“So how did we do on the drill? Did we pass, or would the zombies have gotten us before we made it to safety?” Logan asked Alec, who was downloading data from the drones. Whoever thought preppers were Neanderthals had no clue what they were talking about. The compound had video surveillance. Heat detectors. Atmospheric monitors. The whole shebang.

“Been in many major disaster situations. Never seen a single zombie.” Alec, bless his military soul, had no sense of humor when it came to drills.

“That’s because you’ve never seen Ty the morning after a bender,” Megan said, approaching them. She burrowed into Alec, who wrapped her in his arms.

“Hi, babe,” he said, kissing her on the lips and granting her one of those rare smiles he never bestowed upon anyone else.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“Considering they’re civilians and not trained military personnel, it went quite well. No major setbacks. Although two people are still unaccounted for.” He glanced at Logan. “We were a couple of minutes late, which, I might add, has to do with you and your lady friend.”

“Me and my lady friend were unwilling participants in all this. I’d say we did a fantastic job, considering.”

“Agreed. If I’d had Megan cuffed to my bed, I would have shot anyone who interrupted.”

“How did you—”

“Your lady friend is not too skilled at hiding extra gear.”

Megan nodded. “It clinked in the truck. Lost the key in the middle of the mayhem? We always keep an extra key in—”

“Stop it.” He so didn’t want to be discussing this with his sister and her fiancé. “You know what? Alec is right. Next time someone interrupts, I’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”

“I like her,” Megan said.

“Really? Because she’s just like Vivienne, and we all know how much you hated her.”

As a matter of fact, the bitter rift between him and Megan had been caused by his inability to see what was clear to his sister. And by his sister’s inability to keep quiet. It had taken him a while to come around. Without Alec, it would have been too late, and his sister would have been lost to him. Just the thought of it made his gut churn.

Megan waved that off. “Please. Sky might dress and talk like Vivienne, but she’s nothing like Vivienne. Take my word for it; I know how to read people. She even came down into the bunker to help me with the inventory. You know what your ex would have done?”

Run away screaming, of course. Unless a celebrity or the paparazzi were in the bunker—then she would have dived in headfirst. Vivienne would have drawn the line at commando boxers under any circumstances, though.

“Maybe I could ask Sky to do my makeup for the wedding? I saw Shayna’s pics. She looked like a million bucks. What do you think?” Megan asked Alec.

“As long as you marry me, I don’t care whether you’re wearing makeup or covered in mud.”

“Liar,” she said, slapping his chest. “I offered to find a justice of the peace and tie the knot last week. You turned me down.”

Alec trapped her hand under his. “It’s taken me a year to get you to agree to marry me. We’re celebrating, not eloping. The whole nine yards. And we’re waiting for the star shower.”

“I’m with him,” Logan added.

“Fine. I’m asking Sky to help me organize a blowout wedding with a seven-figure price tag to rival any celebrity’s. She seems to follow the trends. Prepare your wallets. Let’s see how you like it.”

Alec shrugged. “Bring it on. Money means nothing.”

“Really?” she demanded of Logan. “How much money are you making in the diaper business? Because you said you’d fork over half the wedding expenses as your present. I hope you have a nest egg stashed away from your previous CEO life.”

“She’s bluffing,” Alec said. “She hates shopping.”

Hopefully. Otherwise he was going to be in big shit. Alec had spent all his life in the military, and his money had gone into clever investments that had tripled. Logan had been the walking wallet for a wife with Kardashian pretensions.

Yelling interrupted them. It was Shayna and Ty, walking toward the main building. Well, Ty was walking; Shayna was riding, piggyback style.

“Finally. Only two hours late. It was a bad move to pair those two,” Alec said.

Preppers were nothing if not… prepared. The group paired the members up so that in case one was incapacitated and couldn’t do his or her job, somebody else could. Ty was in charge of generators, vents, and engineer-type stuff. Shayna was a combat expert in charge of ammo and security.

“What’s wrong with those two?” Megan asked as the arguing got louder.

Ty looked aggravated as all fuck, wet and covered in snow, his clothes a mess. Shayna’s pants were torn at the knee.

“When I say get out of the way, I don’t mean you throw yourself into a ditch!”

“I didn’t!” Shayna cried. “You pushed me! I was just trying to help. You’re the one who ruined the tire.”

