Page 32 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

Once Finn leaves, Elliot disappears into his office. My guess is he’s looking into this Owen Harris person. Whoever he is, he has Sparrow’s trust, and he’s also managed to gain at least some of Ludo’s. Well, at least he did before Ludo figured out who his rat was.

The thing is, I’m not convinced Owen is the man Ludo is looking for, and my guess is that Elliot isn’t, either. Sparrow would never endanger Aubrey. So why would her informant give away Aubrey’s location to someone who would want to harm her? Maybe Owen has his own motives that Sparrow is unaware of?

Regardless, I have more important things to focus on right now. Mainly, Elliot. I didn’t realize just how much extra stress I’ve put on his shoulders, which is pretty damn stupid. Of course I should’ve known. If our roles were switched, I’d probably have Elliot tied down somewhere to make sure he wasn’t risking his life when he didn’t need to.

I knock on his office door. “Ell?”

“Come in.”

My heart beats rapidly as I step into Elliot’s office. He’s sitting at his desk and frowning at his computer, which is a position I’ve found him in far too often these days.

After a second too long of silence, he looks up.

“You okay?”

“I…”

The words catch in my throat, and as I stare at Elliot, guilt crashes into me. He looks horrible. I was trying to help, but all I’ve done is add more weight for him to carry.

Standing, Elliot moves around his desk. With a few quick, long strides, he’s right in front of me and cupping my cheek.

“What’s wrong?”

Fuck. Even now, when I’ve made his anxiety so much worse, he’s the one checking up on me. There’s no world in which I could possibly deserve him.

“I’m sorry,”

I whisper.

“Ell, I’m so sorry. I should’ve thought about you guys before going off on my own.”

He releases a heavy sigh.

“I should’ve predicted it, honestly.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re always the first one to throw yourself into the line of danger if you think it means saving one of us. This is no different. You’re trying to protect us.”

“But it backfired. I didn’t want to cause you more stress.”

“It didn’t backfire. Not entirely, anyway. You possibly saved a man’s life.”

“I don’t care!”

It’s not true, but right now, my only thoughts are of Elliot.

“I don’t know how to handle seeing you this worried, and I hate that I’m making it worse.”

“I’ll be fine, Ol. Don’t worry about me.”

He leans in to kiss me, but I grab his face.

“I won’t do it again. I won’t do anything without discussing it with you guys first. No more impulsiveness on my part. I promise.”

His brows draw together.

“You mean it?”

“With everything in me,”

I whisper.

“It’s the least I can do. I’m so sorry, Elliot.”

“Apology accepted.”

When Elliot tries to kiss me this time, I let him, savoring the feeling of his lips against mine. This close, the bright scent of oranges fills my nostrils, followed by the warmth of sandalwood. As long as I live, I’ll never get enough of the way he smells.

“It seems like Wren is doing well,”

I say, hoping to keep Elliot thinking of positive things.

“I think she’ll be able to pull this off pretty easily.”

“You think so?”

Elliot’s eyes brighten.

“She seems nervous yet confident at the same time.”

“Maybe she’s just tired.”

“A possibility.”

He rubs his chin.

“Is her surprise ready? I finished my last detail about an hour ago.”

“Oh?”

It’s the one thing even Rhett and I don’t know about this project. Elliot refused to tell us.

“What is it?”

He smirks.

“You’ll see. It’s ready?”

“Yeah. I was gonna suggest we show it to her today. We could all use a little fun.”

Grabbing my hand, he pulls me toward the door.

“Let’s find the others, then.”

Wren and Rhett are still in the living room pouring over the blueprints. As we enter, Wren rubs at her eyes like she’s having trouble focusing.

“Where…”

She blinks a few times before squinting at the papers spread out on the coffee table.

“Where do I need to avoid again?”

“Preferably, this area of the second floor.”

Rhett points to a spot that’s a decent distance from the bedrooms and the billiard room.

“Ludo’s office is over here, and there’s no reason to be in that area. It would look pretty odd, even if he has no reason to be suspicious.”

