Page 88 of Ruthless Desires, Vol. Two (Ruthless Desires Series Extended Editions #2)

Oliver

“Wren, it’s fine,”

I say as she fusses over my tie for the seventh time this evening.

“You tied it just as well the last six times.”

“I just want to make sure everything is perfect.”

She flattens her palms over my chest, her eyes softening as she takes me in.

“This is a big deal for you.”

“And you’ve done everything you can.”

I slip an arm around her waist and pull her into me. I don’t feel like I need to have her against me for support, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice.

“From here on out, it’s up to me.”

We’re standing in my tiny dressing room backstage. I didn’t think I’d get one, but this is probably the nicest theater in Philadelphia—possibly in the whole state. So even though it’s a small dressing room, it’s all mine for the night.

Wren nods, but she’s biting her lip.

“Princess, I think you might be more nervous than I am.”

She makes a flustered sound before fiddling with my tie again.

“Wren.”

I take her hands in mine and press light kisses to her knuckles.

“I’m just worried about you,”

she confesses.

“I don’t want to leave you alone. What if—what if—”

“I’m not alone. You’ll be watching me the whole time.”

Leaning forward, I brush my nose against hers.

“And I’ll be playing my best for you.”

Rhett glances at his phone.

“But that’s only if we let him go, sweetheart. He needs to finish getting ready, and you and I need to get to our seats.”

Wren’s eyes shimmer with hope and a bit of leftover worry.

“You’re sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure.”

“I love you.”

She rises up on her tiptoes and kisses my forehead.

She smells like flowers and honey, sweet and calming. I hold her to me for a second longer than needed and brush my lips against hers.

Reluctantly, Wren pulls away.

“You’re going to be amazing.”

Silently, I nod. I’ve never made it this close to performing before. I’d end up having such horrible panic attacks that my mom would have to cancel for me. By the time I graduated, I’d given up on the idea of ever doing this, no matter how badly I wanted to.

“We’ll see you after.”

Rhett gives me a slow, meaningful kiss. When he pulls away, his eyes are dark and his voice low.

“And then you’re mine, you hear me?”

“Yours,”

I whisper, my heart skipping a beat.

He nods, and I lean against the counter with my stuff on it and watch them leave. When Rhett shuts the door behind him, I half expect myself to dissolve into a mess. But I don’t.

Tears fill my eyes—not of pain or anxiety but of happiness. Being here, finally getting to play piano in front of an audience like this, is a dream come true. I never thought I’d get to this point.

Turning, I face the mirror lined with lights. My eyeliner is perfect, and so are my suit and tie. Everything is in place, and I feel good. Really good.

There’s a knock on the door, and then a deep voice.

“Oliver? It’s time to head backstage. You ready?”

I smile at my reflection, blinking back my tears.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

. . .

I peek around the curtain, taking in everything. Candles—fake ones, of course—are everywhere. They line the stage, the sides of the auditorium, and even some of the aisles. It’s beautiful, and seeing it all only gets me more excited.

But that’s not what I’m really looking for. Rhett told me they’re in box seats, and after a moment of scanning the walls, I find them off to my left. My heart sinks when I realize Elliot still hasn’t shown up.

“First time?”

one of the violinists asks, giving me a knowing look.

“That obvious?”

“The newbies are always the most enthusiastic.”

She winks at me.

“Not that the excitement ever truly fades. I’ll always love performing.”

She squeezes my arm.

“You’ll do great, don’t worry. You’ve blown everyone away so far. Never met a pianist with such deep passion.”

My heart clenches.

“It means a lot to me. Music got me through some hard times.”

She nods, her expression turning sympathetic.

“I’m glad you had it, then.”

With a smile, I turn back to the crowd. Mom, Maria, and the boys are in the front row, and I wave when I spot them. We offered to have everyone in the box together, but Mom said she wanted to be as close as possible, even though it means she won’t have the best view of where I’ll be near the back of the stage.

“Hey, you’re supposed to stay behind the curtain,”

a guy in a black T-shirt says. I’ve seen him working around backstage all evening.

“Right, sorry.”

Bracing myself for disappointment, I glance up at the box one last time. My stomach flips when I find Elliot slipping into his seat and staring right at me. His lips turn up in a relieved smile, and my heart soars.

He’s here.

“Sir, please step back.”

