Chapter 4
An hour later, Layla left Ariel sound asleep and climbed the spiral stairs back up into the cabin, uncertain how she would open the door from this side and then fascinated when she found that there were four peepholes right at eye level when she reached the top of the stairs—each strategically facing out from all four sides of the room.
She glanced through each of them, turning in a circle to do so. Handy since anyone could use them to see what was surrounding them outside and inside the cabin before opening the door. She felt around until she located a lever and gave it a shove. It was heavy, but it slowly moved outward.
Jay took two strides from across the room to help her. “Hey.” He reached out to give her a hand so she could climb out of the stairwell.
As soon as she was standing on the wood floor, he released her abruptly. “Sorry,” he murmured as he shut the false pantry.
“For what?” She tucked a lock of damp hair behind her ear, still feeling his touch, his strength.
He met her gaze when he turned around. “I forget that most women would rather not be touched. It’s in my nature to be a gentleman. No matter how many years I’ve lived in this new strange world, I still hear my mother’s voice in my head telling me to be a gentleman. The definition of gentleman has changed in the last two decades.”
She smiled and reached out to touch his hand, deciding to go one step further and give it a squeeze. He had no way of knowing he was the first man she’d touched besides her father. Hell, he was the first male she’d been this close to. Touching him was nothing like touching her father though. Not just because he was larger, darker, stronger. But because he made her heart beat faster in a way she’d experienced when reading a romance novel or watching a romantic movie. A spark. She wondered if it was just because he was a man she wasn’t related to or if she was actually attracted to him in particular.
She shook the errant thoughts from her head. “I don’t mind. My father would approve. He was a gentleman himself.” She swallowed over the lump in her throat that came from mentioning her father.
They stood there staring at each other awkwardly for a few moments before Jay lifted his other hand and brushed a lock of hair from Layla’s forehead, making her wish she could lean into him. She wanted him to touch her again. “He sounds like a good man. Is he no longer with us?”
Layla pursed her lips, shaking her head. A tear broke loose and slid down her cheek. She sucked in a breath and swiped it away. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“What for? Having emotions?”
Another tear followed, and then the dam broke loose and she let out a sob.
Jay’s arms came around her and hauled her in for a giant bear hug, and she let him. Let him hold her. Let him take the burden. Let him ease the pain.
He rubbed her back while she cried against him until she was spent and could finally breathe again. She knew her eyes were swollen and red when she leaned back. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“Any time.” He didn’t release her but continued to smooth his giant palm up and down her back. “Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps to purge your story.”
God, it feels good to be held. She swiped at her cheeks and took a deep breath, trying to be strong, trying to shake the odd electricity that sizzled between them. “I’m sure everyone has a story.” She felt foolish.
His eyes narrowed. “Yep. Everyone has a story. Doesn’t make yours less important.” He slid his hand to hers and led her out onto the front porch. It was small, but it had an old porch swing. Jay sat on one end and pointed to the other.
Layla took several deep cleansing breaths as she sat next to him and curled her legs under her. “I’m usually stronger than I appear. Always. I’m the strong one. Ariel is more emotional. But, we’ve been on the run without a chance to pause and grieve properly. I haven’t had a real shower or clean clothes or a meal or a full breath of oxygen in two weeks,” she told him.
“I’m sorry. That’s hard. I’m glad Maya found you.” He smiled warmly. “It’s her specialty. Finding new Wanderers and bringing them into the fold.”
“I love that you call yourselves The Wanderers.”
He shrugged. “At first it was just a thing we said. People like you were out wandering around trying to find…anything really, and we offered them a safe place to land. As our numbers grew, we became a safe haven for anyone who needed help. The name eventually just stuck.”
“I like it.” She liked Jay too. She liked his expressions. When she’d first met him, he’d looked serious and gruff, but she could see that he had many sides. His eyes twinkled when he had something funny to say. His brows drew close when he was concerned. He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips when he was nervous.
“Where were you until two weeks ago?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“Home. The only home we’ve ever known. Our parents moved off the grid twenty-one years ago shortly before I was born when they found out I was a girl.”
“Ah. That was early in the apocalypse. They had a lot of forethought.”
She shrugged. “They knew Julie.”
“Oh. Julie Imes… That makes sense.”
Layla nodded. “She was my mom’s midwife, but they were best friends too. Julie was the only person who ever knew I was a girl. She told my parents to get out of town and hide, so they did.”
“For twenty-one years,” he added.