Page 7 of Sinful Promise
“I’d rather not.”
If men could havetwinkle-toes, I think Fletch’s little dance into my room would qualify. He drops onto the end of our bed, right beside Aubree, but twists his torso so fast our way, Minka tugs her sheet higher. Tighter.
I’m about to lose my own modesty, if she takes any more of our covering.
“So how’s it going, Doctor Delicious?” Fletch trails the tip of his finger along the mattress, only to chuckle when I kick my feet to make it stop. “You lovebirds sleep well?”
“Aubree?” Minka ignores my partner’s existence and glares at her second-in-charge. “Fetch my robe, please. Then get the hell out of my bedroom.”
“Oh,fetch?” Laughing, Aubs pushes off the bed and makes her way to our closet, passing my jeans—and barely hidden beneath them, the gun I used last night to pierce a killer’s skull. “We’re back tofetchingnow, are we, Doctor Mayet? And here I was, thinking we worked with mutual respect and equality in the workplace.”
“We have equality between men and women.” As soon as the younger woman grabs the silky fabric and comes back our way, Minka tugs the robe and shrugs it on without releasing our sheet. “We donothave equality between the chief medical examiner and the lowly employees.”
“Lowly?” Aubree steps around her friend and sits down the second Minka vacates the bed.
Fuck, but now I’m naked and in bed with the woman my brother loves.
And my wife… shrugs and walks away.
“Maybe I’m a lowly employee,” Aubree calls as Minka moves into the hall. “But what about our best friend anklets?” She drives her leg into the air so the glittery chain sparkles in the rays of sunlight sneaking through our curtains.
Fletch, of course, glances along Aubree’s leg and appreciates.
It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.
“We have best friend anklets, Mayet! We have a bond.”
“And you’re in bed with my husband. Who isnaked.” The sound of the shower flipping on hits us first, then Minka’s bland tone. “Seems our best-friendship allows for husband swapping, no?”
“Well, sure…” Aubree lowers her foot and giggles. “Except, I don’t have a husband, so it sounds like a winning deal to me. Not so much for you.”
“I’m good.” The bathroom door slams shut so the sound of running water turns muffled, then the three remaining people left in my room look around at each other. Gauging. Curious.
Aubree’s eyes meet mine. “Yep!” She shoves off the bed and leaves my sheet behind, saving us both from having to explain to my brother how she saw my cock on a weekday morning.
She and Tim aren’t dating. They’re not even having sex. They just… wish they were.
“I’m gonna head into the kitchen and…” She studies the floor, her gaze skimming over my jeans, over my gun. Her boss’ underwear. “See myself out.”
“Great idea,” I mumble as she bolts through the doorway.
The cat meows from somewhere along the hall, then the sound of cups clanging together lets me know Aubree’s making a fresh triple-sugar-chocolate something.
Slowly, I bring my gaze to Fletch. “Do you mind?”
Taunting, he lies on his back and looks up at the ceiling. “I’ve seen your dick, Arch. You don’t have to be shy around me.”
“You’re an asshole.” I yank the sheet from beneath his weight and wrap it around my body. Then I go about picking up our discarded things.
Mostly, I want the gun and silencer gone. Neither of which were supplied by the department, so they will both raise suspicions if my partner sees them. He’s a damn good cop, and he doesn’t benefit from spousal privilege the way Minka and I do. If he gets even a whiff of what we did last night, shit will turn sour fast.
“Mia with the nanny?” I ask of his almost-four-year-old. “She good?”
“Yep.” He remains laid out on my bed, blind to me as I stuff our clothes into the closet. “They’re heading out to some kiddie play. Things are getting kinda tense at our place, now that her mom is coming back, so Penny took her out for something fun.”
“A kiddie play?” I close the closet door and refasten my sheet around my hips before it falls. “What does that even mean?”
“Like… I dunno. Some ballerina chick from a TV show is putting on a play. She dances and works through stories or whatever for the kids.” He pushes up to sit so a deep, old-man groan works along his throat, despite the fact neither of us are much over thirty. “Mia adores her, so when Penny found tickets…”
