Pieces of Rhys (5 page)

I didn't want to deal with Gary. I dropped the box at his doorstep and took off before he realized I was there.

I half hoped Rhys would show up during the course of the evening, but the best I got was a few irrelevant text messages. My feelings were hurt, but I was pretty angry with myself for allowing myself to get all caught up in the moment. I had daydreamed about Rhys for so long, and I was naïve to believe that the story would unfold the way it always did in my imagination.

I wanted to stop thinking about it, but my brain would not cooperate, and my chest had a dull ache. So, I did the proper thing and took a sleeping pill and put myself out of my misery for seven hours.

Chapter Eight

I woke up feeling like someone stole my puppy. The thief in question was Nicole, the puppy was Rhys. Bad metaphor, but that's how I felt.

To make myself feel better, I took extra care with my makeup, trying a different color pallet. I styled my hair differently, letting it frame my face instead of pulling it back in a clip or ponytail. I dug into the back of my closet and found my Jimmy Choos that I used to only wear for special occasions. I put on a skirt instead of pants, and dabbed a little bit of Channel on my wrists. I checked myself out in the mirror and almost fell over.

Before I married Gary, I was always well dressed. My clothes weren't always designer clothes, but I always looked well put together. I could make a potato sack look good with the right shoes. My hair always looked good and my makeup looked professional. When stress and fear begin to rule my life, I stopped caring so much. I didn't let myself go completely, but I went from Fashionista to Semi-Plane Jane. Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt like my old self again. I even managed a smile.

"Booyah!" I pointed at myself in the mirror.

I'm so corny.

Because I took so long getting my shiz together, I was late for work. I had to park in Oz, but even that long walk didn't kill my spirits. I bounced into the office, apologizing to my coworkers and employees for my lateness. They were too busy trying to figure out why I looked so different to care.

"Hey," Rhys
said, after following me to
my desk. His eyes slowly traveled from my head to my Choos.

"Hello," I offered a smile. "How are you?"

"Better now."

My heart fluttered and I looked away.

"New shoes?" He asked looking extra-long at my bare legs.

"No. They've been in the back of my closet."

"They look good on you."

"Thanks."

"You look extra sexy today," he said a little lower so only I could hear him and then he walked
out
.

I checked under my chair, to make sure I hadn't leaked all over the floor.

Later in the afternoon after lunch, I was climbing the stairs from the second floor to our office on the fifth floor. I almost screamed when I rounded a corner and found Rhys standing there, leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing? You scared the balls out of me!"

He grinned and said "I was waiting for you."

Rhys pressed me up against the wall and instantly slipped his tongue into my mouth. I moaned lightly, totally useless against this wonderful attack. His hands were under my skirt, traveling slowly up my thighs. I was wondering if I would really be bold enough to let him take me right there when a door closed above us and light footsteps were heard descending the stairs. Rhys stepped away from me and I had just enough time to fix my skirt before Nicole appeared.

I slipped away under her questioning eyes, but Rhys remained there with her.

What the hell was that about? Was he waiting there for me or was he waiting for Nicole and I just happened to come along? I wasn't sure that I even wanted an answer.

That kiss should have left me smiling, but I found myself feeling annoyed and turned on at the same time. After work I bi-passed my usual exit off of the highway and headed to the mall instead. I needed retail therapy.

I bought more titillating shoes, clothes for work that were stylish and even sexy, and I shopped around Bath and Body Works until I found something that mixed well with my body chemistry and didn't make me smell like toe jam.

My lingerie and provocative undergarments were limited to Wal-Mart over the years. Not that they didn't have nice things, but I wanted more than nice. Maybe wearing something flirty and fun under my clothes would make me feel good, if not better than I had felt this morning.

So, I hit up Victoria's Secret, after convincing myself that I wasn't too fat to walk into the store. I half suspected that they had a Fat-O-Meter, and that it would go nuts when I walked in, but while I was standing outside looking in, a very large and hideous woman left the store. With a bag. If the Fat-O-Meter and Ugly-O-Meter didn't go off for her, I was good.

I bought several pairs of sexy underwear with matching bras, a couple of bustiers, and a few other random items. I was downright giddy as I left the mall.

When I got home, I threw all of my bags onto the couch, pulled my shoes off, and went into the kitchen in search of food and drink. I realized, as I stood with the fridge and freezer doors wide open that I should have also gone food shopping.

I ordered a pizza and went upstairs to change my clothes. I was only upstairs for about five minutes, but by the time I returned to the living room I had a visitor. And he was holding up a pair of red, nearly transparent panties.

Chapter Nine

I nearly peed myself when I found Rhys standing in my living room. In fact, I think I may have peed a tiny bit.

"You have to stop sneaking in here like this!"

"I didn't sneak. You just happened to be absent from the room."

"That's the second time you've had your hand on my underwear." And both times I wasn't in them. Sucks.

