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I sat up tall, my seat belt digging into my shoulder.
“She kissed you?”
Xavier shook his head.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“We do,” Jackson said. “She kissed you? When? Where?””
“I walked in on her when she was in the bathroom,” Xavier said, and then, as though he thought we’d assume he’d done it on purpose, added, “Accidentally.”
“And?” Jackson asked. “Is her body as good as I think it is?”
“How would I know?” Xavier snapped. “I slammed the door shut as soon as I realized what I was looking at.” He flicked the indicator on and turned onto another arterial road. “You’re the ones who’ve seen her naked for a decent length of time.”
I blinked. When had Jackson seen her naked?
“Halfnaked,” Jackson corrected, and I remembered that she was topless when he worked on her tattoo.
My memory flashed back to the gym: her pink nipples stiffening as she arched her back and moaned. I rearranged my legs to hide my swelling erection.
“Sounds like someone else wants to fuck her, too,” Xavier said, and the three of us fell silent as we realized what meant.
We wereallattracted to her, but we’d agreed not to touch her.
It was a weird situation.
Both Jackson and Xavier had been single for as long as I’d known them, both too invested in their work to date. From time to time, I wondered why they’d never tried to find relationships, but Xavier was my employer and Jackson was his best friend, so it felt like the question was too personal to ask.
I knew whyI wassingle: women didn’t flock to ex-convicts, as a general rule. Not well-adjusted women, anyway. Xavier and Jackson, on the other hand, were both attractive and hard-working. Xavier ran his own business, which must have been a draw card for any woman, and Jackson had a cheeky sense of humor that his clients loved.
It seemed like neither of them were interested in dating, so it was a surprise to learn they were both attracted to Emma. Although why wouldn’t they be? She was fantastic company, a great cook andgorgeousto boot.
“Anyway,” Xavier said, keen to change the subject. “Where is she now?”
“A restaurant,” I said, watching the blue dot that showed her location. “The Surf and Turf.”
Xavier sped up as soon as I told him, following my directions as he steered through the seaside streets. The after-work traffic slowed us down, and it felt like it took us forever to get there, but when we did, Xavier drove past at a crawl, with all of us glued to the windows, watching out for Emma. There was a sizable outside dining area, which was full of people, but it didn’t look like Emma was one of them. Xavier parked his car around the corner, and we all got out.
“Won’t she recognize us?” Jackson asked, and Xavier shrugged.
“We’ll stay discreet. Look in, make sure she’s safe, and leave.”
We made our way back to the cafe. Since it was busy, it wasn’t hard for us to blend in with the crowd. There were men in suits, women who looked like they came straight from yoga class, and young couples with dogs. We hung back against the wall as though we were trying to decide what to order.
“There she is!” Xavier hissed, and I turned to see her friend in a booth at the back corner, talking to someone with burgundy hair who was facing away from us.
I took a few steps closer and saw that it was indeed Emma. It was good to see her enjoying herself again, talking with animated hands. I’d seen her smile since she was staying with us, but nothing like this. Whatever they were discussing had her full attention.
“She looks fine,” I said, suddenly feeling silly about how worried I’d been. “Maybe we should leave her alone.”
Xavier looked over the rest of the patrons.
“What if he’s here?”
“What if he isn’t?” Jackson countered. “I can’t see him.”
There were a few men in that mid-twenties age group in the cafe, but none of them seemed to be paying Emma much attention.
