Page 7 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. One
“Nice and simple,” I add.
“Good.” Oliver kisses me tenderly before doing the same to Rhett. “Thank you for the roses.”
“Of course, O.” I brush my fingers against his.
Oliver latches onto my hand. “You both look tired.”
Rhett nods. “It was a boring night, but it lasted forever.”
Humming, Oliver bounces his gaze between us. “Maybe we celebrate another night, then?”
I smile. That’s one of the things Oliver always makes sure we do after we complete a job. It helps give us something to look forward to.
“Definitely. Ell fell asleep on the way home. I’d bet a hundred bucks he’ll be out within five seconds of his head hitting the pillow.”
I shoot Rhett a begrudging glare, but it’s only halfhearted. The fucker is right, dammit.
Oliver slings an arm around my shoulder. “I’ll take that bet.”
“Figured you would.” Rhett steps back. “I’ll see you two in the morning.”
“Night,” Oliver says before shooting me a pleased smile. “Guess that means I’m with you tonight.”
“Mmm.” I nuzzle my face in his neck. “I don’t mind that at all.”
Sometimes I wish I got to sleep with Rhett more, but his insomnia has him up at odd hours of the night, which usually wakes me up. Oliver and I tell him it’s fine, but he doesn’t like disturbing us, so he opts to sleep alone more often than not.
I hate it—although I love the extra time with Ol.
Upstairs, Oliver puts his roses in water while I shower. By the time I’m out, he’s crawled into bed and is waiting for me.
“C’mere.” He pushes the blankets back so I can get in. “It’s been a long day.”
“You could say that again,” I mumble. It doesn’t feel like we just went to that new coffee shop this morning. It feels more like that was yesterday—or last week, even.
“It’s been a lot of long days,” he says quietly as he settles into me, his head resting on my chest and his body curling around mine. “But… maybe we’re getting closer to the end?”
I bite my bottom lip to hold back my initial response. Who knew revenge could be so exhausting, or so time-consuming? “Maybe so.”
“I just want to know what normal life is like, you know? I want to walk into a coffee shop and not wonder if I’m being watched. I want to flirt with a pretty barista and not worry about putting a target on her back.”
“Sheispretty,” I murmur, only realizing seconds later that that’s the wrong part to be focusing on.
Oliver tilts his chin up so he’s watching me. “She couldn’t stop looking at you.”
“Oh?” I frown. “I didn’t notice.”
“And now Rhett owes me a hundred bucks.”
“What?”
“It’s been longer than five seconds, and you’re still awake.”
With a yawn, I shake my head. “I think that’s cheating. You kept me awake on purpose.”
“Nope. Rhett owes me a hundred bucks.”
“If you say so,” I mumble.
