“No doubt.”
I let go of the breath I’ve been holding for the last few hours. The message is short and sweet:that’ll work. I’ll have the paperwork sent over asap.
My shoulders relax as I return the phone to the table. Smiling to myself, I cross one leg over the other. A few seconds later, my foot is bouncing.
“What’s got you in a good mood all of a sudden?” King asks, facing me fully now.
I’m impressed he noticed. While I wanted to tellthe three of them at the same time, he could use a distraction.
“Can you keep a secret?”
He crosses his arms over his chest and gives me an are you kidding look. “I kept my feelings for my best friend a secret for six fucking years.”
“Good point.” I lean forward.
The front door opens. “Hey,” Katherine calls. “We’re home.”
Peace sweeps through me like a temperate breeze. My body’s reaction is instantaneous, so subtle that no one else would ever notice, but I feel the difference. My shoulders drop another fraction, my heartbeat slows to a steady, happy thump-thump-thump, and the tension of the day washes away as if it never was.
Loving Katherine has fundamentally changed me.
King’s reaction is less covert. Taking a giant step forward, he launches toward the sofa, braces a hand against the back to vault over, and then races into the foyer. The man moves like a cheetah and Katherine is the antelope he has his sights set on.
I follow at a more casual pace, but my strides get us there at roughly the same time.
He slows, eyeing me.
Gabe locks the door and turns, sliding an arm around Katherine’s waist.
“You two made up,” King says.
Gabe smirks. “How can you tell?”
Aside from the fact that his body language screams, ‘this is my woman, and I just got my dick wet?’
“Her hair’s down,” King observes.
The shadows of this morning are gone from her eyes. Her meetings must have gone well, not that I had any doubts they would. She’s one of those quiet workers who does things in the background. Getting shit done.
My chest puffs up with pride for her.
Around us, the air is thick with tension, and no one speaks. There’s a momentary awkward silence, like we’re all unsure of the rules now.
But then Katherine steps forward, a vision in the sleek dress that makes her complexion radiant. Although she probably has an orgasm or two to thank for that, as well as the rich color. She reaches out to King first, instinctively knowing he needs her attention.
She clasps his face between her hands, staring into his eyes. It’s like they communicate without words.
“You good?” he asks.
“Yeah.” She brushes a brief kiss against his lips. Her touch obviously soothes him, and he leans into her caress, his muscular frame relaxing as he wraps his arms around her.
The frantic energy fades as he smiles softly. Their connection is beautiful to witness. Born of years of memories, trials, feelings, and genuine friendship.
I glance over at Gabe. He watches them with a soft expression, hands tucked loosely in his front pockets. His lovers. Two people who’ve stolen a chunk of his heart with their goodness. Who love each other and him. They’re lucky to have found each other and opened themselves to possibilities.
Katherine steps out of King’s hold and reaches for me. It’s my turn to cup her cheeks and drop a kiss on her lips. “Hi, Beauty.”
She presses one hand to my chest, right over my heart, and slides the other up to wrap around my neck. “Hi.”
