Page 3 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

“No, I’m fine.” He wipes up the rest of the coffee. “Didn’t get anywhere near me.”

“You good?” Wren’s coworker calls, glancing over from the drive-thru.

“Yeah. Give me a second and I can help you. Just gotta make one more drink.”

“No need,” her coworker says. “Last car.”

“Thank god,” Wren mutters to herself. She fills up Elliot’s coffee, setting it down on the bar more carefully this time. “Just give me another couple minutes on the cappuccino. Oh!” She turns to face me, a twinkle in her eyes. “All of our coffee is fresh, by the way. We go through it fast enough that we usually can’t keep up.”

“Oh. Uh, my apologies, I didn’t think you’d hear me.”

She grins. “Most people think that.”

When she turns away, I sink into my seat with a groan. Elliot chuckles while he blows on his coffee. No doubt, he’s probably thinking about how this is one more instance of my mouth getting ahead of me.

At least she doesn’t seem offended.

As Wren starts making my cappuccino, she rolls her shoulders and tips her head back tiredly.

“Long morning?” I ask, leaning forward.

“Long week. But I’ve got the next two days off.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Doing anything fun?”

“Probably just relaxing,” she says. “Might go to a small art festival that’s in town. But I’m gonna be honest, I plan on getting alotof sleep.”

That pulls a laugh from me. “That’s what weekends are for, right? I like doing Saturday movie marathons. Pick a theme, grab some ice cream and snacks, and then do nothing all day.”

Elliot smiles into his mug, muttering, “You and your ice cream.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Wren says. “You usually invite friends?”

“Just these two.” I gesture to Rhett and Elliot. “Although sometimes my sister joins.”

“The last theme was action movies,” Elliot says. “She skipped that one.”

“But the next theme is rom-coms. And my sister? Shelovesa good rom-com.”

“Ohhh, so do I! Although I usually read them instead of watch.”

You should come,I almost blurt out, but this time I’m able to control my tongue. Just because I think Wren is beautiful and nice doesn’t mean I can start inviting her to things randomly. She’s a stranger, for fuck’s sake. Besides, we have work to do. Our movie marathons have been indefinitely postponed until further notice.

“Here you go.” Wren sets my cappuccino on the counter.

“Thanks.” I stare down at the heart design on top. It smells delicious, and it looks just as pretty.

It’s one of the things I always take a moment to appreciate on our Friday coffee runs. No matter how busy or how stressful life gets, there are always little things that keep me going. Flowers, sunsets, pretty drinks, ice cream. Some would saythey’re inconsequential, but they’re what keeps me going when everything starts looking hopeless.

“You gonna drink it,” Rhett says, leaning forward and raising a brow at me. “Or are you just gonna stare at it?”

“It looks nice, that’s all.”

And… well, I never could resist a pretty thing.

“Thank you,” Wren calls over her shoulder. She’s bustling behind the counter with her coworker, cleaning and restocking before the next rush. But that doesn’t stop her from shooting me a smug smile.

My pulse picks up slightly. It’s been a while since I’ve flirted with a woman, and I’m not even sure that’s what she’s trying to do. She probably gets at least ten people hitting on her every day, and I doubt I’m her type, anyway. But dammit, she—