"I like these much better than the ones from Wal-Mart," he grinned at me and then fished into the Victoria's Secret bag and produced the matching bra.

I was melting on the spot watching him handle my unmentionables.

"The red is my favorite. I like the black, too. I suppose I would have to see how it looks on you to make my final decision on a favorite."

I felt a rush of heat on my face and in my vagina.

"So, I ordered pizza," I said and walked into the kitchen. "You want some?"

"Yes," he answered right behind me.

I grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed Rhys one. I was still on the fence about his intentions earlier in the day, or his intentions in general. I didn't want to get hurt any more than I was, but at the same time I didn't want to miss the opportunity to kiss him again, or do other things with him.

We went back into the living room. Rhys sat down on the couch and I sat at the far side.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" He asked. "Get your ass over here, Lindsey." He said it in a tone that let me know he was the boss, but not the kind of boss that was going to whoop my ass, and his voice was still so...Rhys, manly, but soft and sensual.

I moved over some, but not enough, because he put his beer down and
moved
me over so that I was practically in his lap. In the process, I had spilled some beer on the part of my chest that was exposed. I could feel it trickling down between my boobs. I started to wipe it away, but Rhys held my hand and to my utter surprise, leaned over and licked and gently sucked the beer off of my chest.

"Woooooooooow...."I whispered and closed my eyes.

He pulled my shirt down as far as it would go, revealing my cleavage and the top of my bra, and continued to clean away the beer with his lips and tongue. After a few minutes, he kissed his way up to a very sensitive area just under my ear. I squirmed under him, gripped his shirt, and started some pretty heavy breathing. He had one arm around me and with his free hand he slowly massaged my thigh, getting closer and closer to a very hot part of my body.

And then he stopped. He stopped kissing my neck and slowly pulled his hands away. He carefully moved me off of his lap and clasped his hands together.

"You drive me crazy," he said, exhaling loudly.

"I drive
you
crazy? I didn't just suck beer off of your chest."

"I couldn't help myself. I like beer, and I like you. The two seemed a perfect fit."

The doorbell rang, and Rhys jumped up to answer it. He paid for the food out of his own pocket again.

"Hey, when do I get to pay for something?" I asked when he rejoined me on the couch.

"As long as you're with me, never."

"How honorable."

"Don't go telling people that," he grinned."You'll ruin my reputation."

We ate while watching Law and Order, but my eyes kept falling back on Rhys. While I enjoyed every second with him, I didn't know why this was happening all of a sudden. He never seemed the least bit interested in me before, and now he's sucking beer off of me and telling me I drive him crazy. And now that Whatsherface was back, what did that mean?

"What's on your mind?" Rhys asked when the show was over. He shut off the television and looked at me.

"Nothing."

"Liar. Tell me."

I bit my lip. I didn't want to make the situation any more serious than it really was. He may run, but on the other hand, it was going to bother me forever. I sighed and told him my thoughts. He listened intently, watching me with his gorgeous eyes, making me stumble over my words several times.

"I don't know what changed," he said softly when I was done. "All I know is I came here to help you change some locks that night, and I didn't want to leave."

He didn't say a lot, but there was a lot implied in his words. I sat there, staring at him with my mouth slightly ajar.

"You know what kind of a guy I am," he said without shame. "But I don't want to be that guy to you. You're a good person who has already been through a lot. I don't want to hurt you, so as much as I would like to take you to bed, I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I'm not ready to settle down."

"Oh," was all I could say. I didn't know how to respond. I didn't know what to think. My brain was muddled and confused.

"I'm sorry," he started to apologize, but I cut him off.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm glad you were honest, but I think you have underestimated how strong I am. Yeah, I've been through a lot, but I'm not some weak, innocent little girl."

"I know you're not," he smiled and then kissed a corner of my mouth.

He left soon after that, and I went to bed alone. Again.

Chapter Ten

Kit was at my door bright and early the Saturday morning of my party, holding two cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee. We needed to go shopping for the  party. I had already ordered a ton of food from a caterer and Rhys offered to buy enough pizza to feed a small army, but that still left beverages, snacks, decorations and other odds and ends.

Kit was fresh faced and perky, wearing a pink sun dress. Whoever said that red heads shouldn't wear pink was wrong. My friend pulled it off without even trying.

"Where shall we go first?" She asked, pulling out of my driveway.

"I don't care. Pick a place," I grumbled from behind a pair of large sunglasses.

"Give me a direction to go in."

"I don't know," I threw my hands up. "Go to the party store first."

"Drink your coffee," she said, irritated with my attitude.

"Yeah."

"Bitch."

"Whatev."

In the party store, we picked up toothpicks with umbrellas, colorful table cloths and a few other random items. Kit rambled on about her night out with other friends and other mundane things I barely paid attention to.