Page 17 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

I’m not ready for the night to be over yet, so I stay outside. Wren must feel the same way, because she doesn’t go in, either.

After drying off, she leans against the wall that acts as a railing to keep people from falling over the edge. It’s dark out, but the resort lights illuminate the ocean some, so she takes in the view.

Coming up behind her, I place my hands on Wren’s hips and rest my chin on her shoulder. The past twenty-four hours have been a train wreck. Hanging out in the hot tub acted as a reset of sorts for us, but I still want to check in with her.

“How’re you doing, princess?”

I whisper as I pepper her neck with tender, loving kisses.

She relaxes into me.

“Better than I was earlier.”

After finding out Rhett has two younger brothers, Wren’s omission of the truth seems so small and far off. I still wish she hadn’t kept anything from us, and I know she wishes she hadn’t as well, but thankfully we all moved on quickly.

“Did I scare you earlier? In the restaurant?”

“Maybe a little.”

Taking a step back, I turn her around so she’s facing me.

“What were you afraid I would say?”

She squirms, trying to make space between the two of us, so I give her some. She doesn’t make eye contact as she says, “I was worried you wouldn’t forgive me. Or that you’d hold it over my head. Or… or that you were done with me.”

A tangible, physical pain pangs in my chest, and it takes me a second to catch my breath.

“Wren. No, princess, never. I will never be done with you.”

“I know, I’m just not… used to forgiveness, I guess. Fuck, I’m sorry, that’s stupid. There’s no reason for me to expect you guys to be assholes.”

“Hey, it’s okay, I get it.”

Finally, she looks up at me with cautious hope. “You do?”

“Rhett and Elliot have been an integral part of my life for fourteen years, princess. Just because I have a good parent doesn’t mean I can’t recognize the effects of a shitty one’s actions in someone else. I have a lot of experience with Ell and Rhett.”

“Right,”

she says quietly.

“Why don’t you explain it to me,”

I say gently. Slowly, I ease back into her space, wanting to be close to her. She seems to want it too, because when I wrap my arms around her, she does the same to me.

After a steadying breath, Wren asks, “When you were a kid and you did something wrong, did your mom always forgive you? Like, really forgive you?”

“Yeah. Of course she did.”

“Like, she never lorded things over you? Never told you that she wanted to leave you at a bus station because of something you did, or called you a spoiled brat, or made you feel bad for mistakes you made in the past? Even if she said she forgave you?”

“No,”

I say.

“But your mom did?”

Wren nods.

“All the time. She’d even say we were okay, and then go complain to her friends about me. She’d do it with me right next to her, and then I’d get embarrassed and try to defend myself. It made her friends uncomfortable too, even though she’d always play it off as poking fun.”

Wren rolls her eyes, and I realize they’re glistening with tears.

“Once we were alone, she’d scold me for talking back to her and tell me I was being too sensitive.”

“I’m so sorry, princess. No kid deserves a parent who treats them like that.”

She sniffles.

“It only got worse when she married Thomas. They’d both gang up on me, and it took me way too long to grow a backbone, so I’d just take it until I could run to my room and cry.”

My heart breaks for her. I can only imagine how lonely she felt.

“I—I know you guys wouldn’t do that type of thing to me,”

Wren continues.

“You wouldn’t talk badly about me to other people or tell me you wanted to leave me. You wouldn’t say you forgive me and not mean it. Hell, Rhett just told me a couple hours ago very specifically that he’d never do anything like that. But sometimes, all I can think of is my mom and Thomas.”

“I get it, princess. Sometimes it’s hard to remember you’re safe when you haven’t been for your whole life.”

“I want to feel as safe as I know I am,”

she whispers.

“It’ll come. And in the meantime, you’ve got us no matter what. I’m not letting you go, you hear me? I can’t.”

“Fuck,”

she mutters as she wipes at her eyes.

“You’re going to make me cry.”

“You can, princess. It’s okay.”

She shakes her head.

“I don’t want to. I just want to be happy.”

Her fingers trace over the butterfly tattoo on my chest.

