EXTRACT FOR
Diary of a Hotwife: Veterans Affairs
(Veronica Sloan)

I had the coffee ready for Darren before he headed off to work. When he joined Bo at the table I hung back in the corner to watch the two men play. They really were like brothers. There was the same intimacy, rivalry, dumb jokes, secret references. He didn't have long but he made the few minutes count. 



When he got up to leave he clapped the big man on his shoulder. "Bo, I just want to make one thing clear before I go--"



"I know, I know," Bo chuckled, "keep my hands off your wife."



Darren's grin was to die for. "Well, unless she asks you to."



Bo was caught in a half-grin. His eyes quickly swiveled from his sergeant to me. "You know, comin' from the South, I'm a little slow," he said. "Can you run that by me one more time?"



Darren just patted his arm. "Mi casa, tu casa. What's mine is yours." He rounded the kitchen to give me my kiss goodbye. "It's gonna be a long day, sweetie. Show him a good time?"



I squeaked when he squeezed my bum. "Of course, dear," I said huskily. "I'll put a plate in the oven for when you get in."



Darren stopped by Bo one more time just to make sure he got the message. "Whatever she says, she's got my blessing. She's the squad leader by proxy."



Bo's perplexed expression followed my husband all the way out the door. "I think I'm missing something," he said. 



With a smooth flick of my finger I switched off the coffee pot. With a smooth, hip-swaying stroll I rounded the table. Smoothest of all, I slid into Bo's lap and draped my arms over his shoulders. "You were," I said. "Now you're not."



His hand trembled as it pressed into my back. He felt me the way I felt for cobwebs in the garage, reluctantly, unsure if there was substance to be had or if the terrible thing was all in his imagination. "Leslie girl, I know you've been teasing me all morning but you gotta stop. It's been a long dry summer."



I ran the edges of my nails along the fuzz of his earlobe. "Longer than that, I think. To hear Darren tell it, you've been celibate for at least a year."



Bo sighed. "You tell each other everything, huh?"



"Everything," I said. "He told me you might like this..." My nails bit into the back of his neck to draw him into a soft kiss. It was almost chaste, but my tongue slipped out at the very end to wet his handsome lips. 



His eyes were unfocused when we parted. His voice rumbled from his throat like low thunder. "What do you want?" he breathed. 



I pushed my nose into his neck to nuzzle him. "I want to make you feel good, honey."



The big hand on my back spread over my spine. The other hand slipped softly over my naked thighs. "Oh, Leslie," he breathed. "Don't, girl. Don't tease me."



"No teasing," I promised. My teeth sank into his bearded chin. "I wouldn't do that to you, Bo. He loves you, and he wants me to take care of you." I ran my palm down his solid abdominals. He was fragile beneath all those muscles but I knew if I pushed hard enough the monster would break free. "I can't fix you, honey, but I can help. I want to help. I want you to help me."



"Les, are you sure?" Bo whispered. "You're his--"



I rolled my thumb over his lips. "I am his," I said, "and he's loaning me to you. Do you want me?"