Free Seduced by Three by Sylvia Ryan

Florida when this happened. Oh God, Van, that’s the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
    She leaned in toward him and gave him a big hug, and Van didn’t hesitate to return the affection. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight for way too long, but she didn’t object, and she didn’t try to get out of the clinch. Her breath on his neck, and the softness of her hair brushing his cheek, felt right to him. He brought a hand up to the back of her head, gently sifting his fingers through her hair. When he finally released her, Grace sat closer to him than she’d been before.
    She cleared her throat. “So, you haven’t seen any guardsmen since?”
    “No.”
    Grace looked down and rubbed the heels of her hands on her eyes. “They’re not coming back for you, are they?”
    He lay back, relaxing on his forearms, and looked out over the increasing blackness of the lake. “Probably not.”
    “What are you going to do?”
    “Survive as best I can, like everybody else.”
    “I wish I could help you somehow.”
    Van’s eyes roamed over her face. The evidence of her distress over his situation etched itself there. He turned her head toward him by lightly guiding her chin with his index finger. “Grace.” He smiled down at her, locking his gaze with her sad eyes. “You are one special woman. I guarantee there aren’t many people giving thought to whether other people, strangers, are going to be okay. Most are strictly focused on themselves.”
    “I’m not like other people,” she said softly.
    “A man would have to be blind not to see that.” Their eyes remained locked, and he tried to read the thoughts that were so visibly swirling through her mind. Then her gaze traveled to his lips before darting away. The eye contact was broken, and the moment lost. Van wished he had something beautiful and poignant to say, but his mind was foggy and his thoughts garbled. He cleared his throat. “So, what did you do before we all were forced into the Dark Ages?”
    “Nursing student. You?”
    “Fireman.”
    “Mmm, should have known.” She raked his body with an up-and-down glance. “You look like a fireman.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “Is that a compliment?”
    “Oh, yeah.”
    Van stared at her. She looked straight ahead, attempting to scan through the dark to the beach. It seemed like she deliberately looked away from him so that he couldn’t see her expression.
    “I couldn’t keep my mind off of you today.” His voice was deeper, huskier than he would have liked.
    “You’re probably just bored and lonely.” Still she didn’t look at him.
    “Grace.” He scooted closer to her and looped his arm around her back.
    “I’m not sure this is a good idea, Van,” she said tenderly.
    “Why not, Grace?” he whispered close to her ear.
    He noticed the subtle change in her breathing by the quicker rise and fall of her chest. Her body was responding to him, she just didn’t want him to know it.
    She turned toward him. Their faces were inches apart. “This is probably the last time I’ll be able to come back here.”
    He heard the regret in her voice. “I know. It’s okay. I want you to be safe.” Van pulled her snugly into him with the arm that was looped around her. He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly over hers. His tongue peeked out and skimmed over the softness of her lips. She opened her mouth to him, and then their tongues met and danced slowly around each other. He wanted to lay her back and explore her body, touch every part of her, taste her, smell her, hear her moan. And then she pulled away.
    She smiled the sweetest smile, one that hinted of sadness and regret. And then without warning, her easy vibe returned and the air around them changed.
    “Everybody’s gone,” she said so quietly that he wouldn’t have heard her if they weren’t so close to one another. “Come on, let’s go get wet.”
    Van’s hopes crashed at her obvious side step of his advances. How was it that, in