by Susan Hayes
Vance parked the shuttle outside one of the nicer homes on the street. The front porch light was on, casting enough of a glow she could see her temporary home was painted white with a bright blue trim. Cheerful light spilled out of countless windows, adding to the sense of welcome. This wasn’t merely a house—it was a home. Ciara could feel the difference before she even left the vehicle.
“Brace yourself, I do believe the welcoming committee is about to be unleashed,” Vance murmured as the front door opened and a small figure darted out.
“Ciara! You home.” Annie called out, waving her hand as she ran to greet them as fast as her pudgy legs could carry her. It had taken her a few days, but she’d finally learned to say Ciara’s name. Vance hopped out and intercepted his daughter, scooping her into his arms as she squealed with delight. “Daddy home!”
Ciara’s heart warmed at the image before her, and for one brief moment, she felt a sharp pang of regret for all the things she could never have. Children, a family, even a home like this one, full of people who loved each other. There’d been a time she’d thought this would be her life one day, but fate had other plans.
Dane followed his daughter outside, and his heart beat a little faster as he saw Ciara. She looked stronger than she had only yesterday, and even more lovely than he remembered. When Vance had agreed they should get to know her better, Dane had been thrilled his partner was onboard. When Vance had suggested that they invite Ciara come and stay with them for a few days, Dane had jumped at the chance.
Ciara opened the door and started to climb out, keeping half an eye on Vance as if she expected him to stop her. Dane took a good look and immediately knew why. The damned woman wasn’t wearing shoes, only a pair of disposable paper slippers. Dane didn’t think, he simply reacted, unwilling to let their guest set one foot on the rain-soaked ground. She floated out of the shuttle with a startled yelp, and he belatedly remembered he’d yet to mention his abilities to their house guest.
Oops.
“I told you he wasn’t going to let you walk,” Vance said, struggling not to laugh and failing miserably.
“What the hell is going on, and why am I floating?” Ciara demanded, kicking her feet for emphasis as she hovered several feet above the ground.
“Sorry. I should have given you fair warning. I’m a telek, and I didn’t want you to get wet feet, so….” Dane crooked a finger as he levitated her closer, trying not to laugh at the mixture of annoyance and enjoyment displayed on her face.
“A little notice would be nice before you go sweeping a girl off her feet,” she muttered. “At least Vance asked permission before he picked me up.”
“Sorry,” he said, but the truth was he wasn’t sorry at all. She hadn’t so much as flinched at the revelation he was a telekinetic, despite the fact not everyone was accepting of gifts like his. It made some people uneasy, but not Ciara. He placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as he set her carefully on her feet. He was pleased to note she didn’t protest the contact. Being this close to her gave him an opportunity to admire her once more.
She was even prettier when she was irritated. Maybe it was the way her eyes flashed, or the flush of color appearing on her normally pale cheeks. Whatever was going on between the three of them, it was getting worse—or better. He wasn’t sure yet which one it would be, but he was looking forward to finding out.
“Interesting talent you have there. The Alliance sure got their credit’s worth when they enhanced the two of you. None of my siblings manifested any new abilities after their enhancements. Well, apart from the standard ego enlargement.”
“That’s not standard issue, you have to ask for it specifically,” Dane replied, earning himself a grin. “Come on in, Ciara. Annie is dying to show you her room, so we’ll start the tour there if that’s okay?”
She peered inside. “Does this place come with a map? It’s huge!”
“You won’t need a map, I promise. If you get lost, you can ask one of the bots for directions.”
“Please, tell me you’re kidding.”
“Mostly.”
“Come. See!” Annie reappeared between them and grabbed hold of Ciara’s hand, tugging her inside before she could protest.
Vance arrived next, and Dane couldn’t help but chuckle as his partner turned and activated the security system, locking all the doors. “Not taking any chances, huh?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. All I did was secure the house for the night, same as I always do.”
“Only you’re about four hours earlier than usual. Do you think there’s really a chance she’d want to leave?”
