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“I have food, in my bag. Water.”
    “Yes.” Her voice sounded so small, like a child.
    He pulled his bag on the bed and opened it. “I have a sleeping bag. We’ll use that as a blanket, okay? On the bed.”
    Jenna smiled. “That sounds lovely. I haven’t slept on a proper bed in a long time.”
    Barker smiled back. “I have two weeks of rations, because they didn’t know how long it would take for me to find you. We can eat until we’re full, if we want.”
    “I don’t even remember what that feels like,” Jenna laughed.
    He handed her two thick pieces of bread, and several strips of dried meat. It was chewy, but it did the trick.
    They ate in uneasy silence. What would happen when they were done eating, and it was time to go to sleep?
    He wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to resist her.
    “Barker?” she asked, swallowing some water. “Do you miss your girlfriend? Is that why you don’t want to be with me?”
    “I can’t even remember what she looks like anymore. Whenever I try to picture her face, it’s not quite right. So I don’t try anymore.”
    “Why did you give me your ration that time?”
    Barker shrugged. “Because I wanted to go to sleep that night, knowing you were sleeping too. Not—not being abused by one of the assholes who call themselves soldiers.”
    “Sometimes I like it, though. A lot of times. Does that bother you? That I might like being a whore?”
    Her long, unkempt blonde hair fell into her eyes, and he resisted the urge to touch her, to smooth it in place for her.
    “I guess it’s better that way. Better than being like some of those other women. The ones who show up for morning rations with bruises. But don’t ever call yourself a whore again.”
    His anger simmered within him. Fuck. He wished he could shoot the Colonel himself and take over, make everyone toe the fucking line and get their shit together.
    Whoa. Where did that come from?
    Something about this entire situation, being with Jenna, seeing her fear about being killed—it made him see everything he thought he knew about the camp in a different light.
    Could he really trust the Colonel?
    “Thank you for dinner, Barker.”
    “I’m glad I got an opportunity to feed you,” he said.
    “Let’s go to bed,” she whispered. “But . . . I sleep naked. Just thought I should warn you.”
    Barker laughed, his mood considerably brightened now that his belly was full, and they were safe for the night. Alone. In a bedroom, with a bed.
    And with a beautiful woman who was throwing herself at him.
    “Fuck it,” he said, and set his rifle down on the dresser top. He noticed her eyes follow his movements, but she quickly looked back at him, and grinned.
    “Well, hello there. Glad we’re finally on the same page.”
    She started to pull her own top off again, but Barker pulled her in close, and stripped it off for her, running his hands along her curves. Her hips flared out despite the lack of any extra meat on her, and he held her ass through her pants, his cock hardening.
    “Fuck yeah, soldier,” she murmured against his lips. “Let’s do this.”

Jenna kissed him deeply, her face angled up to meet his. He was so tall, and so strong. So fucking hot.
    But she couldn’t let her desire cloud her thinking. She had to keep her goal in mind.
    Get him to fall asleep, to let his guard down. Then grab the gun.
    Barker pulled her tightly to him, and she moaned, her panties dampening from his touch. Part of her was conflicted about manipulating him, but the other part—the survivor in her—couldn’t stop thinking about what the morning would bring if he succeeded in taking her back to Grand Central.
    Back to hell.
    “We could do this every night. Find our own place, hole up . . .” she whispered.
    “Please, Jenna . . . Everything’s going to be okay. Pretend with me, just for tonight, that everything is fine.” His fingers dipped between her legs, and she inhaled sharply.
    Fuck, that felt