“What if he isn’t?” I asked.
She drummed her fingers on the counter. “Priscilla might have a few gallons stashed away. If not, she could know where to find it.”
Kellan slapped his hand on the desk and grinned, showing off his dimples. “Thanks.”
The woman returned the smile. “Good luck to you.”
Kellan turned away from the desk and headed for the ballroom where the market was set up, his gaze focused on Cade as he went. “We’ll take the left side, you take Emma and Harper to the right. Hopefully, if we split up one of us will be able to find either Hector or Priscilla. We need to get this done as fast as possible so we can get home. Jasper has to be worried.”
He didn’t look at me, but I could read between the lines. He was sending them away to expedite things, but also because he wanted to be alone with me. Possibly to grab a few minutes to talk.
Cade nodded as his gaze flitted from Kellan to me, but it was brief and gave nothing away about what he was thinking. Which was so Cade. After things with Emma and Blake had ended, we’d learned Cade had been harboring feelings for her for years. None of us had suspected a thing, though. He had a poker face that would have made pre-apocalypse gamblers die of jealousy.
“Sounds good,” Cade said.
When we reached the market, he grabbed Emma’s hand and headed off with Harper trailing behind them while Kellan and I moved to the other side of the room. Emma looked back once and shot me a wink, and my face warmed at the knowing look in her eyes.
Kellan took my hand as we wove our way through the crowd, saying nothing. The simple feeling of having my hand in his made my heart beat harder. I looked his way out of the corner of my eye, studying him, dying to know what he was thinking and feeling. Too bad the expression on his face gave nothing away.
We’d reached the other side of the room when Kellan surprised me by pulling me into a dark hallway.
“What are you—” The intense expression in his eyes made the words die on my lips.
My heart quickened when he stopped. Before I could even register what was happening, his mouth was on mine, his hands on either side of my face as his lips moved over mine. The kiss was slow, but somehow forceful at the same time. My legs wobbled, and I grabbed his arms, holding myself up as I returned the kiss. I was on my toes even though I wasn’t much shorter than he was, desperate to be closer. When his tongue ran over my lips, I opened my mouth without thinking, following his lead like I’d done every single day over the last nine years.
I’d been dreaming about this moment for more than a year, but nothing I’d imagined could have prepared me for this. For the feelings swirling through me, for the need and desire. For the throb that had started in my body the second our lips met, or how it grew in intensity as we kissed.
He broke the kiss too soon, but didn’t move his hands. They stayed on my face, one on each side as he studied me, his brown eyes holding mine.
“How long have you felt like this?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged, suddenly unsure despite the knowledge that he felt the same way. “A year.”
“I convinced myself you didn’t see me like that. That you only thought of me as a brother. Or worse, as your brother’s annoying friend.”
“I did,” I said, “for a long time. But something changed. I didn’t even notice it at first.” I paused when what he’d said sank in. He’d wanted me as much as I wanted him? “How long have you liked me, Kellan?”
“Forever.” The corner of his mouth quirked up the way I loved, showing off the dimple in his left cheek. “I think I’ve always liked you.”
“But you were so mean to me before. You always treated me like I was a pest.”
Kellan’s grin grew wide, and he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I didn’t want to admit I had a thing for my best friend’s little sister. Even to myself.”
I wanted to smack him for making me wait so long, but I couldn’t because I was too happy. My cheeks ached from the smile stretched across my face.
“I can’t wait to get you back to the shelter,” he whispered.
A flush spread through me, and my legs wobbled.
When he pressed his lips against mine again, I kissed him back, but my mind was elsewhere. It was back in my condo, in my bed. It was thinking about the two of us being together for the first time. Sex. I’d been starting to think I would never get this chance.
He pulled back, his hands still on either side of my face, and looked me over again. “What’s wrong? It seems like your mind is somewhere else.”
“Nothing.” My cheeks flamed again. “I was just thinking about how you said you couldn’t wait to get me back to the shelter.”
Understanding crossed his face, and his eyes got bigger. “That’s not what I meant, Regan. I meant I wanted you to be safe. That’s all.”
“That’s all?”
“I don’t want you to think I’m planning on jumping you the second we get back. We have time. We don’t need to rush into anything, and I want to make sure you’re ready.”
“Kellan…” I took a deep breath. “I’m twenty-one years old. I’m ready.”
“Regan, it’s a big step, and you shouldn’t take it lightly.”
I pulled out of his grasp. “Like you, you mean?”
It was the last thing I wanted to talk about right now, but the words were already out, and I couldn’t take them back. Kellan, I knew, had women friends in Altus, and it nearly killed me to think about that.
“Regan, I—”
I lifted my hand, cutting him off. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me against him, wrapping me in his embrace again. “It is your business.” Kellan exhaled, and his breath brushed against the top of my head. “Yes, I’ve slept with other women.”
My body stiffened, and I tried to pull away. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“I need you to,” he said, holding me tighter even though I’d pulled back enough that I was looking him in the eye. “It was stupid, I know it, but I was young. Eighteen, nineteen. You were still a kid then.”
