32. The Library
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE LIbrARY
Julian
The instant Kai walks into Inferno, I can tell something’s bothering him. His shoulders are stiff, and his expression is pinched in a way I haven’t seen since we were teenagers. He’s wearing black trousers and a white Oxford shirt, no tie. His brown boots match his belt, and as always, his hair is artfully tousled—but his usual ease is gone.
I’d been worried about him all day, knowing yesterday had to have shaken him. Having Rod walk in on us wasn’t just a private moment exposed… it was his entire career hanging in the balance. I’d texted him earlier to check in, but his responses had been short, guarded. Now, seeing him like this, I know he’s likely still spiraling.
When his eyes find mine above the crowd, there’s a hint of something in his gaze—worry, distraction, or maybe both—as he walks over to us.
My chest tightens. He needs this tonight. I can feel it in the way he carries himself, in the way his expression is strained.
I can take care of him.
I can give him a space where everything else disappears, if only for a little while.
Nudging Sophie, who is chatting animatedly with the bartender, we both turn to face him.
“Hey,” Kai says, taking a seat next to my wife. Turning to the bartender, he orders a single whiskey.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” Sophie says, reaching out for his fingers. I notice the way his hand goes stiff underneath hers before relaxing. “I know it was last minute, but I— we —really wanted to see you.”
Kai looks at me, and his emotions are shuttered behind his eyes as he nods once, smiling down at Sophie.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Sophie’s not wrong. After I got home from Kai’s office yesterday, Sophie and I hung around at home, wishing we could be with Kai. And because of what happened with his colleague, Rod, I’d wanted to give him some space. But then Sophie had gotten a package this morning… a wearable vibrator. She insisted she wanted to try having both of us inside of her tonight, and thought meeting at Inferno while wearing it would be a good way to get herself ready.
She has the remote control, and my only stipulation was that she get herself nice and wet for us before we even attempt it.
Kai doesn’t know. It’s our surprise for him.
“Everything okay with…” I trail off, looking at Kai.
He nods once, and then he slams the entirety of his drink. “Yeah. I took care of it.”
I huff a laugh. “Where’d you hide his body, then?”
This puts a genuine smile on his face, and my whole body tingles with warmth. God, he’s fucking cute when he smiles.
“Very funny.”
“I can help dig a grave,” Sophie chimes in, grinning. “I have excellent upper body strength from brushing Snickers, and also from Pilates.”
This makes Kai’s smile broaden. “I might take you up on that one day, little dove.”
His use of her nickname makes her blue eyes glaze over. “Whatever you need… my lord. ”
Kai’s eyes go from mirthful to something darker, a glint of possession in his gaze. The air shifts, and Sophie squirms next to me as she quickly finishes her wine.
“I thought we could go upstairs to Paradise,” she explains, looking at Kai.
The whole club is based on two levels—Paradise and Purgatory. Orion Ravage owns the place, and I enjoy how exclusive it is here. I know Sophie does, too.
“No Purgatory for you tonight?” he asks, his voice teasing.
She leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. Her answering grin is slow and deliberate, and her fingers trace the rim of her wineglass.
“Not tonight. I’d rather skip the penance and go straight to the reward.”
Kai leans forward, his eyes dipping down to her crossed legs. “Careful, little dove,” he says softly. His tone has an edge to it. “Paradise isn’t as safe as it sounds.”
The weight of his implication hangs in the air between the three of us. Sophie shivers, and my own pulse thrums at the way he’s able to control her, the way she seems to unravel without so much as lifting a finger.
Kai is an anomaly, a contradiction I can’t stop turning over in my head. With Sophie, I know where I stand, the rhythm of us well-worn and familiar—equal parts give and take, though I do prefer being in control.
But Kai? He’s fluid, shifting between roles with a grace that unsettles me in the best way. When he submits, it’s deliberate, an offering that feels earned, like he’s letting me in on a secret no one else gets to see. And when he dominates, like when Sophie yields to him, it stirs something almost primal in me. A test. A challenge . Maybe even admiration.
I want him under me, completely mine, but it’s more than that. I want to unravel him, to understand how someone so controlled can let go so entirely.
It’s intoxicating in the best way.
And I feel damn lucky in the moment to have both of them in my life like this.
“I’ll take the risk,” Sophie says after a beat, her voice more defiant than steady. “Shall we?” she asks, standing from her barstool.
Kai takes in her outfit—a short, plaid skirt and a fuzzy, white jumper with over-the-knee, heeled boots. She looks incredible, as always, and I drink in the way Kai studies her.
I know, I want to tell him. We won the fucking lottery.
Kai shifts his focus to me, his gaze dragging like a physical touch. “Let’s go.”
