Pieces of Rhys (3 page)

I worked out in the yard for hours, totally in my zone, listening to music streaming from a kitchen window. I was happy, happy about my work, and happy about the night I had.

Rhys stayed until the wee hours of the morning, occasionally kissing me. We did eventually eat and watch the movie, but we spent the last two hours making out like teenagers on my couch. I didn't know where this was going, if anywhere at all, but it was nice, and I had not had a lot of nice in my life over the past few years.

"Nice yard."

I screamed and dropped the plant I was holding. Rhys stood in my back door, looking like he was posing for a fashion magazine. He was wearing gray cargo shorts, a gray tee that fit every muscle like a glove, sunglasses, and a pair of gray Nikes with a blue logo. He looked yummy. He made me hungry. If he got too close, I was going to eat him.

"How did you get in my house?"

He held up his keys.

"I stole a key."

"You stole a key?"

"You got the same lock for both doors, giving you four keys. I figured you could spare a key."

Picking up my plant, I asked "Do you have plans of using that key often?"

"Maybe."

Rhys joined me outside and looked around.

"Did you do all of this?"

"I did. I can't change a light bulb, but I can do some very creative gardening."

"Yeah, but this is more than gardening. This is... amazing."

"Thanks. I needed a hobby before my marriage ended, and I needed therapy after it ended. This was the result."

"You did a great job."

"So, what are you up to? I thought you were helping Phil's sister move." Phil was our boss. He and Rhys had been friends since childhood.

"I did. We started early."

"What time is it?"

"Almost four."

"Oh! I've been out here all day! I didn't even stop to eat, which explains that rumbling in my stomach."

"Quitting time, baby," he grinned.

"I'm inclined to agree with you." I kept my face straight, but I was pretty giddy that he called me baby.

I kicked my sneaks off at the door and went inside. I took two beers out of the fridge and handed one to Rhys.

"You have a nice grill out there," he said. "Maybe we can grill some food, drink some drinks, and chill in your yard, unless you have some other plans."

I had tentative plans with my best friend  Kit and her boyfriend, but I hated being the third wheel.

"No, I have no other plans."

I was standing against the counter, in all of my dirty glory. I looked like (and probably smelled like) I had been rolling in the dirt all day. I could even feel dirt on my face. Rhys took his glasses off and looked me up and down. I was beginning to feel a little insecure.

"You look hot."

"I'm all dirty."

"Yeah, it's hot."

"So, how do I look when I'm not dirty? Un-hot? Ugly?"

"You're gorgeous normally, but now you're
hot
."

I was about to thank him but my doorbell rang. I left him in the kitchen and went to the door. Gary had returned.

"Did you make a list?" I asked, a hand on my hip as I leaned against the open door.

"Fuck a list," he said, obviously upset that I could expect such a thing. "You look like shit."

"Yeah, that's not going to get you through the door."

"Is it your life's mission to piss me the fuck off?" He roared and shoved me hard and came inside.

"Is there a problem in here?" Rhys appeared in the living room, stopping Gary in his tracks.

"Who are you?" Gary demanded.

"I'm the one who's going to put a foot in your ass if you put your hands on her again," Rhys said smoothly, calmly.

Even though the situation was very serious, the way he was handling it made me all hot and bothered.

"Are we on the same page?" Rhys asked, his eyes hard.

Gary sized him up. He was bigger than Rhys, thanks to steroids, and I was worried it was going to get ugly, but Gary backed up.

"I'll be back," he pointed in my face and walked out.

I closed and locked the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" Rhys was right in front of me when I turned around. "Looked like he pushed you pretty hard."

"I'm used to it," I said as casually as possible, even though I felt a bruise forming on my right arm. "I'm going to take a shower."

I slipped past Rhys and ran upstairs. I was mortified that he had witnessed that, although I was sure that when we first started working together, he had seen the bruises I tried to cover with long sleeve shirts and heavy make-up.

I took a long time in the shower. I had to scrub the dirt and sweat from my long hair and from under my nails, but I was hoping that the water would also wash away my mortification.

I went downstairs nearly forty-five minutes later. Rhys was in the kitchen, drinking another beer. I was pretty sure it was my last beer. I took it from him and drank the rest of it in one big gulp.

"We're going to need more beer," I said.

We went out to the store to get food for grilling and more alcohol. In the liquor store, I picked up tequila, two different flavors of vodka, rum, and beer.

"You know it's just the two of us, right?" Rhys asked, eyeing me carefully.

"Yeah, I know."

I whipped out my wallet to pay for it all, but Rhys swiped his card. He had paid for the groceries, too.

"I could have paid for this," I said.

"It's okay. I don't mind," he said, carrying the bags.

"I mind," I mumbled, but he didn't hear me.

