Free 3013: FATED by Susan Hayes Page A

the minor issue of not having a place to put it…but I’ll think of something.”
    “You might have noticed we’ve got a ton of extra rooms and space around here. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. You can take your time, make a plan, decide where you’re going to go and how you’re going to get there. There’s no reason for you to go until you’re ready.” He turned and handed her a mug of fresh coffee, enjoying the smile of pleasure that came over her face as she inhaled the scent.
    “Thanks,” she said before taking a sip. “But this is why I should go soon. Waking up to perfectly brewed coffee and sleeping in a bed so soft it makes a cloud look lumpy by comparison is all too tempting. The longer I stay here, the harder it’s going to be for me to leave.”
    “Maybe that’s my plan. Entice you to stay here where you would be safe from random earthquakes, radiation, and the thousand other ways the badlands try to kill you every day.”
    “It’s not so bad. You should come out there some day.”
    “If you’ll be my guide? I’m game to go whenever you are.”
    Her hazel eyes narrowed in thought. “How about today? I’d really like to go to Black Springs and see for myself what’s left. Maybe there are a few of my things I can still manage to salvage. Not likely, I know. But I’d like to go anyway.”
    “Let me take a look at you, including your incision. If it’s all healed up, I see no reason why you can’t go. You’ll have to give me a guided tour another time. I’m due back at work this afternoon for a briefing, but Dane should be able to take you. Annie spends a few afternoons a week at a play center on the base, getting to know the other children. I can drop her off on my way in.”
    “My incision is fine. It doesn’t even itch anymore.”
    “No show, no go. That’s the deal.”
    She shook her head and gave him a pleading look over her coffee cup. “C’mon, Doc. It’s healed. I swear.”
    “That look doesn’t work for Annie, and it’s not going to work for you, either. I can’t let you go out there without knowing you’d be okay.”
    “I’m not used to having other people fret over me. It’s a little disconcerting. You sure you need to see it?”
    “I’d be happier if I did, yes. I’ve seen you hurting, and never want see you in pain again.” He reached out to touch her, stroking his fingertips over the soft curve of her cheek. “I want to see the incision and give you a quick scan so I can go to work and not spend my day worrying about you.”
    “You’d worry about me?” The look she gave him was part wonder, part doubt, but she didn’t pull away from his caress.
    “Yes, I would. You matter to me. Probably more than you should considering we haven’t known each other very long.”
    “To be honest, I feel the same way about you.” Ciara gave in to the temptation that had been with her since she’d come to stay with Vance and Dane. She leaned her cheek against Vance’s fingers for a brief second before moving her head away again. Every day, she’d grown more comfortable with them, and every day, her interest in them had blossomed a little more. She liked them both a great deal. More than was wise, given she hadn’t decided yet if she were staying or not.
    Vance dropped his hand but stayed where he was, close enough she could smell the subtle musk of his soap. “Then trust me to take care of you. Show me how well you’ve healed.”
    She set her coffee down on the counter and took a slow breath. It shouldn’t be a big deal. He’d seen her body before. For heaven’s sake, he’d been the one to cut off her clothes the night she’d arrived at the base, but this time, it was different. They weren’t in the medical center anymore. He wasn’t her doctor, and he sure as hell wasn’t looking at her like she was a patient right now.
    “If your daughter comes in right now, I’m telling her we’re playing doctor and leaving you to explain what that