“Sorry,”

I say again, this time actually moving away from the curtain.

A smile lights up my face as I take my spot at the piano. He made it—just in time, too. God, I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about tonight. They’ve all heard me practice these songs a million times, but they haven’t heard the entire ensemble together as one.

As the music starts, my entire body floods with joy. My fingers move across the keys in perfect synchronization with everyone else, and as the curtain rises, it finally hits me just how real this is. That, after so many failed attempts, I’m finally here.

As I play, I feel like I’m flying—like I’m on top of the world. I half expect to downspiral right here on the stage, but instead, a new thrill rushes through me.

My hands aren’t shaking.

My chest isn’t tightening up.

My dinner isn’t threatening to make a reappearance.

I want to laugh, to get up and dance around the stage and find my way to Elliot, Rhett, and Wren and kiss them all. But I stay seated, my fingers working from muscle memory since my head is basically in the clouds. I can celebrate later. For now, I want to bask in it all—in the stage lights, in the audience’s attention, and in the feeling of finally achieving one of my longest-running dreams.

So I do. I absorb every moment, my spirits rising higher with every note. The time passes by way faster than I expected it to, and before I know it, we’re finishing up the last song. Maybe I’d be disappointed if I wasn’t so damn happy.

Applause fills my ears, and then it hits me that I’m taking my bow with everyone else, the stage lights shining in our eyes.

This is it. I did it.

I finally did it.

The next few minutes are all a blur. Shaking hands with the other musicians, congratulating each other on a job well done, and reveling in the heat of the lights.

I don’t even remember heading back to my dressing room or grabbing my bag. I practically float through the halls until I find everyone in the crowded lobby.

Rhett spots me first, and he drops Elliot’s hand and makes a beeline for me. The second I’m within reach, he gathers me up in his arms. My feet lift off the ground, and I let out a shout of surprise as he spins me around. He’s never done something like this before—never.

“I’m so damn proud of you,”

he says before capturing my mouth in a hard kiss. His hands grab my face, holding me still so I can’t pull away until he’s ready. When he finally does, his eyes are glistening with tears.

“So proud, O.”

“Rhett, I—”

But then Elliot is swooping in and enveloping me in his arms. I grab onto him and press a kiss to his neck as he squeezes me tight.

“Thank you for making it,”

I whisper, unsure if he’ll hear me over the noise echoing off the walls.

“I wouldn’t’ve missed this for the world, Ol. You were perfect.”

He kisses me, the movement of his lips against mine hungry.

“God, I missed you.”

“Missed you too, Ell.”

When we pull away, Mom and Maria are right there. Mom is holding a bouquet of roses, and her eyes are shining.

“Aw, Mom, don’t cry.”

I pull her into a hug.

“I’m just so happy,”

she says, sniffling.

“You did so well.”

“And it’s all because of the work you put in when we were younger.”

I squeeze her.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Oh, you. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“I’m not. I worked hard, but you?”

I grin.

“You’ve always worked harder. I’ll never stop being grateful that you believed in me and made it so I could accomplish this.”

Fresh tears fill her eyes, and she throws her arms around me and buries her face in my chest. I hold her and press a kiss to her hair. This is a lot for Mom. She practically killed herself to make sure Maria and I had the best of the best. Honestly, I’m surprised I didn’t hear her sobbing during the concert.

Once Mom is good, she pats my back and steps away. Then she hugs Elliot, her smile still a little watery.

“I’m glad you made it home safely. How was the wedding? Is your family doing well?”

Their conversation fades into the background as my gaze lands on a tall man across the room. His long, dark hair is up in a bun I’d recognize anywhere, and the upside-down cross on his left temple stands out just as I remember. The only difference is that he doesn’t look quite as pale, like maybe he’s getting out more.

Axel Holden.

He’s watching Ben with a regretful expression. For a moment, I wonder if he’ll come say hello, but then I realize it’s best if Ben doesn’t know Axel is here. He took Axel’s absence hard—like an abandonment. A betrayal. Bringing that all up again wouldn’t do any good.

The woman standing next to Axel looks up at him and says something. When he turns his attention toward her, the regret on his face intensifies. But then it melts away, replaced by a devotion I’ve only seen from three other people in my entire life. He says something back to her while slipping a protective arm around her waist.

When he looks back, he gives me a solitary nod, which I return. And then he disappears into the crowd, keeping the woman as close to him as humanly possible.

