Page 160 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

“You’re still visiting me before you leave, right?” Wren asks, glancing at the three of us. Rhett watches her intently as she does so, which I think is a little odd, but whatever.

“Of course,” I say. “What would Friday mornings be without coming to the coffee shop?”

“Miserable,” Oliver says. “You’re my favorite part of Fridays.”

“Wow,” Rhett says, cutting him a teasing look. “I’ll make sure to tell your mom that the next time we see her.”

Oliver’s eyes widen. “Fuck.”

Every Friday, we have lunch with Oliver’s mom. Our cover is that we work in finance. So on Fridays, we “take a half day” to catch up with her. Sometimes Oliver’s sister joins, too. Obviously we’re skipping tomorrow, but we try to prioritize it when we can. Out of all our family, Oliver’s mom and sister are the only ones we’re consistently in contact with.

I explain that all to Wren, and she can’t hold back a smile. “So that’s why you guys are always in suits when you come in?”

Oliver nods. “Gotta act the part. What kind of financial advisers would we be if we weren’t in suits?”

“Investment bankers,” Rhett corrects.

Waving his hand dismissively, Oliver says, “Same thing.”

I chuckle. “Definitely not.”

“You know who doesn’t know the difference?” Oliver says, winking at Wren. “My mom.”

For the next hour or so, we hang out together, our conversation flowing with a relaxed ease that has me wishing tonight would never end. These are the kinds of moments I’ll never get enough of. Getting to explore the thoughts of these three is one of my favorite pastimes.

But unfortunately, it’s getting late. Wren is yawning every couple minutes. When she glances at the clock on the mantel, her expression saddens.

“It’s time?” Rhett says.

She nods.

“I’ll take you home,” he mutters.

Wren turns to Oliver, leans over, and kisses him. When she pulls away, he grabs her and hauls her onto his lap. He kisses her again, holding onto her tightly, and she doesn’t resist. Eventually, Wren breaks off the kiss with a reluctant sigh.

“Text me when you can?”

He nods. “We will. But we’ll be without service for a couple of days. No internet either for the most part.”

“I’m going to miss you.” She turns in Oliver’s lap, glancing to me and Rhett. “All of you.”

I stand, opening up my arms, and she enters them after giving Oliver one last longing look. I bury my face in her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo.

Everything in me wants to promise that we’ll be back in a few days, but I can’t get her hopes up. There’s a chance this could take all week. So instead I kiss her temple and squeeze her shoulders.

“Remember that Finn will be walking you to and from work,” I say. “And if you see anything even remotely suspicious, please—”

“I’ll call him,” she says. “I promise. But I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“You will be,” I say firmly, mostly to convince myself, but also because there’s a hint of worry in her voice.

Goddammit.I wish she was coming with us. Finn is perfectly capable of keeping her safe, but I’d prefer to do it myself. Giving up control isn’t my area of specialty.

When I finally let Wren go, it feels like I’m making a fatal mistake. But it’s not like I can force her to come with us.

“Don’t forget to grab your water bottle from the gym,” Rhett tells Wren.

“Oooh! I almost forgot. I’ll meet you in the garage.”