Page 25 of Room Thirty: Perfect Little Doll

“That’s what you think I’m going to do?”

“I don’t know. Carey and Fox have,” I pointed out in a huff. His dark gaze stayed on me for a bit before he nodded.

He moved. But instead of pressing the stop button like I had suspected, he drew me in closer to him. His arm wrapped around my shoulder, pressing me up perfectly to his side. Each man was incredibly handsome and alluring in his own right. But there was something to Ronan.

An easiness and softness that made it easier to relax around him from the first day I had walked into the building.

“They shook you up,” he observed. I chewed on my lip. Carey’s and Fox’ kisses had shaken me up like a ten point two earthquake on the Richter scale. Not that I would admit it to Ronan. I had a feeling he already knew.

“A little.” I shrugged. “I thought you…” I opened and shut my mouth, not sure about what to say. It was obvious whatever little charade or mind game they were up to, they were all in on it. “Never mind.” I shook my head and stared straight ahead at the silver metal doors as we dropped slowly, floor by floor.

“Was my favorite girl waiting for me to make a move?” he asked the side of my face. I swallowed hard.

Nerves hit harder, and I couldn’t help but look up at him. I was shorter than them on a regular day, but at the end of the day, in my ballet flats, I was even smaller. I had to crane my neck up a little more than usual to catch his gaze. It was laser-focused on me.

“Maybe,” I answered softly. He nodded and cleared his throat.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to,” he admitted, and for some reason, maybe because he was the youngest of the three or because he was the easiest to get along with, without thinking, I rolled my eyes. “You don’t believe me?” he challenged, and I sighed.

“I don’t know. It’s a little… much.”

“What is?”

“The idea that the three of you want me.”

“Fox told you?” he guessed.

“Carey hinted at it a little, but yeah.”

“This whole thing was his idea, he tell you that?” he asked, and I nodded. “I see.” My eyes roamed upward, and I knew the elevator ride was coming to an end. As nervous as I felt about whatever Ronan had up his sleeve, I was a little disappointed he hadn’t tried anything yet.

“We do, you know?” My head jerked to the side, and our gazes connected. “The three of us want you.” His words processed in my mind slowly. I wondered for the umpteenth time,why me?

I wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous like Coco. I wasn’t hideous, but I didn’t think I was anything super special. I was just me.

“We have wanted you since you started to work for us. If we’re being honest, it’s why we keep you working late so many nights of the week.”

“Ronan.” The elevator pinged, and I felt like crying.

But Ronan would show me I had nothing to worry about.

Ronan

I droppedmy arm from her shoulder when the doors opened and reached for her hand. The surprise in her eyes was evident. She had no idea there was no way in hell I would let her walk out of our building alone. Never. Not since she started to work for us had she walked out on her own.

Not that she knew that.

Carey might have just started to put cameras in the office and god only knew where else, but I had been in the shadows every single night, watching closely to make sure she made it to her car safe and sound. Every night, once she got in her car, I hopped onto the motorcycle no one knew I rode to work and tailed her home.

I’d been obsessed with her.

From the moment she’d looked into my eyes, I had fallen for her. I knew how people looked at me. How they assumed I was. How they categorized me.

And before Serena, they would have been right.

I was the guy next door with the heart of gold. The good guy. And I wanted to be that for her, but falling for Serena had brought something inside of me to life. Something a little darker. Grayer.

“What are you doing?” she asked, and I smiled softly.