“Nineteen?” I shook my head. “That was five years ago.”
Kellan grinned. “You think I would sleep with someone else once I realized I was in love with you?”
“But—” I swallowed. He loved me. I knew it, but it still took my breath away and made it nearly impossible to think enough to get the words out. “You came here with Blake last year after Cade and Emma got together. You had a weekend of whoring around.”
Kellan laughed. “I came to make sure Blake didn’t get himself into trouble. It was the most boring weekend of my life, and I couldn’t wait to get back to you. I think that’s when I really admitted to myself how I felt.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” I asked, blinking back tears of happiness.
“Things with Emma and Blake.” Kellan shook his head. “It got so complicated, and I was terrified of that happening with us. I told myself being friends with you would have to be enough, because I couldn’t risk losing that.”
“What about now?” I asked. “You’re not scared anymore?”
“No. After the past few weeks, I’m convinced you’re the perfect woman for me.”
I was smiling when his mouth captured mine again.
This time, the kiss was slow and sweet, and much too short.
When he pulled away, he was all business despite the grin on his face. “We need to find gas so we can get home.”
“Yeah.” I was breathless, but happier than I’d ever been. “I’m ready to be home.”
Back in the market, Kellan and I walked from booth to booth, holding hands. We asked around, inquiring about Hector, but no one had seen the man. The further we walked, the more Kellan’s smile faded, and the more his worry began to show.
We passed a group of men and women wearing long, thick, red robes. Just looking at
them made me sweat, but the pounding in my heart was for reasons that had nothing to do with the Oklahoma heat.
“Are those members of The Church?” I whispered to Kellan.
He glanced at them for only a moment before steering me away. “Yeah. I heard a new group came out. Crazy people.”
“What are they doing here?” I tried to look back, to get a better glimpse of them, but Kellan had already steered me deeper into the crowd, and they were out of sight.
“Trying to get new recruits. Hopefully, no one out here is dumb enough to fall for that bullshit about Angus James being the savior of the human race.” Kellan snorted. “As if he’s the only one who’s ever been immune to this.”
His arm tightened around my shoulders, but I wasn’t even sure if he was aware of it.
“Kellan, Regan.” The sound of Harper’s voice made me turn, and I found her heading our way through the throng of people. When she stopped in front of us, she said, “Cade found Priscilla. She has fuel.”
21
“Good.” The relief in Kellan’s voice was palpable. “Where is she?”
Harper waved her hand toward the other side of the room. “Over there.”
“Thank God,” he said. “Now we can get some gas and get out of here.”
Kellan started to head that way, pulling me with him, but I refused to budge.
“We still haven’t seen Blake,” I reminded him.
Kellan looked around like he expected our friend to magically appear. “We can’t wait around too much longer. Remember, Jasper is going to be worried.”
I nodded even as I exhaled. I hated knowing Blake was here somewhere and we were planning on leaving without seeing him, but Kellan was right. Blake was an adult, and he’d come home when he was ready. It wasn’t like seeing us was going to make things better. Especially since Emma and Cade were here.
Kellan gave my hand a squeeze before dropping it. “You and Harper look for him while I take care of the gas situation. Hopefully, you’ll run into him before we leave.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s a good idea.”
He paused, his gaze moving to Harper like he wasn’t sure what to do. After a brief hesitation, Kellan planted a kiss on the corner of my lips. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
When he turned away, I did as well, motioning for Harper to follow as I wove my way through the crowded room in search of our friend.
“When did that happen?” Harper asked after a few moments of silent walking.
I shrugged, feeling myself flush again. It was so new and so exciting, but I still hadn’t fully wrapped my brain around the whole thing. “I think it’s been happening for a long time.”
“I’m happy for you.” When I looked her way, she smiled. “He may not like me all that much, but right away I could tell he would die for you.”
“Could you?”
“Couldn’t you?” she asked, lifting her eyebrows.
“I guess so. Although I think I got used to him always being there to take care of me, so I didn’t really notice when his motivation behind it changed.”
“Well, other than Cade, I’ve never seen a man that determined to keep the woman he loves safe. You’re lucky.”
“I am,” I said, allowing a smile to creep out of me.
“Harper!”
I stopped at the sound of someone calling her name, and at my side, she did as well. Her already large eyes grew in size as she searched the crowd. I would never recognize someone who knew her, but I looked around too.
When a man in his thirties pushed past a group of people less than ten feet away, he was smiling and staring right at Harper.
“Who’s that?” I asked her.
“Dominic.” She shook her head and blinked a few times like she couldn’t believe her eyes. “He should be dead.”
“He looks alive and well.” I looked back at the smiling man rushing toward us.
“He was there,” Harper said. “When those men attacked our settlement, Dominic was there. He must have gotten away, and I didn’t realize it.”
The man threw his arms around Harper when he reached her, and though she hugged him back, it didn’t seem very sincere. Maybe she was still in shock.
“I can’t believe this.” He pulled back but held onto her shoulders, grinning as he looked her over. “I thought everyone had died.”
