Page 136 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

Inside, he couldn’t take his eyes off her and Oliver. And god, neither could I. The way they were dancing together was so fucking hot it hurt.

“She’d better be sober,” I say darkly in Oliver’s ear. On the dance floor earlier, I saw him take Wren’s drink away, but she was definitely acting tipsy.

He just kisses me. “You know I wouldn’t do anything if she wasn’t.”

As he takes me in, his expression softens. My skin is already crawling—always does when I’m around Ludo—and it doesn’t go away when Oliver reaches out and brushes his fingers over my cheek. But my heart warms all the same.

I need you, Oliver. And I’m sorry I can’t be what you need.

“Are you okay?”

“That’s the last thing I want to talk about right now, O.”

Understanding flickers over his features, along with something that looks uncomfortably like pity. It disappears quickly. He knows what’ll happen if he presses further, and it’s not what any of us want right now.

So I take his face in my hands, bringing my lips within an inch of his. For a moment, I hesitate, giving him a chance to pull away if he wants to. But he closes the distance instead.

With a groan, I hold his head still, devouring him. The faint tang of alcohol is mixed with Wren’s taste, and I swipe my tongue over his, trying to get more of it.

Oliver lets me ravage his mouth, turning pliant in my arms. I’ve missed him. I’ve been keeping my distance, not wanting to accidentally trigger him into another panic attack. Elliot and Wren are both more stable, and much more capable of helping him through one. The only thing I can do is try to get him to breathe deeply, and sometimes I freeze up before I can even do that.

But this? Kissing him—devouringhim? That I can do. And it’s nice to have a couple seconds alone without feeling like I’m going to accidentally harm him.

Just as Oliver is about to turn into a literal puddle, a gust of cold air rushes in. I turn, looking behind me to find the door open. Wren is standing there, breathless from kissing Elliot. She’s staring at us with a look of enraptured awe on her pretty face.

“Get in, sweetheart, before you freeze.”

That seems to snap her out of her stupor. She climbs in, shutting the door behind her, before she exchanges a mischievous grin with Oliver.

What the hell is that about?

I release Oliver and run a hand over Wren’s hair. Then I wrap my hand around her throat. She watches me with a lidded gaze as a smile spreads over her face. Her head tilts back slightly, giving my hand more room.

I can’t help but chuckle to myself at what a mess she is. Her hair isn’t nearly as neat as it was when we left home, and the smear-proof lipstick Oliver put on her isdefinitelysmudged a bit.

What I really care about, though, is that the tears that were in her eyes earlier are gone. Not that I won’t put more in them tonight. But those will be a different kind—the best kind.

“This is entirely unfair,” Elliot grouses from the driver’s seat. He’s turned on the car and is just beginning to pull out of our parking spot.

“You’ll get your turn,” I tell him, laughing when he glares at me in the rearview mirror.

Then I turn to Wren, only to find her with that fascinated look in her eyes again.

“What?”

“Your laugh,” she murmurs, tracing my face with her fingers. “It’s really nice.”

Fuck.I know I don’t laugh a lot. It just… doesn’t happen. But I didn’t realize this is the first time she’s seen it. I mean, I suppose she’s seen a chuckle or an amused look here and there, but—yeah. I think this really is the first time she’s seen it.

“Rhett,” she whispers, her gaze fixed on my mouth. “Can I kiss you?”

Gathering her up in my arms, I press my lips to hers. But then she’s squirming away, grabbing one of my arms and tugging it off of her. At first, I’m confused, but then she places my hand so it’s wrapped around her throat again.

I raise an eyebrow, expecting her to look away shyly, but she doesn’t.

“It makes me feel like I’m y-” She cuts herself off, then shakes her head like she’s trying to get a thought out of her head.

I barely have time to think about what she was about to say. She kisses me so desperately, so brazenly, it becomes the only thing I can focus on. She tastes sweet. So sweet.