Ryan never wanted to let go of Emily. The thought of releasing her made his stomach tighten. He’d spent the entire day scared out of his mind, and now he wanted to stare at her and hold her and cherish her. He hoped he wasn’t smothering her.

The house had two bathrooms. His grandmother had moved into his parents’ bedroom years ago, and she used the master bath. So Ryan led Emily to the guest bathroom in the hallway. He pulled her inside and shut the door.

She shot him a look and whispered, “You’re not staying. Not with your grandmother in the next room.”

He sure wasn’t leaving. “She’s fine. She loves you.”

“That’s great. But a little respect, Ryan.”

He loved the way she backed up the two inches available to her, crossing her arms. He hated the way she winced as she did so. “Your shoulder.” He reached for the hem of her sweater and hauled it over her head before she could protest further.

Gently turning her to the side, he cringed. “Baby, that has to hurt.” It was dark blue and purple. “We should have seen a doctor.”

She set a hand on top of his. “I am a doctor. So are you. It’s a bruise. They’re ugly. They heal.”

He let his hand slide down her arm and then turned her to face him so he could unbutton her jeans and lower the zipper.

She set her hands on his shoulders and let him undress her.

As soon as he had her shoes off and her jeans tugged from her body, he leaned in and kissed her belly, nuzzling her soft skin as she ran her hands through his hair. He tipped his head back and set his chin on her stomach to look up at her. “I was scared to death.”

“I know.” They hadn’t had a moment alone since she was rescued.

He searched her eyes, hoping she was on the same page as him and wouldn’t freak out when he spoke his next words. “I’m in love with you.”

A slow smile spread across her face. “Convenient.”

He gave her a squeeze, holding her torso tight. “Convenient?”

“It would suck if it wasn’t reciprocated.” She leaned down to kiss his lips. “I can’t breathe right when you’re not in the room. I love you too, Ryan Anand.”

His chest beat harder. His hands shook at the back of her thighs. He needed her. He needed to be inside her.

She needed a bath and sleep.

Taking a deep breath to control his physical reaction to her, he reached to his side and turned on the water, testing it with his fingers until it heated up. He put the stopper in the tub and let it fill, turning his attention back to the woman he loved.

She was gathering her hair up in a bun and securing it with a rubber band from around her wrist.

He let her remove her bra and panties, but he never took his eyes off her.

When she slid into the water, sighing, his heart swelled. As badly as he wanted to stay with her, he needed to get out of that bathroom before he lost control and fucked her loudly over the tile floor or in the tub or on the vanity or against the door.

He was certain his grandmother wasn’t a prude about her adult grandson and his girlfriend being under her roof, but he didn’t intend to turn the next half hour into something the older woman couldn’t ignore. So, he reluctantly cupped her face, kissed her lips, and stood. “I’ll let you relax. You have everything you need?”

She tipped her face into his palm and kissed him there. “No, but it’s a start.” Her face was flushed when she met his gaze, biting her lower lip, a twinkle in her eye.

He shook his head and turned around. “You’re killing me, woman.” And then he left the room to head across the hallway. The house had just three bedrooms—the master his grandmother occupied, a guest room, and the room Ryan grew up in.

His room had been redone since his childhood and now held a queen-sized bed and adult furniture. Because he stayed with his grandmother as often as he could, the room was his. He’d long since packed up childhood memories and stored them in a few boxes in the closet.

The bed filled half the small room, but he had picked out the furniture and bought it himself in his early twenties. The dark wood headboard matched the dresser and nightstand. The comforter was navy with thin red stripes, and he was certain the matching sheets were clean because his grandmother had always ensured everything was ready for him at a moment’s notice.

He leaned in the doorway for a minute, taking in his space, wondering what Emily would think of it. The suite he occupied at the bunker didn’t have his personality, and even though he spent most of his time there, he’d never gone to any effort to make it “his.”

With a sigh, he turned around and made his way back to the living room.

“Emily have everything she needs?” his grandmother asked. She was still sitting in the same spot, having not moved an inch, her hands clutching a tissue in her lap.

“Yes. She’s fine.”

“She hurt her arm today, didn’t she?” Patricia missed nothing.

He smiled. “Yeah. It’s bruised pretty badly. I don’t think it’s serious.”

“I noticed she was favoring the other one.”

He nodded as he took a seat on the couch.

“You love her.”

“I do.” He smiled. It felt so good to say those words out loud, both to Emily and to anyone else who cared to know. “I’m so in love with her it hurts.”