“I think if she wanted to leave, nothing on the planet would stop her. All she has to do is call Alayna and they’d have her out of here before we could blink. Alayna’s very protective of her.”
Dane understood the feeling. “I noticed. She seems to inspire that in people.”
“She does. I spent some time talking to Tanner today. He’s the father of the two boys she pulled out of the rubble. Ciara’s saved countless lives out there using nothing but ancient equipment and black market or outright stolen meds. She’s something of a hero to them. She never charges for her services, eithers. She actually worked as a laborer in the hydroponics bays to earn enough credits to get by.”
Dane glanced up the stairs, taking a long look at Ciara as she followed Annie, still holding the little girl’s hand. She couldn’t be more than five-foot-six or so, with long legs and a slender build so unlike the tall, statuesque bodies of enhanced females. It couldn’t be easy for her out there, leading a life of hard work and sacrifice with little material reward. “She’s one of a kind,” he said in agreement.
“She might be once in a lifetime. Or in our case, twice in a lifetime,” Vance spoke softly.
They’d once thought that Christine would be their once in a lifetime chance at happiness. Maybe they were going to get a second chance. Ciara chose that moment to turn and look down at them. Her gaze met his, and for one brief, perfect moment, Dane’s world was complete. Before he knew it, the moment was gone, shattered by Annie calling for them to join them.
“Come Daddies.”
Still stunned by whatever the fuck had just happened to him, Dane headed for the staircase, only a few steps behind Vance. “I have a feeling you’re right, Doc.”
Ciara let Annie lead her deeper into the house, trying to take in the general feel of the place as she went. The entranceway was large and airy, and the entire house was painted in soft, neutral tones. The carpet beneath her feet was thick and sinfully soft, a far cry from the packed dirt floor of her clinic. Doors lined the hallway. They were almost all closed, no doubt to stop Annie from wandering where she shouldn’t be.
Annie kept up a constant, cheerful babble as they walked, though Ciara only understood a third of what was said. Hopefully, she hadn’t missed anything important. It was hard to focus when part of her mind was still playing over the moment she’d looked back at Dane and Vance and found them both watching her with an intensity that quickened her pulse. There had been desire in their eyes, and a predatory hunger that stirred feelings and needs she normally kept buried deep inside. She’d known she was attracted to them from the beginning, but now she knew for certain the attraction went both ways.
Alayna had sworn they were good men, and Ciara believed it. For a few days, she could rest here and hide from the stark truth. She had lost everything and would have to start over yet again. For a few days, she’d give herself permission to forget. When she left this place behind, it would be to rebuild somewhere new, with whatever supplies she could find, and whatever happy memories she could make in the meantime.
Annie stopped outside the last door and pointed excitedly inside. “Dis my room.”
Ciara stepped inside and found herself in the middle of a wonderland. She’d expected a traditional pink bedroom filled with dolls and glitter. Instead, the room had been decorated to look like a
forest, with the furniture crafted to match. A toadstool chair, a fallen log that was actually a bed, even the shelves holding her things were made to look like the branches of the trees lining the walls. The carpet was plush and patterned in shades of green and brown to mimic a forest floor, and overhead was a twilit sky that showed a sprinkling of stars.
“This is some room, Annie. You’re a very lucky girl” she declared, looking around with amazement.
“Lucky is one word for it. Spoiled is another,” Dane said as he and Vance arrived, both of them grinning down at their little girl as she toddled about her room, pointing out her favorite things.
“What little girl doesn’t hope to be spoiled by her daddies? You’re the first men she’ll ever love. You might as well set the bar as high as you can for anyone who tries to win her heart later.”
“She’s never dating,” Vance grumbled, looking pained at the thought.
“It doesn’t work that way, and you know it,” she teased him. “But you do have a few years left before you have to worry about it. I’d say you’re well on your way to making sure she has high expectations.”
Both men raised their eyes from their daughter to look at her, and once again Ciara’s pulse started to race as she found herself caught in their heated gaze.
