Chapter Eight
brISTOL
Rhys showing up at the shelter is unexpected, when I absolutely expected to never see him again, but I can’t deny the feeling that washed over me when he stepped through the door.
He’s like a ray of sunshine after a rainy day, he’s happiness, and warmth, and safety, and I’ve only shared fleeting moments with him, and I have no way of actually knowing those things, but I feel them nonetheless.
Rhys looks absolutely gutted, and guilt gnaws at me. I can’t pinpoint exactly what for, and that’s a problem. Guilt that he’s clearly stunned and disappointed, or guilt that for the entire conversation, I haven’t once thought about Blake or the fact that I’m engaged, until it came up accidentally.
Even though bringing me coffee and breakfast is innocent enough, it’s still very clear that he’s interested, and not once did I come close to telling him that I’m off the market, until it slipped out.
How long would I have let him flirt with me before I came clean?
What the hell is wrong with me? You’re not getting your needs met at home, that’s what’s wrong.
Kira’s voice rings out in my head, as if I needed the reminder.
Rhys fills me with something I’ve never felt before.
I don’t know how this man is going to fit into my life, but I know I want him in it.
Maybe he’s open to being friends, connections like this can be platonic and still deep.
Look at Kira and me. I’m madly in love with her, and there’s nothing romantic or sexual about it.
“Are you ready to get to work?” I offer, needing to change the topic and hoping like hell I didn’t ruin everything and scare him off.
“Like I said, anything for you.” And when he says those words, I can’t help the uncontrollable flutter my heart does inside my chest. He can’t possibly mean that, so I decide to challenge him a bit, give him some of the jobs no one wants.
Volunteers are so quick to come in when they think it’s all fun and games and animal snuggles.
There’s so much more to be done here than taking the dogs for walks or giving the cats attention.
“Okay, it’s your lucky day then because I really need the kennels cleaned and floors mopped.
” Rhys doesn’t bat an eye, just follows me into the back, where I lead him to a storage room.
After unlocking the door, I push it open wide enough to walk through, with Rhys right behind me.
Moving toward the back, I look for the mop, bucket, and cleaner when the door slams shut behind us with a loud bang.
“Holy shit!” I yell, jumping slightly at the noise as the room is quickly cloaked in darkness. Rhys’ hands are on me a split second later, grasping me on either side of my waist, his strong fingers pressing into the soft flesh there enough to steady me.
“Shh, I’ve got you,” he whispers, calm, steady, and resolute. All the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh as my eyes flutter closed. I know if he could see me right now, my face would be flushed a deep crimson from the apples of my cheeks down to my chest.
Rhys’ thumbs start to slowly move across my waist, a slow pass back and forth, back and forth. It’s hypnotizing. Electricity hums between us, my heart pounding so fast I’d be surprised if Rhys can’t hear it himself.
He shuffles forward into my space, his body inches from mine, the heat radiating off of him in waves.
His masculine scent engulfs me, all cedar and leather and spice.
Between the heat of his body, the touch of his hands, and the rich scent infiltrating my lungs, I’m about ready to actually swoon. It’s all-consuming.
One of his hands leaves me, and I miss it immediately.
There’s a rustle, and then we’re illuminated by the flashlight of his phone.
I move my head back slightly, my eyes squinting at the brightness.
Green eyes are focused solely on my face, tracing all over my features as if he’s trying to commit them to memory.
“Stay right here, I don’t want you to trip over anything.
I’ll get the door.” I nod my head, unable to form words.
The hand currently resting on my waist squeezes ever so slightly, like he’s reluctant to let go, and then it’s gone completely, his body stepping away, taking with it all the warmth and tension building like an inferno.
Rhys walks back to the door, jiggling the handle twice and pulling to no avail. My heart sinks. You’ve got to be kidding.
“So, Bristol.” He smirks, turning to face me.
“Did you know this door locks automatically when shut?” Fuck.
I did know that. It’s because we keep our medical supplies in here.
I’m struggling to have him at the shelter at all with the emotions he’s pulling from me, and now we’re locked in a storage room together.
Kira would be laughing her ass off right now if she could see me. Actually, she’d probably tell me to jump his bones, but that is much more her style than mine. I don’t think I could have a casual relationship if I wanted to.
