Page 83 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

Chapter two

Wren

“So?” Ava says, shooting me a look as we walk into the back and dump our stuff in the break room. “Tell me everything! How was your Valentine’s Day night of debauchery? Oh, and who the hell dropped you off? I couldn’t see through the windows.”

“Actually,” I say, grinning, “it was a wholeweekendof debauchery. And I may have gotten three boyfriends out of it. Rhett dropped me off.”

Ava’s jaw drops. And then she’s laughing and clutching her stomach as she yells, “I KNEW IT! Iknewthey all liked you! Was it good? Was itamazing?!Oh my god, did they all go at you at once? Tell. me. everything.”

I fill Ava in on as many details as I’m comfortable sharing, which isn’t many, since I don’t want to betray the guys’ trust by blabbing about everything we did. Thankfully, she seems satisfied with what I decide to tell her.

We go through our opening routine smoothly. I move slower than normal, thanks to my cramps and stupid lack of painkillers. Maybe I can stop by the store on the way home and grab some.

A half hour after we clock in, there’s a knock on the glass of the front door. Rolling my eyes, I head out to where some regular is probably waiting, thinking they can get their coffee early because they have a familiar face.

But my heart skips a beat when my eyes lock with Rhett’s. My god. Will his calm, steady gaze evernottake my breath away?

I certainly hope not.

As I unlock the door, he gives me the faintest smile.

“Hey. Ummm. What are you doing here?”

He holds up a white plastic bag, and I can just make out a variety of pill bottles sitting at the bottom. “I wasn’t sure what kind is best for period cramps, so I bought them all.”

As I take the bag from him, warmth spreads through my chest. He got me pain meds? Has anyone ever done something this sweet for me? Maybe Ava, I suppose. “Rhett. You didn’t have to.”

“I didn’t want you to be in pain all day.”

If I could get away with dragging this man into the bathroom and kissing him—and maybe more—until he can barely stand, I would. But, unfortunately, I can’t.

“Thank you.”

“Anything,” he says gently, a callback to what he told me last night.

I know this is all overwhelmingly fast for you, but I want to make this work. And last. So please—if I’m ever not giving you what you need from me, just tell me. I’ll do anything to keep you, Wren.

I’m pretty sure I’m melting. But the warm fuzzies I’m feeling freeze over when a flicker of discomfort flashes across Rhett’s face.

“I should go,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Right. Yeah. Um, thank you. Really, you just made my day a lot less miserable.” I reach out and squeeze his hand.

He relaxes a little. Then, with a quick kiss on my forehead, he leaves.

“What a sweetheart,” Ava says with a sigh, pressing her hands over her heart. “He’s officially forgiven for not laughing at my joke a couple weeks ago.”

I snort.

“What? It was a good joke!”

I open one of the bottles and wash two pills down with some water. Then I smirk. “It was all right. Iguess.”

She swats at me, and I laugh. And then we’re back to work, getting everything prepared for our first morning rush.

***

Despite the painkillers, my shift still sucks. When I’m finally done and grab my stuff from the back, I scroll through my notifications on my phone. Rhett texted me when he got home, which was really sweet. Unfortunately, in the early afternoon, my mom called me multiple times and left me with a wall of texts.