Ryan inhaled sharply, gripping her shoulder with the hand under her. He worried she would be sore from earlier. No matter how long it had been since she last had sex in her conscious mind, they had no choice but to tack ten years onto that. Her body would need to recover.

Before he could form words, she kicked off the covers and slid her body down his until her face was level with his renewed erection. She eased her hand gently up and down his shaft, grazing over the tip and then cupping his balls. When she repeated the action, he moaned, threading his fingers in her hair.

“Baby…”

When she licked her lips and then flicked her tongue over the tip of him, he stopped breathing.

“Emily. God. You don’t have to…”

“Mmm. I want to.”

He couldn’t argue even if he wanted to. His brain wasn’t firing right. Instead, he watched as she wrapped her lips around the head and slowly sucked him into her mouth.

Heaven. He could die right now and be perfectly content.

His eyes rolled back when she increased the pressure, sucking him deeper, grasping the base in her small fist. She moaned around his shaft, shooting his arousal through the roof.

He wanted to warn her he was about to come. She didn’t have to swallow him. He didn’t want her to feel pressured. But as it turned out, it wasn’t necessary because she suddenly released him, threw her leg over both of his, and climbed up his body.

Before he could wrap his mind around her intentions, she was poised over him, thrusting down over his throbbing length.

He gritted his teeth, fighting hard not to come instantly at her fucking hot boldness. He grabbed her hips to hold her steady, somehow managing to murmur. “Stay still, baby.”

She obeyed, thankfully, as he met her gaze. Damn, she was beautiful. Her dark hair was a mess of waves around her face, falling over her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed, and her expression told him she was as turned on as he was by her own actions. “Let me ride you,” she whispered.

He forced a small smile. “Oh, baby, you can ride me any time, but give me a second so I don’t come on the next stroke.”

She leaned forward, kissed his lips, and then hovered over him, her hands at the sides of his head. “Now?”

He groaned.

There was no stopping her. She lifted almost off him and thrust back down. Again. Again.

His ability to hold back was completely obliterated. It had been way too long since he’d last had sex. He couldn’t even remember when it had been. A woman he’d met in a bar years ago. Even though he’d come less than half an hour ago, his body wasn’t sated enough for this second joining to last any longer than the first. “Damn…” he muttered as he gave up the fight, gripped her hips to hold her down, and came hard while deep inside her.

It took a bit for his vision to focus on her again, and he found her expression pleased. “That was hot,” she said as she righted herself over him, setting her hands on his chest.

He wanted to kick himself for not having the ability to see to her own orgasm while his raced to the finish line. But he would fix that immediately.

Still holding her hip in place over him with one hand, he slid the other to her clit and flicked the tip.

She whimpered, her body shuddering.

Yes.

Through her squirming, he continued to circle the swollen nub, and then he increased his efforts by switching from circling to flicking to rubbing to pinching.

She tipped her head back, elongating her graceful neck and causing her fantastic tits to lift and sway. He wished he had another hand or some way to wrap his lips around her stiff nipples, but this position was so hot to watch that he didn’t want to switch it up.

Her thighs gripped his as her fingers dug into his pecs. “Ryan…”

“Come for me, baby. While I watch.”

Her mouth fell open at the command, and she moaned loudly as her tight channel gripped him hard.

He’d been wrong before. Watching her come while he was still deep inside her was heaven. Before he’d simply been waiting in line to get into heaven.

* * *

Emily woke up confused, just like every night. It was becoming a habit. She’d at least gotten accustomed to the sensation so that it no longer made her heart race.

She knew she had been brought back from preservation. She knew who she was. She simply needed to figure out where she was.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she slowly breathed in through her nose and concentrated on the possibilities until she caught the scent of Ryan in the air and smiled. She slid one hand out from under the covers to reach for him.

He wasn’t there. His side of the bed was warm, but his body was gone. She didn’t sense him in the room either.

Pushing to sitting, she took in her surroundings. He’d left a nightlight on in the bathroom. He’d bought her the nightlight two days after she first awoke to help her orient in the dark. It was a blessing. She kept it in her bags and took it everywhere she went.

He had retrieved her bags and suitcase from the front desk before they fell asleep. At some point, he must have fished the nightlight from her carry-on and plugged it into the bathroom wall. It illuminated the room enough for her to get her bearings. His suite was identical to the one she’d stayed in the first few weeks. Standard queen-sized bed, nightstands, dresser, television, closet. All in the same orientation as her previous suite.

