Seduced by Three by Sylvia Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

snuck up on me.” She exhaled a sigh and relaxed a little when she realized he was not a threat.
    He smiled at her sweet feminine voice and studied her face with the close-up view his night vision provided. Her dainty features clashed with the aggressive warrior’s stance she possessed.
    “You’re lucky it was me and not somebody else.”
    “I’m on my way home now.”
    “I’ll walk with you. Make sure you get there okay.”
    “No really, you don’t have to.”
    “I’ve been assigned to patrol this area. I would say that walking you back would be my job right now, seeing as you’re the only person around.”
    “Since you put it that way,” she said, smiling at him. “How can I say no?”
    “I’m Van.”
    “Grace.
    “Are you National Guard?”
    “Yeah.”
    She nodded. “Have there been any problems around here?”
    “Nothing too serious, but the longer the power stays out, the worse it’s going to get.” He looked at her. “I have to advise you not to leave your house alone again.”
    “You wouldn’t be the first person to tell me that today,” she snickered. “I don’t follow directions very well.”
    They walked side by side in silence for a while before she looked up, way up, at him and wrapped her fingers around his bicep, stopping their forward progress. “You’re going to have to turn back now. I can’t let you know where I’m staying.”
    He didn’t want her to walk the rest of the way by herself, but she was being smart. He nodded. “Okay.”
    “I’ll probably be back out to clean up tomorrow or the next day. Will you still be in the area?”
    “Probably. I’ll keep my eyes open for you.”
    “Okay, and don’t worry, I’ll get back home safe. It’s not far,” she said over her shoulder.
    “I’ll stay here for a while. Yell if you need me.”
    Grace turned to face him and started walking backward. “Thanks, Van. I hope I’ll see you around.”
    As she walked away from him into the darkness, Van replaced his night vision and watched her until she turned off the main road onto a side street.
    Yeah. He hoped she’d see him around, too.
     
    * * * *
     
    It was sheer blackness in the shelter when Grace got back. Groping her way over to her bag, she took off her wet tank top and slipped on another one. Now she smelled like lake water instead of sweat. It was only a slight improvement, in her opinion. She felt her way to the single bed, took off her boots and pants, and laid her pants over the back of the nearest chair.
    She expected to meet Sarge’s body on the small mattress when she climbed in, but she didn’t. Grace scooted so close to the cold wall that her rear was chilly from the touch of the cement block. If he wanted to sleep down there, it would be close company.
    She exhaled a deep breath and tried to sift through her thoughts. The time she’d spent waiting for the beach to clear gave her mind free reign to pore over everything that had happened. She realized she didn’t want Sarge to pull away. She needed everything to be okay between them.
    Truth was, deep down inside, Grace felt lost, separated from the only compass she’d known in her life, the only constant she’d known in her life. She was shaken and needed to hang on, cling to something that would keep her pointed in the right direction until she located her new path on her own. Usually, that needy part of herself was kept locked down and hidden. Not because she was raised to suck it up, which she was, but because she hated the way it felt. Emotional extremes made her feel totally exposed and weak. It was scary. She’d learned a long time ago that she’d rather break a limb than feel inadequate to cope with her own feelings. And right now, she was dangerously close to her breaking point. The last twenty-four hours had been too much. She was raw, vulnerable, and helpless to stop the rush of emotions she had been trying to keep at bay.
    Grace heard Sarge enter the back door of the house, and her heart