The Big One

by Louisa Bacio

  His words spewed out faster and faster, and he massaged his chest, his eyes growing wider.

  “Hey, are you okay?” she asked, worry spiking. “Don’t you black out on me. You’re too damn big. My luck, you’ll land on me, and where will that leave us?”

  “You know how many women would love to be under me?” He sounded on edge, pushing the limits in order to hide his own fears. “And more than a few men, too.”

  Just like a man. One moment of weakness, and now he had to build himself up again. “That’s it. Stroke your ego. As long as you don’t faint.”

  “Who? Me? I’d never faint.” He swayed, bracing his arm against the wall.

  “Yeah, you. A big guy like you.”

  Seriously, if he passed out, what was she to do? So they’d experienced an earthquake. It happened all the time in Southern California. Although there might be some problems, it didn’t merit him freaking out so much.

  “Blast it. You’re the freaking survival expert who didn’t tie down her supplies. One little earthquake comes along, and what happens? You get knocked off your feet.”

  She blinked, anger filling her. Here she was trying to help him, and now he attacked her.

  He pushed away from the wall, steadying himself. Returning to the chair he’d been sitting in, he picked up his guitar, letting his fingers caress the surface. Humming, he picked out a melody, one that seemed strangely appropriate for the moment, and he seemed to calm.

  “What’s your name again?” he asked.

  With an exasperated sigh, she said, “Kayla,” and threw an arm over her eyes, blocking him out. If she couldn’t see him, he didn’t exist, right? So maybe the locking mechanism on the door wasn’t the best solution to the situation. At the time, it had sounded good in her head. Now, trapped with him, well…. It could be worse, right?

  “Do you have a cell phone?” she asked. Since she hadn’t expected the meetup to last long, she hadn’t even bothered to carry hers.

  “A mobile phone? Jeez, why didn’t I think of that? No service, and the battery’s dead.”

  “I’ve got solar batteries. We might be able to charge it enough to send a text message. In an emergency, a text message has an eight hundred to one better chance of going through than a call.”

  Hope soared in Kayla. They might get out of there faster than expected.

  “Got a universal charger, too?”

  “No.” Nothing like having her optimism squashed.

  “What makes you do all this?” Twisting from side to side, he surveyed the setup of the bunker. “I don’t understand it.”

  “Don’t judge me. If I want to be prepared, how does it harm you?”

  He was one of those who’d never understand no matter how many times she explained it. But if you looked at humanity at any point in time, something catastrophic and disastrous always happened. When the chaos went down, she wanted to be ready. Her friends scoffed at her basement hideaway, stocked with water, canned goods, and nonperishable supplies. She also stored blankets and cots and batteries, seeds in packages to keep them dry, solar chargers.

  A hidden periscope connected the underground bunker to the outside world so she could check out what was happening if disaster struck. She’d even set up a closet with a composting toilet with tablets to dissolve matter.

  Sebastian sat down on the cot with a heavy thud and placed his chin in his hands. “Look at me. I’m stuck down here, with the likes of you. You’re one of those crazy prepper nuts, aren’t you? I’ve caught some of those shows on TV.”

  She couldn’t stand people who ridiculed without understanding. So she prepared for natural disasters. So what? People who didn’t died every day.

  Her chest tightened, and she exploded. “You want to know why? I’ve lived my entire life in Southern California, listening to the predictions of the ‘Big One’ when chunks of the state are going to fall into the ocean.”

  “Or break off and become its own island, right?” he continued for her, his expression skeptical.

  “Exactly.” She narrowed her gaze, not sure if he was being serious or mocking her. “We’ve been warned about the San Andreas Fault, which could result in the Big One, but there’s many others like the Puente Hills Fault, which runs through Orange County to Downtown Los Angeles. Then, in other parts of the US, we had hurricanes like Katrina and Sandy. 9/11 struck New York and D.C. What do we have here in the West? The Santa Ana winds? The way I see it, it’s a matter of time. Why not be prepared?”