As soon as we got back to my house, I opened the candy flavored vodka. Usually I mix it with something, but this time I just poured it over ice.

"You should eat something first," Rhys advised.

I opened a bag of pretzels and took a handful. I ate three of them before taking a long sip of vodka.

We prepped steaks and baked potatoes with little conversation, moving around each other in the kitchen with ease. My earlier anxiety from just being in his presence had eased some, replaced by self-conscious from the earlier incident with Asshole.

We stood at the grill together, Rhys with a beer, and me with my vodka. When I went to pour a third glass, he gently took the bottle away.

"You don't need it," he said softly.

"I feel like maybe I do," I argued, even though I was pretty lit already.

"You don't need that bottle to feel better."

I was quiet for a moment, but then quietly answered "You don't understand."

"I don't? Like I didn't see him shove the shit out of you? Your arm is bruised." He gingerly ran a finger over the newly formed hematoma on my arm. "I understand more than you think. I remember when you used to come to work with black eyes, busted lips, and even broken fingers."

I squeezed my eyes shut at the memory. Gary had snapped my fingers like twigs one night as I tried to defend myself.

"We don't have to talk about it," Rhys said.

"I think it was kind of sexy the way you smoothly sent him scurrying out of the door," I said a moment later.

"Really."

"Yeah. I was all kinds of turned on, despite the situation."

He laughed and shook his head. I loved it.

Eventually, Rhys let me drink again, once he knew I wasn't using the liquor as a bandage. The food he cooked on the grill was delicious, except I felt pieces of steak in my teeth.

"I totally have meat in my teeth," I said aloud during a quiet moment.

"You get meat stuck in your teeth often?" He asked.

"Not for a very long time."

"How do you get those curly hairs out?"

I knew the conversation had turned dirty, and I can be a dirty girl, but when he said that, I couldn't even look at him. I covered my face and giggled.

"I need to floss," I said, jumping up from the table. "Do you need to floss?"

He followed me into the house and upstairs to the bathroom.

"Don't you think it's weird that we're flossing together?" I asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah, a little."

"Just don't ask to use my toothbrush."

"I promise I won't. Tonight."

"Like never," I said seriously. "You will have to have your own toothbrush."

I pulled open a drawer in the vanity and grabbed an extra toothbrush and handed it to Rhys. It was pink.

"I'm a little disturbed that you have so many toothbrushes in that drawer," he said, looking very serious for a few seconds, but then his expression eased back to casual. "Have overnight visitors often?"

"Are you staying overnight?" I asked in a quietly seductive tone.

"Are you feeling lucky?" He asked in an equally seductive tone.

I felt my panties getting moist, so I shut up and went back to cleaning my teeth.

When all dental work was done, we went back outside and lit the fire pit. There were several seating options, but we squeezed into an extra-large armchair together. I was more or less in his lap, which I think made both of us happy. I brought the vodka with me and drank right from the bottle.

"Rhys, why are you so sexy?" I asked, several swigs of vodka later.

He laughed, but didn't answer. He was running a hand up and down my leg and it was driving me crazy.

"I mean you're really, really sexy," I continued. "When you talk to me the way you do, I swear I cream my panties."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah. Just looking at you sometimes gets me moist."

He laughed again and asked "Then you must have been soaked after kissing me all night."

"Hell yeah, I was. Even you rubbing my leg right now is getting me all juiced up."

"I haven't even touched you anywhere sensual yet," he grinned.

"Yet? Do you plan to?"

"In due time."

"Is that time due right now? I could really use some sensual touching. It's been over a year since anyone's sensually touched me. Rumor has it that you're really good at it, too."

"Where did you hear that?"

"I hear shit, Rhys. I hear you have some great equipment. Can I see it?"

"In due time."

"In due time? Frickin'  ridiculous. Hey, you know, I think I love you. Like really love you."

"Wow."

"Yeah, you probably don't love me back, which is okay, I guess. The last man who claimed to love me beat me."

As soon as I said it I was sorry, for two reasons. One, it bothered me on levels I didn't always feel, but I was feeling it now. Two, now Rhys knew how much it bothered me.

"I would never do that to you," Rhys said softly.

"Yeah."

I was suddenly feeling pretty sober. My mouth stopped running and I grew ultra-quiet. Rhys tried to keep conversation open by asking me questions on other topics, but I gave only simple, one dimensional responses.

"Don't do that," he said finally.

"Do what?"

"Disappear like that."

"Maybe I need something to bring me back," I suggested.

His lips were on mine the second I finished the sentence. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands traveled up my sides and rested just under my breasts. I really wanted his hands to go further. I really wanted him to grope the hell out of me, but I wasn't brave enough to ask or make him do it. I was all talk and no aggressive action.