Page 31 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. One (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #1)

Elliot

I spend the morning and afternoon locked in my office, gathering every morsel of information I can find on Williams’ security team.

All except one are your standard ex-military guys who’ve gone into private security. The other? Tyler Williams, Edgar’s nephew and right-hand man. Rumor has it that Edgar is grooming him to take over his empire one day.

But that’s not what I care about. It’s the fact that he’s wildly reckless, but it always works out for him. Stick him in a dangerous situation in which he’s not in control, and he’ll gain it quickly—usually leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

We’re planning an ambush, which gives us the element of surprise. But if Tyler is going to be with Edgar tomorrow night, that might still put them at an advantage. He’s clever, unpredictable, and fast.

We’ll have to be careful.

Sometime in the late afternoon, there’s a knock on my door. Oliver slips inside, followed by Rhett. Both are giving me a look that says my time of moping alone is over.

I sit back in my chair, watching both of them in silence. Rhett leans against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, while Oliver walks right up to my desk.

“What do we do when we need to fix something, Elliot?” Oliver asks.

I chew on my lip for a second. There’s no way I’m going to like where this conversation is going. “Ignore it?”

“Ell.”

It’s the wrong answer, and I know it. It’s also distinctly unlike me to avoid my problems.

But I can’t get it out of my head that at any moment, Wren is going to text me and tell me that she has no desire to be with someone who was willing to toss her aside so easily.

Not that it was an easy decision. In fact, I’m ridiculously grateful Wren fought against it and changed my mind.

“What do we do, Ell?” Rhett says. His gaze is calm. Cool. Authoritative. This man isn’t in the mood to take anyone’s shit.

Who am I kidding? He never is.

“We fix the goddamned problem,” I grumble.

Oliver grins, and the sparkle in his eyes tells me he has something up his sleeve. “That’s right. Now get up. We’re going for a ride.”

***

“I don’t like this.”

I’m in Rhett’s truck, arms crossed, glaring at him and Oliver from the backseat. If I’d known go for a drive actually meant head to Wren’s place, I never would’ve agreed to this.

No idea what else they could’ve meant, though.

I eye Wren’s apartment building warily. “There’s no way I’m just going up there unannounced. What if she’s busy?”

Oliver chuckles. “Oh, she knows you’re coming.”

“What?” I snap. Then I narrow my eyes.

“No backing out now, Ell. Get your ass up there. Text us when you’re ready to come home.”

Rhett gives me a don’t you dare protest look in the rearview mirror.

I swallow. “She knows I’m coming?”

They both nod.

I’m so fucked.

I hop out of the truck, shoving my hands into my coat pockets. The whole way up to her floor, my mind is a whirlwind of anxiety.

Did Wren ask the guys to bring me here? Is she going to tell me she wants nothing to do with me?

You’d deserve it if she did.

The thought makes my heart ache. Minus the months of silently pining after her and doing my best to make meaningful conversation at the coffee shop, she’s only been in my life for three days. Yet it feels like it’s been so much longer.

There’s something about the way she fits with us that’s just… right. It’s the same way I’ve always felt about Oliver and Rhett.

I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before knocking on Wren’s door. Within seconds, it’s swinging open, and I’m looking down at the woman who none of us can seem to get enough of.

…Except the energy and sass that sparked in her eyes all weekend is gone, replaced by exhaustion.

Still, she perks up slightly when she meets my gaze, and it eases the tension in my chest some.

“Elliot.” She pulls me into a hug, kissing my cheek as she does.

“Hi.” The word comes out too tense.

When she pulls away, she strokes my cheek, frowning. “You don’t look too good. Do you need to sit down? Or maybe drink some water?”

I need to not lose you.

“I’m okay.” Then I look her up and down. “I mean this in the kindest way possible, but you don’t look too good, either.”

She laughs, turning and heading further into her apartment. “At least I have an excuse.”

Fuck. Fuck. Am I the reason?

“I’m sorry,” I blurt, stepping in and shutting the door behind me. “I…Things shouldn’t’ve—uh. I never should’ve said what I said. Never should’ve thought it.”

Jesus Christ. Where are all the communication skills I’ve learned over the past twenty-eight years of my life? Gone, apparently.

She turns, giving me a quizzical look. “What?”

“I didn’t want to make you miserable.”

She brings a hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. “Elliot. This isn’t because of what happened yesterday evening.”

“Oh.” I breathe a sigh of relief.

“I guess I figured Rhett would’ve told you. I got my period last night, and the first couple days are always miserable.”

Ah. So that’s why Rhett was acting awkward this morning when Oliver asked how she was doing.