  “So all of that inspired this?” He swept his arms around the bunker.

  “No, my dad’s a big influence, too. After being in Vietnam, he wanted to be prepared. He always said he’d seen the best, and the worst, of humanity.”

  “And your mum?”

  “My mom either agreed with Pop or humored him,” she said. “But she also grew up in the Midwest, where tornado shelters were common. Not too far of a leap.”

  “What I don’t understand is the entire ‘underground’ aspect of this bunker.” He shuddered. “If this is earthquake country, isn’t it safer to be somewhere above ground than buried beneath it? I mean, what if there’s some sort of cave-in? How will someone find you? Or us, for that matter?”

  Her face flushed hot. Did he not get it? Judging her with his arms folded over his chest. Over the years, she’d run into many who didn’t understand. It was one of the main reasons she didn’t talk about the issue often. “The idea wasn’t to get trapped down here in the middle of an earthquake.” Her heart beat faster. She never won these arguments. The other person always went away the victor, feeling self-satisfied, and Kayla was left with her crazy supplies. She shouldn’t expect it to be any different this time, when she’d trapped a celebrity in her underground bunker.

  “The best thing to do is stay put or to go out into the open somewhere,” she continued, feeling her conviction harden. They were in this situation whether they liked it or not. “I’ve got some reinforced support in the house, places away from the windows that would be a more secure spot to ride out a shaker.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she breathed deep. “It’s the time after a natural disaster that can get the trickiest. If something major hit, then would be time to find a secure spot to lay low. We’ve got all sorts of turmoil happening in the United States. Terrorism. Look at the Boston bombings at the marathon. All made from a household appliance and a child’s toy. What about the nuclear meltdown in Japan? Milk from cows in Oregon has tested positive for higher concentrations of radiation.” The idea alone was overwhelming. One couldn’t hide from radiation poisoning. She could buy pills to counter the effects, but growing crops?

  “Yeah, so?” he said.

  She ignored the derision in his tone. “We don’t know if we’re going to see any effects from that,” she said. “Don’t get me started on the potential collapse of the banking system.”

  “Is that what you think about? Every day? All the bad things that can potentially go wrong?” Sebastian asked. “Doesn’t it make you a bit anxious? I do my best not to think about things like that. A person could drive themselves crazy.”

  “You want out of here? Fine, go for it.” Kayla pointed toward the doorway. “Be my guest and try to break the lock. If you succeed, I make no promises to your safety out there. We don’t know what’s happening. Maybe this was a minor shaker, or maybe the real thing, but what’s it going to hurt to sit tight and figure it out?”

  “You plan on helping me pass the time in a more enjoyable manner?” He wagged his eyebrows at her, and despite herself, and her promise to have a strong will, a flutter started low in her belly. She couldn’t be attracted to him. He was such a neophyte. People like him never understood her.

  “You watch yourself there.” She turned around and stalked to the other side of the room. Okay, given they were in such a small space, there wasn’t any getting away from him at the moment. He—and people like him—made her so mad.

  “What about being optimistic?” he ask
ed. “Thinking about the best in people. Self-fulfilling prophecies and life affirmations?”

  “You can be positive all you want, and it’s not going to fill up your tank of gas. Having money, in smaller bills, hidden in case the banks crash and your ATM card doesn’t work—that’s being prepared. Just because I believe in reserving some supplies doesn’t mean I willed all this to happen. It did, and I’m ready for it.”

  “‘Reserving?’ Is that what they’re calling it nowadays? I thought it was more akin to hoarding.”

  Hoarding? He really didn’t get it. His comment hung in the air, and she did her best to ignore it. No matter what she said, the scorn from nonbelievers hurt. She grew up with her father being harassed by family members. It was only a matter of time before it was her turn. And her sister? Well, forget about telling her anything about being prepared. Maybe as destruction hit and a certain segment of the population was taken out, they’d be all gone. All that would be left would be those who’d taken the necessary precautions.

