Before I could finish another word, Finn’s mouth pressed against mine, hot, desperate, and unyielding. His tongue licked my lips, begging to enter, and I parted them willingly. He explored without restraint, his mouth eager, his breath heavy. Making a path down my body, his lips branded my skin with hot kisses, along my neck, and across my collarbone.
In the dark, my hands searched for the hem of his shirt, and he helped me strip it off. Pressing my palms against his defined chest, he flexed, causing my core to rage like an inferno. I wanted nothing more than to feel him against me, skin on skin. I drew my fingernails over his chiseled frame, but he stopped me. Holding himself up on one elbow, he took both of my hands in one of his.
“Abi,” he breathed, stopping his movements, his eyes carefully studying mine. “We don’t have to do this right now, here in this tent. We can wait.”
Pulling my hands free, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Wait for what?” I exhaled. “We’re not guaranteed tomorrow. Either of us could die at any given moment.”
“Don’t say that.” His eyes saddened, causing a ping in my chest. “I just want to make sure you’re ready.”
My heart swelled. I loved how much he cared for me. Finn had always looked out for my best interest, and even now, despite the intense desire pulling us together, he stopped, to make sure I was ready.
“Yes,” I breathed. “You’re my husband now. It will always and forever be the right time. I’ve always wanted you, Finn. It’s always been you.”
His eyes were filled with desire. He paused, and there was a silent, yet brief moment shared between the two of us, knowing we were taking the next step.
Snaking a hand around the small of my back, he pulled me tight against him as he rocked into me. He stared at my mouth as a moan tumbled from between my lips, and he used my hair to tug my head back. Baring my neck to him, he sucked on the skin just below my ear, then covered my mouth with his own in hunger and earnestness. Our tongues danced, sliding together in perfect unison.
My world spun off its axis. As Finn moved down my body, peppering hot kisses along my neck, collarbone, and chest, it was hard to breathe.
“Finn,” my voice exited in a soft moan, my fingers raking through his hair and gripping tight as he swirled his tongue over sensitive skin.
I gasped as he unbuttoned my jeans, ever so slowly sliding them down my legs. Climbing back up my body, his lips found bare skin. And for the first time, I was naked under his weighted stare.
If possible, his eyes were even darker—almost black—and glazed with desire. Every cell in my body longed to touch him; and to be touched by him. My nervousness made me tremble. I didn’t want to mess this up. This was our first time together. The virgin married couple.
The sound of his measured breath slowly calmed the thunderous beatings of my heart.
I worked up the nerve to reach down and unbutton his jeans. When I fumbled with the zipper, he stood and slid them off. Gasping, I took in Finn’s body. It was the first time I’d seen every part of him, and my God, he was beautiful. Every single inch, a work of art.
In the dim light, I couldn’t tear my eyes off him. He was freaking perfect, a sculptured masterpiece, from his muscular, broad chest, to his defined abs, and below. I wanted him. And had the sudden urge to run my tongue across his beautiful body, to touch and taste it all.
His eyes followed mine, which brought a smile to his face.
In seconds, his body pressed against me, covering me, our mouths colliding. Our breaths were ragged, hearts beating in perfect unison. The long wait had only fueled the fire of passion between us.
Then, in a small tent, in the middle of nowhere, Finn and I abandoned all restraint and gave way to the desire that had been withheld since we’d pledged our love to each other. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and held on as his body transported me to a beautiful, safe place, somewhere far away. With limbs entwined, my fingers in his hair, and his lips against mine…he took me all the way to the stars and back.
When it was over, he wrapped me in his arms, and against his chest, I fell sound asleep.
*
AS THE SUN BRIGHTENED THE tent, my eyes fluttered open, looking upon the most beautiful sight. Finn was next to me, his eyes closed. The sound of his soft breath was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. Running my fingers over his chest, I watched a smile rise on his full lips.
“Hey,” he whispered, his head rolling to the side, one eye peeking open.
“Hey,” I replied, my eyes traveling down to his uncovered waist.
“How are you feeling?” His eyes narrowed, searching mine again.
I propped myself up on my elbow. “I’ve never felt more alive,” I answered. “Last night was beyond incredible. And it was the first time I actually slept through, since being topside.”
He flipped to his side, his hand coming to rest on my cheek. “It was the first time I’ve slept through in a long time too.” He pinched a piece of my hair in his fingers and tucked it behind my ear. “And, you’re right. I imagined the moment countless times, and nothing could compare to what it felt like last night.”
A voice sounded over the loudspeaker. “Breakfast is ready. First come, first serve!”
“You hungry?” he asked, his hand slowly traveled down my back, tickling me.
“Not really.” I giggled, arching into him. “But I know you are.”
“Oh, you’ve got that right. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of you, I’ll be craving you for the rest of my life.”
“You can only feed lustful desires for so long, Mr. Armstrong. If we’re going to finish the long journey ahead, we need to get dressed and feed our physical bodies too.”
He bent forward and kissed me. His teeth raked against my bottom lip, pulling gently, tempting me. “Maybe just a quickie?” When he began moving his hips against me, I quickly forgot about the promise of food.