“Got it,”

she says tiredly.

“Here.”

Rhett grabs a red pen and draws an X over Ludo’s office. Then he takes a green one and circles the bedroom and the billiard room.

“Can I have that?”

she asks, and once he’s handed it to her, she rolls her shoulders back.

“So the reception takes place here.”

She circles the ballroom on the first floor’s sheet before drawing a line to the stairs.

“And these are the stairs I’m taking.”

Grabbing the red pen, she draws an X over another set of stairs that are much closer to Ludo’s office.

“And I’m staying away from these.”

“Correct,”

Rhett says. He scooches closer to her on the couch and starts rubbing her back as she continues drawing.

“And once I’m up the stairs, I follow the main hallway to the bedrooms,”

Wren mumbles, drawing a green line before circling Aubrey’s room.

“Makeup bag is in here, and then I head down this little hallway and sneak into the billiard room here.”

She draws another green circle.

“And I really don’t want to get caught in that part of the house.”

“Correct,”

Rhett says.

“There’s no reason for you to go past the bedrooms and down that hallway. You can always claim that you got lost, but there’s a slim chance they won’t believe you.”

“What if…”

Wren traces a finger down the rest of the billiard room’s hallway. It takes her even closer to Ludo’s office.

“Hmm. I definitely want to stay away from there.”

“Definitely.”

“But as long as I’m quick,”

Wren says as she moves her finger back to the bedrooms, “I won’t be visible in a suspicious part of the house for long. A minute or two tops.”

“That’s how it looks.”

With a shaky breath, Wren nods.

“I can do that. I can make it work. And if I get caught, it’s no big deal. Probably.”

“I have faith in you.”

Squeezing her waist, Rhett plants a kiss on her temple. She leans into him with a sigh and closes her eyes.

“Who wants to take a break?”

I say.

“Princess, we have something we want to show you.”

“Oh?”

She glances between the three of us with a worried expression.

“What is it?”

“Something nice.”

Rhett strokes a hand over her hair before he stands. “C’mon.”

We lead Wren upstairs, and a giddy smile takes over my face. I’m tempted to blindfold her, but she’s familiar enough with the mansion that she’d know exactly where we’re headed.

“Are you three about to seduce me?”

she asks as we pass my bedroom.

“No,”

Elliot says.

“It’s not that type of surprise. Well, most of it isn’t.”

“Close your eyes, sweetheart,”

Rhett tells her when we reach his room. Once she does, he pushes open the door across from his and pulls her inside.

Elliot and I follow them, and I do a quick check to make sure everything is in place. It looks perfect, and I hope she thinks the same.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Elliot whispers, “Go ahead and open them.”

I hold my breath. Wren’s expression goes from confused to delighted in a split second. She seems speechless as her gaze roams over the lilac walls, the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the reading nook in the corner. There’s a large mirror leaning against the wall opposite her bed, which is covered in a white and gray striped comforter.

She turns to us, and happy tears glisten in her eyes.

“You guys… I… this is for me?”

“If there’s anything you don’t like, we can redo it,”

I tell her.

Wren shakes her head as a smile takes over her face.

“It’s perfect. It’s more than perfect.”

She moves toward her nightstand, where a dark blue business card stands out against the white surface.

“Avani Goswami, tattoo artist. What’s this for?”

“She’s the one who did our tattoos,”

Rhett says.

“For…”

Wren’s gaze lands on Rhett’s hand.

“You want me to get a butterfly tattoo?”

“We know you never met Sammy,”

I say, “but you’re helping to avenge her, and you’re a part of us. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“As long as you want to,”

Elliot adds quickly.

“You don’t have to.”

Wren’s eyes soften as she looks between the three of us.

“Of course I want to. And this…”

She waves her hand, gesturing around the room.

“Thank you.”

“It’s the least we could do,”

Elliot says as he takes her into his arms.

“You belong here just as much as the rest of us do, and we want to make sure you know it.”

Her hands cup his face.

“I do. I’ve never fit so perfectly in a place before.”