“I’m not ready for tonight to be over, but I don’t want to spend the rest of it being sad.”

“I’m not ready for it to be over, either.”

“Then kiss me,”

she whispers, and her lips brush against mine.

“Kiss me and make me forget.”

With only a moment’s hesitation to stroke my thumb over her cheek, I fit my mouth to hers. I know a kiss can’t help heal a broken heart, but as my lips move against Wren’s, I try anyway. She deserves so much better than what she’s gotten out of life.

I move us back so Wren is pressed against the half wall behind her. My body is touching her in every spot possible as I kiss away the lingering memories of her childhood. If I could, I’d go back in time and find her. Comfort her. Take her far away from everything that ever hurt her.

Wren eases back.

“Oliver, I need you to know something.”

I search her eyes for any hint of what she has to say, but all I find is an earnest care. “Tell me.”

“I’m not letting you go, either. The past few weeks have been hell, but they’re the best hell I’ve ever been through. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat, because it meant falling for three men who not only stole my heart, but protect it with their lives. I didn’t realize how deeply love could run until you. It’s so much it hurts sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A smile takes over my face, one that’s so wide my cheeks ache.

“You—fuck. Goddammit, I love you so much.”

Our mouths crash together in a kiss that’s almost frantic. There are so many emotions, so many feelings, and the only way to stop them from getting too overwhelming is to pour into each other.

“Wren,”

I groan.

“Hold onto me.”

Her arms come around my neck, and I hoist her up so she’s sitting on the ledge. Immediately, I steady her with my arms around her waist. It’s a long way down to the ground if she were to fall, so I want to make sure she’s secure.

She gasps and holds me tighter. “Oliver!”

“I’ve got you, princess,”

I murmur against her lips.

“I won’t let you fall.”

The door leading inside slams open, and quick footsteps sound behind me. No doubt, they saw us through the window and freaked out.

“What are you doing?”

Elliot’s voice is panicked as he rushes toward us. Rhett is close behind him.

“She’s safe,”

I say, kissing Wren when she smiles down at me.

“I wouldn’t do this unless I knew I could hold her.”

Elliot comes up beside me and puts an arm around Wren. Rhett does the same on my other side, securing her even more.

“Love, this is—”

She silences Elliot with a kiss.

“You’ve got me.”

“I do,”

he says.

“We all do. But you’re not scared?”

She shakes her head.

“I trust you, Ell. With my whole heart—with everything in me. Let me show you.”

It’s almost like Elliot and Wren stay frozen in time for a few seconds. They stare at each other, Elliot in amazed disbelief and Wren with such tenderness and undying trust it’s unreal. Something happens between the two of them—something just for them—and for a moment I feel like I’m intruding on something private.

When he’s able to move again, Elliot releases a short breath. With his free hand, he takes hold of Wren’s chin and kisses her deeply. She matches with equal intensity as one of her hands leaves me to grab Rhett’s shirt. She pulls him closer, breaks away from Elliot, and fuses her mouth to Rhett’s.

“Fuck,”

Elliot mutters. He watches them for a moment before joining in and kissing both of them at once.

A surprised sound comes from Wren, but she adjusts to kissing both of them with ease. I’d join in, but I’m perfectly content with watching, and I want to make sure someone is fully focused on keeping Wren from tipping backward.

When they pull away, Wren is gasping for air.

“Oh my goodness.”

“My turn,”

I rasp, rising onto the balls of my feet and stealing a kiss. I keep it short and sweet, because I have something else I’d rather be doing.

“You guys have her?”

“She’s not going anywhere,”

Rhett says.

Slowly, I remove my arms from around Wren’s waist. Once I’m no longer supporting her, I caress her thighs.

“I want to make you come like this. Please?”

Her eyes widen, and she gasps so quietly I almost don’t notice it.

“Are you two okay with that?”

she asks, glancing between Rhett and Ell.

“Oh,”

Elliot chuckles, “most definitely.”

Rhett nods.

I grab one of the chairs that’s out here and position it right in front of her. She slides her thighs open more as I lower myself into the chair. By the time my eyes lock with hers, her breaths are already coming quickly.

