Page 14 of Boss Level

The way one corner of Judith’s mouth tugged up was dangerously seductive. “Is that what I am now? A treat?”

“The best kind.”

“I’m sold. Take us back to your place, future husband.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice.

As I drove, she texted Xander. “I told him you were bringing me with you, and he saidand?”

“Maybe he doesn’t understand the significance of the situation.”

Judith clucked. “Maybe I should show him.”

“You’re going to send my husband dirty pictures?” That was an alluring and distracting thought.

“You said it, not me.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her moving in her seat, and when she pulled her sweater up over her breasts, I had to fight to keep my eyes on the road. Especially when she started snapping pictures with her phone.

Thank fuck we weren’t far from home.

Judith had straightened her clothes again by the time I pulled into the driveway. When we stepped into the house, Xander was waiting for us.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked.

“An outlet?” Judith offered.

I added, “fun?”

“No. That was painful.” Xander took both our hands and led us deeper into the house. “Fortunately, I can give as good as I get, and now the actual fun starts.”

He spun Judith in the living room, stripping off her coat in the process, and settled his hands on her hips when her back was to him.

The two of them together were fire. They always had been. I was torn betweenwhy did we ever stop doing thisandis it a mistake to start again?

Heat and desire were winning out, but they didn’t erase the whispers of doubt.

6

xander

Ididn’t need this—a night with all three of us—until Judith texted me. We’d barely made it past verbal foreplay, and already the ache inside me roared for this to not be the last time.

Tonight things were going to be the way they used to. Notwayback, but after Dominic.

I turned Judith with me so we faced Dom. “I think you helped instigate this,” I said to him.

“I did. And I don’t feel bad about it.”

Good. “Sit. Watch. Your turn to keep your hands to yourself.”

He sank into a chair with a faint smirk and folded his hands into his lap.

I led Judith into the center of the room. It was probably a good thing we weren’t in front of street-facing windows, because I wouldn’t hesitate to take her in front of the entire neighborhood. I stripped off her sweater and paused to trace light lines along the spade tattoo on her shoulder blade.

Dom had one in the same place. I had one too, but mine was on my bicep. A lot of Judith’s people had the ink now, but the three of us, plus Elliot and Link, did it first. This was how we rang in a new era. How we sold our souls to each other and this path Judith was on.

I had a lot of tattoos, but the spade was one of the most significant.

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