Sophie’s eyes dart to mine as if to gauge my reaction. I can feel the heat creeping up my neck from the promise of what’s to come.
We all walk upstairs with me leading the way. Sophie’s hand is in mine, and Kai trails behind her. Once we get to the top floor, Sophie places something in Kai’s hand, whispering in his ear. From the way he stares down at her, and the way his neck flushes, I can tell she just handed him the remote.
“I changed my mind,” she says to us. “I want to go straight to our room.”
Kai’s eyes find mine on the landing, and I arch a challenging brow in his direction. We’d booked out a private room for tonight, and it required a few strings to be pulled because everything was already booked out.
Kai answers her by clicking the remote on, and her tiny inhale is the only indication that it’s working. He looks at me again, his expression serious.
“Lead the way,” he says.
I pull Sophie down the hallway, and when I look back, her other hand is entwined with Kai’s, her fingers laced with his.
I can’t speak for other couples who open their marriage, but I’m starting to understand the appeal. Seeing the person you love, loving someone else and happier than ever? I can see why people do this. It’s almost addicting, this feeling of compersion.
Once we get to our room, I reach into my pocket and unlock the door, labeled The Library.
When I looked into renting a private room for tonight, I’d seen that they had different themed rooms to rent out. And I thought that Sophie would enjoy this one.
When I push the door open, she gasps behind me.
“Oh, this is lush,” she says, coming to stand next to me.
There are two walls of books, floor to ceiling. There’s a desk and an armchair, and on the other wall, an extra-large king bed adorned in red, satin sheets.
Kai comes to my other side, and when I look over at him, that same expression from earlier is back on his face.
It’s… vulnerable . Open. Scared .
Without thinking, I reach over, my fingers brushing against his wrist as I take the remote from his hand. The touch is brief, but I let it linger just long enough for him to feel it, just long enough to let him know I see him.
Kai’s eyes flick to mine, searching, and I meet his gaze with something steady, something I hope tells him it’s okay. I don’t move. Neither does he.
But the tension in his shoulders eases, just slightly.
I turn the vibrator all the way up, the hum of the speakers filling the space between us.
“Oh fuck,” Sophie whispers, knees buckling.
Kai’s eyes bore into mine, and all I can do is shrug nonchalantly.
“No point in waiting.” Looking at Sophie, who looks like she’s about to pass out, I kneel down on one knee and begin to unzip one of her boots. Her legs are trembling, so I make sure to let my fingers drift over the insides of her knees and thighs.
“Julian,” she growls, knowing exactly what I’m doing.
Once I’m done with the other boot, she steps out of both as I stand.
I’m just about to make a quip about moving to the desk or bed when Sophie turns around and pulls Kai in for a kiss. Her arms work around his neck, and she moans as she presses her body closer.
Yeah, I could get used to this.
I step behind Sophie and work my hands underneath her jumper.
And God, it’s not just her—the soft, familiar feel of her skin or the heat of her body beneath my hands—that has my heart pounding in my chest. It’s the sight of Kai, his tentative hands settling on her waist, and the way his breathing hitches as she deepens the kiss.
For a moment, I just stand there and take it all in. My hands rest on Sophie’s hips, watching my best friend kiss my wife. The way his lips part beneath hers, the way his lashes flutter as if he’s caught in some dream he doesn’t know he’s allowed to have.
But he is.
Because as much as Sophie is mine—always has been, always will be—I can feel it in my chest like a second heartbeat: Kai’s mine too. Or could be, if he’d let me.
My hand shifts, fingers trailing along Sophie’s side, and she leans into me with a soft sigh. Her head tilts slightly, giving me just enough room to press a kiss to the curve of her neck.
But my eyes stay locked on Kai.
He catches me staring, and for a second, he looks like he might pull away. But then, something changes. His gaze sharpens, his brows drawing together, and it’s like he’s daring me—challenging me—to say or do something.
Instead, I lift a hand and let it hover near his cheek, not quite touching but close enough that he knows he could lean into it if he wants.
And he does.
It’s subtle, just the barest tilt of his head toward my palm, but it’s enough to send a jolt of heat straight to my core.
Sophie notices, of course she does. She always sees everything. Pulling back just slightly, they end their kiss and she looks at me over her shoulder, her lips curving into a wicked grin.
“You boys need a minute?” she teases, her voice low and rich with amusement.
Kai lets out a nervous laugh, but I just smirk, my fingers flexing against Sophie’s hips. “Maybe later,” I say, stepping closer, until we’re all pressed together. I click the remote down to give Sophie a reprieve.
