He says it like he’s reading it off a legal brief, so matter-of-fact I can’t help but blush. “Thank you, counsel,” I reply, and he gives a little smirk.
Emmett leads me into the kitchen, which is fully equipped and gleaming, counters crowded with takeout containers and half-assembled charcuterie. “We started without you,” he admits, pointing at a pizza box and a tray of sushi rolls. “But there’s plenty.”
I toss my bag on a stool and peel off my jacket. Brody is last to appear, wearing black sweats and a white T-shirt that fits him like a second skin, the sleeves hugging his arms so tight I wonder if he’s lost circulation.
He pauses in the doorway, gaze sweeping over me, and for a second, I’m reminded of just how freaking lucky I am. “You made it.”
“I did,” I say, and the words feel so full of emotion. “I really did.”
He crosses the room and he pulls me in, forehead pressed to mine. I sink into him, the scent of his skin already familiar, alreadyhome.
We fall into comfortable conversation, while the city blazes behind us. Emmett makes a joke about how many people in the city are probably fucking right this very minute, and Miles pretends to scold him, and I just let myself be wrapped in the moment.
We eat, we drink, we laugh. I tell them about my dad, about how the conversation went—not the details, but the parts that matter. I tell them about the way his anger faded into something like regret and sadness, the way I left feeling proud of myself for doing what I needed to. “He doesn’t approve,” I finish, “but he didn’t blow like a volcano, either. So there’s that…”
Brody’s hand finds mine under the table. “You stood up to him,” he says, proud but not patronizing. “I knew you would. I’m glad your friends convinced you to face the fear. I wish we could’ve been there to back you up, though.”
“I think I needed to do it myself, even if I probably lost five pounds in fear sweat,” I confess, and Emmett howls with laughter.
“I’m proud of you, baby.” Miles tips his glass of wine back.
I swallow hard. “You guys are seriously the best.”
“We know,” Emmett winks at me, and then pushes back from the table, starting to clean up. “Go chill, and we’ll be out there in a minute.”
“Deal,” I say. I pad across the floors to the large window in the sitting area, clinging to my glass of wine. The city glitters below, and it’s freaking surreal to stand here, hovering over it like this.
Ineverthought I’d ever havethisview of NYC.
Brody joins me a few minutes later, arms folded, watching the skyline. “I like this view. That’s why I chose this place,” he says. “I always kind of thought it made my problems seem smaller.”
“Or just farther away,” I joke, peering up at him.
He glances down at me, blue eyes as sharp as ever. “You want a tour of the rest of the place?”
“Is that code for ‘the bedroom’?” I tease, hip-checking him lightly.
“Maybe,” he says, and the smile on his face is all dark and hungry, leaving my pussy already aching for him.
Miles and Emmett join us at the window, Miles looking like he’s already thinking about his next move, Emmett with an arm slung around my shoulder, hand resting comfortably over my collarbone.
I let myself lean into all three of them at once, a tripod of stability I never knew I needed.
“Time for the tour?” Brody asks, and I nod.
I let him lead me by the hand, the other two falling in behind me. We make our way down a hallway, and don’t stop until we’re at the very end.
Brody’s bedroom is unbelievably gorgeous. King bed, white linens, pillows piled high. There’s a balcony, a walk-in closet bigger than my entire bedroom, and a built-in bookshelf filled to the brim with gorgeous hardback books.
I stand in the center of the room, unsure where to put my hands. But then Emmett is there, fingers laced through mine, and Miles at my back, lips brushing the curve of my neck.
Brody comes up behind me, mouth at my ear. “We want to make you feel good, Georgie,” he says. “You’ve had a tough week. What do you think, baby?”
I can only nod, pulse thudding at the base of my throat.
Emmett positions himself in front of me, grabbing the hem of my shirt and tugging it over my head, while Brody unbuttons my jeans and lets them drop to the floor.
Emmett kisses my neck in the spot I love so much, Miles strokes my sides with gentle, lingering hands, working his way up to my bra strap. Quickly, he unsnaps it, and I let my bra slip down my arms.
