bar of milk chocolate. "It's not flowers and a card that says I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do, and I am."

"Thank you," she said, accepting his offering. When she did, a picture of Tasha slipped off her lap. He grabbed it before it could fall to the ground and stared at it, his thumb brushing over the surface.

She'd looked so pretty in that picture. It had been taken down by the lake on a sunny afternoon after swimming and a cookout; she'd been so alive. It was still hard for him to believe she was really gone.

"I shouldn't have touched your picture. I just like looking at her. She reminds me of my sister Sue and my brother Josh. I miss them so much right now. I can't imagine how this must feel for you."

"I've been better. But it could always be worse."

"I'm not sure how. The power is out. Communication systems are down. And last we heard, a pandemic had sprung up from nowhere. Seems pretty awful to me."

He drank his wine and broke off a piece of the chocolate, savoring the taste. Who knew when they'd ever get to have this again?

"I'm so scared. I hate not knowing what's going on out there. I hate not knowing if my family is okay. I shouldn't have taken all of my worries and fears out on you. I'm sorry." Her voice broke on the last word as more tears ran down her cheeks.

"I'm scared too." He hated to admit it and look like a baby, but it was true. "Neither one of us knows what's going to happen next. We don't know what's going to happen when you leave and we don't know what will happen when I stay. But tonight, we know we're warm, and safe and fed. If nothing else, we have this moment right here, right now to enjoy."

Sara sipped her wine and nibbled on another square of chocolate. He was right. Again.

They didn't know what would happen in the future. h.e.l.l, they didn't even know if there was a future to look forward to at this point. So why shouldn't they enjoy the moments like this one while they could? Moments when they were safe, warm, fed, and comfortable. They might not get many more nights like this if things kept getting worse, as they seemed to be. Best to savor the time while they had it instead of squandering it away with fights.

At this point, she didn't even know what future awaited her at the bunker. Would she live with her family for the rest of their lives, never to interact with people from the outside world again? That's sort of what they wanted, wasn't it? Wasn't that why they hadn't told anyone about the bunker, because they couldn't trust anyone?

What if this was her last night on her own? It might be her last night to live her life however she wanted to before she had to start making group decisions with her family.

"You're right." She polished off the last of her wine in a big gulp. Her head already swirled with the effects of the alcohol. She'd always been a lightweight when it came to getting drunk. Tonight would be no different. Good thing she'd planned to stop at one. She had other plans for the rest of the night.

"Right about what exactly? I said a bunch of stuff."

She put her winegla.s.s on the floor and took his hand in hers. "You were right about enjoying this moment we have tonight since we don't know what the future holds, or even if we have a future."

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" He smiled, squeezing her hand.

"Yes. And then some."

Sara took the winegla.s.s from his hand and set it down next to hers, then straddled his lap, resting her hands on his chest. She pressed her mouth to his, delighting in the surprise on his face.

She wasn't a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of girl, but for once she was going to do just that, since she didn't know if she'd have wind to be cautious of later on. Tonight, she'd live by her feelings. Tomorrow she'd go back to surviving.

"I want to enjoy this moment, right here, right now, with you. Just for a few minutes, I want to stop being afraid and feel something else. Something good. Something happy. I want to feel that something with you."

Sara kissed him again, harder, demanding more from him. He eagerly reciprocated, snaking his hand up her back to tangle in her hair. His other hand wrapped securely around her waist, anchoring her to his lap.

Her body settled on top of his, melting against the desire she felt hardening under her. He trailed kisses down her neck then nibbled on her shoulder for a moment before pulling the strap of her shirt and bra to the side and making his way with kisses down to the rise of her chest.

Dane cupped her breast, finding the tight bead of her nipple even through the layers of clothing. She arched into him, unable to stop the reaction of her body wanting more.

Tomorrow might never come, but they still had the night, and she wasn't going to waste another second of it.

Climbing off his lap, she pulled him from the couch to the bedroom. He willingly followed, drawing her into his arms at the edge of the bed. She tugged at his pants roughly, barely caring if they were even undone before pushing them down his legs. As he discarded his shirt, she stroked his length, appreciating his manliness, all his naked glory.

And he was spectacular.

She'd been with a few guys before. But none of them had looked like Dane. He was a fine specimen of testosterone and muscle. She'd been telling herself to stop thinking about what it would feel like to touch him, to see him like this, to experience him.... but she didn't have to stop herself anymore.

He groaned at her touch, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back. By learning to use different weapons, she'd felt more powerful in the last two days than she ever had before. But this moment, being in control of Dane's pleasure, made her feel like the most powerful woman in the world.

