Shi somehow managed to redden even more. “Oh! Um, you’d be okay with that?”
“Of course.” I crossed the room, trading the stack of papers in my hand for the cloth they held.
“Okay…”
I smiled as they took themself to the office. James had been feeling guilty, though it had eased a little after this morning. The more time the two had alone, the better he would feel.
I was finishing cleaning the tables when I heard the office door open again. Before I could react, a hand grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around, arms wrapping around my neck.
“Thank you,” Shiloh said, tucking their face into my neck.
“You’re welcome,” I said, chuckling. I dropped the cloth on the nearest table in favor of settling my arms around their waist. “What in the world for?”
When they pulled back, their pretty eyes were glossy with unshed tears. “James told me everything that happened last night, and what you two did for me. He downplayed it, but…” They choked out a disbelieving laugh. “You saved my life! I can’t thank you enough.”
“Well,” I said, deflecting, “your life happens to be pretty important to us.”
“I can’t believe I crashed your engagement night, demanding that you pay attention to me, and then?—”
“It’s not crashing if we want you there, Shi Baby.”
Another laugh bubbled out of them. “I could kiss you.”
I couldn’t fight the smile that curled my lips then. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to that. We can’t let you miss out on a New Year’s kiss, can we?”
Not even the fluorescents in the kitchen could outshine the sparkle in Shiloh’s eyes.
James’s voice suddenly came from behind Shiloh. “Why am I not surprised to see my fiancé works much faster than I do?” Shi jolted at the sound of his voice, all but leaping into my arms. For my part, I pretended the wordfiancéhadn’t sent a shiver down my spine. “Of course, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also want a New Year’s kiss with you. What do you say, Shiloh? No pressure, of course.”
Shi’s attention whipped back and forth between us, as if they couldn’t believe the words coming out of our mouths. Only once they realized we were serious, they swallowed hard. “Only ifbothof you want it. I’m not making a choice between you.”
Over Shi’s shoulder, I met James’s gaze. He smiled and nodded, and my heart sped up. This hadn’t been my intention in sending Shiloh to James’s office, but apparently the universe was rewarding me for my good deed. I should try being selfless more often.
“Close your eyes,” I said.
Shi obeyed, but they kept their hands on my shoulders. James stepped in close, boxing them against me from behind. His head dropped into their curls, causing them to shudder between us. They tipped their head back as he inhaled deeply, which caused their neck to arch and their lips to tilt toward me. Without wasting any time, I hooked a finger under their chin and leaned in, bringing our mouths together.
With a low sound of pleasure, they clenched my sweatshirt and hauled me closer. I let our tongues tangle briefly, then pulled back. Shi let out a quivering breath and as I parted from them, their eyes fluttered open. Then they spun in our grasp, grabbing the side of James’s face and hauling him down into a second kiss. I was pleasantly surprised at Shi’s boldness, and doubly so when they started prying more out of James than the tender kiss he went for. Where ours had been breathless and playful, their kiss was hungry, and I found myself watching with building lust as Shi folded into my fiancé’s touch.
I was all but pressing myself into Shiloh’s lean back when they finally parted. Damn, why wasIpanting?
“Happy New Year, Shiloh,” James said.
Shi was still hungover, and now drunk all over again on our twin kisses, so James insisted that they go home. We assured them we were happy to finish the cleaning, and they gratefully accepted our offer.
The two of us couldn’t stop grinning as we switched the music to the slow, twangy baritone we both loved. I finished scrubbing down the surface of the last table, humming along to the song. James and I worked in concert, like our bodies were the notes to the song. I could practically track each step he took across the room, right up until he curled his hands around my hips and moved in behind me. “Thank you,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the mark on my neck that tingled beneath the touch.
I knew what he meant, but I wasn’t about to turn down his praise. “What for?”
“Earlier… with Shiloh.”
Rotating in his arms, I dropped mine around his shoulders. The move seemed to be his favorite, allowing him to mold himself into every curve of my body.
“Does that mean you feel better about everything?”
James grimaced. “Sort of. I can’t help but think that they only want you.”
“Evenafterthey demanded a kiss from both of us? Do you plan to ask them?”
