The Collection (Contemporary Reverse Harem 5)

She shook her head. “No. Thank you for telling me. I already knew it had happened but was not aware he thought it was amusing. Something about that is even more maddening than my designs being ripped off. That he has so little respect not only for me, but also our boss, who is a good guy.”

She was pissed, and that was good. She’d take action, and I could see her kicking ass as soon as she figured out how to deal with the situation. She wasn’t going to take this, or any other kind of bullshit, lying down. My kind of girl.

“Did he say anything else, that you heard?” she asked, looking at me with watery eyes.

“Just that he thought his actions would eventually pay off, whatever that meant. Look, I’m sorry I’ve upset you—”

She held her hand up in a stop motion. “No. This is good. I needed to hear this. I thought that guy was my friend and he screwed me over.”

I reached to tuck some hair behind her ear. God, I wanted to kiss her, make her feel better. She hadn’t asked for much out of life, and wasn’t moving through it like an entitled jerk, unlike so many other people I knew.

“Kealy, you’ll come out of this on top. Don’t ask me how I know this, but I just do.”

“Thanks, Shane. You’re so great. All you guys are.” Her head snapped in my direction. She was clearly wondering if she’d just said something she shouldn’t have.

With all that she had going on, the last thing she needed to be worrying about was us guys.

“Hey. Let me set something straight. We guys all like you. We hide nothing from each other. If you spend time with one of us, and then another the next day, that’s awesome. That’s what we want, as long as it’s what you want.”

“I just don’t know about this business of dating multiple men, particularly who are friends. It just seems…weird.”

I wanted to reassure her, but she was smart and needed time. She had to see for herself that it would work and that we could all make her happy. But she wouldn’t come to know that overnight.

“Hey, no pressure. Whatever you feel is right is what I—and the other guys—want for you. You don’t have to be embarrassed or apologize for spending time with any of us. Ever,” I added.

She brushed a hand over my knee and gave me a sly little smile that made my pulse race. If we didn’t get down on the basketball court and practice shooting some hoops, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to resist taking her behind the bleachers and kissing her properly, like she deserved.