“And I talked to my mom after work,” Wren continues, “which was terrible. She harassed me about Adam and told me I made a huge mistake by breaking up with him, and then she went on about how I need to start popping out babies, and it made me realize that I let Adam tell me how to live my life instead of sticking with my original plans, which were really fucking cool, actually, and now I’m just pissed at myself, and I don’t even know if I want kids anymore, or any of the stuff I decided I wanted because I was with Adam, and—” Her eyes widen, and she stops.

I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to go on, but she buries her face in her hands.

“Why do I keep dumping all of my shit on you?” she groans.

I step closer to her, but then I pause.

What if she doesn’t want you to touch her?

“I don’t mind listening,” I say gently. “It sounds like you have a lot on your mind.”

Friday night, she did something similar, talking about how Adam made her feel like she didn’t matter to him. It broke my heart then—the thought of her not feeling like she was enough. And now? Well, I’m ready to follow in Rhett’s footsteps and pay Adam another visit.

“I don’t really want to think about it right now,” Wren says. She wraps her arms around herself, rocking back on her heels. “Um. Did you eat dinner?”

“You don’t have to make me anything.”

“Oh, trust me, the last thing I want to do right now is cook.” She moves through her tiny kitchen, opening a cupboard door. “My dinner plans include eating a shit ton of pretzels, cheese, and…” She turns, surveying her counters before grabbing a lone apple. “This!”

I smile but don’t say anything, shoving my hands in my pockets. God, why do I feel so awkward right now?

Wren’s smile fades as she takes me in. Then she sighs and sets down the apple, rounding the counter until we’re only a few feet apart. For a minute, we just watch each other silently. She looks as uncomfortable as I feel.

“Wren…”

What am I even supposed to say? How do I make up for last night? I barely got a chance to apologize. And I can’t imagine how I made Wren feel. Unwanted? Like I’m going to toss her aside at any moment? Like she’s not worthy of keeping?

I don’t know you that well, Wren. But I want to. And I want to keep you. I want to be in your life. I’m so sorry.

“It’s okay to be scared.” Her voice comes out soft and comforting as she steps into my reach. Her fingers fumble with the buttons of my coat before she has them all undone. Then she slips it off my shoulders and sets it on the back of her couch.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I watch her movements. Being scared isn’t something I like admitting to. I’d rather be seen as the strong one. The one who can handle anything. Even though I know I can’t.

“I’m scared too,” she says quietly, stepping up to me. Her arms come around me, and she rests her head on my chest. “And not just because of last night. I’m scared I’ll…” She pauses, sighing. “It doesn’t matter right now. What does is that I understand you’re scared. And it’s okay.”

My heart clenches in my chest. Knowing there’s something bugging Wren, but not knowing what it is, or how to fix it, doesn’t sit right with me. But I don’t want to force her into talking about it if she’s not ready.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I murmur, pressing my lips to the top of her head for a brief moment. “It’s why I said what I said. I know it doesn’t make sense to you, I know it’s probably frustrating that we’re not telling you everything, but—”

“I know enough. And I understand, Elliot.”

“Wren—”

“Call me love,” she whispers, looking up at me. One of her hands leaves my waist so she can run her fingers along my jawbone.

“Love.” I touch my forehead to hers, watching as she closes her eyes, a small smile dancing on her lips.

Relief floods my body at the content look on Wren’s face. I have no idea how she can be so understanding when she has so little information. Although she’s a smart woman. Maybe she’s put together more than I’m giving her credit for.

Still, nervousness creeps back in. I don’t like keeping things from her.

“Are you really okay with this? With not knowing? I don’t want to make you anxious. And I don’t want you to feel left out.”

She opens her eyes to stare into mine. “Do you remember what you asked me our first night together?” Then she laughs to herself. “I suppose you asked me a lot of things. Do you remember when you asked if I trusted the three of you?”

“Of course.”

Looking away, she takes a second to collect herself before saying, “I know it’s probably silly. Maybe a little stupid. But I meant what I said, Elliot. I trust you. Do I have questions? Of course. Am I curious? Ridiculously. But you wanted to let me go for my own safety. And if you think you need to keep me in the dark about what you guys do for the same reason, then I can accept that. Not for forever, but for now, I can.”

“It doesn’t scare you? Not knowing?”

“Will you let anything happen to me?” As she asks, her gaze meets mine again, inquisitive. Her head tilts to the side ever so slightly.

“Never. We protect each other. And you’re included in that now.”

She hums softly, leaning her head against my shoulder. “It doesn’t sound like I have anything to be afraid of, then.”

I breathe deeply for the first time all day. How can she place that much trust in us so easily after only a weekend together? We did everything to make sure she was comfortable and felt safe, but this—this is a whole other level.

It makes me want to protect her even more than before.

“Do you think I’m being stupid?” she asks.

Holding her close, I kiss her temple. “Not at all.”

