COME WHEN CALLED #7, The Sunrise (Billionaire & Biker MMF Menage Romance Serial) by Piper Trace Page B

question in his eyes before he asked it. She tried to stop him.
    “Charley, don’t.”
    “Ford, do you regret yesterday? Letting me make love to you? Saying you loved us?” His question held such fragile honesty that Evie felt like her heart cracked in half. Charley reached out to Ford.
    Ford looked away and lowered his eyes, turning his body away from Charley’s reach. Charley’s eyes registered the rejection, and his face fell into the saddest expression Evie had ever seen. Now Evie’s anger flashed. She could handle Ford’s mistreatment of her, knowing how confused he was, but she couldn’t watch him hurt Charley.
    “Don’t you dare turn away from him!” She got to her feet between them and wrapped her robe around her naked body. “No shame, right Ford? You taught me that.” This time she spoke as if she and Ford were the only two people in the room. “Break my heart. Destroy me. I don’t care, but look at this.” She gestured to Charley. “He is so full of light. Don’t ruin Charley. Don’t turn him into us.” She dropped her arms to her sides, defeated. “At least let him go.”
    “No,” Charley said, his tone serious. “I won’t go.”
    “I know you won’t.” Evie sighed, looking at Ford. “Charley is a dream come true for anyone, and fuck you for not seeing that.” She shook her head. “You’ve shown me your worst, Ford, and I can take it all. But you’ve finally found the one thing I can’t handle. The one thing that will actually make me go away. I can’t watch you break Charley.”
    She opened Ford’s bedroom door and Charley moved quickly. “Evie, what are you doing?” There was alarm in his voice.
    “I’m doing exactly what we all need. Someone has to do it before we all go down together.”
    Charley had her face cupped in his large hands before she could move, locking his eyes to hers. “Don’t do this,” he begged her. “Don’t do this,” he whispered, shaking his head, as if they were alone together in the room. Wrapping his arms around her, he enveloped her against him, kissing the top of her head. “Don’t do this,” he whispered hoarsely.
    Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed one time, catching herself with a massive effort lest she let the sobs overtake her. The misery of her decision washed over her. Pushing against Charley’s chest, she extracted herself from his embrace and glanced to Ford, who watched them with interest, but immediately looked away. He couldn’t meet her eyes, and it strengthened her resolve.
    She looked up at the big man, his face handsome even in misery. “Charley, I love you, but this is bigger than us, and we can’t do it without him. He wants to be unhappy.”
    “That’s not true. Everyone wants to be happy,” Charley looked back at Ford as if to hope Ford would agree with him, but Ford stayed stoic.
    Evie shook her head. “Not Ford. Only if he’s miserable and alone will he punish himself enough for who he is. He will make this fail, and when it does there will be spectacularly terrible consequences. I love you, Charley, and I can’t watch him do that to you.” She suddenly had a crazy thought. “Come with me. You don’t have to stay with me. Just don’t stay with him.”
    “Hey!” Ford’s angry voice cut through her, but she and Charley ignored him.
    “Evie, I love you.” Charley kissed her softly on the lips. “I know this stuff with him bothers you, but I can give you all the love you need. We can keep doing what we’re doing, and I’ll give you enough love for the both of us.”
    She smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. “Charley, you’re breaking my heart. If you’re taking care of everyone, who’s taking care of you?”
    “You will be.”
    “But you’ll never really be happy unless Ford loves you.”
    Charley screwed his mouth up, not willing to admit she was right. “I’ll be happy with what he can give me. I’ll be happy with that as long as I have you too.”
    But Evie shook her head. “I