Page 170 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

Rhett rolls his eyes, but the tiniest smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I sense an ulterior motive.”

“What?” Oliver places a hand over his chest in mock shock. “Me? Trying to finagle affection from you? I’d never! How dare you accuse me like this.”

Rhett’s smile widens ever so slightly before he leans toward Oliver. “So you won’t be disappointed if I don’t kiss you?”

Oliver smirks. “We’ll never know, will we?”

Again, Rhett rolls his eyes, but he kisses Oliver on the cheek anyway. Oliver practically glows, and then he gasps with delight as he notices Wren heading our way.

“You three look like you’re having fun.” She drapes her arms around me from behind, and I inhale deeply. As that sweet, floral scent of hers fills my lungs, she nuzzles her nose against my cheek.

“It’d be better with you here,” Oliver replies. “You having a good time?”

“Mmhmm. We had a blast getting ready together. Aubrey’s friends seem nice.” She straightens and moves toward Oliver, and I immediately miss her warmth. “You look nice, O.”

Oliver smiles as she takes his hands in hers to look more closely at his rings. He painted his fingernails black, and that combined with his rolled-up sleeves keeps Wren staring for a moment longer than necessary.

“Do Rhett and Ellnotlook nice, princess?” Oliver asks with glittering eyes.

“What? Oh! No, you all look nice, I—Oliver is just…”

“It’s okay,” he says with a grin. “You can say I’m the hottest.”

“Ugh, you know that’s not what I meant! It’s just that—well, the rings. And the bracelets, and your… hands.” Her voice gets a little breathy at the end, and I can’t help my chuckle.

“I’m the hottest,” Oliver says confidently. “I think you all think so.”

Wren groans.

“You’re really not helping his ego, sweetheart,” Rhett says with a smirk.

“I’m not ranking you all by hotness,” Wren says with a jab to Oliver’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t rank me, Ell, and Rhett by hotness, would you?”

“Mmm. I suppose not. But I can definitely say you’re the prettiest.”

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t resist when he pulls her down for a quick kiss.

“Have you guys already done pictures?” I ask. “I was expecting a longer wait time between the ceremony and the reception kicking off.”

“Oh, yeah, pictures have been done for hours. God, it wasfreezing.This dress wasn’t meant to be worn outside in the winter. At least it’s fairly pretty for a bridesmaid’s dress.” Wren smooths her hands over the skirt of her dress as she looks down at the dusty pink material.

“I think it looks beautiful on you, princess,” Oliver tells her. “Don’t you agree, Rhett?”

Slowly, Rhett’s gaze travels up and down Wren’s body.“Youlook beautiful, sweetheart. The dress… It’ll look much better on my bedroom floor.”

“Rhett,” she gasps. “Someone is going to hear you.”

With an uncaring shrug, he pulls her into him until she loses her balance and falls directly into his lap. “You have a problem with everyone knowing who you belong to? Because I want to make it very,veryclear.”

Wren stutters as she tries to find a reply. It doesn’t matter, though, because Rhett cuts her off with a kiss. He keeps it short, but if the dazed smile on Wren’s face is any indicator, it still has the desired effect.

“We, um.” She gives her head a little shake to clear her mind. “Aubrey and Ludo are gonna have their first dance soon. And then the bridal party is supposed to join them on the floor. The guy I’m paired with would prefer to dance with his girlfriend, and I’d prefer to dance with one of you, so—”

“Oh, it should be Elliot. His suit matches the groomsmen’s the best.” Oliver traces a finger down Wren’s arm. “You doing okay so far?”

She nods. “I’ve been distracted enough that I haven’t been able to worry. This is the first moment I’ve been able to step away all day, and I should probably get back so I can finish my food before the dancing starts.”

“You can have my food,” Oliver volunteers. Standing, he pulls out his chair and steps to the side. “I guess it’s Rhett’s, really, but he doesn’t want it.”