“Me and how many X-Men powers? Man, you’re heavy. You need to go on a diet.”

Shayna slapped him. “You are such an ass. As soon as I can stand on my own, I’m going to shoot you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“We better break that up,” Alec observed.

God, Logan so didn’t want to get pulled into that right now.

Thankfully, his sister gave him an out. She glanced at her watch. “Where the heck is Sky? I asked her to check on a couple of things in inventory, but she should have been back a long time ago. Go find her, will you? We got this.”

Logan nodded and walked to the bunker. He knew that Sky hadn’t made it out of there, because Cerberus was lying on the floor by the closed trapdoor, whining.

“Hey, buddy. She went through the rabbit hole, huh?”

Cerberus placed his head over the trap and huffed. Man, he looked so miserable without Sky.

“I’ll go fetch her for you.”

The stairs were steep, but Arnie was ready to dive in. Logan stopped him and pulled the trap shut. The beast might get down, but there was no way in hell he’d make it back up. If the others saw Logan carrying him, nothing would save him from an embarrassing nickname no dogs Arnie’s size should have to endure.

“Sky?” he called.

There was no coherent answer, just the sound of cursing from afar.

“You okay?” He climbed down the ladder. They had used heavy-duty screws and extra bracing to attach the shelving to the reinforced walls, but given the kind of packrats these people were, all bets were off. She could be buried under a pile of… well, all bets were off on that one too.

Ty was an expert in building underground shelters, and this one was no exception. Maximum storage in a limited space. A true maze if you didn’t know where to go.

He found Sky perched on a ladder, her head deep in a box. For some reason she was only wearing his oversize shirt and the black rubber boots with red hearts.

“You look spectacular.” Pity his shirt covered so much of her.

His words must have scared her, because she jumped, all but losing her footing.

He grabbed her thighs, stabilizing her. “Careful.”

“You’re early,” she protested.

“Were you waiting for me, or am I interrupting something?”

Rolling her eyes, she climbed down a couple of steps, enough for their faces to be at the same height. “I have a surprise. Close your eyes.”

He did.

“Now you can open them,” she said after some rustling.

His shirt lay on the floor. She was naked in front of him, except for the rubber boots. “This is the best I could do.”

“Sexiest thing I’ve seen in this bunker.” He gathered her closer until her breasts pressed against his chest, and touched his mouth to hers softly. “Do you want to come again?” Because he had no problem with that plan.

“I want to come with you inside me.”

He leaned his forehead on hers and grimaced. “Don’t do this to me, baby. I’m too wound up. I won’t be able to stop in time.” He was going to lose it the second that sweet pussy engulfed him. Just thinking about it made his cock throb. No way could he pull out.

“You don’t have to. Left or right?” she asked, putting both hands in front of him, tightly fisted.

“Left?”

She opened her fist, a foil packet on her palm. A condom. Smirking, she opened her other hand. Another rubber. “You were hitting pay dirt whatever you chose.”

“You found condoms?”

“Doomsdaymart is full of surprises. Now, big guy, are we on, or do I have to take matters into my own hands?”

She might have said something else, but Logan didn’t hear it. It was as if he were a bull and someone had just waved a red flag in front of him. He captured her mouth, kissing her hard and rough, and lifted her by her ass. They were going to need some leverage; that rickety ladder would collapse at the first plunge.

He found a spot of bare wall between two shelves. That would have to do.

“You’re in a hurry, I see,” she said against his lips when he let her up for air.

“Sorry, babe. This is going to be fast, but I swear I’ll make it up to you on the second round.”

“We’re having multiple rounds? Promising, Alchemist.”

He released her long enough to unzip his pants and pull a condom on. Then he pinned her to the wall, hooked his elbow under one of her knees and spread her open.

“How ready are you?” he managed to ask. She was wet, but she was also small. It was going to be a tight fit.

She nipped at his lower lip with her teeth, revving him higher. “Don’t go easy on my account. I’ve had several hours of foreplay today. I’m as ready as you are.”

Good, because he had no clue whether he could have stopped even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Either he was inside her in the next second, or he was going to fucking die.

He didn’t recall his brain giving the command to move, but it must have, because suddenly he was balls-deep in her, her hot pussy clamping on him, her legs trembling as he began pounding in her. She sank her fingers into his hair, panting and clutching his shoulders while he hammered her into the wall.