“Abi,” a familiar voice called. “Are you coming to breakfast?”
Finn growled in frustration. “Who’s that?”
“It sounds like Lina.”
“Lina?” He pulled back and looked at me. “You’ve made a friend already?”
“Yeah, last night, in the showers.”
“The showers?” His eyebrows rose so high, they almost disappeared into his hairline.
“You don’t want to know.”
“Then you don’t know me very well.” He smirked, making me laugh.
“Abi?” Lina called again.
“We’re coming,” I called. I’d forgotten I hadn’t told her about Finn, and just gave the number of our group.
“Awesome. I’ll see you there.”
With the mood ruined, Finn sat up and gathered our clothes. We quickly dressed and headed for breakfast.
Inside, there were tables and chairs situated throughout the room, and the food was served buffet style. Hand in hand, Finn and I stood at the end of the line and waited for our turn. I could feel the stares of the people and knew it was because we were new arrivals. But still, it was uncomfortable.
“Abi,” Lina waved, heading over to us with a plate of food in her hand, her eyes averting to Finn.
“Hey, nice to see you,” I said. “With clothes on.”
She laughed out loud. “Right? And who is this?”
“I’m Finn, Abi’s husband,” he answered, offering his hand.
Her mouth opened, followed by a look of shock.
“Husband? How long have you been married?”
“A few weeks,” Finn answered. “We’re newlyweds.”
“New love,” she sighed, batting her lashes.
“Actually, we grew up in the same hive together,” I added.
“I wish more guys looked like him in my hive,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The guys in my hive were all old and married. I was the youngest, until one of the women gave birth five years after we went underground. But I was the only one around my age, so the last thirteen years of my life pretty much sucked.” She shrugged. “I’m hopi
ng that one day, a knight in shining armor will ride through those gates and take me away. Well, not too far from my parents. There are only a select few you can trust these days.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, finally reaching the front of the line.
“I’m going to sit and eat. Come sit with me when you guys are done. Okay?”
We agreed and headed down the line.
The food was the same we’d grown up with. Oatmeal, with dehydrated fruit, and water. But when we got to the end of the line, a lady handed each of us a small cake-like dessert.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“An oatmeal muffin. Megan made a fresh batch this morning,” she smiled. “Don’t they smell divine?”
I lifted the muffin to my nose and inhaled. “It smells like heaven.”
“Wait until you taste it,” she said, with a wink.
“I can’t wait. Thank you,” I said, heading toward Lina’s table.
As Finn and I sat, Lina introduced us to her parents. “Finn, Abi, these are my parents, the Carters.”
Mr. Carter was tall and handsome for an older man. His skin was the color of light chocolate, and he had curly raven hair, with a mustache and goatee.
His wife was just as beautiful as Lina. Her curly hair was long and tied back into a braid. They had the same heart-shaped face, but Mrs. Carter had beautiful hazel eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Mr. Carter greeted us. “I hope you’ve found the accommodations adequate.”
“Oh my goodness, more than adequate,” I noted. “The hot shower was most welcoming after a long night of traveling.”
“I can imagine.” He grinned. “We’ve been blessed to have more than a few luxuries here. Kurt and Megan have created a safe haven for us.”
“He’s done well,” Finn said. “And we are beyond grateful.”
“If you guys want a tour of the place, I can take you after breakfast,” Lina offered. “There are activities set up, which are used to keep the survivors busy. We also have regular services on Sunday. And when we get enough kids, Miss Megan will start a school.”
Mrs. Carter lifted her hand and smiled. “I hope my daughter hasn’t talked your ear off. It’s nice to finally have others arrive who are closer to her age,” she added.
“Thanks, Mom.” Lina rolled her eyes, biting off a piece of her muffin. “As you can see, they haven't run away yet.”
Finn and I laughed and didn’t have the heart to tell her we were only staying a few days.
“We’d love a tour of the place,” I said, grabbing Finn’s leg under the table. “Right?”
“Yeah, that’ll be awesome,” Finn said. “Do we get any more muffins? He held up a crumb of what he had left. These were so good.”
Smiling, I slid my muffin onto his plate, and his eyes widened. “You really do love me, don’t you?”
“Of course, you and your ravaging appetite.”
He leaned over and kissed me gently.
“Ah, Finn and Abi. It's good to see you on this glorious morning,” Kurt said, coming up behind us, laying a hand on our shoulders. “I see you’ve met our dearest friends, the Carter’s.”
“Yes,” Finn replied, taking a bite of my muffin.
“Benjamin,” Kurt addressed Mr. Carter, “guess whose daughter Abi is? He was a colleague of ours.”
Mr. Carter looked at me, his eyes narrowing. “The only one she remotely resembles is Steve Park?”
“You’re correct!” Kurt announced. “Can you believe we have his daughter in our midst?”
Mr. Carter shook his head and looked stunned. “Is your father still alive?”
“Yes,” I answered. “We exited our hive months back, and were rescued by a government chopper. They took us to their bunker in Montana, but the Arvies were making it difficult to survive there and were taking out the fuel stations used for their choppers. So, we were evacuated and moved to a larger bunker in North Dakota. We were there for a few weeks before we left to find our own safe zone. He is with some friends in the mountains.”