“What do you want me to do, princess?”

“Untie my bikini top.”

The lilac strings are double knotted, so it takes me a second to get them undone. I have to stand to reach them, so I kiss her as I undo the knot in the back. Once I have it all the way off, I toss it onto the back of my chair.

As I stare at Wren’s mostly naked body, I groan. Her nipples are tight and hard, just begging me to run my tongue over them.

“Princess, can I—”

“Not yet,”

she says.

“Now undo the bottoms.”

Fuck, I’m already hard, just from her telling me what to do.

Once I’ve untied the knots at Wren’s hips, Elliot and Rhett help lift her so I can pull the bikini bottoms out from underneath her. Wren doesn’t even look scared as they do.

“Sit down and bring the chair closer.”

I do. I want to touch her, to bury my head between her thighs, to make her scream for me. No matter how tempting those thoughts are, though, I stay still with my hands in my lap. While I look up at her, waiting, she smiles down at me.

“He takes instructions well,” she says.

Rhett snorts.

“Sometimes.”

“I’ll be good.”

The words come out of my mouth quickly, desperately. I can see how wet Wren is, and all I want to do is taste—

“Ah ah.”

Rhett grabs my hair and pulls me back, and I realize I was leaning in.

“Did she tell you that you could do that?”

“Princess,”

I pant. “Please?”

Elliot swears under his breath, and a cursory glance in his direction tells me he’s as hard as I am.

“Go ahead,”

Wren says.

I don’t wait another second. With my tongue, I spread her arousal to her clit. She’s so wet already, just from kissing, and I love how much she craves us. I don’t say so—I’m too busy focusing on her. Gently, I suck on her clit while holding her thighs open.

When Wren groans my name, it only eggs me on. I immediately move into the things I know she likes. She gasps, and a cocktail of pride and pleasure courses through me.

“Does it feel good, sweetheart?”

“So good,”

she moans.

“Don’t forget to tell him. He needs to know he’s pleasing you.”

“Oliver,”

Wren pants as she looks down at me, “you’re such a good boy.”

In response, I flick the tip of my tongue over her clit rapidly. She melts into Elliot and Rhett’s arms, and they keep a firm hold on her so she doesn’t have to worry. As Wren’s moans grow louder, Elliot leans down and kisses her to capture them with his mouth. Only when Wren’s legs start to tremble do I pull away.

“Did she tell you that you could stop?”

Rhett arches a brow at me challengingly—almost threateningly.

“Princess,”

I murmur as I kiss her inner thigh.

“May I use my fingers?”

She nods breathlessly. Using the hand that’s not currently keeping Wren from plummeting to her death, Rhett grabs Wren’s thigh. Once he’s helping her hold it up, I let go so I can slide a finger inside her. My mouth goes back to her clit, sucking, and after a minute I add a second finger.

“Oh, shit,”

Wren gasps.

“Oliver, just like that.”

As I continue on in the same way, I feel Wren clench around my fingers. She’s back to trembling, and her chest heaves with every gulp of air.

“Are you close, love?”

“I am,”

she whimpers out.

Elliot nuzzles his face in her neck.

“We’ve got you. You can let go.”

“Fuck,”

she whispers.

“Oh my god, ohmygod.”

As Wren comes, she throws her head back and cries out. Without Elliot and Rhett anchoring her, she’d fall straight to the ground, but she doesn’t hold back. She’s placed her life in their caring hands, trusting—knowing—that they’d never even let her come close to falling.

I continue sucking on Wren’s clit until she begs me to stop. When I pull back, the guys haul her up, and I lock eyes with her and lick my lips.

“I want more.”

“Inside,”

Rhett says.

“You can keep going while I fuck her ass.”

Carefully, Elliot and Rhett move Wren from the ledge. I push back my chair and take Wren into my arms. She grabs onto me for balance, and I kiss her until Rhett pulls us apart.

“Now,”

he says impatiently.

“I’ve waited long enough.”

With a smirk, I kiss Wren again, dipping her backward until she’s laughing against my mouth. When I straighten, Rhett sweeps Wren up into his arms and marches toward the door. She lets out a delighted squeal before grabbing onto him.

