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I SUCCESSFULLY IGNORED everything that was going on in the world for another few hours. I was like a drug addict, hungry for more even as Theo took me to new heights. Each time I came down from my orgasm, I worried about leaving him. And the only solution seemed to be more sex, so that’s what we did.
We continued to fuck until we were so tired we passed out together on the same cot. There was barely enough room for the two of us with our private parts smashed together. I woke in the morning to find myself halfway off the bed. The only thing that stopped me from falling to the floor was Theo’s arm draped across my midsection.
My first thought was whether to wake Theo and try for round ten. But there was an ache deep in my core that told me I needed to cool it. I would be walking funny for sure, and that wasn’t exactly the picture I wanted to present to the higher-ups.
The night was finished. No matter how much I wanted to ignore it, Theo and I would have to go our separate ways. I rolled off the cot, stretching out in the darkness. Underground, there were no windows. Until I found the light switch, it was almost as if I had my eyes closed. I couldn’t have seen anything even if it was right in front of my face.
The room wasn’t built for romance. There was no soft lighting. As soon as I located the switch, an evil brightness invaded our world, piercing the last vestiges of sleep from my brain. Nothing like an angry wakeup call from a fluorescent bulb to get you started in the morning.
Theo groaned, putting a hand over his eyes. I sympathized with him, but I’d had no choice. Leaning over, I gave him a kiss on the forehead. He responded quicker than I could have imagined, grabbing me and pulling me back on top of him.
I laughed, kissing him deeply. If only we could just turn our backs on all our responsibilities and live in that tiny closet of a room. I didn’t need anything, except maybe a meal from time to time. We could make love all day long and sleep crushed together on a single mattress. It would be heaven.
But Theo knew as well as I did that all good things come to an end. He released me, allowing me to climb off him. We rescued our clothing from the other cot in silence, each one focused on the monumental task of buttons, zippers, and clasps. My head was still spinning from all the magnificent sex, and it took a great deal of energy to concentrate.
“Are you hungry?” Theo asked finally.
“Starving,” I admitted.
We’d had nothing but airplane food for the past few days, and on top of all the exercise, my tank was running low.
“Let’s go find something to eat,” Theo suggested.
“Sounds great,” I approved. At least the meal would forestall the inevitable.
We walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind us. Out in the real world, everything seemed so sterile. I had an instant reaction to the narrow walls and the gray tones that made me wonder if eating was such a good idea. Why did we have to leave our little enclave of safety? Couldn’t they deliver a pizza or something so that we could hide our heads in the sand?
Theo seemed to understand. He took my hand in his, and we walked the length of the hallway to the elevator. It was no use pretending that we weren’t romantically involved. Everyone knew, and we were well beyond any kind of professional reprimand.
“Do you know where the mess hall is?” I asked.
“Nope,” he said. “That wasn’t on the tour.”
“Then we need to find someone to ask,” I decided.
“Ask Z,” Theo suggested, pointing to my hip.
I pulled out my phone and saw that I had enough bars for a text. Even though we were well below the surface of the planet, it looked like Dark Sparrow had the Wi-Fi signal taken care of. I put in a quick text to my former sister and received a response almost immediately.
Level 3, she responded.
“Level three,” I told Theo.
We took the elevator up one floor and wandered the hallways until we found what we were looking for. Stretching out the length of a tennis court, the mess hall featured a cafeteria-style buffet line with a smattering of picnic tables.
I grabbed a tray and headed to the back of the line. Theo joined me, and suddenly, the only thing I could think of was food. I spotted Z sitting at a table and waved. She got up, coming over to me with a worried look.
“Is everything all right?” I asked her. That was the problem with turning your back on the world: Occasionally things happened while you were facing the other direction.
“No,” Z said quickly. “Something is very wrong.”
Theo picked up on the panic in her voice and looked concerned. I traded a glance with him, wondering what had gotten our friend so worked up. I put a hand on her shoulder to let her know that I was there for her. I hoped that no one had died or that New Dawn hadn’t launched its final initiative. If I was busy having sex while the world was burning, I would never forgive myself.
“Ryan—” Z began.
But before she had a chance to fill me in on the rest, Ryan Abrams walked into the room. I was so shocked I dropped my tray. Theo turned, his head ping-ponging from me to Ryan and back, trying to digest the news.
Of all the developments possible, Ryan’s appearance was the last thing on my mind. They’d told me he was dead. Of course, I hadn’t seen the body, but I’d assumed that was because it was never recovered. It didn’t occur to me to question the veracity of the CIA’s statement until just then.
“Ryan,” I breathed, my voice barely a whisper.
Ryan walked right up to me, ignoring Theo and Z. He put his hands on my shoulders, and they were warm. I half expected a zombie corpse, and though my eyes were telling me that he was standing there, I had a hard time believing them. It was the warmth of his hands on my shoulders that shook me from my fog. This was no mirage, no walking dead man. Ryan was real, he was alive, and he had returned.