Fuck, he was being too rough. She was small and delicate, but for the life of him he couldn’t rein himself in. He needed to get her off before he lost it completely, which was about to happen at any moment.

Changing the angle, he dragged himself over her clit, slamming against it with every plunge, forcing her to take all of him again and again. “Yes,” she gasped against his lips, and Logan couldn’t keep it together anymore. Her body tensed and she screamed, immersed in a powerful orgasm that sent him over right away. Holding her tight, he came with a roar.

His legs buckled, but he locked his knees at the last second, barely keeping them from hitting the floor. Jesus fucking Christ. He wasn’t sure if he’d come or had a stroke. The latter, probably. He shouldn’t have promised multiple rounds; he couldn’t survive it.

He looked around. There were blankets folded within arm’s reach, so he grabbed a stack and threw them on the floor. With the last of his strength, and still deep inside her, he moved away from the wall and lowered them onto the cloth.

She didn’t say anything for the longest time. Her eyes were closed, her pussy still gently contracting around him. “Wow,” she finally uttered.

“Did I hurt you? I kind of lost it there for a moment.” Which was a motherfucker of an understatement.

“Didn’t you feel me coming?” she asked, turning her chocolate eyes on him. She’d dropped one of her boots while being hammered to the wall. “There’s something about being ravished that works for me.”

Good. Fiasco averted.

“Did you check the expiration date on these condoms?” he asked. “Because these people started stashing shit twenty years ago. For all we know, the rubber might have disintegrated on contact.”

“I didn’t, but they do regular inventories to swap expired for new, so we should be good. Shall we check?” she suggested playfully, looking down at where they were joined.

He pulled out, missing her heat right away. The latex seemed intact, the tip full of cum.

“Nothing disintegrated,” she said, his cock twitching as she caressed it. “Even if it had, there’s a bunch of morning-after pills in the same box I got the condoms from.”

“And where’s that?” he asked, disposing of the rubber.

“Second aisle, section B12F in the Doomsdaymart. Sex stuff is between a stash of hand sanitizer and tomato sauce. Don’t ask me what the logic is. I’m still trying to work it out myself.”

He kissed her shoulder. “No logic. Crazy preppers.”

“They have a huge pile of aquarium antibiotics. Why on earth? Are they training their tank fish to bug out too? How many aquariums do they plan to have?”

“Antibiotics used to treat fish for the bacteria in aquariums contain penicillin and amoxicillin, the same antibiotics used to treat infections in humans. The difference is that for humans, antibiotics are prescription only. Good luck trying to convince your doctor to prescribe you a bunch of antibiotics because the world is going to hell and you’re stockpiling supplies. It’s much easier to head down to your local pet store.”

“You’re shitting me.”

He shook his head. “Take away power, water, sanitation, and groceries, and hand people knives, axes, and guns for basic survival, and behold the need for antibiotics. Survivalists are nothing if not resourceful. How did you stumble upon the sex section?”

“I didn’t. Your sister sent me down here to check a couple of sections she said she’d overlooked, to ensure the inventory was correct. This note was in the last box, on top of the condoms,” she said, handing him a piece of paper.

He recognized Megan’s handwriting right away.

I’m not sure what you brought along, but you left the house without underwear, so I figure you’ll need some of the shit in this box. Sorry, preppers are short on kinky stuff, just basics. I’ll send my bro down in ten minutes, to give you time to prepare. You have candles and matches in section G6A. Mattresses in H13D. Sorry, no lingerie anywhere; you’ll have to do without. Have fun. I’ll keep people out of the bunker.

PS: The place is soundproof. Feel free to go at it, wink, wink.

Wink, wink? He didn’t know whether to be horrified or thankful to Megan. “My sister is pimping me out?”

She smirked. “Don’t worry. She didn’t take payment, so technically, she isn’t.”

Jesus fucking Christ. Like that made things better. “She mentioned noticing the cuffs.”

“Yep. Although this setup might be more my fault than anything else. I told her we keep getting interrupted.” She averted her gaze and looked uneasy. “Since I’m leaving early for Paris, this was good timing.”

He stilled. “You’re leaving?”

“I was going to tell you during supper, but we got carried away and I totally forgot,” she said with an apologetic smile. “The school called. My apartment will be ready tomorrow. You’ll get back your place and your bathtub. I told your interns before they left for the weekend.”