Inside, Rhett drops Wren onto the couch on her hands and knees. He gets behind her, shoves her ass cheeks apart, and dives in. Dropping to her elbows, Wren groans into the cushions.

I get the lube, and after I hand it to Rhett, I’m grabbed from behind. Elliot spins me around and slams his lips to mine. I almost lose my balance, but he holds onto my hips as his tongue enters my mouth. At the taste of Wren’s arousal, he groans.

“You want him and me at the same time? Hmm?”

Rhett asks as he preps Wren with his fingers.

“Yesssss,”

she whines.

“And what about Ell? Make him watch? Make him jealous?”

She smiles at that and hides her face in the cushions.

“You want to make him wait to come the same way he makes you wait?”

She nods into the couch, and we hear a muffled, “Mmhmm.”

Elliot clicks his tongue.

“Careful what you wish for, love. I can pay that back tenfold another time.”

At that, she makes a shocked sound and looks up.

“Ten… tenfold?”

“He’s not joking, princess,”

I tell her.

“He’ll tease you for hours without letting you come.”

She swallows audibly, and just when I’m sure she’s about to back out, she says over her shoulder, “Make him wait.”

“Fucking hell,”

Elliot whispers.

I grin at him. The next time he gets the chance, I’m sure he’ll pull Wren away and have his way with her. My guess is he’s already deciding all the different things he’ll do to her.

Once Rhett is done prepping Wren, he eases inside of her, giving her just the tip of his lubed-up cock. He makes her take another inch before pulling out and sliding in farther.

“Both,”

Wren begs.

“I want both of you.”

Rhett ignores her pleas and continues what he’s doing. Only once he’s in to the hilt does he pull out. “Get up.”

Rhett washes his hands before sitting back on the couch. I help Wren balance as she slowly lowers herself onto his cock. She has her back to him, so I get to watch her as she takes all of him. Her eyelids flutter closed, and her lips part as she tries to take a full breath.

“Fuck,”

she pants.

“Relax, sweetheart,”

Rhett murmurs.

“We’ve got you.”

He adjusts Wren so she’s leaning against him with her head on his shoulder.

I kneel between their spread legs and watch Rhett’s cock slide in and out of Wren. My patience runs out quickly, and I slip two fingers into Wren’s vagina. It pulls a moan from both of them, and when I suck on Wren’s clit, she sobs.

Wren tries to sit up so she can see me better, but Rhett grabs her and slams her against his body.

“No,”

he says.

“I want you right here when you come. I want to feel you writhing and moaning, trapped against me.”

“Oh, fuck,”

she groans. Her back arches, and her head hits Rhett’s shoulder.

Between him fucking her ass, and me fingering her and eating her out, Wren comes within minutes. She grips my hair so tightly it stings, but I love it. When I pull away, she loosens her hold, and her arms fall to her sides.

“Fuck her, Ol,”

Elliot says from behind me.

I turn. He’s seated himself on the opposite couch and placed his ankle over his other knee. His arms stretch across the back of the couch. The position gives off an air of indifference. I almost fall for it, but the heated need burning in his eyes gives him away.

Elliot nods toward Rhett and Wren.

“Don’t keep them waiting.”

As I position my dick at Wren’s entrance, Rhett slows down to make it easier. He’s holding her arms and keeping her in place, and as I slide into her, I take her in. Sweaty, panting, and already glowing from her two orgasms.

“You’re so pretty like this.”

As I thrust into her completely, I fuse my mouth to hers. Rhett starts pumping into her again while I stay slow. My mind goes blank for a second, and I break off our kiss to choke in a gasp. Fuck, I love this.

“Tell me how she feels.”

Elliot’s voice is a low, lustful rasp.

“So unbelievably tight,”

I groan.

“She’s gripping my cock so hard.”

“You like having his dick inside of you, sweetheart?”

Rhett murmurs in Wren’s ear.

“You want to feel him pounding into you?”

All she can manage is a moan and a nod.

“Mmm.”