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’t actually help. 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. I am hopeless.”

“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’m joking, 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 have anything inside me. It’ll hurt too much.”

“From your period? Or from the weekend?”

“Both,” she says, staring bashfully at my shoulder. “Well, and Rhett may have fucked the hell out of me last night.”

With a chuckle, I cup her chin and turn her head so she’s looking at me. God, I love her eyes. “He’s good at it, isn’t he?”

She nods, smiling. Then that look of hesitation is on her face again.

“I have no plans to fuck you, Wren. I just want to help you feel better.”

Her hands ball into fists. “I don’t… you—I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything. It’s just cramps. The pain meds will kick in soon enough anyway.”

“Wren. It’d be my pleasure.” As I say it, I trace my fingers down her arm, watching as her eyes flutter closed for a moment. Her legs open a few inches, and I’m not quite sure she did it consciously. “Did I not make it clear this weekend how much I love the way you taste?”

That seems to get her to relax some, because she laughs. “Trust me, it was very clear. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to. You know, if periods gross you out.”

“Not at all.” And I can think of someone who’d very much enjoy getting your blood all over himself.

Some of the tension leaves Wren’s shoulders as she takes a deep breath. “Okay. Then… then yes.” She leans forward, her arms sliding around my neck, and kisses me.

I groan at the feeling of her lips on mine. Her movements become more desperate, and she grabs onto my hair.

She still wants you.

Fuck, what a relief.

She breathes in a tiny gasp when I push her shorts aside, tracing a finger up her panties. I do it again, and her legs part even more.

“Do you want me to take them off?” I ask, kissing up her thigh until my lips meet the edge of her underwear.

She nods, and then she’s tugging them down her legs and tossing them to the floor. I groan at the sight of her, spreading her legs and tugging her to the edge of the couch cushion. Then I frown.

“No tampon? And no blood?”

“Menstrual cup.” Her voice is breathy and light. “More convenient. And cheaper.”

“Ah.” I part her lips with my tongue, smiling to myself at the way she whimpers. Gently, I work her clit, not sure if she’s sore there.

Slumping into the cushions, she swears under her breath. Then she’s tugging on her hair again, moaning as I swirl my tongue.

Fuck, she’s perfect like this.

“You’re irresistible,” I mutter into her skin, watching her eyes roll into the back of her head in response.

I wish I had something to tie her hands up with, since she doesn’t seem to know what to do with them. But, of course, there are other ways to keep them occupied.

After a long, slow lick, I pull away. She whines in protest, her eyes popping open and meeting mine.

“Play with your nipples through your shirt. And don’t stop until I say you can.”

“As long as you don’t stop, either. Please.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You think you’re in a position to make negotiations?”

With a grin, she says, “Since you’ve made it crystal clear you want this, yes.” Her fingers brush over her pebbled nipples once, twice, three times.

What can I say? She’s right. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

When I dive back in, I suck her clit into my mouth. She moans, her back arching off the couch as she continues to touch her nipples.

“Oh my god, Elliot. Please—just like that. Just like that.”

I keep going, snaking an arm under her leg to hold her better. When I add my tongue, it takes a few minutes, and then she starts trembling.

That’s it, love. Come for me. Be a good girl and let go.

I’d say it out loud, but the desperate sounds coming out of her mouth are too addictive for me to stop. Instead, I trace a finger around her entrance gently, not pushing inside, just teasing.

“Oh my god. Ohmygod, Elliot.” She squirms against me, but I just hold her tighter. Then she claps a hand over her mouth as she cries out.

For another second, I don’t change a thing. But when she tries to wiggle away, her body thrashing, I let up, giving her gentle licks as she rides out her climax and then comes back down to earth.

Her hands drop to her sides as I straighten. “Wow,” she pants. Then her stomach growls, and she giggles.

I grab her clothes and slide them back up her legs. “Where’s your heating pad?”

“Uh. Floor, I think.” She peers over the side of the couch, and I follow her gaze.

Thankfully, the cord is long enough. I flip it on and place it over her lower stomach. “I’m going to get your dinner ready.” I kiss her on her forehead, and when I pull away, she’s watching me with a wide-eyed, soft gaze.

There are so many emotions in her expression. Trust, adoration, gratitude. It sucks me in until I’m pressing my lips to hers, savoring her tiny moans and the way she grabs my arms.

I break off the kiss, and she moves to get up. “Relax,” I murmur, cupping her cheek. “Let me take care of you.”

With a sigh, she settles into the couch, hugging the heating pad to her stomach. Then her eyes close, and I watch her for a split second longer before moving over to her tiny kitchen.

I think, I realize as I rummage around for a knife and cutting board, I’d do just about anything to see that look on her face again.