For some reason, it didn’t feel like good news. It felt like a chunk of lead in the pit of his stomach.

He shook those thoughts away and plastered a smile on his face. “And you’ll be back in civilization. You excited about being with normal people?”

She looked up to the ceiling and exhaled loudly. “Can’t even begin to describe it.”

“You’ll miss this.”

“Miss this?” She glanced around them. “I’m locked in a soundproof bunker, lying on the floor after a wham-bam. A fantastic one, admittedly. In danger of dying under a thousand tons of shelf-stable supplies that a bunch of nutjobs have been collecting since the Cuban missile crisis.”

“You have to admit, it’s the most original date ever,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“No shit. I’ll remember this the next time a guy takes me out for dinner and a movie.”

Logan didn’t like that tight feeling in his chest, so he forged ahead, doing his damnedest to ignore it. “Where are the candles? Was I such a sure thing that you didn’t think I’d need any romancing?”

“It didn’t look like you were putting up much of a fight when you pinned me to the wall and fucked me, but for the record, yes, I was going to romance you. You just came down too soon.”

“My sister said you were probably lost. I got worried.”

She pursed her lips. “Aww, so sweet.”

“How long do you think we have before that bloodthirsty bodyguard of yours figures out how to open the trapdoor?” he asked, holding her gaze.

“Maybe an hour. Why?”

“We should make the most of it, then, don’t you think? Since we have a soundproof, impenetrable hideout.” And we’re running out of time in more ways than one.

That last part he kept it to himself. He didn’t like the sound of it, not even in his head.

“Whatever you have in mind, I’m game,” she said mischievously.

Good, because he had a wham-bam quickie to make up for. “You got the cuffs?”

“In my pants pocket,” she said, pointing at the cloth discarded on the floor. “Wait. Why?”

He grinned. “Kinky man here, remember?”

* * *

Sky choked on the breath she was taking. “I’m in the middle of nowhere, naked in a bunker, surrounded by wackos. Do you really think I’m gonna let you cuff me?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked as he got rid of his clothes, his intense stare keeping her spellbound.

Duh. “Logan, it’s not a question of trust. It’s a question of principle. I’m from New York. We get restraining orders if a guy opens a door for us.”

“You’re not in New York anymore.”

“You don’t say.” Kansas had gone bye-bye a long time ago, never mind New York.

“Do you trust me?” he repeated, the cuffs rattling in his hands now.

She probably was out of her mind, because she didn’t have to think twice about her answer. “Yes.”

He reached for her and kissed her softly on the lips. “Good. Let’s finish what we started at my place, shall we?”

Her stomach tightened at the dark promise in his words. “And do I have to be cuffed for that?”

“For what I want to do to you, yes. You’re too bossy. Staying in place and taking directions are not your strong suits. I want to take my time enjoying you.”

“So the hardware is for my benefit?”

“Absolutely.” He fastened the cuffs around her wrists and stood her up. “We’re going to have to improvise a bit though.”

The second she heard the click, it dawned on her. “Crap. We don’t have the key.” Sex had fried her brain. There was no other explanation.

“We’re in Doomsdaymart. Fully equipped. Any Swiss army knife will open them.”

She sure hoped so.

He grabbed one of the blankets from the floor, hooked it around the cuffs, and pulled her arms over her head. She wasn’t sure how he did it, but he tied a knot in the blanket and secured it on the highest end of the shelf.

Instead of feeling alarmed, she looked around and broke into laughter. “Man, I’ve heard of weird dungeons, but this takes the cake.” She kicked, freeing her foot from the boot. “Heads up, I’m not sure I’m going to get off.”

His expression was so arrogant. “We’ll see about that. Open your legs.”

“Why?” she asked, obliging him nevertheless.

“Should we get a gag?”

“No gags around. We could get creative and try a seven-month-old egg.” Man, she must be delirious if she was joking in these circumstances. “You sure the vents work in this place? We used a lot of air in the wham-bam.”

Laser-beam gaze trained on her, he took a couple of steps back and gave her a heated once-over that left tingles in its wake.

“What?”

“Trying to decide where to start,” he said, his dick totally recuperated and standing at full attention between his strong legs. Damn intimidating. The whole guy was intimidating. His expression was tight, his jaw locked. The corded muscles of his upper body rippled and bulged, rock-hard with tension.

