The Three Read Online Free Page B

Anna lay frozen in awe.
    Anna had never made love with anybody. She had never even seen two people making love. She knew sex, and she knew violence, but she was a stranger to the intimate dance that was happening across the fire. As much as she knew that she should close her eyes, she was riveted to the scene.
    Kael reached down between their bodies, grinning up at Elin. The firelight played off the muscles of his arm as he worked his hand between her legs. Elin squeezed her eyes closed, and her breathing hitched loud enough for Anna to hear.
    Anna flexed her thigh muscles, and her own breathing became erratic for just a moment before she brought it under control. She lay, unmoving, feeling a familiar ache between her legs, made almost unfamiliar by its strength. The look on Elin’s face was intense and sensual. Kael’s eyes were glued to her, flashing with heat that Anna could see as clear as day.
    Then he withdrew his hand, drawing a quiet groan of protest from Elin. He gripped Elin’s bare hips with both hands and whispered something up at her, and she nodded in response. Elin reached down between them and planted her knees farther apart, shifting on top of Kael. Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth opened in a soundless cry.
    My God, Anna thought. She watched Kael slide a hand up the middle of Elin’s back to encourage her to lean down and meet him in a hungry kiss. Elin’s hips continued to move as they got lost in the joining of lips and tongues, and she rode Kael in a steady rhythm. One of Kael’s hands twined in Elin’s hair, while the other slid down her back to grip her pale bottom. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.
    Anna told herself again that she should close her eyes, but she was rapt. She couldn’t tear her attention away from the lovemaking any more than she could stop breathing. Her heart pounded so hard that she was afraid that Kael and Elin would hear it and discover her watching.
    Elin broke their kiss and sat up, riding Kael’s hips with increasing urgency. She leaned back a little and smiled down at Kael from beneath hooded eyes. Anna’s mouth fell open at the pure heat of that look, and she listened to Kael’s soft moan float out into the cool night air. Elin broke into a wide grin that quickly turned into a grimace of pleasure.
    As though he knew just what she needed, Kael reached between their bodies again, and Anna watched in amazement as Elin tipped back her head, opened her mouth, and arched her back in silent release. Kael kept his other hand pressed against her lower back and supported her trembling body. Elin continued a slow, erotic grinding against Kael until he seemed to stiffen beneath her, and the two lovers sent a mutual silent cry out into the night.
    Anna’s body was alive with feeling. She worried that her hosts would know she was awake because she was so out of control; she was shaking, and she couldn’t get her heartbeat to slow back to normal. Across the campfire, Elin whispered a quiet I love you down to Kael, who mouthed a reverent response in reply and pulled Elin down into a full-body hug, turning his face toward Anna and squinting hard in an expression of pure bliss.
    She knew she shouldn’t have watched, but it had been the most incredible thing she’d ever seen. They were so beautiful together. Even Kael, who had frightened and enraged her earlier that day, had been transformed into something entirely different by their lovemaking. Suddenly, powerfully, Anna trusted these two strangers with her life. To find love out here in such a cold, hard world was a clear sign that these were people who could become a home. Homeless for over a year, and alone for a month, Anna couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. A family. A place where she belonged.
    I hope Kael can grow to like me. She directed the thought out to the universe, an uncharacteristic prayer.
    She listened to another few moments of murmured endearments from across the fire before