Page 93 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One

With a little sigh, she relaxes into me, and the gesture tugs on my heartstrings. It’s a similar sensation to how I felt when I realized I was falling for Oliver and Rhett.

With one hand still holding her close, I tilt her face up with two fingers under her chin. “May I kiss you?”

She beams up at me. “Yes.”

Gently, I press my lips to hers. She rises to her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around my neck. The kiss stays slow, almost exploratory, and it soothes the anxiety that’s been eating at me all day.

Then Wren tenses, and she pulls away, her head dropping to my chest with a grunt.

And just like that, the panic is back. “What’s wrong?”

“Cramps,” she groans. Her fingers curl into the fabric of my T-shirt. “They let up after the first few days, but until then, I…” She grimaces. “My pain meds must’ve worn off. I haven’t been paying attention to the time.”

Leading her to the couch, I help her sit. “Where are they?”

“Counter. They’re in a shopping bag. Blue bottle.”

I grab some, then search for a glass, only to come up empty.

Right.Adam destroyed most of her dishes.

I clean one of the two remaining mugs that are sitting in the sink before filling it with water. Then, grabbing the pill bottle, I bring them over to her.

“Is there anything else you do to help with the cramps?” I crouch by her legs, placing a hand on her thigh.

“Heating pad,” she mumbles, swallowing two pills with a gulp of water. “Ice cream—well, that doesn’tactuallyhelp. But it’s nice. And, uh…” Biting her lip, she stares into her mug. Then she tugs on her hair nervously. “My god, Ava is right. Iamhopeless.”

“What?”

“I just—I get awkward a lot, when it comes to, like, flirting and… stuff.” She lets out a half laugh. “Actually, I’m just awkward in general.”

With a chuckle, I say, “I hadn’t noticed.”

She balks. “Really?!”

“I’mjoking,love.” Leaning down, I press a kiss to her thigh. They’re bare, considering she’s in shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

“Oh. Right. Of course.”

For a moment, I watch her squirm. Then I smile.Flirting and stuff, huh?“If you’re trying to tell me that orgasms can help relieve period cramps, I happen to already know that.”

Her eyes widen. Then she averts her gaze again and gulps down some more water. “How are you so goddamned perceptive?” she squeaks out.

She made a similar comment about my perceptiveness at the masquerade ball. My answer now is the same as it was then, although I don’t dare say it out loud.

I’ve learned to read you because I can’t take my eyes off of you whenever you’re around.

“Maybe you’re easy to read.” I shrug. Then I take the mug from her hands and place it on the end table. “Do you want my help?” Again, I kiss her thigh. It’s like I can barely resist her.

“With having an orgasm?”

“Orgasms.You’ll be getting more than one if I have anything to say about it.”

She bites her lip, and a look of uneasiness crosses her face.

My hand slides off her leg. “Only if you want, Wren.”

“No, I do, I promise. I just…” She fiddles with the hem of her shirt. “I can’t haveanything inside me. It’ll hurt too much.”