day Sloane had been vindicated of her accident at work, and informed she not only got to keep her job but was actually promoted. The asshole who apparently sabotaged her had been fired, and was lucky we didn’t hunt him down and beat him to within an inch of his life.
On top of all that, we were doing a ‘redo’ of New Year’s Eve. Taking a raincheck on what our girlfriend had promised us, back when we first snuck into her show.
“Were they mad?” asked Brock.
“Not mad, just disappointed,” Sloane answered. “The couple who put in an offer on the angel ended up doubling their bid when I said I wouldn’t sell it.”
“Whoa,” I swore. “And you still kept it?”
“Yes,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s… special to me now.”
Sloane had made more than enough money to pay us back already, not that she had to. When she absolutely insisted we took her money and set it aside, the three of us vowing to buy her something fantastic with it. It seemed the only Christmas-like thing to do.
“So why is it so special?” asked Valerio, already knowing the answer.
“Because it came from all of us,” she said gently. “I may have sculpted it, but you all had a hand in its creation. It was brought to life by the four of us, working together. For that reason, I love it more than anything I’ve ever made.”
The statue currently stood in our parlor, which we were renovating next. Oddly yet coolly enough, it looked like it always belonged there.
“Well we’re glad to have helped,” Brock smiled. “Doing that was fun.”
“Doing everything in Toronto was fun,” Valerio grinned sheepishly. “We need to go back there again.”
“Definitely,” smiled Sloane. “But for now…”
She turned and kissed him, curling one arm around Valerio’s face to pull him close. When she was done she kissed me next, rolling her head to the other side where my lips were already waiting.
Damn…
She was horny, I could tell. Her kisses were slow and sensuous, more than they were fast and insistent. She was enjoying every second of this. But she also wanted more.
We stopped only to come up for air, leaving us both flushed and breathless. By now she was practically in my lap. The heat of her thighs felt good against mine, among other things. Eventually I noticed Brock at the other end of the table, watching us over his half-drained pint of beer.
“What about the birthday boy?” I whispered into her ear.
Sloane got up and sauntered over to him. It was a good thing it was late. Our little corner of the restaurant was all but empty.
“Happy birthday,” she smiled, settling into his lap. And then she was kissing him too, her sultry mouth devouring his as she slid both arms past his shoulders and around his back…
Someone bumped me under the table. It was Valerio.
“I think we should probably get her home,” he said, his voice thick with lust. “No?”
For once we were in total agreement. I nodded, thinking of all the fun things we’d promised to do to her on New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve…
My mind flashed back to the strangeness of that night. We’d spent the rest of the broken evening with Danielle, watching the ball drop and celebrating Brandon’s victory. And make no mistake, it had been a victory. My little brother had taken a big step, maybe the most important step of his entire life.
Best of all, he’d taken that step alone.
“Go pull the truck around,” I told Valerio. “And I’ll get… them.”
By now Brock and Sloane were fully enmeshed in one another, making out like teenagers. It was just as well. My friend’s wallet sat at the edge of the table, resting beside his phone.
Smiling as I watched them, I slipped out his credit card and used it to pay the bill.
Forty-Eight
SLOANE
“Can’t see?”
“Nope.”
“You sure?”
“It was dark before you even blindfolded me,” I giggled. “Trust me. It’s even darker now.”
They’d had me stretch out on the bed, upside down for some reason. I knew they’d lit candles, only because I could smell them. I could smell lots of things.
Mmmmm…
The three of them were always delicious, each having his own distinct manly scent. Valerio’s was almost sweet, while Brock had the scent of the leather tool belt he usually wore around his waist. Kade had a more earthy, musky smell to him, sometimes mixed in with the hint of the machines he worked on.
I had no idea who was in my face right now, but