Wren nudges me.

“You good?”

“Hmm? Yeah.”

I give her a quick smile, and when I glance back, Axel is gone.

For the best. The part of our lives that intertwined with his belongs in the past.

Maria saunters up to me with a wide smile. “Drinks?”

“Not tonight. Ell just got back from Illinois, and he’s exhausted.”

I squeeze her hand.

“But sometime soon, okay?”

With a nod, she kisses my cheek.

“You were wonderful tonight, Ollie. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.”

I hug my mom one last time and give Ben and Andrew a cheerful wave. It means so much to me that they all came, so I watch them until they exit the building. Then I turn and face the guys and Wren.

“Time to head home?”

“Absolutely not,”

Elliot says, his voice tight with impatience.

“I can’t wait another damn second.”

“Wha—”

Before I can finish my sentence, Elliot is dragging me down a wide side hall. Not many people are down here since it doesn’t look like it leads to a main exit.

“Where the hell are you going?”

I ask, glancing behind us to make sure Rhett and Wren are following.

“Banquet hall. It’s down here somewhere.”

I’d ask how he knows that, but his parents dragged him to so many charity events in high school and college that even I felt stressed out by them. I’m unsurprised that one ended up being here.

Finally, Elliot comes across a pair of wooden double doors and shoves them open. Or, well, he tries to, but they’re locked.

“I swear to fucking god,”

he growls, whipping around. His gaze zeros in on Wren.

“Hairpins.”

She doesn’t even hesitate. Just reaches up and takes out two pins from her pretty updo.

“You’re an angel, love.”

Elliot kisses her on the cheek before getting to work on the lock.

Rhett tosses a glance over his shoulder. Thankfully, we’re out of sight of any stragglers. But even if someone saw us, I don’t think Elliot would care.

After a minute, he pushes the door open and shoves me inside. Rhett follows, the flashlight from his phone already on. There’s no way the light switches in a room like this will be right by the door, but there are string lights still hung up from the last event, and plugging them in illuminates our section of the large space. Marble columns line a walkway around the perimeter of the room, and I can only imagine how magical it looks in here when it’s all done up.

Only once the lights are on does Elliot tug Wren inside. He closes and locks the door behind them.

“God, finally.”

“Finally?”

I ask, my tone filled with a playful innocence.

“Finally what?”

Dropping Wren’s hand, Elliot stalks toward me. His mouth is on mine the second I’m within reach. One of his arms circles my waist to pull me flush against him, and with his free hand, he grabs my ass. “You.”

He pulls back just long enough to take me in, his gaze wild with need.

“You were stunning. And you’re so goddamn sexy, you know that?”

I start to respond, but then Elliot’s lips are on mine, his tongue gliding over my own. A deep noise sounds from his throat—guttural, desperate, hungry.

“There’s no way I can wait until we get home,”

he murmurs, his lips never more than an inch away from mine.

“Watching them was torture.”

“What, this morning over the phone?”

Elliot groans.

“That, too.”

He kisses my neck, and I grip his arms and tilt my chin upward so he has better access to my throat. My gaze slides over to Rhett and Wren, and when Elliot sucks some of my skin into his mouth, a possessive fire lights in Rhett’s eyes. It makes my stomach flip, thinking of the barely leashed want that’s coursing through him.

When Elliot releases me, he immediately turns to Rhett and yanks him in for a kiss. Rhett has him pinned against a marble column in no time, gripping his face and angling his head how he pleases.

“Missed you,”

Rhett mutters after a minute.

He pulls back slightly, his gaze clashing with Elliot’s, and then they’re kissing again. Elliot cranes his neck upward, stretching to meet every sweep of Rhett’s tongue. Wren leans against another pillar while she watches, and I can’t help but stare at her instead of the guys.

She looks so beautiful in that dress that, when I first saw her earlier, I was rendered speechless. The silver, gauzy fabric sparkles in the lights, and the neckline dips just enough to give you a hint of what’s underneath the fabric. And god, the slit that reveals her thigh would have any man’s mouth watering.

When she realizes I’m watching her, a bashful smile forms on her face. She’s squirming and watching the guys with heat in her eyes, and realization settles over me.

I walk up to her, my hands coming to rest on her hips.

“Rhett fingered you during the show, didn’t he?”

She nods.

