Page 23 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

“So sweet,” he whispers. “And too damn sexy.”

Landing is possibly the most anxiety-inducing part of the flight for me. When the wheels hit the ground, we’re still going so fast, and it feels like we’ll spin out of control at any second.

“Hey,” Oliver says, “we’re okay.”

It’s not until he says it that I realize I have a death grip on his arm. Releasing him, I say, “Sorry.”

Grabbing my hand, he squeezes gently. “I don’t mind.”

The plane starts slowing down so quickly I can’t help but tense up again. But in under a minute, we’re rolling along in a much more controlled manner. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I slump into my seat.

“You’ll get used to it eventually,” Elliot says.

“Took me a while too,” Rhett adds in. “First time I flew, I puked.”

With a chuckle, Oliver says, “And I had a panic attack my first time.”

“Both of those happened simultaneously, by the way,” Elliot chimes in. “God, that was chaotic.”

I’d laugh if I didn’t feel so nauseated. “I think I might’ve hurled if I’d eaten breakfast.”

“Which reminds me,” Elliot says, glancing at his phone. “The first thing we’re doing after we check in at the resort is getting you some food. Assuming you’re up for it?”

“Um. Let’s see how I feel once this thing isn’t moving anymore.”

The corners of his mouth lift up. “Of course, love.”

Turns out, the resort isn’t terribly far from the airport. My stomach settles pretty quickly, and by the time we’re piling out of our rental, I’m finally ready to eat something.

We head right past the elevators, which confuses me until we turn down a hallway to another area. Here, there are only a few elevators, and they’re labeled for the higher-up suites and penthouses. Elliot has to swipe our room’s key card to use it.

As we step into it, I can’t help but smile to myself. Of course they didn’t book a normal room. Why am I even surprised?

We head up to the highest floor, which opens up into a large hallway with huge windows at either end. There are two doors aside from the elevators, each across from each other.

“Two different suites?”

“Two differentpenthouses,love.” Elliot swipes a keycard in front of one of the doors, and we hear the telltaleclickof it unlocking before he pushes it open.

My jaw drops. Never in my life did I think I’d ever step foot into a penthouse. And from the peek I’m getting through the open door, it’s a really, really,really niceone.

“Let’s go, sweetheart.” Rhett’s hand comes to rest on the small of my back, pressing gently.

“Oh, sweet,” Oliver exclaims as he walks inside. “You booked one with a piano.”

“Figured you’d appreciate that,” Elliot says, following him.

Rhett catches the door before it closes, pushing me forward until I’m inside. “It’s just an apartment, Wren. It won’t bite.”

The place is luxurious. Like, tall ceilings, huge windows, sparkling surfaces, billionaire’s-home-away-from-home type luxurious.

There’s a balcony. No, scratch that,two.Or maybe it’s just one big one. There’s also a hot tub outside, a magnificent view of the ocean, a sprawling living area, and a TV that’s as big as the grand piano that’s in front of the windows.

“Um,” I squeak out. “How much money does being a hitman pay, exactly?”

“Depends on the hitman,” Rhett replies, adjusting my bag over his shoulder.

“And the target,” Elliot adds.