Page 46 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

I fuck her nice and slow, not even trying to build her up to an orgasm. She sighs as I hold her to my chest.

It doesn’t even take a minute before her body sags against mine. Soft snores fill the air, and I have to stop myself from laughing.

After cleaning both of us off with a warm washcloth, I find one of my old T-shirts and pull it over her frame. She mutters something before settling against the pillows again.

Some type of emotion expands in my chest, one that I haven’t felt toward many people. I clamp it down. Tonight has been too perfect to fuck it up by telling her how I really feel. It doesn’t matter. The fact that she’s in my bed is a miracle all by itself, and I’m not stupid enough to walk into this with any type of expectations.

So after a minute of staring at her form under the blankets, I kiss her on the cheek. “See you in the morning, love.”

Chapter five

Wren

I wake with a gasp. My body is shaking, and I have to blink back the tears in my eyes.

The images of my nightmare are already fading from my mind, but that doesn’t stop the panicked feeling in my chest.

Where am I? What’s going on?

Light. I need light.

As I reach for the lamp on the nightstand, a familiar scent of sandalwood and oranges hits my nose. And as the light clicks on, pushing back whatever imaginary monsters are lurking in the dark, I relax a bit.

Last night’s events flood my memory. It’s not enough to completely calm my nerves, though.

I turn, reaching for Elliot, but I find the bed empty. My heart sinks.Where could he be?

The sound of soft piano music wafts through the bedroom. Is he still up? The clock on the nightstand tells me it’s a little after three.

I frown. I know I should go back to sleep, but my heart is pounding too fast, and my mind is too alert. If I lie back down in the dark, I’ll just get anxious and panicky.

That’s how this always works.

With a sigh, I slip out of bed and go to the bathroom. There’s a brand-new toothbrush set out on the counter, and I smile at the thoughtful gesture.

After peeing and brushing my teeth, I head toward the sound of whoever’s playing a piano. But I don’t make it past the bedroom door before my feet freeze.

The hallway is dark—darkdark. My skin prickles as my heart rate picks up again. I’ve never gotten over my childhood fear of the dark, and it always intensifies when paired with the nightmares I get when I’m stressed.

Wait. Why am I stressed again?

Oh, right—Adam.

I flick the bedroom light on and open the door wide. It floods part of the hallway with a soft, yellow glow. Then, with a cautious step outside, I peer at the surrounding walls for a light switch.

Of course, I don’t find one.

My fingers dig into the doorframe.You can do this. You’re not a little kid. There’s nothing that’s going to hurt you.

The sounds of a faint conversation drift by, along with the music. I’m pretty sure it’s coming from downstairs.

Maybe if I run fast enough, I won’t get too scared.

It’s a bullshit thought, and I know it. But I can’t just stand here forever, and going back to bed until I have an anxiety attack is somehow even less appealing.

So, with a deep breath, I take off down the hallway. The light from the bedroom fades as I turn around a corner. If I’m remembering correctly, the stairs are over here somewhere.

The music is getting louder, and I hear someone laugh. My breathing gets heavier as I take the stairs slowly, too afraid of falling to go quickly.