Rhett kisses her neck, right below her jawline.

“I want to feel that, too.”

“Please,”

she gasps.

“She asks so nicely,”

Elliot says.

“Good girls get rewarded, don’t they?”

“They do,”

Rhett replies. His eyes lock on mine as he slowly moves inside of Wren.

“So do good boys.”

My heart thunders in my chest. The things they’re saying to me are making it beat too quickly. For the briefest of moments, I’m worried they’re going to give me a heart attack, but then Rhett thrusts into Wren again. It forces a grunt from deep inside of me. As if my body has a mind of its own, I slide out of Wren and then back in.

Rhett holds my gaze as Wren moans in between us. “Harder.”

I obey, leaning over them to grip the back of the couch for balance.

“Like this?”

“Harder,”

he demands, “and kiss her while you do it.”

Again, I obey. Rhett releases one of Wren’s arms to play with her clit, and she cries out against my lips. It’s so hot, so goddamned hot, that I find myself pulling back so I can stare at them both.

“I’m gonna come,”

Wren gasps.

“Too… too much, oh fuck.”

“Don’t stop,”

Rhett tells me.

“Fuck her through it.”

We push her higher and higher until she’s screaming and trying to squirm away from Rhett’s touch.

“I can’t,”

she cries.

“I can’t take it, please.”

Finally, Rhett pulls his hand away, and I slow down before I come too fast.

“One of you needs to finish,”

Elliot says impatiently.

“I’m not waiting much longer.”

“Or,”

I reply over my shoulder, “we could all fuck her at once.”

Wren groans. “Please.”

Elliot stands.

“Get into the bedroom.”

I pull out of Wren and lift her off of Rhett. Her legs are shaky, so she holds onto me as we make our way into the bedroom. Elliot has me get on my back on the center of the bed, and Wren crawls on top of me. Once she’s slid all the way down my cock, she cups my face and kisses me.

“Uh uh, no,”

Elliot says as he climbs onto the bed. He hovers over us, grabs Wren’s hair, pulls her head up, and slams his lips to hers. He’s far from gentle, taking control of the kiss from the start. Wren keeps herself pliant and willing to succumb to his wishes. When he pulls away, he grips her chin.

“This mouth is mine for the night.”

“Use it,”

she whispers.

“Use me however you’d like.”

He smirks.

“Careful what you wish for, love.”

In response, she presses her lips to his again. He’s gentler this time, probably because Rhett is already behind her and easing into her ass again. As he does, Wren groans wantonly.

Elliot straightens, guiding Wren’s mouth to his dick.

“Make her scream around my cock.”

As he slides into her mouth, Wren whimpers. He’s careful not to go in too far so she can still breathe. Slowly, she takes over, sucking and licking his cock. Meanwhile, Rhett is pumping in and out of her ass, and it’s all I can do to not come on the spot.

“Why haven’t we done this before?” I groan.

“Shit,”

Elliot pants.

“We really should’ve. I’ve missed the way your lips feel wrapped around my dick, love.”

Her response is entirely incoherent. Hesitantly, she takes him deeper before gagging and pulling back.

“Hey, don’t.”

Elliot strokes her hair.

“Save that for another time. Tonight, just enjoy yourself.”

“Okay,”

she whispers. Then she sucks on the tip of his cock, pulling a breathless groan from his lips.

“Can you take it harder, sweetheart?”

Rhett asks.

She releases Elliot’s cock for just long enough to say, “Yes. Please.”

Rhett holds onto her hips for leverage, which also keeps her from being forced closer to Elliot. As he pounds into her harder, she cries out. The sound is muffled by Elliot’s dick, and he groans.

I thrust into Wren, and she screams again.

“You love being used up by all of us, don’t you?”

She tries to nod.

“Nothing more than a pretty cum dumpster who needs to be filled up,” I add.

“Yes,”

she gasps as she lifts her head.

“Please, please.”

Elliot smiles down at her.

“You want our cum, love?”

“Yes,”

she cries.

“Ell, please.”

“Then you’d better suck my cock like you mean it.”