Ryan’s was even decorated in the same beige tones too. There were little touches that made the room his. A picture of him with his parents on the bedside table. A navy, oval rug on top of the beige carpet on the floor. A throw blanket in shades of red folded at the end of the bed.

She was tired. Heavy. Exhausted. Dealing with the media and then traveling the previous day had wiped her out. Not to mention several hours of sex after she arrived.

She smiled inwardly, not the least bit sorry about finally sleeping with Ryan. Where was he now?

A glance at the clock on the nightstand told her it was two in the morning.

She slid from the bed and padded to the bathroom. After splashing water on her face and freshening up, she went in search of her suitcase. It was in the corner of the room. Ryan had thought of everything.

She found a pair of pajama pants and a tank top and then headed for the bedroom door, hoping Ryan was inside the suite. If he wasn’t in the living area, she would give up. She didn’t want to wander around the bunker in the middle of the night, and she wasn’t dressed for it either.

Luckily, Ryan was sitting at the two-person kitchen table, laptop open, fingers tapping away at the keys. He glanced up when she entered. “Did I wake you?” He turned his chair toward her and reached out a hand.

She came to him, sliding onto his lap as he wrapped his arms around her. “No. I don’t think so. It just happens sometimes. I jolt awake.”

He nuzzled her hair. “Is it still jarring? I found your nightlight and plugged it in.”

“I saw that. Thanks.” He was so damn thoughtful. Always. As his lips began to nibble the base of her neck, she shivered. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I don’t sleep long. I like to check on my dad every few hours. It’s not reasonable, but I get anxious.”

“I can understand that.” She couldn’t imagine having a parent reviving in the same building where she paced and ate and slept and waited for weeks.

“It’s not just him. I did the same for you,” he murmured. “It’s my project. I’m invested in every one of the souls in this bunker. I won’t rest easy until every person is walking on two feet.”

Her breath hitched. “You paced outside my room while I was being reanimated?”

“Yep.” He lifted his lips and met her gaze, giving her waist a squeeze. The corner of his mouth quirked up. “It wasn’t even personal yet. I simply wanted you to live.”

She understood. He wasn’t simply invested in the project because he wanted it to succeed for purely professional reasons. He wanted his parents back. Also understandable.

If Emily’s reanimation had failed, his hopes would have sunk.

“I’m here,” she whispered against his lips. “I’m back. They will both be laughing and crying and hugging you in no time.” God, she hoped she was right.

“Mmm.” His eyes slid shut. “I need to go check on him. Why don’t you go back to bed? You must be tired.”

Probably not half as tired as him, but she wouldn’t balk at the idea of climbing back under the covers. It sure beat pacing the hallway with him watching a machine. Was she being unfair? Maybe she should go with him. Hold his hand. Moral support.

His hands trailed down her bare arms, sending a shiver across her shoulders. He kissed her forehead. “Sleep. I’ll join you in a bit.”

* * *

The next time Emily woke up, sun was streaming through the edges of the blinds, leaving lines of orange across the room. She had been aware of Ryan joining her at some point. He’d hauled her against his body and held her for a long time, but he was once again gone now.

After making her way around the silent suite to find an apple and a bagel, she showered and dressed for the day. Jeans. A soft maroon sweater. The cute low boots she’d purchased a few weeks ago. She had been pretty much a minimalist in the area of makeup and hair before her preservation. That hadn’t changed.

When she stepped into the hallway, she found people rushing around. Everyone who spotted her smiled and offered a quick greeting. They had jobs to do. It was after ten in the morning. They were well into their business days.

“Oh, Emily. Glad I caught you.” The voice from behind her made her spin around to find General Levenson approaching. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and she held a pile of folders. “Can you come to my office?”

“Of course.” Emily followed her down the corridor that led away from the living suites and down a set of stairs to the older section of the bunker she had known intimately for many years. It was odd to see the subtle changes. New paint beside worn gray Berber carpet that hadn’t been replaced in the last decade. She smiled as she noticed a poorly repaired section of drywall that had accidentally been punctured when a piece of equipment arrived one day twelve years ago.

In a way this was her home. It was soothing. She knew this world. The rest of the planet was a bit of a mystery to her, but not this bunker.