“My ass is off limits,” she blurted, not sure why.

Cocking his brow, he approached and palmed her behind, separating her cheeks. “You mean this sweet ass?”

She nodded, holding his stare.

“I was planning on spanking it. Is that okay with you?”

“Have I told you about New York women getting restraining orders against guys bold enough to open doors for us?”

A roguish smile broke over his face. “You might have mentioned it.” He teased her nipples until they were red and achy, and then he went on his knees in front of her.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“I’m going to eat your pussy.”

“I’m wet from coming.” Dripping wet, actually.

“As you should be.” Lifting her left leg by the back of her knee, he went at it.

Self-consciousness flew out the window, especially when he began squeezing and slapping her ass while his mouth fucked her, and soon she was whimpering and grinding her pussy against his face, coming like a madwoman, her ass deliciously warm and sensitive.

He stood, reached for a condom, and rolled it on. “Who wasn’t going to get off?” he asked, nuzzling her face.

Still dazzled from her orgasm, she whispered, “You smell like me.”

“Does it bother you?”

She shook her head. Bother her? It was a huge turn-on.

He untied the blanket, releasing her arms. Good, because they’d gone numb. “Are you uncuffing me too?”

“Not yet.” He turned her around and plunged inside her, her core flexing at the sudden invasion. “You’re going to need your hands for leverage while I fuck you.”

“Not sure my legs will hold me.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” he said, grabbing her by her waist.

She’d rather face him than a bunch of prepper supplies, but before she could complain, he set a hard rhythm that had her shuddering and begging in ragged sobs, out of her mind with need. When he reached for her clit and rubbed it in hard, tight circles, she went over, screaming.

All in all, it was a damn good thing the bunker was soundproof. And the shelves were bolted to the wall.

* * *

“Sure you’ll be okay driving on your own?” Logan asked as he closed the hatch of her new rental car, which had just been delivered. They had made it back from the bunker in time for Sky to get a shower and pack.

Sky smiled nervously. “Yes. The GPS works and the roads are clear. I can drive to Paris without a problem.”

“Good.”

Things had been a bit awkward since they climbed out of the trapdoor. She wasn’t sure if it had to do with the fact that they’d had sex, or that she was leaving. In retrospect, being cooped up in a truck cab with two other people who knew what they’d been up to hadn’t helped. Whatever it was, Logan was being tight-lipped. Standoffish, even.

Or maybe she was just imagining stuff. Sex always changed things. Especially kinky sex. Remembering all that wasn’t making this goodbye any less awkward—the other way around.

“Well, I guess this is it,” she said, shuffling her feet. Her feet clad in stilettos. No more fashion fiascos for her, thank you very much. She was heading for civilization. Which reminded her. “Will you please return the rubber boots to Shayna? This was so sudden, I didn’t have the time to—”

“No problem. I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come back for the makeup crash course. I don’t know what kind of schedule I’ll have—”

“Of course.”

Sky looked into his multicolored eyes. They weren’t playful anymore. They were… distant. Blank. “Thank you for everything. It was very kind of you to take me in. Us, actually,” she added, nodding toward Arnie already sitting in the car.

“You should get going now, before dark. Sorry I can’t come with you.”

“It’s okay. We’d have to take two cars, and that’s a waste of your homemade biodiesel,” she said, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. “And I know you don’t like anyplace with more than one traffic light.”

God, she was blathering in the worst way.

His smile was fleeting. He didn’t say anything, just looked intensely at her, his arms crossed over his bulging chest.

What the heck was she waiting for? An invitation to stay? Would she accept it even if he offered it?

The best outcome in the current scenario was a polite, friendly goodbye. Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Thank God Arnie came to her rescue with a bark.

“Cerberus should be sitting in the back,” Logan observed. “It’s the law.”

That ticked her off. “I’d like to see the brave police officer who tries to move him out of his rightful shotgun position.”

Another half smile from the socially challenged Alchemist.

“I’ll head out now,” she finally said, managing to unlock her legs.

“Have a safe trip.” He gave her a curt nod and walked toward his porch.

“Logan,” she called, not sure why.

He turned around. “Yes?”

She considered the million and one things she could do in that moment. Yell? Scream? Curse his lack of response? Or maybe thank him for making this so easy?

But she just shook her head. “Nothing. Take care.”