With a little gasp, she gets back to work. I’m already closer than I want to be, and I have a feeling Rhett is too. I wish I could see his face. Feeling him fucking into Wren is pure heaven, but I love watching him come.

“That’s it, Wren,”

Elliot says proudly.

“You’re being such a good girl tonight. Isn’t she, Oliver?”

“So good,”

I murmur as I stroke her arm.

“Shit,”

Rhett chokes out. I feel him pull out, and the way he groans tells me he’s probably coming all over Wren’s back.

“Fuck, fuck.”

“You hear that?”

Elliot says as he holds Wren’s hair.

“You did that to him. You and your perfect, tight ass.”

She sucks him more enthusiastically before letting out a choked whimper. Now that Rhett isn’t fucking her, I’ve grabbed her waist, and I’m thrusting into her harder. I’m so close, so close, and the need for release is almost unbearable at this point.

“Princess,”

I groan hoarsely.

As if she knows I’m right on the edge, she releases Ell’s cock and slams her lips to mine. The kiss consumes me—no, she consumes me—and it sends pure, fiery heat shooting through every nerve in my body. I whimper into her mouth, and she eats up the sound like she’s starved for me.

“Come for me,”

Wren whispers as she works her hips.

The movement practically forces the orgasm out of me. I clutch her sides as it hits me so hard my vision goes blank. By the time I’ve resurfaced and can form a coherent thought, I realize I’m babbling.

“Princess, so good, fuckiloveyou, I love all of you so much, you all complete me—”

With a giggle, Wren kisses me again. I groan as my body turns to jelly. As I begin moving my lips in any sort of put-together manner, Wren is pulled away from me.

“That’s enough,”

Elliot says gruffly.

“Jealous?”

Wren teases, just barely licking the tip of his cock.

“Don’t test me, love. Not unless you’re willing to deal with more consequences than the ones you’ve already earned.”

With a nervous squeak, Wren tries to get off of me to let me go. But before she’s moved more than an inch, I grab her hips to hold her still.

“Let me stay inside of you,”

I say, still out of breath. “Please.”

As she smiles down at me, her fingertips ghost across my cheek.

“Whatever you’d like.”

As Wren finally gives all her attention back to Elliot, he groans and grabs her hair. I can tell he’s having trouble holding back, but I also know he’d never do something to Wren that could scare or trigger her.

By this point, we’ve all realized that Wren needs to have all the control in a position like this. She’s not at a point yet where she can have her air cut off, even momentarily. Hell, she may never get back to that point, and that’s okay.

“Wren, shit,”

Elliot moans. It only makes Wren work up and down his dick with more enthusiasm.

“That’s it, Wren,”

I rasp.

“Make him come in your mouth. Make me proud.”

She keeps one hand on the mattress to hold herself up, and with the other, she strokes the base of Elliot’s cock. I help hold her up so it’s not so hard on her.

“You’re doing so well, sweetheart,”

Rhett says. He’s crawled around so he’s next to us.

“Focus on just the tip for a minute. Fuck, just like that. You’re such a good girl, aren’t you?”

Wren moans in response, but it’s drowned out by Elliot gasping, “Shit, I’m coming.”

Rhett grabs Elliot as he struggles to stay upright. Wren sucks him lightly one last time before popping his dick out of her mouth. With a smile, she licks her lips and sits back.

Leaning into Rhett, Elliot groans, “Goddammit, Wren. Get up here.”

Slowly, she eases off of me. I roll out of the way so Elliot can embrace her without either of them having to worry about squishing me.

“I love you,”

he murmurs in between kisses.

“God, I love all of you so much. Everything is a mess right now, but you make it bearable.”

“We love you too, Ell,” I say.

After that, we all start cleaning up. Wren has cum dripping down her back, and after wiping it all up, Rhett cleans in between her legs as well. Her eyelids are drooping, and by the time he’s done, she slumps onto the mattress with a contented sigh.

My heart warms at the sight of her like this, so vulnerable and trusting. I take a mental snapshot of the moment so I can cherish it forever. Then I turn my attention to Rhett, who looks too exhausted to still be standing.

