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“That this isn’t real.” I laugh, but it comes out shaky. “That I’ll wake up and discover this was all just a beautiful dream.”

“Well…” Ford takes my hand and draws me into the bedroom. “I guess we’ll just have to convince you how real this all is.”

Hayden brushes his lips along my neck, and I melt back into his warmth with a contented sigh.

“And I owe you an apology,” Ford adds quietly.

I pull away from Hayden, frowning. “What? Why?”

Ford shakes his head. “We should have ended that deal the second George gave Liam’s gossip any credence. We never should have put you through that humiliating dinner. The moment he suggested judging our business based on rumors about my fiancée, we should have told him to go to hell.”

“We let our ambition override our principles,” Gabriel explains. “And that happened the moment we allowed someone else to dictate our personal lives.”

“We should have protected you better,” Hayden adds, tightening his arms around me.

“You all need to stop being so perfect or I’ll start believing you actually mean all this,” I say, my voice catching.

I step away from Hayden and walk slowly toward the bed, as if I’m weighing their words. “I suppose…”

I turn to face them, and I’m surprised to see genuine worry in all three sets of eyes. Like they think I might not forgive them. That now they’ve acknowledged their failure to prioritize me properly, I might walk away.

Which is sweet, but wrong.

“I’ll forgive you,” I tell them, letting a wicked smile cross my face, “if you crawl to me.”

58

HAYDEN

Heat flares through my entire body as her words register, shooting straight to my cock and making my pulse pound like a war drum. I fucking love how strong she is—that stubborn streak that never lets her back down from a challenge, even when she’s faced with three men who could overpower her without breaking a sweat. I meant every goddamn word I said back at that restaurant—every declaration about falling for her, about not being able to imagine my life without her smart mouth and fierce spirit in it.

She’s the only woman I’ve ever known who fits me so perfectly—and not just me, but my two best friends too. We work together like we were designed for this, crafted specifically for her. Like the universe knew she’d need three men to match her fire.

And she’s definitely the only woman who could ever bring me to my knees.

“For you, baby,” I say, my voice rough with emotion and desire. “I’d do anything.”

I drop to my knees without a second’s hesitation, the plush carpet of the bedroom soft beneath me. The other two follow suit immediately, Ford’s jaw clenched with determination while Gabriel’s amber eyes burn with a need that matches my own. I see Maeve’s breath catch in her throat as she takes in the sight of the three of us kneeling before her like she’s a goddess meant to be worshipped.

Because that’s exactly what she is.

She hesitates, taking a long moment as if appreciating the view before she licks her lips and nods.

“Now crawl to me,” she commands.

The confidence in her voice makes my cock throb against the confines of my pants, and I’m the first one to move, followed quickly by Gabriel and Ford. On hands and knees, I move toward her as if pulled by an invisible force, as if she’s my true north. This isn’t about power dynamics or control. It’s about devotion, pure and simple. When I reach her, I slide her dress up and press my lips to her hip, kissing and worshipping her like the goddess she is.

The taste of her skin, clean and warm with just a hint of the vanilla and blackberry lotion she uses, floods my senses. I want to memorize every inch of her.

“Forgive us,” I breathe against her skin. “We’re so fucking sorry, baby.”

Gabriel and Ford join me, their mouths finding her thighs, her stomach, anywhere they can reach. We murmur words of praise and apology, our voices blending together in a low murmur that fills the room.

“We should never have let you sit through that dinner pretending,” Ford rasps. I can feel the tension radiating from him, the self-recrimination. “Should have told George to fuck off the moment he questioned us.”

“You’re everything to us,” Gabriel adds roughly. “More important than any business deal. More important than anything we’ve ever built.”

“So fucking perfect,” I breathe, trailing my lips over her skin. “Our perfect girl. We don’t deserve you, but we’re never letting you go.”