  A wave of dizziness at the implications hit her, and she sat back down.

  Right. As if life worked like that.

  Chapter Three

  She was gorgeous when she got mad. Even in the low light of the bunker, a red flush shone on her cheekbones, and he’d bet anything her chest was just as flushed. Sebastian adjusted his cock in his pants. Damn, if he didn’t have to get trapped with Ms. Superior High-and-Mighty who looked like Playboy’s Ms. August.

  She hadn’t said anything about this situation being “God’s will” yet, but if the Lord himself had planned on Sebastian getting stranded with a stunning blonde without any soccer games to keep himself entertained, he must have had something up his invisible sleeve.

  A sliver of doubt crept into his mind. What if she was correct, that the earthquake had been serious and they were trapped down here for an extended period of time? Panic flared, but he tempered it.

  He checked out his guitar leaning against the wall. At least he’d have his tunes to keep him company. He kept saying he wanted to start working on the next album. Why not use this time and do it? In fact, he’d been in a bit of a dry spell. Now, some chords and the refrain, a trill of notes sliding into bass tones, kept rolling through his head.

  For as long as he could remember, music had soothed him. When things hadn’t gone so well at home, he could kick it in the garden and strum his beauty, drowning out the sounds of his parents fighting inside. As a teen, he’d spent most nights in pubs playing and when he didn’t come home at all, no one asked him any questions. He doubted they’d even noticed with all the rest of the kids, the non-troublemakers. Well, his little sister did. Years ago, when Lizzie had nightmares, Sebastian had soothed her the best and he’d always made sure there was food available in the house and her clothes were laid out for the next day before he headed out.

  “So what do you think? Does it feel like we’re floating in the ocean?” he said to distract himself.

  Kayla turned toward him, a slow smile starting as his meaning dawned on her. “Shut up.”

  His stomach chose that moment to chime in with an obnoxious growl. It started low in his belly, a churning he knew was coming but couldn’t control, and then it broke free, making her burst out laughing.

  Grinning, she asked, “Is somebody hungry?”

  Sebastian covered it with his hands, as if that would make a difference. “Who knows how long I’ve been down here with you? I’m starving. And being at your pad so early, I barely had breakfast.”

  “Early? You were way past lunch,” she said.

  “Not if my bedtime is often past three in the morning. ‘Rock star,’ you forget.”

  All this back and forth was great, helping to keep him distracted, and it had morphed into something more comfortable already. They were together on this adventure for however long, and they might as well make the most of it.

  “Oh, how could I? Being in your presence is awe inspiring.” She swung her legs over the side of the cot, giving him a flash of curvy calf and a hint of her inner thigh.

  His cock hardened. Now? Love among the ruins? In a bunker? He did his best to ignore where they were. The fact the ceiling could cave in at any moment and trap them beneath the earth. Watching the sexiness of Kayla made it all that much easier.

  He shifted his stance to make himself more comfortable, and he swore he caught her watching him. When he met her gaze, her eyes widened, and she looked away.

  “Here, hold my hand and keep me steady while I get up,” he said, just to see what she would do.

  She raised her eyebrow and held out her hand, fingers turned down and palm facing her body, as if he was going to kiss it.

  He closed his hand over hers and was startled by the silky softness of her skin against his calloused fingertips. As she went to stand, he pulled, and they tumbled backward. She ended up in his arms, all soft plushness with her breasts pushing against his chest, cleavage that made him want to drop his head and forage for nipplage. He settled his free hand on her rounded hip and his fingers splayed out over the curve toward her ass. She licked her lips, causing her bottom one to shine in the dim light like a beacon calling him.

  Despite his earlier intentions, his cock pushed out, letting both of them know his interest. Maybe he should apologize. Let her go. Beg off. Instead all honorable and gentlemanesque statements fled from his mind.

  Nope. There was one thing he could do—claim her mouth.