Another tear slid down Patricia’s face. She dabbed it with her tissue. “Every moment in life is precious. Don’t waste them.”

“I won’t. I promise.” After thirty years of barely living, he intended to make some changes. Immediately.

“Your dad…” Her voice trailed off.

“I have every confidence I’ll be speaking to him soon, as if not a day has gone by. He needs a few more weeks in the reanimation chamber and then we’ll keep him in a coma for about a month so his organs can start to function on their own.”

“And Trish?”

“We’re reanimating them one at a time right now. We only have one chamber. She’s next.”

“How many are there?”

“Twenty-two, counting Emily.”

“I can’t believe it.” She clutched her fist at her chest again. “I can’t even allow myself to hope.”

“I didn’t want to tell you until I was fairly certain. Things can still go wrong. I can’t guarantee every person will survive reanimation. But I’m filled with hope and promise.”

“What does Emily remember?”

“Everything. She woke up as if she’d gone to sleep that morning. Her entire memory is not just intact but fresh like it was yesterday. For her it was.”

“Did you know her before?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I never met her. Plus, I would have been a teenager. She was ten years older than me.”

Patricia smiled again. “I guess God works in mysterious ways.”

“That He does.”

Ryan’s phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see that Temple was calling. “I need to take this,” he told his grandma, pointing toward the back door. As he stepped out onto the patio, he answered. “Temple.”

“Ryan. Glad I caught you. How’s Emily?”

“Good. Shook up, bruised. She’ll be okay. She’s tough.”

“Listen, I know this entire thing is probably horrifying for both of you, and I get that the two of you have a relationship, so it’s not feasible for Emily to drop everything and leave town right now. I’m sure her feelings for you are affecting her decisions. Do you know if she’s done any more thinking about her next steps?”

“Not exactly. Though I know whatever she decides, we’ll both likely be together.”

“I’m not surprised. I’ve taken that into consideration, and I’m working on some options for you both to be relocated.”

“Really?” He frowned. “Temple, that’s not feasible right now. My parents…”

“Of course. We’d make sure they were settled first. Damon has their reanimation under control. They could join you later. I just wanted you to know that I’ve put out some feelers to see if the government will consider relocating the two of you together. You could start fresh somewhere with new identities.”

Ryan flinched, rubbing his brow with his free hand. “I’d hold off on that plan just yet. I need to talk to Emily first. I’m not sure she would be in favor of moving, but I’ll discuss it with her.”

“Of course. And I just want to say I’m sorry this is so out of control. We’d hate to lose you, but I’m concerned about your safety with you staying on Project DEEP. I don’t want to risk you or Emily.”

“I know. And you may be right. But I have to talk to Emily and then Damon.”

“I understand. We’ll see you back here in the morning?”

“Yes.”

“See you then.” The call ended, and Ryan stood on the porch for several minutes pondering Temple’s suggestion. He would do anything for Emily, but leaving the bunker and the project was way out in right field. Didn’t Temple realize he wouldn’t leave his parents right now no matter how much Damon insisted he had things under control? There was no way Emily would want that for him.

Temple must have been under a lot of stress to make such a suggestion. He couldn’t picture a day even in a year he would want to move away from his family. There was also his grandmother to consider. It was true that his parents were likely to experience the same issues reentering society as Emily, possibly even on a larger scale, but that didn’t mean either of them would want to assume new identities either.

* * *

An hour later, Ryan lay on his back in his bed, holding Emily against his chest.

“You’re going to crush me, hon.”

He glanced down. “I can’t seem to let you go.”

“You don’t have to let me go, but maybe try not to cut off the blood supply to my limbs,” she teased. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” She kissed his bare chest as her fingers spread against his belly.

He tried to loosen his grip on her shoulder, but his fingers wouldn’t cooperate. Luckily her right arm was the one nestled against the bed—the bruises a constant brutal reminder of what she’d been through that day.

He cleared his throat. “Temple called while you were in the bath.”

“She did? What did she say?”

“It was kind of odd. She said she was looking into a way to get both of us new identities so we could move away from the area.”

“Seriously?” Emily lifted her head to meet his gaze. “I assume you told her there wasn’t a chance in hell.”

He smiled and stroked her arm. “No. I was slightly taken aback for one thing. And for another, I would never make life decisions without consulting you. I told her I had to speak to you.”

Emily’s brow furrowed. “But your parents. You wouldn’t leave them no matter what I wanted right now. Nor could I ever be selfish enough to suggest such a thing.”