She followed Temple to her office and took a seat across from her desk when the tall, distinguished woman pointed toward the chair. The office hadn’t changed in a decade. Gray walls and carpet that matched the hallways. A gray metal desk. Standard gray fiberglass chairs. The only nicer touch was the desk chair Temple probably brought herself for comfort.

“How are the vultures this morning?” Emily asked, rubbing her thighs with both hands.

“Well, it didn’t take long to figure out how that reporter found you. Before the end of the day yesterday we had a man in custody. He was wandering around outside the gate selling you out to anyone willing to buy the information. Aaron Danforth had taken the bait.”

“Too bad for him. Wonder how much he lost,” she mused.

Temple chuckled. “I’m sure he’s used to the gamble. He’s a reporter. Unfortunately the guy we caught at the gate is useless. He was hired by a bigger fish to figure out who you were and find you. It didn’t take long to get him to spill the details of his arrangement. Tossing around a lot of legal terms like ‘national security’ and ‘classified information’ made him take notice.

“Turns out this guy followed Ryan on a hunch when he went to meet you in Omaha. He got lucky.”

Emily cringed. “Ryan’s going to be pissed at himself.”

Temple chuckled. “Yeah. You already know him well. But it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t drive himself to the airport. This guy followed him from the moment he left the gate.”

“Nevertheless, Ryan never caught on. That guy had to have followed him all the way to the base in Omaha.” Yeah, he’s going to blame himself. Not a doubt.

“It doesn’t really matter. Your personal information wasn’t going to be a secret forever. We were living on borrowed time from the moment we released the fact that someone had been reanimated.”

This was true. Everyone knew it. Eventually as word spread around her friends and family, someone would have found out. Probably dozens of people already knew who she was simply from reuniting with her family. From now on Emily would be a circus attraction. She shook the thought from her head. “And you don’t know who hired him?”

Temple shook her head. “The guy claims he never had a name, and he never met with whoever hired him in person. His communication was all through incoming calls.”

“What do you think his plan was?” It made Emily’s skin crawl to think some guy had been following her.

“Most likely his only goal was to make money by finding you and selling the details to anyone who wanted to pay him. I’m sure he’s not picky about who he takes a payment from.”

“Jesus.” Emily leaned back.

“And God knows how many other people bought information from him.”

“Which means there are a lot of people who know who I am now.” She sat up straighter. “I need to call my parents.”

Temple nodded. “We have two men watching them already. So far no one has bothered them. I doubt anyone means them harm. Right now, they want a story. That will die down in a few days.”

“I hope so.” Damn, she hated this for her parents.

Temple squared her shoulders. “Let’s talk about something else. We need to explore your options. Mostly because we need to set some standards for all the others. If we don’t figure out what the best course of action is, we’re going to be scrambling to solve a problem no one really considered soon.”

Emily nodded. She understood. What Temple was saying was that no one really expected this reanimation to ever occur until recently, so they hadn’t put much thought into what they would do with twenty-two revived people after they were brought out of preservation.

Temple leaned forward again, setting her elbows on the table. “I’m using you as a guinea pig here. I have no choice. You’ve met with many doctors which helps us understand the physical needs we’ll be facing. You’ve also met with psychologists who confirm your mental health. Technically that means you can go on to do whatever you want next with your life.”

Emily watched as Temple tapped the desk with her fingers. Nervous or thinking?

“The government wants me to put together a proposed package for each member of your team, giving you options. Paths you can choose from. Re-entering military service isn’t really a viable option. As far as the military is concerned, you’re deceased. They may make exceptions for anyone who wants to take that path, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Emily shook her head. “That doesn’t seem appropriate in my case.” Emily hadn’t entered the military out of some deep need to serve her country or give up her life. She’d entered to get the best education and work with the most renowned medical professionals in the world. Not that she didn’t respect her role and serve her country with pride, but she had always known she belonged in a lab. Was that still true today?

“I didn’t figure it would. So, that leaves several other options. One would be to relocate you with a new name in a new location. You would receive payments from the government in a gradually declining scale to help you become self-sufficient.”

“I’m not sure why any of us would choose what amounts to witness protection, but I suppose it’s possible.”

Temple shrugged. “Some of your team might not want to deal with the constant hounding from the media. It gives them an option.”

True. Especially if any of them don’t have living relatives or friends to connect them to their pasts.