A moment later he planted a kiss on her lips, a kiss so filled with l.u.s.t and desire it took her breath. She gasped air back into her lungs when he let her go to yank her tank top over her head and her pants to the floor. He found the clasp on the back of her bra like he was an expert in the field of bra removal, and within seconds she stood before him naked, feeling exposed and completely aroused.

Dane pressed her back into the bed, covering her body with kisses, using his tongue and teeth to elicit a steady stream of murmurs from her. He kissed her everywhere, starting with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, teasing her nipples into painfully tight beads before moving south. At her belly b.u.t.ton, he dipped his tongue inside and she squirmed at the strange sensation. When he reached her center, her body quivered beneath him, unable to control the waves cresting deep in her belly.

She called his name and clawed at the bed sheets, clenching them into her fists as he pushed her over the edge of desire. He sheathed his length then settled between her legs. As he entered her, she clung to his shoulders, pulling him against her, needing to feel the weight of him bearing down as he moved. Sara kissed his neck and shoulders; skimming her hands down his back and waist, then settling on the toned, firm muscles of his rear.

Being with Dane filled her body, heart, and soul with happiness. In this moment, there was nothing in the world beyond this man, this room.

After he followed her over the edge of ecstasy, he rolled to his back and she rested her head on his chest. His heart pounded hard and fast, matching her own. His arms circled her in a tight embrace.

For the first time in days, Sara felt safe.

Chapter Nine.

"My family has a bunker a few miles west of here," Sara said, running her fingertips over Dane's chest and down to his washboard stomach. She wanted to remember every inch of him since after tonight she'd probably never see him again. Never experience him again, either. The thought of that made her ache in a way she hadn't expected. This man, who'd saved her from the woods when she'd run out of gas, who'd taken her in to his home...his life, who'd protected her, who'd taught her to protect herself. This man was nothing short of amazing.

The very idea of leaving him behind, never knowing what happened to him, never seeing him again, made her feel as if her lungs had been without oxygen for years. So instead of thinking about what would come, she did something she should have done before.

Trusted him. The same way he'd trusted her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his hand resting on the small of her back, his fingers tracing invisible patterns across her skin.

"The place I'm going tomorrow. The one I wouldn't tell you about before. It's a hidden bunker." She paused while that tidbit of information sank in. "It's fully stocked with food, water, heat, medical supplies, and anything else we could think of."

"Why are you telling me this now when you wouldn't before?" he asked, not sounding mad or upset, simply curious at her sudden change of heart.

"I didn't tell you because my family believed that we couldn't trust anyone to know the bunker existed if we wanted the best chance to survive. They thought if we told anyone our plans or its location, then we'd be putting ourselves in danger of someone else taking everything we'd worked for. I used to believe that, too."

"But you don't anymore?"

She kissed his chest, then propped herself up on one elbow so she could look at him. "No. I don't believe that. I think you can trust some people. And I trust you. I should have told you everything before, but I was afraid of selling out my family. Now I know that was never a risk with you. I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to tell you sooner."

"You trust me now. That's enough for me."

She found his lips just as eager to kiss her again as she was to kiss him. It felt good to tell him the truth, finally. Trying to hide her destination had been exhausting, and she was thankful not to have to waste the energy on it anymore. She'd much rather spend her energy with Dane, in his bed.

Dane suddenly broke their kiss, sitting up. "What was that?"

Sara sat up next to him, pulling the blankets to her chest. "What? I didn't hear anything."

He shushed her, putting his hand up to signal for quiet.

Outside, somewhere in the woods beyond his bedroom window, a branch cracked as if it had been stepped on. Then another. And another.

Surely it was animals. A little herd of deer. Or maybe a pack of racc.o.o.ns coming to scavenge through his garbage.

At the sound of male voices, Dane and Sara both jumped from the bed. He was into his clothes and had disappeared under the bed before she'd even managed to tug on jeans.

She struggled into her clothes, her limbs not working well with the shaking her nerves caused. She'd pulled on her tank top and sweater by the time Dane stood again, a large briefcase-style box in his arms.

He tossed it onto the bed, twisted a numbered dial, and popped open the top. A moment later, he pulled out a handgun and a couple of extra clips of ammo and handed everything to her.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked, holding the gun away from her body as if it were a carca.s.s of rotting meat.

"You aim it at the bad guys and pull the trigger."

She shook her head. "No way. I can't do that."

He shouldered a couple of larger guns and stuffed extra rounds into his pockets then started down the hall toward the living room. "Come on."

She followed only because she didn't want to be left in the bedroom alone. If she was going to fight, she would do it alongside Dane, not on her own.

The fire had burned down to barely more than ashes, casting the room into darkness. Dane went to the edge of the window and peeked outside. "f.u.c.k," he said leaning back against the wall.

"What?" she asked, panic constricting her throat.