Page 69 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

He swears, so quietly I almost don’t hear him. Then he’s heading for the door, grumbling something about being an idiot.

“Rhett, wait, she’s sleeping.” I follow him back into the penthouse, but I don’t make it far.

Wren is standing in the doorway to the bedroom, frozen. Her eyes widen as Rhett advances toward her.

“I lied.” The words don’t come from Wren’s mouth—they come from Rhett’s. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. The things I said… I was lying to myself. Lying to you. And I don’t hate you, Wren. I’m not capable of it.”

She frowns when he stops a few feet in front of her. “Lying to yourself?”

“You were right.” It sounds like it pains Rhett to admit that—it probably does. “My first thoughts were of how I could make Ludo regret leaving you there. I wanted to storm into that damn condo and kill him right then.”

Wren grips the doorframe to steady herself. Her voice is hesitant as she asks, “So why did you… you said…” Averting her gaze, she presses her lips together like she’s trying to stop herself from crying.

“I didn’t want to believe that I’d skip over our plans,” he says. “It feels like a betrayal to Sammy, not giving her the justice she deserves. But you’re right. I would. If it came down to it, I’d do it without a second thought.”

“I don’t want you to do that,” she whispers.

“Neither do I. Ludo deserves every ounce of pain we’re going to give him. But I shouldn’t’ve said it the way I did. Those words never should’ve left my mouth. Iwouldruin everything we’ve worked for. For you, for Ell, for O. And I’m sorry I couldn’t admit it to you.”

Wren looks like she wants to throw herself into Rhett’s arms, but she stays planted in the doorway. A tear slips down her cheek. All I want to do is wipe it away and hug her until she’s smiling again, but I can’t. This moment is for her and Rhett.

Slowly, like Wren will bolt if he moves too quickly, Rhett steps up to her. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” He brushes away her tear.

Her face scrunches up, and more tears fall onto her cheeks. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t want to lie to you.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Again, he wipes at her tears. “I understand.”

As Wren hiccups and does her best not to cry, Rhett shifts uncomfortably.

Do something,I want to tell him.Hold her, touch her, anything.I know it’ll be hard for him. Touch during or after arguments usually sends him to a dark place,but god, the look on Wren’s face is heartbreaking. She really, truly thought he hated her.

“Wren…” He lays a hand on her shoulder. “Fuck, c’mere.”

Her forehead hits Rhett’s chest as he circles his arms around her. When she grabs onto his shirt and leans into him, relief billows through me. They both need the mutual reassurance from each other.

“It’s okay,” Rhett says quietly. He’s rubbing her back gently with his face buried in her hair. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

When they finally pull away, she looks up at him with shining eyes. “I already told O and Ell, but I want to make sure you know, too. I’ll never lie to you again, Rhett, I promise.”

“I know,” he murmurs. His lips feather against her forehead. “Thank you.”

She’s still holding onto his T-shirt to keep him close. Gently, he takes her hands and removes them from his body, squeezing as he does.

“Do you have to sleep?” she asks.

“I should try,” he says as he glances at me. “We’re having dinner when Ell is done, yeah?”

“Yep,” I reply. “I’m planning on keeping up with the bug in the condo today, and we can go over everything of importance then. As well as whatever Wren has to say.”

“Okay.” After a moment’s hesitation, he runs a hand over Wren’s hair. “You gonna be okay?”

She nods.

He leans down and drops a kiss to Wren’s lips. “I’ll see you both later. Goodnight.”

“Night,” I say as he slips past Wren, holding her hand until the last possible moment.

Once the bedroom door is shut, Wren rubs at her eyes and sniffles. I’m worried she’s about to start crying again, but when she turns to me, she gives me her best attempt at a smile.