Then There Was You Read online

  He could only hope that whatever awaited them wasn’t terrible.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A drop of sweat trickled down Sara’s forehead. The sunlight seemed brighter and hotter than she’d expected, than she remembered it ever being. Funny how a couple of weeks away from the natural world could make it feel as if they were taking their first steps on an alien planet. The sun appeared bigger, the sky bluer, the animals noisier.

  Sara tried to soak up every ounce of nature she could get, wishing she could rip her suit off and breathe the fresh air, feel the gentle breeze on her skin, touch the gritty dirt under her feet.

  The bunker was an amazing feat of planning and preparation, but there was no getting around its one thousand square feet of cold, hard, concrete and metal. Sure, it could provide everything they needed, but it couldn’t compare to fresh air, sunshine, and vast wilderness.

  While they waited a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the bright light, Sara closed the door to the bunker behind them, making sure it sealed completely before stepping away.

  Satisfied they were safe to leave the immediate area, they wandered toward the fire-pit clearing which served as the meeting spot to find the bunker. Someone from her family may have made it there then been unable to travel the rest of the way to the bunker.

  “You really think we’ll find anyone?” Dane walked next to her, glancing around every few seconds.

  “No. I’m not delusional. But it doesn’t hurt to check it out for sure. I figured we’d head into the woods to hunt, and the fire pit is on the way.” Sara’s stomach churned with anxiety and fear.

  As they came out of the mountainous area and into the woods, the clearing of the fire pit was straight ahead. They paused to listen for voices—friend or otherwise—nearby, but heard nothing. Moving into the clearing, they walked a circle around the fire pit, looking for any indication of people having been there since Dane and Sara had passed through two weeks before. The area looked unused. Not even a trace of the scuffle Sara had previously with the men who’d tried to force her to give up her supplies remained in the dirt.

  Sara bit back the threat of tears. She’d wanted to come out here and check. Now she had to suck up the disappointment of not finding what she’d hoped for. Her family hadn’t made it this far.

  “You okay?” Dane came up beside her and put his gloved hand on her HAZMAT-covered shoulder.

  She nodded unable to speak for fear her voice would break and give away her disappointment and sadness.

  “Let’s keep going. Maybe we can hunt then head back. These suits might offer a lot of protection, but they’re also hot as hell. The sooner we get to the bunker, the better.”

  Sara nodded again and followed Dane into the woods and toward the lake. If they wanted any luck finding an animal, then they needed to go to the closest water source. On a hot day like today, the animals would either be staying cool in the shade, sleeping, or at the water’s edge after rehydrating.

  They slinked forward, hoping to be as quiet as possible while they hunted. Sara had never tried to take an animal’s life before, so she followed Dane’s lead. The thought of killing an animal and then eating it made her feel faint, like she had the first day she met Dane and he’d killed a deer. On a normal day, she’d take a regular-old farm-raised chicken breast or hamburger. But this wasn’t an average day. And she would do whatever it took to survive.

  Dane turned to face her, a finger across his lips. She froze. Sara hadn’t heard or seen anything, but he must have. She’d sit tight and wait for his instructions.

  He crept forward, and she followed. She started to make out quiet voices ahead. Hope sparked inside her even though she knew the likelihood of it being someone from her family was non-existent at best.

  Sara and Dane worked their way as close as they could then crouched behind a large bush. She tried to keep her breathing steady and calm, but her heart pounded with excitement and nervousness.

  Peering through the thorny branches of the shrubbery, she could make out three people sitting around a small campfire. Three against two—not bad odds if it came down to it. And she couldn’t see weapons of any kind lying around, so their odds might be even a little better.

  The people, two girls and a guy, looked disheveled with dirt and grime covering almost all visible areas of their skin, hair, and clothes. Not unexpected for people who may have been roughing it in the woods since the outbreak, without the luxuries she and Dane had been enjoying. A shower, even a cold one, and a bar of soap went a long way toward feeling human in times like these.

  Then Sara noticed something that startled her: they weren’t wearing any kind of protective gear. Not a mask, not a jumpsuit, not even gloves.

  As she watched, a fourth person walked up into the clearing from the direction of the lake, a large pot in his hands, which he set on the fire before sitting down on an overturned log.

  So they were drinking water right out of the lake. And by the looks of it, they were only boiling it before use. No filtration of any kind, unless the man had done it at the water’s edge. Sara doubted it.

  Interesting.

  Were they already sick and not bothering with protection anymore? Or did the virus not travel through the air, water, or contact? Maybe it was safer outside than they thought.

  She looked to Dane to see if he wondered the same thing. He motioned to his mask as if questioning whether or not to take it off.

  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 anticipation 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 damned 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 class.”

  He laughed with her this time. “Is there any other kind?” Pulling off her tank top, he took in the sight of her full breasts. “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 entity.

  Sara went up on her knees, allowing him better access to her breasts. 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 hoarded 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 pass 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 damn 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-sex endorphins.

  Not a religious man, he didn’t know if heaven exist
ed 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 sexy 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 encompass 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.”