“So did I,” she said.
She acted dazed, even aloof, and something about it had me on alert. She should be happy to see this guy. He’d been a part of her group, a group she’d considered family, and she’d thought he was dead. She should be thrilled to see him standing in front of her right now, but she didn’t act like she was.
“I’m Regan,” I said, shoving my hand between them.
It forced Dominic to take a step back, and his hands finally left her shoulders. Harper let out a deep sigh of relief a deaf person couldn’t have missed.
Dominic eyed my hand for a second before looking up at me, holding my gaze as he slipped his hand into mine. “Nice to know you.”
He held on a little too long, pumping my hand a little too firmly. When he released it, he smiled, but it didn’t reach his gray eyes.
It was tough to get a read on this guy. Everything about him seemed fake, rehearsed and calculating, but I had no idea what he was hiding or why.
After a moment, Dominic turned his focus back to Harper. “How’d you get away?”
The girl reached up like she was going to tug on her hair, but it wasn’t in its usual braid, and she ended up dropping her arm back to her side. “I didn’t. Not at first. They had me at their hideout for a few days, but I made a run for it when they were drinking.”
Dominic let out a low whistle. “You got lucky.”
“Yeah,” Harper whispered.
Silence fell over us. I wanted her to ask Dominic how he’d escaped and where he’d been, but she seemed uneasy in his presence. She was a shy girl, and I was used to her silence by now, but this was different. She knew this guy. She shouldn’t be acting this way.
“What about you?” I asked when she still said nothing. “How did you get away?”
Dominic grimaced like the memory hurt, but again it seemed like an act. “Ran. They opened the back of that truck, and I hightailed it out of there. I felt bad,” he shot a frown Harper’s way, “leaving everybody the way I did, but I had to think about myself. You know?”
Harper’s eyes were focused on the floor when she nodded.
“You have to do what you can to survive,” I said, but I didn’t agree. I would have stayed and fought even if it meant dying. No way would I have left my family to get slaughtered like that.
Dominic stared at Harper like he was waiting for her to say something, but she still didn’t utter a word.
After moment, he asked, “Where are you staying? Not here, I know. I’ve been here for a couple weeks already and haven’t seen you once.”
“We have a place.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “An old farmhouse. Nothing fancy, but it’s worked for the last nine years.”
“A farmhouse?” Almost like he’d given up on Harper saying a word, Dominic turned his focus completely on me. “How did you meet up with Harper?”
“We found her when we were out hunting. She’d been on the run for a few days, and it was obvious she needed help.”
“Then she got lucky again,” he said. “Thanks for being there for her. She’s a kid, and I hate the thought of her being out there all alone.” I was pretty sure the smile he gave me was supposed to look fatherly, but it only looked twisted and strained. Something was definitely not right with this guy.
“We’ve been happy to have her,” I said.
“She’s a good kid.” Dominic nodded a few times. “How many are in your group?”
“Twenty-three,” I said without blinking.
Thankfully, Dominic was looking at me, because Harper’s eyes shot up. If he’d been paying attention to her, he’d know I was lying.
“Good size group,” he said a little too thoughtfully.
“You’ve been staying here?” I asked, hoping to draw the focus away from our group as well as get a better read on him.
“Yeah. Once I was sure I was clear of those assholes, I made my way here. Been around ever since.”
“Seems like you got lucky, too,” I said.
“Sure did.” Dominic glanced toward Harper again, his gaze focused on the bandage she wore on her arm.
He was looking at the bite. It shouldn’t set off alarm bells in my head—Harper told us her family knew she was immune—but it did. Everything about this guy did, and I wanted to put some space between us as soon as possible.
“Well,” I took a step back, and Harper followed my lead, “we need to head out. I’m sure the rest of our group is wondering what happened to us.”
“It was good running into you. I’m glad to find out I’m not the only one still alive.” Dominic reached for Harper, but she shrank away. Something sharp and dangerous flashed in his eyes, but it was gone in a moment, replaced by a mechanical smile. “You always were such a private thing.”
Harper flushed, and I stepped closer to her. “Maybe we’ll see you next time we’re here.”
Dominic nodded a little too enthusiastically. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
I bet you will, I thought. Out loud, I said, “Take care of yourself, Dominic. And don’t worry about Harper. We’re looking out for her.”
There was a hint of a warning in my voice, and based on the way his eyes flashed, he didn’t miss it. Good. I wanted him to know Harper had people with her who would worry about more than saving their own asses. We wouldn’t run off and leave her vulnerable. Not like this asshole had.
I grabbed Harper’s elbow and pulled her with me as I turned away, leading her through the crowded room in search of Kellan.
When we’d gone a good distance, I looked over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following before saying, “What’s up with him?”
“I don’t know,” Harper murmured. “He wasn’t with us for long before we were attacked. A few weeks, maybe. He always bugged me.”
“Something is definitely not right about that guy,” I muttered.
The Oklahoma Wastelands Series Box Set | Books 1-3 Page 22