“And I bet he didn’t let you come.”

“He didn’t,”

she whispers.

“And I bet that, even though I made you come three times this morning, and then Rhett added to that…”

I trail a single finger down her chest, between her breasts, stopping when I hit the V neckline of her dress.

“I bet you’re ready for more. Dirty slut.”

“I’ve been toyed with enough today,”

she says impatiently.

“If you edge me again, I swear, I’ll—”

“Enough,”

Rhett says, and I feel his hand on my shoulder, roughly pulling me away from Wren.

“I told you, you’re mine. And she’s Ell’s.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

I drop to my knees in front of Rhett and unbuckle his belt. I’m not sure what he had in mind, but I don’t particularly care. This is my night, and this is what I want.

Rhett doesn’t move to stop me—just watches with a raised brow as I undo his pants and pull his dick out. I stroke him a few times, feeling him harden under my touch. Only then do I lick the underside of his cock from base to tip before taking him into my mouth.

A sharp breath leaves Rhett, and he grabs onto the hair at the base of my neck.

“You trying to make me come in three seconds? Jesus.”

I lean back.

“Maybe if you hadn’t gotten yourself all worked up by fingering Wren during the concert, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

He shoots me a glare and guides his cock back into my mouth.

“I promised Ell she’d be ready. I’m a man of my word.”

Again, I pull back.

“Oh, I’m counting on it.”

“Stop. fucking. talking.”

This time, when Rhett thrusts into my mouth, he holds my head so I can’t release him again. He pumps in and out relentlessly, making me gag when he hits the back of my throat.

“Oh, you can take it.”

He picks up the force of his thrusts.

“And I know you want it.”

He’s right. I grab onto his thighs, not to push him away but to egg him on. I’ve been hoping for this all day. There’s nothing better than losing myself in Rhett, and it’s the perfect end to my night.

When he comes, I swallow every drop of his cum. He shudders as he finishes out the tail end of his orgasm, only letting go of my head when he pulls out.

“Elliot!”

Wren gasps, and when I glance over, he has her pushed up against a marble column.

“I told you, love. I can’t wait.”

He kisses his way down her neck, grabbing at her body in any way he can.

“Please don’t make me.”

“I wouldn’t,”

she says softly, whimpering when he sucks the skin at the base of her throat.

“I’m yours.”

“God,”

he groans.

“The things you do to me.”

“Watch them,”

Rhett says as he pushes me up against the pillar right next to theirs.

“Watch him fuck her and make her muffle her screams so we don’t get caught.”

As if I could take my eyes off them. Rhett undoes my pants, and once my cock is in his hand, he uses the other to pin my wrists to the column above me. He makes me spit in his hand while Elliot slides Wren’s panties to the side and plays with her clit.

“Ell, I’m ready,”

she says, her breath hitching.

“You don’t have to—”

“Need to,”

he mumbles, sounding like he’s lost in a trance.

“Need to feel how wet he made you. God, watching you both made me so fucking hard, Wren.”

“Rhett,”

I grunt when he starts moving his hand faster. I try to reach for him, to hold onto him, but he presses my wrists into the hard marble.

“Be a good boy and stay still for me.”

He presses a kiss to my throat.

“I know you can do it, O.”

A whine escapes me, and I thrust into Rhett’s hand. It just feels too good, and he knows I’ve never been one for self control.

“You can do it,”

he murmurs, his hand slowing to a maddening pace.

“And I know you want it. Give yourself to me, Oliver. No thoughts, just do what I tell you, when I tell you.”

“Rhett,” I moan.

When his hand reaches the tip of my cock, he squeezes lightly.

“I want all of you tonight. You think you can do that for me?”

I swallow, my throat suddenly dry, and then I nod.

“I can. I… I will.”

He kisses me then, his tongue sliding deep into my mouth. My mind goes blank, and I relax into the column, trusting him to get me to where I need to go.

I’m his. Just his.

“Just like that. Such a good boy, O.”

Finally, he picks up the pace of his hand again.

“But don’t forget to watch.”

I open my eyes, unsure of when I closed them. Elliot has the right strap of Wren’s dress pulled down and is sucking on her nipple while she writhes against him. God, it’s one hell of a sight, and it makes my body ache for more. But I don’t move—don’t beg.

Tonight, I’m Rhett’s, and there isn’t a single thing that would make me disobey him now.