Page 66 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two
“It won’t,” I say quickly. “I promise.”
With a tired sigh, Elliot nods. “I need to get some sleep. But tomorrow, after my shift with Aubrey and after Rhett cools down, let’s talk this out. You can tell us everything that happened when Ludo showed up.”
“Okay,” I whisper, scrunching my eyes shut when he kisses my forehead. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, love.”
After kissing Oliver’s forehead, Elliot heads into their bedroom and shuts the door softly. Silence takes over the penthouse, and I have to force myself to breathe while I watch Oliver. He’s still in the same position, head bowed, with one of his legs bouncing. No acknowledgment of my presence, no words—nothing.
He hates me. My god, he hates me. What if he never gets past this?
“Oliver?”
His leg freezes, and he heaves in a heavy breath. “Princess…”
“Please don’t hate me,” I whisper.
Oliver’s head snaps up. “What? Hate you? Princess, why would I—” His eyes widen when he sees my face. “Oh god. Wren, no. I don’t hate you.”
Disbelief ripples through my thoughts. “But you… you…” My throat clogs up, and I have to blink back tears.
“Fuck,” he mutters. He rubs his face. “C’mere, princess.”
Hesitantly, I stand and step up to him. I hover a few inches away, unsure of what he wants. “I didn’t want to keep it from you.”
Oliver takes hold of my wrists and draws me onto his lap. His arms encircle me, holding me in place, like he knows I’m two seconds from running away and sobbing into my pillow. “I know.”
“Are you angry?” I whisper.
“Not exactly. Your intentions were pure, and I can follow the logic. But…”
When he pauses, my stomach turns.This is it. He’s never going to trust me again.
Oliver looks up at me, and I expect to see hurt or betrayal written all over his face. But the only thing I find is… worry. “I think there are some things you need to know.”
Chapter fourteen
Oliver
Wren is so nervous she’s practically vibrating. As I try to figure out how I want to phrase this, I trace my fingers up and down her spine. “Have you ever noticed how important it is to Elliot that you trust us?”
“I have,” she says.
“We don’t keep things from each other. Not… not important things. I get that’s a fairly normal thing in most relationships, but we take extra care to not keep secrets.”
“I promise I won’t do it again, Oliver,” she whispers. “Never again.”
“Hey, I know,” I say gently. “I just need you to understand where we’re coming from. Or, more specifically, where Elliot is coming from. His parents didn’t trust each other, and it led to a really toxic environment. Instead of working things out, they were constantly going behind each other’s backs, accusing each other of shit, yelling at each other, the works. Elliot swore he’d never be like that.
“When it came to us, Elliot worked hard to earn our trust. We were kids, so of course we all fucked up. But we eventually got to the point we’re at now. We trust each other with our lives, and with every little thing that comes our way. That took a lot of work.”
Wren sags against me. “I really messed this up, didn’t I?”
“Not as badly as you think.” I try to sound as reassuring as I can. “You’re allowed to make mistakes. We all do. And the thing is, what you did is understandable. You were trying to protect Rhett.”
“He didn’t see it that way.”
“He’ll… he’ll come around.”
