Page 126 of Filthy Rich Santas

“You don’t have to—” I say, only to be shushed by all three of them.

“Of course we do,” Beckett rumbles. “Aftercare is essential.” He pauses, then adds gruffly, “It’s also a fucking privilege.”

“Aftercare?”

Tristan leans down to press a chaste kiss to my temple as I snuggle deeper into Ryder’s embrace. One of his hands settles on my hip while the other stays wrapped around the nape of my neck.

“That’s right. An intense scene like that floods your body with endorphins. It’s important to ease out of it with proper care, both physically and emotionally.”

My throat tightens, emotions swelling inside me. “Thank you.”

Ryder tips my head back, kissing me before giving me a lazy, satisfied smile. “Like Beckett said, it’s a privilege.”

“I like it,” I admit, feeling sleepy and sated as I smile back at him.

It’s the understatement of the century, but I feel so good I don’t even have it in me to worry about getting too attached right now.

“Let’s get ready for bed,” Tristan murmurs, helping me to my feet.

I nod, loving the domesticity of it as the four of us do just that.

But just as we’re all starting to settle in, all three of the men’s phones ping at the same time.

Beckett reaches his phone first.

“The club,” he grunts after thumbing his notifications open.

The other two are already reading their messages, and both of them nod. None of the men seem tense about it, though, so whatever’s happening with Radiance, it can’t be a bad thing.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, giving into my own curiosity when none of them volunteer any more information.

There’s a moment of hesitation between the three of them as they all exchange glances, then Ryder answers me.

“Just an update, love. We’ve been working toward expanding the business.”

My stomach zings with excitement for them, and I grin. “Really? That’s great! Radiance is already so successful. I’m thrilled to hear that you’re going to be able to grow it, though! What are your plans?”

He smiles at me. “We’re still trying to finalize that, but we definitely want to focus on another destination city. New York is in the running, but so are New Orleans and Miami. Each one has a very different energy, so we’re taking our time with the market research to make sure the new club will be a good fit for us.”

My brows shoot up. “Oh. You’re opening a second club?”

When he said expansion, I was thinking along the lines of adding in theme nights, or partnering with other businesses around Los Angeles.

“It’s time,” Tristan says, rubbing a hand up and down my back, almost absent-mindedly. “We’ve got great staff in place, and as soon as we can get Beckett to admit that they don’t need micromanaging…”

He trails off with a smirk at Beckett, who rolls his eyes.

“I know they’re capable,” he says a little gruffly. “There’s no way we’d even be at this stage if I didn’t think Radiance would be in good hands once we move to the new city.”

“You’re… you’re all going to move to whichever city you open the new club in?” I ask, my stomach dropping.

They’ve been in L.A. the whole time I’ve lived there, and if I’m brutally honest with myself, it’s part of the reason I moved across the country in the first place.

It just never occurred to me that they’d leave the city.

My question makes Tristan snort, and Ryder shoots Beckett another teasing look as he answers me.

“There’s no way we’d trust anyone else to oversee the early stages of the new place.”

---