“Did you actually sleep this morning?” I ask.

“No,”

he sighs.

“Not at all. I’ll get to bed, but I… I wanted to check the bug one last time.”

He looks hesitant to admit it.

“I’ve got it.”

I kiss him on the cheek.

“You get some rest. If there’s anything important, I’ll wake you and let you know.”

My expectations are for him to protest, but he nods tiredly before pulling me in for a slow, deep kiss.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, no pr-”

“I love you.”

He says it quietly against my lips, and I’m reminded of the other day, when he didn’t get to say it back all the way.

Fuck. How did I forget about that? I meant to apologize, to explain myself, but I completely forgot in the aftermath.

“Rhett,”

I say.

“I love you, too, and the other day, I didn’t mean to cut you off, I—”

“We were all rushing,”

he says as he smooths a hand down my back.

“And you’re not used to me…”

He grimaces.

“Being affectionate.”

“It’s okay,”

I whisper.

“I understand.”

He kisses me one more time before leaving. After saying goodnight to Elliot and kissing a sleeping Wren on the forehead, I grab my laptop from the living room and get to work. I listen through a lot of silence and some mundane conversations.

I start getting sleepy just as Aubrey and Ludo start arguing. My fingers are too uncoordinated to type it all out while I’m this tired, but I listen through and make some mental notes for myself. By the time Aubrey storms off, my eyelids are drooping.

It doesn’t seem terribly important, so my plan is to let Rhett sleep and just tell him in the morning. When I step into our bedroom, though, he’s sitting up in bed with his laptop.

I bite my tongue to keep from scolding him. He’s a grown man. I may think this is unhealthy—fuck, no, it is unhealthy—but I can’t stop him. That decision is up to him.

“Anything?”

Rhett asks.

“Not really. Ludo and Aubrey got into another fight, and Aubrey said she hates him, and Ludo said she’s too loyal to her parents, and then Aubrey said he wouldn’t understand because he doesn’t know what it’s like to love someone.”

“Ouch.”

“He deserves it, the bastard.”

Rhett hums in agreement.

“At least it’s extra confirmation that Aubrey isn’t working with Ludo to test us.”

Which is a relief, honestly. Aubrey doesn’t seem to have a malicious bone in her body—except when that maliciousness is directed toward Ludo.

“Why are you still up?” I ask.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“You’re not listening to the feed, are you?”

“Hacked into the resort’s security camera footage.”

“What—how—why, Rhett?”

“I’m trying to find him,”

he mumbles.

Fucking hell.

“You can’t go and see him. It’s too risky. Also, he doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

Rhett winces, and I regret my word choice immediately.

“He doesn’t seem to like any of us,”

I clarify.

“I know.”

He gestures to his laptop.

“And if I can’t see him in person, this… I guess this is the next best thing.”

I lower myself onto the bed next to him.

“You’re not editing anything, are you? I thought Finn was gonna do that.”

“I only have access to watch,”

he responds.

“And I’ll be honest, even that was beyond my abilities. Had to text Finn for help.”

“And now you’re…?”

“Scanning the footage to see where Andrew’s room is. But Finn already wiped him heading to the bar and leaving the penthouse, so I’ve been watching the common areas to see if he shows up.”

That sounds ridiculously boring, but that’s not what’s worrying me. As I open my mouth to speak, he closes the window and shuts his laptop.

“I know,”

he says gruffly.

“I know it’s obsessive and desperate. I know I need to stop and sleep. But he’s my brother, goddammit. What am I supposed to do? Just let him go?”

“Yeah. For now, at least.”

He blows out an exasperated breath.

“I hate this, O. I feel helpless.”

I grab his laptop and set it on my nightstand.

“That’ll change soon. We won’t let Ludo hurt Benny.”

It’s a promise we both know I shouldn’t be making, but it seems to help him anyway. Sometimes he needs the reminder that we’ve got his back—and now his family’s.

“Try to sleep,”

I whisper as we lay down.

He grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers, and I smile into the darkness. I love touching him. Hopefully, there’ll be more of that in our future.