Page 196 of Shared By the Highest Bidder

Emery’s intense green eyes and lust for rough sex to match...

How their mouths looked feral and possessive telling me they loved me.

“Miss Armstrong?” a voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

My eyes trail up to see a man in a service attendant uniform standing over me.

“Yes?”

“Come with me.”

My heart pounds, and I whisper into the phone, “Stella, I have to go. I’ll call you when I land.”

I hang up and swallow bile, thinking Michael implicated me in the theft of his safe deposit box and officers are waiting to cuff me. The judge remanded him back to Rikers, and the prosecutor charged him with bank fraud. He’ll say anything to hurt me.

“Is... Is there a problem?” I ask the attendant.

“Yes, there’s a problem.” A deep voice from a few feet away calls out.

Ford.

I look up and see my three men walking toward me, escorted by TSA.

My breath leaves me, and I stand up.

Wanting to cry, I utter, “What are you doing here?”

“This.” Ford holds up my letter. “Stoppingthis.”

“Baby, we don’t want to let you go.” Ash squeezes past Ford. He’s the soft to Ford’s harsh.

“I promised my designs to Stella.” I press on my tote bag with the sketches and hard drive inside. I refused to check any luggage.

They’re not leaving my sight again.

“Then we’ll bring them to her with you. All of us. I’ve got my pilot on hold.” Emery speaks into his phone. “File a plan to LAX immediately.”

“Stella is your best friend,” Ash says, kissing my knuckles. “We want to meet her. We want her to approve us for you.”

“Bernadette...” Ford stands over me. “You came to New York because you knewthisis the place for you to be a designer. It still is. Your talent blows me away. And you’re drawing again.” He takes out the check Ileft him and tears it up. “You have plenty of money to live here, start your own collection, do whatever you want.”

Staring at the torn check, I gasp, “I can’t keep that money.”

“Just keepus, baby.” Ash gets down on one knee.

Now people are staring.

“Forever,” Emery grounds out in his deep voice, lowering next to Ash. Mr. No Commitment just said forever. “I love you, Bernadette.”

“You really love me, Emery?” I ask.

“He better.” Ash takes my hand.

“Do you really think I don’t?” Emery has the most to prove.

“Tell me more,” I say, tears stinging my eyes. “How?”

“How do I love thee?” He tangles our fingers together. “How am I not head over heels for you? How am I not totally out of my mind for you? I tried to fight it. I really did.” He glances at Ford and Ash. “I knew they’d give you the love story you’ve always wanted and forever.”

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