Page 9 of Room Thirty: Perfect Little Doll

“Shit, Serena, I’m so sorry.” Ronan winced.

“There is nothing to be sorry about,” I whispered.

“I can order something for you—"

“No, it’s fine.” I smiled weakly. I’d lost my appetite with Carey’s mood swing. “I’m not that hungry,” I mumbled. “Did you need me to get you something?” I asked, my eyes pinned to the top of my desk.

“Serena, look at me,” he demanded.

And again, like a good girl, I did as he asked.

Because for some reason when it came to my three bosses, doing what they wanted came as naturally as breathing to me.

“Are you okay?” Ronan’s large, calloused hand reached for mine, and my gaze dropped to it. Ronan was about an inch shorter than my other two bosses, but he was the broadest. He had rolled his sleeves up his forearms at some point this morning. The dark hair contrasted beautifully against his light creamy skin. My eyes drifted lower to his hand covering mine. His was so much bigger and rougher than mine. Studying his hand on mine made me realize I wanted things I had no right wanting.

Things that would more than likely horrify them.If they knew.That cold, hard reality made me pull my hand out of his and cross my arms over my chest. I felt the loss of his touch, but I ignored it. Tried to deny the coldness that seemed to seep into my body and bury its way beneath its surface. I hated feeling cold. It reminded me of how alone I was.

“I’m sorry. I’m fine. Really, Ronan, I am. Did you need anything?” I asked, impressed with myself for sounding so calm. His warm brown eyes searched mine for a long moment before he shook his head.

“No, Serena, I’m okay.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and he hesitated. “Whatever Carey said—"

“It’s no big deal,” I cut him off.

I missed you. He missed me being at my desk. That’s probably what he meant.

You’re so fucking beautiful it hurts.That one was a little tougher to explain.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Carey walked away from me quickly. Probably because he’d regretted what he said in the elevator. “I should have told you guys I was meeting Coco for lunch downstairs. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Right,” he mumbled. I sat down and started up my computer, pulling up my email inbox while I tried to ignore him. Which was a struggle.

Ronan Styles was a tough guy to pretend not to notice.

With his brown hair and mustache, and muscles over muscles, it was his eyes that captured you and held you hostage. They were like the sweetest, smoothest pools of expensive milk chocolate you knew would curl your toes.

“Serena, look at me, baby girl.” My eyes drifted up as my heartbeat picked up speed.Baby girl?Another nickname. The second one of the day. “There’s my favorite girl.” My face warmed at his compliment. “Don’t worry about him, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered breathlessly. My feet almost felt like they were floating off the ground.

“I’m serious, Serena. You know Carey. He worries too much, and he was just a little worried.”

“About?”

“You.” He winked, and my cheeks heated up.

“I’m a big girl, Ronan. I know how to take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time,” I shared softly and honestly.

His easy, playful expression faded, and in the blink of an eye, he shocked me by rounding my desk. His large frame kneeled in front of me. My eyes widened with how near he was. With him down on his knee in front of me, we were almost at eye level.

Is there something in the air today? Is a planet in retrograde, and it’s making them act up?

“You’re not alone anymore, Serena. You don’t have to take care of yourself. You have us,” he reassured me, and for a moment, I let myself believe him. I let myself think about what that would be like. Having someone in your corner you could count on, someone you could share your day with and who cared about whether you were okay or not.

“Us?” I repeated.

“The three of us,” he clarified. I smiled tightly.

The three of them.As if.At the end of the day, I was just their employee. One of many who helped run their agency. That was all. No more, no less.