“I know that. I knew you would most likely think the entire idea was ludicrous. Temple must be seriously concerned about our safety to think I would leave my parents right now.”

Emily shook her head. “Well, we’re not taking that offer ever, so I’ll set her straight tomorrow. No way would we leave the bunker before both your parents were reanimated. I can’t imagine leaving afterward either. Screw our safety. We’ll stay inside the bunker from now on if we have to. Whatever it takes.”

He loved her passion. Sliding his hand down to her forearm, he spoke again. “You do get a say in all this, Emily. I would never want you to feel like you were suffocating in that damn bunker just to please me. Perhaps it’s the insanity of the day or the threat of losing you, but my brain is far clearer tonight. I would do anything for you. My job isn’t half as important as you are.”

She smiled and leaned forward until only inches separated their lips. “Well, I totally understand the feeling because I no longer care if I’m stuck in that bunker for the rest of my life even if I decide I hate science and don’t have a job. It would be enough just to be with you.”

“Nevertheless, if at any point you think it would be better for us to leave, just say the word, and we’ll get out of there.”

She shook her head. “I love you.”

Damn. She was so perfect.

She kissed his lips gently. “We’re not giving up our lives. You’re not giving up your work. At least not now. Not before your parents are safe. If this shit doesn’t die down, we can discuss it again, but for now, I’m all in. We’re not going anywhere.”

He licked his lips. “I’m about to get rather possessive on you,” he warned. “Not sure when I’ll let you leave the bunker again without me.”

She nodded. “I’m not sure when I’m going to want to leave the bunker again.” She lifted off him, tossed a leg over his body, and pulled herself up to straddle him, her hands flat on his chest.

He gripped her hips, trying to control his growing erection. It was difficult with her wearing nothing but a T-shirt he’d pulled from his dresser after her bath.

Her eyes danced with that look he’d come to recognize as her playful sexy self. “Think you can keep from moaning if I go down on you?”

He gulped, his fingers tightening on her hips. “Not a chance.” He glanced at the door.

“I locked it,” she stated. “Besides, you need to learn to get creative.”

“Me?” He lifted a brow. “You’re not exactly quiet in bed either, baby. The neighbors would hear you if I sucked your clit between my lips.”

She ground herself against his length. The only thing separating them was the thin material of his loose, navy sleep pants. When she tossed her head back, exposing the column of her neck, he slid his hands under her shirt and smoothed them up to cup her breasts.

She bit into her lower lip, making him wish she didn’t have to stifle the soft moan he knew would have escaped otherwise.

Unable to take another minute of her seduction, he grabbed her waist and flipped her onto her back, coming down on top of her. “Spread your legs,” he murmured against her lips as he kissed her.

She opened for him, and he settled between her thighs.

Frantic, he shoved the T-shirt up her body, exposing her breasts. He fondled them until her nipples grew stiff and she started squirming under him. Never breaking the kiss, he sucked her tongue gently until she moaned into his mouth.

She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back a few inches, breaking the kiss. “Stop teasing. Ryan, please…” Her eyes were glazed over with lust.

He reached down with one hand to tug his pants over his hips, and then he lined up with her entrance and thrust inside.

She arched her head back, dug her heels into the bed, and lifted her hips off the mattress to meet his thrust. With her lips pursed to keep from making a sound, she dug her nails into his forearms.

God, he loved her. Holding himself aloft with one elbow, he wiggled his other hand between their bodies to find her clit. The second he stroked the little nub, she came, her tight channel gripping him while she pinched her lips between her teeth.

It was so hot, but he didn’t want to come yet. He wanted to enjoy this time together. Slowing his thrusts, he eased in and out of her as her eyes met his and she lifted her head to kiss him. “You make me burn,” she whispered against his mouth.

“That’s the idea,” he responded just as quietly.

“Faster,” she demanded.

He shook his head, maintaining the gentle sway of his hips as he moved in and out of her. “I want to remember this.”

She licked her lips, her eyes getting that glazed look again that told him she was going to reach a second peak before he came. “How is this different from any other time we’ve had sex?” she mumbled.

He drew his hand up her body, cupped her face with both palms, and held her gaze. “Because you told me you love me. Because I finally shared how crazy I am about you too. Because now you know I’m never going to let you go. This isn’t just sex. It’s making love. It’s forever.”

He thought she might cry, but she bit back her emotion and nodded. “That’s beautiful.”

And then he picked up the pace, making sure her arousal rose with every thrust until her mouth fell open as she reached the edge.

He managed to cover her lips with his hand as she came, his own release filling her at the same time.