She hums, pleased, and tugs her jumper over her head, tossing it somewhere behind her. She’s in nothing but her bra and skirt now, and when she turns back to Kai, it’s like she’s giving him permission to look, to touch, to be .
But his eyes dart back to me instead, searching.
I reach out without thinking, my fingers tangling with his. His hand is warm, hesitant, but he doesn’t pull away. Instead, he tightens his grip, and the way his thumb brushes over mine sends a shiver racing down my spine.
I don’t know when it happened, but I’m falling. For him, for this—for us .
It feels right. All of it.
When Sophie’s head falls back against my chest, Kai’s eyes linger—not on her, but on me. There’s something sharp in his gaze, something that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It isn’t jealousy, not exactly.
It’s hunger… but for what, I’m not sure he even knows.
“Julian,” Sophie whimpers. She starts circling her hips, and I drop to my knees again. “I’m getting close.”
“Down,” I say, tugging lightly on Kai’s trousers. His eyes darken, but he obeys, sinking beside me. When he hesitates again, I slide a hand down his back, applying just enough pressure to make him move. “You can take care of her, can’t you?”
When I slowly unzip Sophie’s skirt, I see him lick his lips in my peripheral vision. A low, steady humming noise is coming from between her legs, and when her skirt pools at her feet, I lean back on my heels.
“Go ahead,” I tell him. “Take her knickers off.”
Kai reaches forward and slowly tugs the black, lacy material down. He sucks in a breath when the purple toy comes into view, held in place by a black harness.
“Fuck,” Kai whispers.
He trails a hand over the clitoral stimulator, and when he presses it down against her clit, her hips jerk forward erratically.
I trail a finger up the inside of her thighs, groaning when I realize she’s leaking arousal. Swiping it onto my fingers, I turn and hold it up to Kai’s mouth.
“Taste our girl.”
He bends forward, his warm mouth suctioning around my two fingers. His eyes are hooded, and as his tongue swirls around the tips of my fingers, my lashes flutter.
I resist the urge to moan, resist the urge to let my eyes roll back so he knows how fucking good his mouth feels. I remember the feel of his tongue on my cock, the way his tongue moved expertly for someone who’d never given a blow job in his life.
Kai lets out a guttural sound, popping off my fingers as he looks up at Sophie. “Delicious,” he murmurs. Kai’s tongue glides along Sophie’s inner thigh, but his grip on her hips feels too light, like he’s holding back. His eyes flick to me, searching for something I can’t quite name. I watch as he hesitates, just for a fraction of a second, before he continues.
Even now, I can see it—the tight coil of restraint winding through him.
Pulling her knickers all the way down, he swipes his tongue up her seam, meeting the tip of the vibrator. Reaching around her hips, he unclasps it. The vibrator falls to the floor, and I click it off just as Kai looks up at Sophie with both of his large hands on her arse. “Do you mind if I taste you again, little dove?”
“N-no,” Sophie whispers, her hands already running through his hair.
Kai leans forward and suctions his mouth around her clit. The sounds he’s making, and the way her mouth drops open in bliss, has me trailing a finger between her legs. I push my finger into her tight cunt, and Kai’s scruff brushes against my knuckles as he feasts on my wife. Without thinking, I bend forward and press the side of my face against Kai’s, licking my wife in tandem with him.
“Oh fuck, yes, both of you,” Sophie whimpers. “God, this is?—”
I cut her off by adding two more fingers inside of her. She lets out a high-pitched, pleading sound, and it only makes Kai groan in response as he continues his ministrations. It’s messy and wet, and every time Kai’s tongue brushes against mine, I let out a low growl.
I’ve always loved the way Sophie tastes—salty and a bit sharp, with a hint of sweetness. Mixed with Kai?
It’s fucking delectable.
“Oh God, I’m close,” Sophie says. She has one hand in my hair and one hand in Kai’s, and she’s pulling us both closer.
“Yeah? Come for us, Soph. Show us you’re ready to take both of us at once,” Kai says, his voice hoarse.
“Yes, yes, fuck, just like that,” she begs us. “More, harder?—”
I add a fourth finger, diving most of my hand inside of her now. I’m not gentle, either, but she’s more than prepped now.
And as her knees buckle, she cries out. Her skin is trembling, and her breathing turns ragged as she clamps down on my fingers—over, and over, and over. I can feel the way it pulses through her entire body, and it only spurs both of us on.
Sophie collapses against me, panting softly as I run my fingers through her hair. Kai lingers nearby. He starts to pull away, but I reach for him, fingers wrapping around his wrist.
“Stay,” I murmur, tugging him closer to us. He hesitates for a second before settling beside me, the tension in his body softening as Sophie’s hand slips into his.
“I think I’m ready for both of you now.”