She could feel the stirring need to go there every time he touched her, held her, kissed her. Hell, a tight ball of need built in her belly even when she watched him from across a room. Honestly, it had existed for three years.
She realized rationally that part of her was preventing herself from having a normal life, a normal relationship, normal sexual experiences, all because she was afraid to find out the fairy tale in her head couldn’t exist. Some crazy notion of having one true love who would have the power to melt her.
Rationally, she knew that spark existed with Graham even when she was alone thinking about him. She would face all of her concerns. After she and Graham got the hell out of the bunker and life was a little more normal.
The bunker gave her the creeps. This facility had been her life ten years ago. Ten years that seemed like three months since that was how long she’d been awake. The idea that the place was no longer safe stole a piece of her soul.
She assumed even though her mind was racing, Graham had fallen into much-needed sleep, but suddenly his hand moved again, trailing up her back and down again to cup her butt. Every nerve in her body came alive again. “Sleep,” he whispered. “I can’t rest while your mind is running all over the room.”
She smiled. “How do you know what’s in my head?”
“Because I know you. I can feel it in the tension that holds your spine rigid. I’ll know when you’ve finally fallen asleep when your fingers are no longer gripping my chest, your breathing evens out, and your face nuzzles fully into my neck. Until then, I wait.”
Damn, his words were powerful. He had a way of making her feel so very loved, even in the most dire situations. She wanted to be closer to him, so she lifted her leg and wiggled it between his. Bold.
He gave her ass cheek a squeeze. Maybe he intended it to be playful or some sort of rebuke for not letting her mind shut down, but the pressure inadvertently pressed her clit against his thigh. A soft moan escaped before she realized it had come from her.
His grip froze. His erection stiffened against her thigh.
She took a deep breath, not moving an inch while her body continued to demand more.
Suddenly, his hand slid slowly from her butt to the back of her thigh, hitching her leg higher.
Wetness pooled between her legs. She’d never been so aware of her sex before in her life. With her thighs spread open like this, she felt exposed. Needy.
She lifted her head, gazed into his eyes, and then lowered her face to kiss him. Her hand smoothed up his chest until she was cupping his face. Her heart raced as she tipped her head to one side and deepened the kiss.
She’d never been this forward, but it felt good, and he responded by groaning into her mouth while his fingers slid higher up her thigh until she could swear the tips were inches from her sex. She wanted more. Now. And she thrust her tongue into his mouth, mimicking what she craved between her other lips.
When his hand slid back up to her butt cheek, she almost moaned out a protest, but then his fingers slowly eased down the center of her bottom, the tips growing increasingly closer to the one spot demanding contact.
Through her tight leggings and panties, he finally touched her, his fingers finding her wet heat, and then he reached farther until he pressed them against her clit.
She gasped, breaking the kiss. Her vision swam, so she closed her eyes, but she kept her lips hovering over his.
He nibbled on her bottom lip as he dragged his middle finger over her swollen, sensitive clit.
The breath whooshed from her lungs, and he reached with his other hand to thread his fingers in her hair. He took her lips again, lifting his mouth to capture hers while pressing against her neck at the same time.
The kiss switched from her control to his as his fingers stroked her again. And then again. Suddenly, he was devouring her mouth while he pressed his palm hard against her channel and flicked his finger rapidly over her swollen nub.
Oh my God. The pressure built. The need. The intensity.
She lost the ability to return the kiss, her brain cells focused on one spot. And then she was flying. With no warning, she had her first orgasm against a man’s hand. Her entire sex clenched over and over, while her body shook from the aftershocks.
She gasped against his lips, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she came back to reality. What the hell had she just done? She wasn’t sorry, but she was stunned. And his erection was still pressing against her thigh.
Slightly embarrassed and chagrined, she blinked at him, easing her hand down to his chest. Her goal was to wrap her fingers around his length, but she didn’t get that far before he removed his hand from between her legs and clasped her fingers in his, pressing them against his chest.
His eyes were closed, and he took several breaths before he met her gaze. “Damn, that was hot.”
Her heated face flushed further. “Let me touch you,” she whispered, tugging on her hand.
He shook his head. “Not tonight. I’m barely holding on to a thread of control here.”
“Who says you have to?” she asked, trying to sound coy.
“I say so.” He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Thank you for giving me that gift. I’ll never forget this moment as long as I live. But I don’t have the willpower to let you reciprocate. Not tonight.”
She nodded slowly, set her head back on his shoulder, and eased her knee from between his thighs. “Seems a little unfair,” she murmured, feeling even more embarrassed. She’d come so hard, exposing a piece of herself to him.
“Not unfair at all. We’re not keeping score here. That was gorgeous.” He stroked her hand with his thumb as he pressed her palm against his chest again. “Now, you really have to go to sleep, or neither of us is going to be on our game in a few hours.”