“Ah, yes. I figured as much. Stevie was a born leader. I knew he’d survive the apocalypse,” Kurt said.
“Why have you two separated from them?” Mr. Carter asked.
“I’m determined to find my grandmother, and because we are the youngest and most agile, we chose to go look for her. Once we find her, we’ll hopefully bring her back to the rest of the family.”
“Are you certain she is alive? How would you know where to look?”
“My mom told me she had plans to make it to a bunker near her hometown. There are a few places we think she might be, so we’ll start there.”
“Well then, I guess we can assume you won’t be staying with us long,” Kurt said.
“We’ll stay a few days, to rest and recuperate, but then we really must move on.”
“Understandable. If I knew I had other family members out there, I would find a way to bring them together. It’s an honorable thing you’re doing. I pray you find her.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Traveling hundreds of miles on a hope and a prayer sounded ludicrous, but I had an advantage they didn’t know about. I could talk to my Grammy through telepathy, and knew she was in Trappers Peak, Colorado. These people, although friends with my dad, already had my first and last name, which was too much information to begin with. But I didn’t want to lie or seem like a bitch either. The last thing we wanted was for any of these survivors to be used by the government to find our location. We had to lay low, for their protection and ours.
Right now, if the soldiers found us, we would be screwed. There was nowhere to hide, for miles and miles. In order to remain invisible to the soldiers looking for us, we’d have to get to the next smattering of large cities, located in the next state. And that wasn’t for another hundred or so miles.
Coming to a safe zone wasn’t a smart move, as it left footprints to the places we’d traveled. But we needed a safe place to rest during the day, and right now, this place was a godsend.
Marco, Cindy, and Parker walked into the dining area, looking clean and well rested.
“Excuse me, while I greet our new guests,” Kurt said, making his way toward them.
Finn and I waved, and they smiled and waved back. The fear and weariness they’d had in their eyes when we met the other day were gone, replaced with what one can only describe as peace. They would be taken care of here, and I was glad for that.
“How long have you guys been at this safe zone?” Finn asked.
Mr. Carter took a sip of his coffee. “Oh, it was our home from before the fallout. Beneath this entire fenced-in area, is an underground bunker. After college, Kurt and I were hired to work at a nearby facility. After a few years of research and studying the skies, we knew it was only a matter of time before we were hit with something catastrophic.”
Kurt came back and placed his hands on Mr. Carter’s shoulders. “Thank goodness it was just a solar flare and not a monster meteor, right? We’d all be dead if that were the case. But we were lucky it was something survivable. At least, those of us who were fortunate enough to see the signs and plan ahead.”
“Yeah, the government knew of the threats. I’m sure your father and many others warned them. If they’d listened soon enough, they could have created something that could have helped, rather than mutate the population. It’s karma really. And now, we are living with their mistakes.”
“Hopefully, they can find a way to fix it,” Mrs. Carter answered.
“Yes, I hope they do too,” I added. Although, I had a feeling I was their plan to fix it.
“How long did you prep before the solar flare?” Finn asked.
“About seven years,” Kurt answered. “The entire area surrounding us was completely covered with vegetation. So, when we returned to the topside, we were surprised at how drastically the scenery had changed. With everything dead and gone, we now stick out like a sore thumb.”
Mr. Carter nodded and took
over, “We do, however, have a few amazing scientists, botanists, and farmers in our hive. They’ve successfully grown plants, trees, and grass, which we plan to cultivate throughout this safe zone. We are hoping that if we can get rid of enough of the poisoned soil, and put enough of our good soil down, that we will have our own slice of heaven in the midst of its surrounding hell.”
“I think it’s awesome your plan was so well thought out. To build your bunker right under your homes, and then come up and immediately start to rebuild.”
“Yes,” Kurt replied. “We still have a long way to go, but we have all the time in the world. If we do it right, this place could flourish. We were lucky to live far enough away from the nuclear blasts. The air samples we took were clear, and the soil samples had very little radiation. We’ve even got a good underground water source, from a well we’d dug deep before the solar flare, which kept us alive underground. It’s something we can work with.
“For the past thirteen years, we survived with almost all the modern amenities—running and hot water, toilets, rooms, and enough food to last our hive up to twenty-five years. Which is why we wanted to open this place up to other survivors. Do our small part to help those in need.”
“It’s good to know there are still caring people in this world,” I said.
“It is.” He smiled. “I guess we’re around to balance out the people who would try and destroy us, to take what we’ve worked so hard for. That’s why we must be vigilant and protect what is ours. I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, of course we do,” I answered. “When I see my dad again, I’ll tell him about this place, and make sure he comes to visit you.”
“Yes, please do! We’ll have a reunion. Tell him I have a bottle of scotch, just for him.”
“I will, but he might be a light weight by this point. We didn’t have alcohol in our hive.” I laughed and Kurt joined in.
“So how long were you guys thinking of staying here?” Lina asked.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged and glanced at Finn. “Maybe a few more days.”
Kurt’s wife, Megan, came around with a tray of leftover muffins. “You are welcome to stay as long as you like. And you will always be welcomed back if you choose to return.”