Page 33 of The Billionaire's Bride

"You were testing me?"

"Of course," he smirks, "did you think I’d actually beg you for anything?"

I swallow. "How dare you?"

"Just trying to establish that your game of not sleeping with either one of us isn’t working."

"You’re right," I swallow, "it isn’t. In fact, I was wrong to have thought that I could actually stick to this ridiculous notion...of trying to give each of you a fair chance. Especially when both of you seem to turn everything into a competition. When neither of you wants to play by the rules, what chance do I have?"

The blood thrums at my temples. What the hell had I been thinking? Trying to make some sense of this crazy, twisted relationship… Or whatever it is that exists between the three of us. I am the only one who seems to want to find the solution. Both of these…idiots, clearly, don’t want to find a way out. I am the only one trying to play fair, when neither of them wants to respect the boundaries I have tried to create. Obviously, I am going about this all wrong. There is only one way out.

"Leave," I say in a low voice.

"What?" He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Last I checked, this was still my house," I firm my lips, "and I want you out."

"What the hell?" He glowers. "I am not going to leave you alone."

"Ha," I snarl, "should have thought about that before your little…act, earlier."

"I am not leaving, Ava." He draws himself up to his full height. "Not until we figure out who the hell is behind the attack on you at your studio."

"I don’t care," I snap. "I want you out of my space, Ed. Now."

"You’re angry. I understand." He rakes his gaze across my features. "You’ve been through a lot."

"You have no idea."

"First Baron, then me, turning up out of the blue… And the attack—"

"Was nothing compared to how you and Baron seem to play so easily with my emotions."

"That wasn’t what I intended—"

"Oh, yeah?" I take a step forward. "Didn’t seem like that to me. In fact, from where I am, you and Baron seem so consumed with trying to take the other one down you don’t care how it’s hurting me here."

"Shit, Ava." His features twist. "That wasn’t my intention…and while I can’t speak for Baron, I am sure he didn’t mean to cause you any pain either."

"Well, too late, buster." I take a step back from him. "I suggest you be on your way."

"I am not going to leave you here on your own."

"You don’t have a say anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"It means…" I swallow, glance around the room. Am I going to do this? Guess I am going to do it. I don’t have a choice. It’s not working this way and I can’t allow myself to be torn apart like this between the two of them. For my own sanity, maybe this is the only way out. "I need a little time away from both of you."

"No." His features darken. "You don’t mean it."

"See," I stab a finger in his direction. "There you go again, telling me what I do or don’t think, and honestly, I am tired of it. I just need some time alone to think about where this is all going, about what I want to do with my life, without either of the two of you meddling in my affairs or ordering me around."

"Don’t you dare do this, Eve."

"Oh, fuck off." I throw up my hands, "Both of you call me by the same nickname. Do you have any idea what kind of a mind fuck that is? I mean, what are the chances? Two men, best friends… Or at least, once-upon-a-time best friends, call me by the same bloody nickname, and of course, I have fallen for both of them."

"Wait," he shakes his head, "you have fallen for both of us?"