Blissful Masquerade: A Dark Why Choose Romance (Ruthless Desires Book 1)

AFTER WE clean up, we settle back down to finish watching the movie. Wren is sandwiched in between Rhett and Oliver. And while I wish she was in my arms, I have to admit that the look on their faces sends a wave of happiness through me.

After a half hour, I look over to find Wren’s sleeping body slumped into Rhett’s. I expect to find her face peaceful, but instead a frown is etched into her beautiful features. She murmurs something that I can’t hear over the movie.

My heart clenches as I remember Oliver mentioning that she had a nightmare last night and came barreling through the house to find him. Is she having another one right now?

As if to answer, she jumps awake with a yell. Rhett grabs her, immediately tense. She struggles against him, screaming, until she makes eye contact with me.

I don’t remember standing or walking over to her, but here I am, my hand cupping her face. “You’re safe, love. Do you remember where you are?”

She looks around, her eyes falling on Rhett, and then to the scratch marks on his arm. “Oh, Rhett, I’m so sorry. I didn’t—” Tears fill her eyes as she takes his arm in her hands. “I forgot where I was for a minute.”

He shakes his head, grabbing her face in his hands and planting a kiss on her forehead. “You were scared. Forget about it.”

But the tears keep streaming down her face. “I don’t want to hurt you. Any of you. I’m sorry, I—”

He places a finger over her lips, shushing her. His entire body is riddled with so much tension, I’m surprised he’s even able to let out such a gentle sound. “It barely hurt, sweetheart. I’ve had a lot worse done to me.”

Her eyes soften in sympathy, which causes him to pull back.

“What do you need, princess?” Oliver wraps an arm around her waist. “Something to drink?”

She nods. “Juice?”

“I’ll get it,” Rhett says gruffly, standing.

I crouch in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “A blanket? A distraction?”

“Both, please,” she whispers.

While I grab her a blanket, Oliver pulls her onto his lap. “Tell me, what’s your second favorite book? Elliot is gonna need a new one to read.”

She bites her lip. “Probably Pride and Prejudice.”

Oliver rolls his eyes and pokes her side. “Do you read any books that aren’t old?”

“I like fantasy.”

“Any that we can make come true for you?” He winks, and I cringe.

“That was terrible, Oliver,” she giggles. But her eyes drift down to his erection.

Well, at least I’m not the only one who can’t control his dick around her.

“I’ll take that as a yes. What do you want us to do?”

“Tie me up again?” She glances between us shyly.

“Oh, princess. With pleasure.”

BY THE TIME Wren has finished her juice, she can’t stop rubbing her thighs together. She hasn’t let go of Rhett’s hand since he came back. His tension from earlier is gone, and I can only hope it’s because he used one of his breathing techniques instead of tacking something else onto his plans for Adam tonight.

Oliver whisks Wren off the couch, taking her to his room. I tie her legs to the foot of the bed while Rhett eats her out, and Oliver watches from the corner of the room.

When she comes, it’s with a cry that goes straight to my dick.

I go next, kissing her body until she’s begging for more. I bring her to orgasm quickly, leaving her trembling on the bed.

Then Oliver takes out her wand from his nightstand drawer.

Wren gasps. “That’s—how—that’s mine!”

With a smirk, he runs his fingers down her leg, stepping to the foot of the bed. “Found it while I was putting your room back together. Remember how I said you’d pay for teasing me earlier?”

Wren’s eyes widen as she nods. “Oh no.”

He grins. “You’re so fucked, princess.”

She tries to squirm away, but I’ve tied her too well. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Make you come until you beg me to stop.” He turns the wand on, pressing it to her inner thigh. “Literally.”

“Oh god,” she whimpers. Then she yelps as he touches it to her clit. “Oliver, I’m still too sensitive, I—” She screams when he doesn’t listen.

Her hips try to twist out of his reach, but she can only move a few inches. Rhett grabs her hands and pins them to the mattress above her head, watching her writhe.

Oliver removes the wand. She lets out a relieved sigh that’s followed by a squeal when he touches it to her again. And this time, he doesn’t let up.

“Oliver,” she cries out. But she doesn’t tell him to stop. Her eyes slide closed, and she arches her back. Rhett clamps a hand over her mouth when she screams, her hips bucking as she tries to find any relief from the sensation.

“Have you learned your lesson, princess?” He gives her a moment of relief before he goes back to torturing her.

“Please,” she gasps. “I won’t do it again. I—OLIVER!”

He chuckles. “Say the magic word, princess.”

“Stop,” she yells, finally collapsing when he pulls away. Her chest is heaving. “Oh my god. Oh my god.”

Rhett kisses her gently, and I move to untie her.

“Tease me like that again, and I’ll go longer.”

Wren lets out a long moan. Her body is limp as we pull her up and into Rhett’s lap. “I’ve never had anything like that done to me.”

“First time for everything.” Oliver kisses her forehead. “Now let’s get you cleaned up.”

