Page 20 of Three Wickedly Bad Neighbors and a Very Grumpy Girl

I must be dreaming.

And how on earth do they look the way they do when I look like this? We had the same amount of sleep, sporadic as it was. We participated in all the same things. Yet here I am, looking like I’m hungover, with tear-stained eyes, misbehaving hair, and a broken heart, while they’re freshly shaved, their hair meticulously groomed. They look nothing like before and are dressed in suits that cost thousands of dollars.

They look like billionaires.

?Chapter Sixteen

Porter

Nothing else registers in our minds except that the most beautiful girl in the whole fucking world, our girl, is standing in our boardroom, looking as if she’s been crying.

We don’t need to talk to each other to know that rage fills our veins.

“Avery, why were you crying?” Porter demands, echoing what Gray and I are thinking.

“Did someone say something to you? Hurt you? Fuck, Avery. Why were you crying?” I ask as I reach for her, my hands around her arms, with Sullivan and Gray standing on either side of me.

She’s not saying anything. Is she in shock?

“Avery?” we say together again, and this seems to bring her to her senses.

“What?” she finally says. “How are you here? What?” But she’s not answering the only question we have.

“Listen to us. Why were you crying? Who hurt you? Just answer the question.”

Heads are going to roll; we just need names. Did it happen here at Obsidia? If so, everyone will regret the day they were born.

A frown falls over her gorgeous face. She opens her mouth, then closes it and tries again, and then the fire in her eyes returns.

“You made me cry, you idiots. You...” She bangs her fists against our chests.

“Us?”

“Yes, you three. You just bombarded my life, and then you touched me, and my world is in turmoil now because my heart keeps saying I need to see you again if I want to breathe, almost as if I’m falling in love with you, which is by far the most ridiculous thing ever. I’m too practical for stuff like that, so it’s a non-issue. I don’t believe in love at first sight, period.

“And I know I’m never going to be the girl you want anyway. So last night was a one-off thing, and I was crying—stupidly—because it made me sad. But then I pulled myself together because, if nothing else, I’m a realist, and I know pining over three guys who look like you three is the worst thing I could do to myself.

“I’m going to need more time, clearly. A lot more time, but I will get over you. So you know what? It’s got nothing to do with you. So you go ahead and put your orgy bed to good use—”

“Orgy bed?” Gray asks, grinning at her. She’s so fucking adorable.

“That massive air mattress you bought specifically for your orgies.”

“We didn’t buy it. That was Benny as well,” Sullivan says.

“Well, whatever. I’m sorry if I ruined your plans with other women who look better than me and are less grumpy and bossy and—”

We don’t let her get any further before we take turns to shut her up with our mouths, devouring her taste and knowing it will never be enough to sustain us for long. Doesn’t she know how perfect she is? It’s everything about her that made us lose our minds and our hearts to her. Fuck, she’s our wife; it’s just a matter of making it official.

We let her slip out of the house this morning, opting not to stop her just yet. We needed to clear up this Obsidia Tech mess before we claimed her forever.

“But...” she says when we finally let her breathe.

“We said you were ours. Didn’t you hear us?” I ask her. “We’re going to make you our bride, Avery.”

“What? I mean, I did hear you. But isn’t that what all guys say to get what they want?”

“Not us, Avery. We only say what we mean. And we meant every word we said. You’re ours. And we’re going to claim you forever.”

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