Page 22 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

I’ll tell them. Just not right now.

“One thing is sticking out to me,” Elliot says. “He said that he likes having us as allies, right?”

Oliver nods.

“Ludo doesn’t extend that kind of grace very often. One sign of disloyalty is usually enough for him to cut someone out entirely, yet he did the opposite. He hired us.” Elliot is staring at me, but he’s not reallyseeingme. He’s deep in his mind, working on some grand, invisible puzzle.

“That’s bad, right?” I ask.

“I don’t think so,” Elliot replies. His hand is still on Rhett’s shoulder, and he’s tapping his fingers absentmindedly. “No, I think that’s a good thing.”

“How?” I ask.

“It means he needs us.” As Elliot says it, his gaze finally sharpens on me. A hint of worry fills his eyes, but it’s pushed to the side by a hard determination. “And we need to figure out why.”

“It also means this could be a test,” Rhett says. Gently, he removes Elliot’s hand from his shoulder, and I wonder what’s happening in his head. “And while a test doesn’t mean active malice, we need to proceed with caution.”

“Exactly,” Elliot replies, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I slouch in my chair. All of this is socomplicated.We can’t read Ludo’s mind, but we need to know what he’s thinking. “I really hope these sunglasses work.”

“Me too, princess,” Oliver mumbles.

Tension is high as we get ready to go. My stomach is too queasy, so I skip breakfast, even though the guys try to get me to eat something. It’s sweet of them, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep food down right now.

Once we’ve boarded the plane, Elliot leads us to a sitting area. There are two leather seats that are close together, and then two more that are facing them. I immediately claim one of the ones next to a window. It feels as nice as it looks. Really,the whole thing is much fancier than I expected. I’ve only been on a plane once, and it definitely wasn’t a private one.

I spend the entire flight staring out the window, watching as cars turn into tiny dots and then disappear entirely. It’s probably childish, looking out the window the whole time, but I can’t stop myself. It’s fascinating.

Oliver is seated next to me. “Have you never been on a plane before, princess?”

“Once,” I reply without looking at him. “I didn’t get the window seat though.”

He hums. “If you’d like, you can always have it when you fly with me.”

That finally gets me to pull my focus away from the world below. I bristle when I realize all three men are watching me. “What?”

Rhett averts his gaze immediately. Elliot doesn’t answer—just smiles.

After kissing my cheek, Oliver says, “Nothing. It’s just nice to see you happy.”

I don’t realize I was expecting them to make fun of me until they don’t. A warm feeling creeps through my body. It’s like eating a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven, or like coming home and cuddling in front of a crackling fire. Except, somehow, it’s more.

“You make me happy,” I say softly, looking between the three of them.

When Rhett looks up again, I make sure to lock eyes with him. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t say anything, but that’s okay. I know it means something to him.

Oliver tips my chin toward him and kisses me. He tastes like the orange juice the flight attendant got him and smells of vanilla, and it makes me want to crawl into his lap and kiss him for the rest of the flight.

“Fuck, princess,” he murmurs into my mouth. It’s almost like he can read my mind, because he slips his hands under me, grabs my ass, and pulls me until I’m sitting sideways in his lap.

I have to turn my torso to keep kissing him, and when I do so, he grips my waist. My hands cradle his face as he leans back in his seat, taking me with him. With my body pressed against his, I feel his cock harden underneath my thigh.

“Not to be a downer,” Elliot says as Oliver slips a hand under my shirt, “but we’re going to be landing soon.”

With a groan, Oliver breaks off our kiss. His hand slides down my back until it rests on the curve of my ass. “Poor timing on my part. You’re just too pretty not to kiss.”

I seal my lips to Oliver’s once more before he sets me back in my seat. His hands linger on my body as he buckles my seatbelt. He pulls it tight, burying his face into my hair and inhaling deeply.