They got the drinks made for us and them, and we decided to have a game night in the rec room. We voted, and Monopoly won, but it was different than I remembered. This version of the game felt like I’d never played it before because it came with two different tracks around the board. One for the Uppers and one for the Lowers.
But as I stressed about it being wrong, I remembered the intense connection I’d had with Alexander and how he’d anchored me to the world with our love. I needed to feel that connection again, so the moment the confusion entered my head, I reached under the table and put my hand on his knee. Even touching him soothed my fears. Just having him under my fingertips assured me that I was here, I belonged to this world, and everything else was nothing more than dreams. Smoke and mirrors and nothing more.
The game got pretty heated really fast, with each of us turning out to be competitive assholes in our own ways. At the end of the game, Harlow was the clear winner, and the rest of us were astonished by her success.
“It’s just because the rest of you are focused on fucking and not the game,” she crowed in her victory. “But seriously, fuck y’all! Fuck you in your smug faces!”
“Nobody likes a sore winner, asshole,” I grinned and threw my few remaining dollars into the middle of the board.
“I’m surprised because it’s not designed for Lowers to win,” Alexander said, and when I gave him a sharp look for being an elitist snob, he added, “I’m serious. I’m impressed. I’m not just being a dick. The game is literally rigged against Lowers.”
“So imagine what changes Harlow could make if she was given just a little help in the real world,” Luke said.
“And that’s why I want to change things,” I said. “But not right now. I think I’m too drunk for that.”
“Drunk?” Rome asked. “Not too drunk, I hope.”
“Too drunk for what?” I asked with a flirty smile. I twirled my hair around my finger the way I did when I was attempting to seduce one of my guys. I knew it probably made me look slightly deranged, but I was just tipsy enough to think it looked cute.
And it never failed. All three of them focused on me, even in my failed attempt at sexiness, and responded as if I’d just torn my clothes off and started dancing for them.
“I think you know,” Alexander said, looking at his watch. “It’s nearly sun up. It’s probably time for bed.”
“We could try to stay awake,” I said, but my yawn gave away how tired I really was.
“I don’t think you’re gonna last much longer,” Luke said. “Now the only question is, where are we all sleeping?”
“Can we fit on Alexander’s bed?” I asked.
“Not me!” Harlow said, looking at me. “I might be drunk, but I’m not drunk enough to make out with you again.”
“Are you sure?” I teased, half joking but also half serious. If she was up for it, I wouldn’t kick her out of our bed. Hell, I’d even let her have fun with my guys. The thought of watching them with somebody else was appealing.
And then that little green monster flared in the back of my head, and I knew I couldn’t do it. The only one who would be touching them was me. They were mine, and I was theirs, and there was no room for anybody else.
“I’m sure,” she said and yawned widely. “In fact, I’m going to my room now to have a nightly cigarette on the balcony and then go to sleep. Alexander, it’s been delightful, and thank you for letting me stay in your beautiful home.”
He nodded, and she got up, leaving us alone at the table.
“So now what?” I asked, looking around as they stared at me like three wolves sighting a rabbit. “Something tells me I’m in danger here.”
“You’re in the best kind of danger,” Alexander said, giving me a sly grin. “The kind that’s going to leave you shaking and sobbing our names.”
“That still feels vaguely threatening,” I teased, widening my eyes. I couldn’t help but play with them. They all looked so serious.
They were all so similar in their breathtaking good looks but so different in small details and energy.
Alexander was the top dog of the pack, the leader who clashed with me even now and who would probably clash with me for the rest of our lives. Now that I knew how silky his thick, black curls were, I could feel free to reach out and push them off his forehead.
His strong jawline was clenched at the moment, but not in anger, in lust and desire. Fuck, he wanted me so badly that I could feel it radiating off him in waves of heat. I loved the power it gave me, owning a man like him.
Next was Alexander’s best friend and guardian, Roman. Rome, to me, and those closest to him now. He had dark brown hair and bright green eyes. He was taller, broader, and stronger than Alexander, but he deferred to Alexander’s natural leadership.
That’s why it felt completely normal for them to share me, it felt like they worked as a team, and I was the inevitable conclusion of their bond. It was closer than friendship; it was more of a brotherhood of neglected rich boys who had been abused and convinced their entire lives that they weren’t good enough unless they were cruel.
Rome allowed Alexander to be kind, and Alexander allowed Rome to love. It was perfect.
And then my outcast, Luke. My love, my soldier, my eternal devotee. He was so different from the other two, not just because he was a Lower and had rougher hands and hidden tattoos, ones I wanted to take the time to study properly now that we were on a break from the constantly watching eyes of Crimson Academy.