She twisted her head to kiss his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of him. “You and your game,” she teased. “Hey, I’ve got a joke for you.”
He chuckled. “Go for it.”
“What’s a tornado’s favorite game?”
“Twister.”
“Darn. Thought I might have you.”
“Not a chance. You can’t compete with the nerdy joke master.”
She smiled as she closed her eyes, took several long deep breaths, and blew them out slowly. It took a while, but she finally succumbed to sleep.
Kate jerked awake. She bolted to sitting, glancing around to look for Graham who was no longer pressed against her body.
“I’m right here,” he soothed, inches away from her side, his hand reaching out to grab hers. “Take a breath.”
She blew one out instead, already having sucked in a deep breath the second she woke up. “What time is it?”
“Eight. You slept four hours.”
“How long did you sleep?” she asked as she pushed more fully to sitting and took in the fact that he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, the laptop on his thighs, his back against the headboard. His fingers were already racing across the keys once again.
“Long enough. I’m refreshed. Trying to get as much of this downloaded as possible before Shelby makes an appearance to assess my depression, and then I’m sure we’ll be seeing Temple soon after.”
Kate arranged her pillow at the headboard and pushed herself back to sit next to Graham. She forced herself to focus on the urgent task at hand instead of the way he’d made her come a few hours ago. “How do you imagine this going down? You think we’re going to pretend you’re miraculously feeling better and walk right out of here?”
“Maybe. I haven’t worked that out in my head yet. Let’s take this one step at a time. I’d like to have all this data downloaded in about twenty-four more hours. If I work hard and don’t have too many interruptions, I might be able to get it done early enough that we can pack it up and remove it sometime tomorrow.”
“’Kay. Guess I’ll take a shower and then venture out and see if I can overhear anything suspicious, and grab some breakfast for us from the cafeter
ia.”
“Sounds good. I’m starving. I need you to find another hard drive too. The two you brought are almost full. I’m hoping I can fit everything on one more.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She started to crawl away from him to head for the bathroom, but he reached out with one hand and grabbed her forearm, pulling her back until she landed across his chest. He set the computer on the nightstand and rolled the two of them so fast she lost her breath, blinking at him above her.
With one hand on her waist and the other woven into the hair at her temple, he had her full attention. “We’re going to get out of this mess by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, and then we’re going straight to a hotel where we can relax and be alone. And then we’re going to explore this thing between us.” He lifted a brow suggestively.
She stopped breathing and nodded.
She couldn’t disagree with him because she knew he was right. A slow fire had been burning between them until they crossed into new territory during the night. She wanted to be with him more fully. His feelings for her were all over his face every time she looked.
What was she waiting for? She didn’t need him to get on a knee and proclaim his undying love. Asking for more than he was already giving her was absurd. Keeping herself at arm’s length from him at this point had nothing to do with needing to be certain.
She was certain. And he couldn’t do more than he’d already done every day to prove he was too. So the only thing holding her back was her own reluctance to move their relationship to another level, a reluctance based on fear. Once they got out of this damn bunker, they would have more time to explore their attraction without the constant sense of urgency.
But no one had the kind of guarantees in life she wanted. She, above nearly everyone alive, should know life was fragile. Hesitating out of some irrational concern that a life with Graham wouldn’t be perfect was nonsensical. Nobody’s life was perfect.
But this thing between them was damn close. It didn’t have any holes she could see. At this point, she needed to take a deep breath and let him all the way in. Literally and figuratively. Take a risk. Her heart was his already anyway.
She lifted her face to make eye contact with him and saw exactly what she’d always dreamed of in his eyes. He cared about her deeply. Deep enough to respect her wishes while she worked through her doubts.
It was time to stop the charade.
The first opportunity they got, they were going to explore this thing burning between them and see where it went. For better or worse, she would be all in. “Promise?” she whispered.
His smile was fast and huge. And then his lips landed on hers and he kissed the daylight out of her, angling his head to one side, holding her where he wanted her, and delving his tongue between her lips until she couldn’t think of anything except eliminating the clothing between them and making his vision a reality. “Promise,” he responded when he finally pulled back. His voice was husky with lust. “Go take your shower before I lose my resolve.”
Her legs were shaking as she padded into the bathroom. She could feel his gaze on her the entire time. When she shut the door and leaned against it, she finally managed to draw in a breath. Her nipples were standing at attention under her tank top, and her sex was throbbing with desire.
Until just hours ago, Graham had never touched either of those parts of her body. Probably intentionally. His thumbs had come close to grazing the underside of her breasts a few times, but he’d never covered one with his palm and caressed it the way she longed for. He’d never let his hand trail down between her legs to cup her sex either. Now that he had, she craved more with an intensity that was palpable.
Whatever her doubts were about their future didn’t matter, because she knew these feelings trumped every one of them. She wouldn’t be able to deny herself the chance to find out what could be between them. If things went south and they didn’t make it together in the long run, at least she’d never have to look back and wonder what could have been.
