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set the bottle to one side. He relaxed in his chair and took a sip.
    “Talk.”
    Patience never had been one of his virtues.
    “Why did you do it?”
    “Do what?”
    “Don’t be dense, Sean. Why did you let Drew join us?”
    She’d been haunted by that day for five years. The events that transpired had changed their lives, and none of them had dealt with it well.
    “Neither one of us thought we were going to get out of there alive. Drew and I talked about it before they threw you into the room with us. Then, when they brought you in and made you strip in front of them, I, we, well. . .  we knew they would kill us eventually. As soon as they took your clothes, you were doomed. They kill women for showing ankles, and you were naked in front of half a dozen men, none of whom were your husband. Drew and I were dead men then. We would have died defending you.”
    “So,” she drew out the syllable, “what? You decided to share me?”
    “Sort of. It wasn’t something we planned. If you remember, as soon as they left you alone with us, you threw yourself at me. To be honest, I didn’t think we had anything to lose. I knew the bastards were watching, but I didn’t care. I wanted you one more time before they killed me.”
    She remembered that day, vividly. He was right. They were going to kill her. As soon as they figured out she was female, she knew she was going to die. She’d wanted Sean as badly as he wanted her. One last time.
    She told him so. “I wanted you so much, I forgot all about Drew being in the room. I knew the bastards who took my clothes would probably be watching, but I didn’t care about that, either.”
    Sean picked up her train of thought. “I fell into that chair and you came down on top of me. We were both pretty far gone, and I remember looking over your shoulder, and Drew was there, watching us. He was in love with you, and I could see it was killing him to watch us. We didn’t need words to communicate. We’d worked together in tight situations before, pardon the pun,” he smirked, “so I invited him to join us. Besides, you needed a distraction. I didn’t want you to dwell on what was going to happen to us.”
    So, that’s the way it happened. No prior discussion. No bartering. Not like today, when they’d tossed a coin for her. She’d wondered if it had been some sort of macho, dying wish sort of thing. Now she knew. It had been, but no despite his words to the contrary, it had been her dying wish, not theirs. They had done it for her.
    She’d been riding Sean like he was a rodeo bronc, and then his big hands had covered her ass and held her still. She could still remember his whispered words in her ear, “Let Drew love you too.” Drew put his hand on her shoulder, and she knew what was going to happen. She’d dropped her forehead to Sean’s shoulder and waited while Drew unfastened his pants and freed his erection.
    “Relax, sweetheart. Let Drew love you, too.” The words slipped from his lips in a murmur of regret.
    As distractions went, it had been a good one. Celeste shook off the memory. “Then we were rescued.”
    “I’ve never been happier, or more disappointed, to see a bunch of United States Marines in all my life.” Sean tilted his wine glass to his lips.
    “Me either.” She shuddered as the reality of their situation hit home. “They were going to kill us.”
    “Yes, they were. But they didn’t, and when we got home I fucked it up for all of us.”
    “Why? What was wrong with the way things were?” She knew better than anyone did, what had been wrong. She’d brought Drew into the bedroom with them, even if he was only in her heart and her mind. Sean had known it.
    “I thought I was losing you, and it scared the shit out of me. I never dreamed you would leave us both.”
    “I couldn’t stay. If I did, I’d have to choose between you, and I couldn’t do it.”

    * * * * *

    The last thing he wanted to do was relive that day, but the woman across the