  In slow motion, he watched her nostrils flare. Time stretched out, and he moved closer.

  “Not a good idea,” she said, pushing back. She wanted him to kiss her, and she’d almost let him do it, too, but they were in an emergency situation here. It wasn’t date night. They weren’t at a bar. She never let her hormones get the best of her, and she prided herself on her mental prowess. Sure, it seemed she was a bit of a party pooper, but at least she stayed safe that way.

  The Prepper Party Pooper. Fabulous. Just the moniker she wanted to be known by.

  “What’s up, love?”

  She looked over at Sebastian. A grin played over his face, making her shiver, and that annoyed her.

  “I don’t quite appreciate being called ‘love,’ and while all this is flattering,” she waved her hand in the air between them, “I don’t think we’re quite a good match. Don’t get me wrong. You’re hotter than hell, but we’re from two different worlds here, and we’ve got no future.”

  While the differences between them made him kind of adorable, they also scared her. She could get attached fast. Once they got out of this bunker, she expected him to escape. Better to leave it platonic. Plus, his glib attitude bugged her a bit.

  He pulled back. “Are you rejecting me?”

  “Rejection? Oh no.” She shook her head. As if he could ever believe someone wouldn’t want him. “If you knew what my body was doing right now, you’d know I wasn’t rejecting you.”

  “So you’re hot for me right now?” He advanced. “You want me?”

  Gulp. “Umm, how would you define ‘want’?”

  “Well….” He ran his fingers through the back of her hair, pulling her so close his breath hummed off her cheek. “You’ve got goose bumps, and I know if I dip my fingers between your legs, I’m going to like the wetness I find.”

  “I’m not your type,” she countered. “Plus, we barely know each other.”

  “I’d say we know each other well enough. How do you know what my type is? About right now, you’re feeling very much my type.”

  “I’m not in the market for a fling. You travel often. You have…groupies. You’ll break my heart and leave me here thinking about you.”

  “I can promise you, though, it’d be worth it.” He ran the tips of his fingers along her cheek, sending shivers throughout her body.

  She pulled back, fighting the urge to step into his arms. “Oh, I’m sure you can be pretty good. But this girl is going to continue to resist your charms. Consider me immune.”

  “I get it. Hands
off.” He turned both palms toward her.

  She flashed him a dirty look. As if she believed him. Guys like him didn’t take “no” quite so easily, and part of her didn’t want him to stop.

  He leaned back, watching her, the perfect image of controlled, suppressed energy, like a cat stalking its prey. “You’ve got some fancy setup here. Explain the layout to me, so I can get my bearings.”

  And just like that, he is going to let it go? Whatever. She turned her thoughts to the best way to describe the bunker without being able to turn on all the overhead lights and give a tour.

  “Have you ever seen one of those diagrams of a layout of the house? The small boxes to indicate bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and such?”

  “Like a schematic?” He seemed interested.

  “Exactly. So picture one large room. We’re not quite under the house. More off to the side and cutting under the garage. In the main area, we have shelving around the outside walls and space for our cots. The door is to our right. Opposite us on the north wall is the kitchen area. I’ve got some cookware set up and food supplies. To the right of that is a bathroom. Nothing fancy, but it offers some privacy.”

  “So it’s like a studio apartment. One bedroom, but optimized for the space.”

  “Right. Now, some bunkers can get insane. I’ve seen drawings for separate bedrooms and one even had a sunken tub. Some people buy premade, like a giant round tube. They dig a hole where they want to place it and bury it. Mine’s more of a remodeled basement.”

  “Brilliant.” He looked about. “I did a bit of feeling around while you were out, but it’s good to know the makeup.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. Was he accepting her? “Before I get some food, I’m going to check out the lock.” She grabbed a portable lantern and hung it on a hook near the door so she could have her hands free.

  “Shouldn’t there be some sort of safety release on it?” As he followed her, his shadow cast over her work area.