It was time to stop hedging and go for it.
And she would.
Tomorrow.
Every inch of her skin tingled with excitement.
Chapter 16
Dade paced the entire length of the small office he occupied in the basement of the enormous country house he was using as a home base in southwest Montana. The place was large, but it was jammed with his team members. Every day more of them trickled in from wherever they’d been hiding.
He’d made contact with each member of the original team and Ryan’s team. With the exception of those who were living in the bunker in Colorado and those who were with Ryan at the second bunker in New Mexico, everyone was working their way toward Montana.
Chaos reigned as everyone did their part to help by either scouring the internet for information or keeping the house running.
Thank God for SURVIVE. The underground group had provided this home set far away from the main road on several acres of ranchland. It was a godsend. Without the help they were receiving from SURVIVE, Dade wasn’t sure where everyone would be. The looks on everyone’s faces when they found out he was alive were priceless.
Currently, he was holding his phone waiting for Ryan to pick up. “Comeoncomeoncomeon…”
“Hello,” Ryan finally answered, sounding winded. “Sorry. I didn’t want to answer in front of anyone.”
“Have you made contact with Graham today?” Dade asked, not bothering with formalities. The clock was ticking.
“No. But he’s been in communication with Spencer. He knows he only has hours to finish.”
Dade rubbed his temples with the fingers of one hand spread across his forehead. “I hope he and Kate have a plan. I’m concerned.”
“I know. Trust me, I’m pacing my office.”
Dade glanced around and stopped walking. “You and me both, then.”
“You at least got to see Graham firsthand. Is it true he’s recovered at an extraordinary speed, or is he pushing himself too hard?”
“Oh, it’s true. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen him. He had far more stamina than I had at one week. And that was before I even knew I technically wasn’t going to live. I was still tired and far too weak to walk. Graham left us all in the dust.”
“If anyone could do it, it would be Graham. I trust him and Kate to get the job done and get the hell out of there. They know the stakes.”
“I hope you’re right.” Dade turned around as the door to his office opened. Blair stepped inside, closing it behind her. “Please let me know if you hear anything.”
“I will. You do the same.”
The line went dead, and Dade set the phone on his desk and hauled Blair into his arms, nestling his face in the thick hair at her neck. Please, God, let this work out.
Kate stood in the bedroom, running both hands through her hair while Graham stuffed everything in a backpack. “I don’t know how we’re going to get out of here.”
Graham sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his shoes. “Tell me what happened with Temple.”
“I told her I thought you would benefit from some fresh air and better scenery. That it might help you snap out of your funk. I suggested I take a car and we go for a drive. She was adamantly opposed to the idea. She doesn’t think it’s safe for us to leave the bunker. She suggested we go for a walk around the perimeter instead.”
“Shit.” Graham glanced at the clock. “We need to come up with something. I want to get these hard drives out of here, but more than that I’m seriously concerned about what’s going to happen when everyone on staff realizes the mainframe has been compromised and someone has deleted all the data. I don’t want to be inside when that happens. We could really be trapped here then.”
“I agree.” Her hands were shaking, and she rubbed them together. “How long do you think we have before they force Spencer to delete the mainframe?”
“Not sure. An hour maybe. Tops.”
Kate fidgeted. “I didn�
�t expect Temple to balk at my plan.”
Graham rubbed his temples and pushed to standing. “Maybe we should pull the fire alarm.”
Kate pursed her lips, thinking. “That could work. It would get everyone out of the building, but it won’t get us off the government grounds. We’ll never be able to walk out the front gate.”
“Perhaps in the mayhem, we can get the guards to let us out. Lie our way out. Tell them we’re going to get more help or something.” He grabbed the backpack and tugged it onto his shoulder, and then he approached her, cupped her face, and met her gaze. “We can do this.”
“This is the craziest thing we’ve done yet. People are going to be suspicious as soon as you walk out of this room on foot. You’re going to attract attention.”
“I’ll go out the side door on the south end of the building past the living suites. You need to go pull the alarm, then I want you to head out the front door with everyone else.”
“Someone will be able to see me pulling the alarm on the security camera.”
“Eventually, but by the time they analyze the video, it’ll be too late. We’ll be gone.” He slid his hand to the back of her neck and squeezed. When his lips touched hers, she calmed marginally. “We can do this because we have no other choice.”
“Where will I meet you?”
“Come around to the side after you leave the building. I’ll meet you there. You should beat me if you move fast enough.”
She nodded slightly as he spoke. “’Kay,” she breathed.
A few seconds passed while she stared into his green eyes. “We’re out of time, babe,” he pointed out, and then he released her. “Meet you outside.”
She backed up, taking a deep breath, but before she could turn around, alarms started blaring. She jerked to a stop, eyes wide. “What the hell?” she mouthed over the deafening sound.
“Fuck,” he mouthed in return.
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