“Every woman has the right to have high expectations. If a man can’t meet them, he should step aside and let her find someone who can,” Dane said.
“High expectations are a luxury only some women can afford to have. The rest of us have to make do.”
Vance folded his arms across his chest and gave a slow shake of his head. “You’re wrong, Ciara. You deserve the best of everything. And while you’re staying here, we intend to treat you that way.”
“I don’t need special treatment,” she said with a negating sweep of her hand.
Dane leaned up against the doorjamb and gave her a look hot enough to melt steel. “For the next few days, why don’t you let us decide what you need, angel?”
No offer had ever sounded so good…or so dangerous.
She opened her mouth with every intention of saying no, but somehow “no” wasn’t the word that left her lips. “Okay.”
The air in the room seemed to rise several degrees as the three of them looked at each other in silence. Finally, Vance nodded and stepped out of Annie’s room, gesturing for Ciara to join him in the hall. “In that case, let us show you where you’re sleeping, then we can give you the rest of the tour and head for the kitchen to eat. No more cafeteria food for you.”
“Thank the stars,” she murmured.
“I wouldn’t say thanks just yet, you haven’t tried Dane’s cooking,” Vance said, ignoring Dane’s outraged expression.
“I cook better than you can. You’re the only doctor I know who has actually made people sick.”
Vance rolled his eyes. “One time. I undercooked the chicken once. Not my fault you have a delicate constitution, you pansy.”
They bickered for the next few minutes, the friendly banter putting Ciara at ease as the intensity of what had passed between them slowly faded into the background…for now.
***
CHAPTER SIX
Ciara hadn’t been sure what to expect the next day, and she’d come down to breakfast with a nervous flutter in her belly. They’d scrounged up a few more clothes for her, and she’d been happy to don an over-large sweater to go with the too-long pants she’d borrowed from Alayna. What they lacked in fashion, they more than made up for in comfort. She left her feet bare, having discovered—to her delight—that the floors were all heated.
The entire house was a source of amazement to her, and the more they’d shown her, the more she’d marveled at the luxury they took for granted. Gleaming counters of polished stone, new appliances, and a food console capable of preparing anything from simple drinks to elaborate meals. She was introduced to the simple AI that ran the household, her voiceprint recorded as a guest so she could program her preferences on everything from the time her alarm went off in the morning to the temperature of the water in her shower.
Breakfast had been a noisy, cheerful affair, and when it was done, they had spent a quiet day inside, watching vids and playing games with Annie. They’d kept Ciara entertained and off her feet without making her feel like a burden, and she’d enjoyed every second of it. It was a pleasant, easy day, and by the time evening came around again, she felt as if she was living with old friends. It was easier to relax around them when they were both out of uniform, unshaven and informally dressed in jeans and T-shirts. Annie wandered between the three of them, sharing stories and toys and dispensing unlimited hugs and sticky kisses.
It was the best day she’d had in a long time.
Later that day, and against her protests, they’d ordered new clothes for her. She’d argued until she was blue in the face, but it made no difference, especially since someone had already provided them with her dress and shoe size, along with suggestions about style and color choices.
Ciara was going to kill Alayna the next time she saw her.
Despite the casualness of the day, the undercurrents of attraction and desire were never far from the surface. They flirted and watched each other, every casual touch sending sparks flying between them. As they bid her good night, both men took her hands and brushed a kiss to her knuckles in an archaic gesture that made her almost giddy. She could feel their eyes on her as she made her way upstairs. Even after she’d closed her door and crawled into the heavenly softness of her bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about them.
More importantly, she didn’t want to.
* * * *
Vance was programming the console for breakfast when he heard footsteps. Dane had gone in to work early, so when Vance heard the steady fall of adult feet on the stairs, he knew who it was without looking. Ciara. In the few days she’d been staying with them, she’d fallen into their routine, rising to have breakfast with them each day.
“Good morning. Sleep well?”
“I did. In fact, I’m contemplating stealing the bed when I go. I’ve never slept so well in my life. Of course, there’s 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 gav
e 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.