“There could be an education option. I assume many of your team will want to pursue medicine, and they’ll need to reenter the medical field the same way anyone would who took ten years off. I know it won’t be quite the same because your memory is all there. But learning the latest advances will take time.”

“Makes sense.”

“The government would pay for this education and provide a living stipend to get through the process.”

Emily’s pulse picked up as she considered the position she was in. The media was on her ankles. Plans had to be made. She just wasn’t sure she was ready to make them.

“Another option would be a hybrid plan that would help you return to your job with Project DEEP in this location or take a job at one of many other government-run medical facilities around the country.

“There would be some education needed of course, but the long-term goal would be a return to government service. Educational expenses and a living stipend would be included in this package also with the endgame being a promised job somewhere within the system.”

Not necessarily here. Naturally. It hadn’t occurred to Emily that she didn’t have a guaranteed job right inside the building where she sat. It was mind-boggling since in her head she’d been working in this bunker just weeks ago. Not years.

She rubbed her hands together, thinking. How long was the government going to give her to make a decision? How long would they let her live in the bunker? What about Ryan?

She shook thoughts of Ryan from her head. She needed to be reasonable. A life with him was unlikely. He was in the middle of a path she stepped into, interrupting him. Anything she did would hold him back or draw him away from his passion.

Temple continued. “I can’t imagine the turmoil in your head right now. I don’t envy you. I’m here to help you figure things out, both for yourself and to pave the way for others. I realize all of your team has spent more time than you ever expected inside this bunker already a decade ago. It’s likely many of you will prefer to get out of Colorado. The hybrid option might be the most attractive. Starting a new life in a different facility would ease the stress of reentering society.”

“Does the government want us to remain moot about our preservation and reanimation?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s not realistic. It’s already all over the place. Obviously, there’s one critical detail we don’t want released to the public ever. But that shouldn’t be difficult. You surely don’t want to draw more attention to yourself over the legality of your death any more than anyone else does. And all of you signed a binding legal document a decade ago, confirming this agreement.”

“Of course.” The last thing Emily would ever want to deal with would be the media and religious attention she would get from revealing her legal death status.

“Anyone who chooses to take on a new identity and leave Project DEEP will no longer live with a threat to their safety. Plus, they’ll be able to eliminate the problem of having to explain themselves over and over again for the rest of their lives too. That might be attractive.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Emily tried to visualize leaving her life and moving to a new city with a new identity.

Temple tapped the pile of folders on her desk. “I have a suggestion that might help you in the short-term. I’m setting up a timetable to aid the reassimilation of everyone. I’d like to ask you to help me nail down the details if you’re interested. It’s come to my attention that you probably wouldn’t be opposed to staying here in the bunker for the time being.” She gave a slight smile without meeting Emily’s gaze.

Emily flushed. There was no rule that said she couldn’t be in a relationship with Ryan, but it embarrassed her all the same for Temple to point it out.

“You would work for me. We’re cramped for office space, but I’ll set you up with a desk and computer and everything you need to help me put this proposal together and nail down a specific timetable.”

This was the first appealing proposal Emily had heard since she’d woken up. It wasn’t permanent, but it solved an immediate need and kept her from having to make life-altering decisions in a rush.

“You wouldn’t be working for Michelle on the medical side of things, but this would be just as important in the short-term and wouldn’t require you to deal with the stress of not being up-to-date in the medical community.”

“That sounds like the perfect solution. I’d love to help.”

“Oh, I’ve got something for you.” Temple reached into a drawer on her desk and pulled out a file. She was smiling broadly as she handed it to Emily.

“What’s this?” Emily cocked her head to one side as she took the file.

“It took some effort, but I got your social security number fixed so you are no longer seen as deceased. All the paperwork you need is in there to get your driver’s license and passport renewed. Stuff like that. We’ll need to prepare packages like this for everyone. It takes a lot of work to change the status of a social security number, even if you work for the government.” She laughed.

Emily didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t put any thought into this side of things yet. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, if you’d like, I can arrange for you to have your suite back. The one you were staying in before you left to visit your parents. It’s temporary, but we have the space for now.”

“Thank you again. I think that would be best.” She tensed, wondering how Ryan would take the news. It seemed like a win-win to Emily. She would be close enough to see him and get to know him better without feeling like she was adding stress to his life.