Turning to Rhett, she says, “Or fit so perfectly with other people.”

When Wren’s lips meet his, he grabs her waist to pull her body against his. She doesn’t resist—fuck, she never does—and she slides both her hands down his chest. After she pulls away, her eyes stay closed for an extra second.

Wren’s content expression tugs at my heartstrings, or maybe at something deeper. Longing, I think. I’m hopeful that our current plan will work, and I’ve moved from distraction to distraction to keep myself from worrying too much. But I’m afraid that, despite our best efforts, everything is about to fall apart.

I wish we could always be happy like this.

Before my thoughts make their way to my face, Elliot pushes Wren toward me. She tackles me onto the bed before peppering my face with tiny, grateful kisses. With a laugh, I take hold of her head and press my lips to hers.

“Was the color your idea?”

she asks me once I release her.

“Mmhmm. The bookshelves were Ell’s. The hook and mirror were Rhett’s. I think the painting was Ell’s, too. I certainly didn’t hang it.”

Wren surveys the room until her gaze lands on the painting that’s hanging above her dresser. It’s of a mountain landscape during sunset.

Her eyes widen, and then her jaw drops.

“No way. That’s—that’s the painting. Elliot!”

He chuckles.

“I figured that’s how you’d react.”

“Should I recognize it?” I ask.

“It was in the museum when we went there on our date,”

Wren says breathlessly.

“Elliot—he—he made me describe it to him while he made me come.”

“Oh, shit.”

I laugh and prop myself up on my elbows.

“So that’s why you looked extra flustered. I thought it was just because we were in the museum.”

At the reminder, Wren squirms on top of me.

“It was definitely both. Ell, I can’t believe you bought it just to put it up in here.”

“Your reaction made it worth it.”

He comes up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders before leaning close.

“And the reaction you’ll have every time you look at it in the future.”

“Fuck,”

she whispers, and her eyes drift to the painting as she squirms again.

“Is this part of your payback?”

He chuckles.

“No. But it could be.”

A lustful look passes over her features, but then she frowns and glances around.

“Wait. O, you mentioned a hook. What did you mean?”

With a growing smirk, I say, “Look up.”

She does, and immediately she notices the hook we installed in the ceiling. “What…?”

“If you don’t know what it’s for,”

Elliot says smoothly, “you’ll find out soon enough.”

Heat ignites in Wren’s eyes.

“How much weight can it hold?”

“More than enough.”

“Oh, god,”

she whispers.

“For another time,”

Elliot tells her.

“Not today.”

She stares at the hook for a couple seconds before she continues to take in the rest of the room.

“I don’t have enough books to fill those shelves.”

“Maria wants to take you on a shopping spree when you’re ready to meet her,”

I say.

“No pressure, though. She’s fine with waiting, although she’s super excited.”

Watching Wren’s eyes light up fills my heart to the brim. I never want to stop working to put that look on her face.

“I’d like that. Maybe once we get the boys away from Ludo. You know, once things have calmed down.”

“That sounds perfect.”

Wren runs her hand over her new comforter.

“I’m still gonna be able to sleep with you guys, right? And you guys with me?”

“Of course, you dork,”

I say.

“There’s no way I’m going more than a couple nights without falling asleep next to you.”

As a smile blooms on her face, Rhett sits next to us on the bed. He’s barely said a word, probably waiting to make sure Wren really likes it in here. He never admitted it, but he was nervous we’d decorated it all wrong.

“You’re happy with it in here? With the colors? With the layout?”

“It’s perfect,”

she tells him, leaning over for a kiss.

“I couldn’t’ve wished for something better. Although…”

She surveys the room.

“What about the stuff at my apartment?”

“We’ll make room for anything you want to keep,”

Rhett says.

“Either in here or throughout the house. You don’t have to fully move in, not if you don’t feel like you’re ready. Take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you,”

she whispers before kissing him again. This time, it’s much more deeply.

My hand rests on her side, and I squeeze lightly.

“We’ll do anything for you, princess.”