Page 76 of The Dom with the Clever Tongue

She laughed. “He’s already seen us naked. I’ll get it.”

Scarlet gave a quick nod then ran into the bedroom and shut the door. Hard to believe it was Scarlet who had the bigger issue being naked. Reece wrapped one of their larger towels around her curves, tucked it just above her breasts then walked to the front door.

When she opened it, Malachi stood there, wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and that sexy grin she loved. The grin faded a moment later and his mouth dropped open.

“Whoa.” He gave his head a shake. “Now that’s a greeting.” He stepped in and kissed her cheek. “Is Scarlet still in the shower? Can I join this party?”

Reece chuckled. “No. She’s getting dressed. Why are you so early?”

After closing the door behind him, he stepped around Reece and looked around. “I was bored and impatient.” His brow furrowed. “What the hell happened in here? It stinks like bleach and everything is all shiny.”

“Uhhh.” Was it that obvious?

“She went on a crazy cleaning spree,” Scarlet answered from the bedroom doorway. Dressed in jeans and a navy t-shirt, she sauntered into the living room.

“My turn,” Reece said, heading toward the room.

Malachi stopped her with a hand wrapped around her arm. “You should stay just like that.” His gaze dropped to her breasts then swooped down and back up. He bit his lip and his eyes darkened with hunger. She was going to miss that look. That stomach knot started again. It was hard to breathe.

She yanked out of his grip before she started crying. Crying? It wasn’t like he was moving away...or dying.

His expression changed to a confused sort of worry. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Giving her head an inward shake, she mumbled. “It’s nothing.”

Scarlet swooped in and saved her. “Reece, why don’t you put on something sexy for us and we’ll pack up some toys for tonight. Okay?”

Nodding, she swallowed hard then hurried into the safety of the bedroom.

From behind her, she heard Malachi ask, “What’s going on with her?”

Then Scarlet answered, “She just had a long day.”

As soon as she closed the door, she leaned her back against it and sucked in a breath.

Get it together!

Tears pricked at her eyes. Her throat tightened. She was so fucked. As soon as she saw him in the doorway, grinning at just the sight of her, she knew. And now she had to admit it to herself. She wanted Malachi. Not just as a friend, but as a Dom. No, not only that either. She wanted him like she wanted Scarlet. A partner, a lover, a best friend.

Fuck! She was in love with Malachi Johansson.

She slumped to the floor and buried her head in her hands. What was she going to do now? She couldn’t cut him out entirely because he and Scarlet were still friends. There was no way to get out of this without someone getting hurt.

She was so, so fucked.

Chapter 14

Scarlet handed Reece up into the pick-up, catching a flash of bare thigh for her trouble. It was hard not to leer, but Reece wasn’t in the mood for that sort of thing. She’d been quiet since she’d gone to their room to get ready for tonight. She’d even refused to ride shotgun, insisting that Scarlet sit there even though she usually joked that seat had her name on it.

For a moment she pretended to herself that she had no idea why Reece was upset. Suspension of disbelief. But she knew, deep down, Reece wasn’t being completely honest with her. Reece had feelings for Malachi and didn’t know how to tell her. They were going to have to sit down and have a serious talk. She was sure they could figure it out, at least until Reece had her fill of him. Blaming it all on Reece was convenient, but it wasn’t fair. Scarlet liked him too much, too.

If she brought it up now, though, she had a feeling Reece would either deny it or shut down. She might not be ready to admit it herself, let alone talk to Scarlet about it.

On Saturdays, Malachi’s shop closed at five. Aside from the coffee shop across the street, not much was open a half hour later. The street was so deserted a person would almost expect some zombies to shuffle past, herd of tumbleweeds in their wake.

“It’s always so quiet down here after the shops close.” Reece said from the back seat. “At least they didn’t roll up the sidewalks tonight.”

“Not totally deserted. Look.” Malachi gestured to an odd-looking couple sitting on the bench outside his shop. They looked like they weren’t in a hurry to go anywhere, and were sipping at their coffee. “My tenants at the farm, Winter and Mack. Winter works for Cross.”

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