She looks between the three of us, frowning. “But you guys didn’t get to—”

Oliver presses his lips to hers. “Give your body a break, princess. Trust me, we got our fill.”

THE SOUND OF the tub filling with steaming water gives me a minor distraction from my thoughts.

Rhett is set on his plan for Adam tonight, but I hate it. We never do anything this quickly. There’s always extensive research and careful planning so we know what we’re walking into.

Sure, we rarely deal with normal idiots like Adam. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a wild card.

I hear voices coming from the bedroom. The guys must be done with their shower with Wren.

“But I want to sleep with you, too,” I hear her say.

“I know, sweetheart. But I can’t tonight.”

“You’re working? Your jobs have really weird hours.”

“No, not working. But I have something I have to do, and we don’t want you alone in case you have another nightmare.”

I walk in just as Rhett leans down to kiss her forehead. She’s sitting on the bed, wrapped in the little silk robe she got earlier.

God, that was this afternoon? What a long day.

Worth it, I think as Wren smiles at me from across the room.

Rhett kisses her goodnight before turning to go. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

For a moment, I watch as he moves to leave. My mind is caught between don’t nag him and what if he never comes back?

“Rhett,” I call after him, jogging to catch up. I grab his arm right outside my bedroom. “Be careful. And don’t go alone.” My emotions come through in my voice more than I mean for them to.

I can’t help it. Rhett can handle himself, but he’s too angry to think straight right now. And if something happens to him, Oliver and I will never recover.

He pulls me in with a hand on the back of my neck and kisses me, soft and slow. When he pulls away, he smiles. “I’ll come back in one piece. Promise.”

It’s a simple task—find Adam, give him a piece of all our minds, and come back. But as I watch Rhett walk down the hallway, I can’t help the tightness in my chest. Letting him go feels like walking in a field with a hundred sniper rifles pointed at me.

Not safe, too vulnerable, and unable to do a goddamned thing to protect myself.

“Where’s he going?” Wren asks, and I feel her arms wrap around my waist from behind.

“Don’t worry about it. Now let’s get you soaking.”

We both strip, and I pull her into the tub, having her settle in between my legs like last night. But she twists, turning around so she’s looking at me. Her eyes graze my chest, taking in the ink on my skin.

“I was too distracted to get a good look at you last night,” she murmurs. Her fingers run over my body, lingering on my butterfly tattoo. “You all have this one.”

I swallow. Might as well tell her. “Rhett had a sister. Significantly younger than him, by about ten years. When we were in high school, she was killed.”

“That’s terrible, Elliot. I’m so sorry.” Her hand finds mine, intertwining our fingers and squeezing.

“She meant the world to all of us, but especially to him. When she died—it . . . gave us all issues. Rhett’s always struggled the most. She was his little sister, after all.”

“So the tattoo is to remember her by?”

I nod. It’s more than that—a pledge to hunt down the people who killed her and make them pay. It was the decision that started everything.

But I can’t tell Wren that. It’s too much. And in twenty-four hours, she’ll be gone. Back to being the barista we pine over every Friday.

Can we do that? See her every week but not touch her?

Fuck. We might have to find a different coffee shop. Part of me knows it won’t matter—I’ll never be able to scrub the feeling of having Wren close from my brain.

But one weekend fling can’t turn into a relationship. There’s no possible way she wants that, too. She’s opened up to us a lot, sure. But she’s still holding back. Why’d she do that if she wanted us?

It doesn’t matter anyway. Letting Wren into our relationship would bring along too many complications and dangers. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

Wren leans down, placing a kiss to the butterfly on my ribcage. Then she settles against me, her head on my chest.

“Comfortable?” I brush her hair to one side. “Are you sore?”

“Just a little,” she says, yawning. Then she giggles. “I promise I won’t fall asleep on you again.”

My lips ghost across her hairline. “If you’re tired, I don’t mind. Let yourself.”

I feel her tense. It’s barely noticeable, but reading her body language has become like a second nature to me. I guess that’s what happens when you can’t take your eyes off someone.

“Why do you care about me so much?” she says softly.

“Who are you comparing me to?”

“What?”

“Who are you comparing me to? Because the real question isn’t why I care so much. It’s why the men who had you before me didn’t care.”

She lets out a breath. “I guess that’s one way to look at it. All three of you are just so . . .” She shakes her head. “Never mind.”

I don’t press her. Whatever she was about to say, I have a feeling it’s too much, too intimate. And that’s the last thing we need right now.

We spend the rest of the bath in silence. I stroke her hair while she traces her fingers up and down my arm. It’s nice. Comfortable.

In bed, she tilts her head and watches me. “You’re worried. About Rhett?” There’s a hint of fear in her eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, love.”

She bites her lip, her brows furrowing. After a moment, she scooches closer and wraps her arms around me.

And that’s how we stay, until my eyes finally close and I drift off to sleep.