Rhys turns around, using his flashlight to find the light switch and flicking it on. The room erupts in the orange glow of fluorescent lights, and now there’s definitely no hiding my physical reaction to this sweet, gorgeous man. A reaction I most definitely shouldn’t be having as an engaged woman.
“Not that I’m complaining, but anyone you can call to come let us out?”
“I left my phone on the desk,” I say with a rough exhale, internally admonishing myself. If I hadn’t been so distracted by his close proximity, this never would have happened. “My assistant, Kendra, will be in soon, though, we’ll hear her and she’ll let us out.”
“I guess you’re stuck with me until then, huh?
” he says, giving me that damn wink again.
Rhys moves to an empty spot on the wall, taking a seat on the floor, his presence filling the room.
I do the same across from him, sliding down the wall until my butt hits the ground, deciding space between us is probably a good thing.
The appropriate thing. He sits with his knees up, his muscular forearms resting on the top, his hands draped loosely.
He’s the epitome of casual male confidence.
He’s not trying hard, he has no flashy clothes or accessories, he’s wearing a ripped pair of denim jeans that hang loosely on his body, a long-sleeve black T-shirt, and a leather jacket that looks way too good on his muscular arms. It’s simple, and it suits him perfectly.
He looks polished in a rugged, bad-boy way, but he’s all sweetness and happiness.
“So, Dr. Owens.”
“Yes, Rhys?”
“Tell me something,” he states, running a thick thumb across his bottom lip, eyes roaming over my body.
Good Lord, I feel that perusal all the way down to my toes, my nipples hardening, my clit pulsing. It’s so hard to breathe in this small space with just the two of us here. How does he have such an immediate effect on my body like this? I cross my arms over my chest and tilt my head to the side.
“What would you like to know?”
“Something no one else does.”
“And why would I share secrets with a stranger?” I tease.
“Who better to share them with? I’ve got no stake, no ulterior motives, no skin in the game.” He’s not wrong there. “We’re stuck in here together for who knows how long. Why not spill some secrets?”
“I’m craving connection,” I blurt without thinking, the words escaping my lips before I’ve realized I’ve said them. Rhys’ brows arch in surprise.
“Connection?”
“Mhmm.”
“And what would that look like to you?”
“I don’t know. Passion. Experiences. I used to have this appetite for life and experiences, and at some point, that faded away.
I guess adulthood kind of creeps up on you somewhere between college and starting a career, and before you know it, you’ve become a people pleaser who conforms to everything around you, and your needs just fall to the wayside. ”
“I understand that more than you know. The pressure coming in from all sides sometimes feels suffocating.”
“Yes! Exactly. Sometimes I just want to—” I let the words hang between us, looking away, the truth of what I really dream about sitting on the tip of my tongue.
“Want to what, Bristol?” He says the words with such conviction, like he’s hanging on the edge of a cliff, waiting on bated breath for my answer.
Being under Rhy’s full attention doesn’t feel like being scrutinized or on trial like it does with Blake, it feels like a man desperate to find out everything he can about me.
I should change the conversation, steer it back to something not so deep, something safer.
But I can’t. The honesty pours from me like liquid leaving a cup.
“Run away from it all. Sometimes I just want to run away from everything.”
“And where would you go?”
“Somewhere I could feel the stress melt away, the obligations, somewhere I could feel the wind in my hair and feel free. Where there’s no pressure, somewhere that feels so safe I can just live and not worry about a single thing.”
I realize the truth of it as I admit it, speaking the words into existence, that that’s the dream.
“Tell me a secret, Rhys. Something no one else knows,” I say, not giving him time to respond to my confession.
Rhys rubs his hand across his beard, slightly shorter today than the last time I saw him, like he cleaned it up before he came in.
The silence stretches between us, moments passing as I wait.
It’s not tense or awkward, it’s comfortable, like there’s no rush.
Locked in this closet, just the two of us, time is at a standstill.
“Alright, I’ve never told anyone this, mostly because I don’t know how to say it without sounding dramatic.” My eyebrows lift slightly, waiting on a curious, bated breath.
“I’m scared,” he admits. “Not of failing, I can handle fucking up, and I’ve done it a million times before.
I’m scared of never being seen for who I really am.
I’ve kept so much of myself hidden, and I know I’ve done it intentionally.
It’s a conscious thought to do it. It’s almost like it’s become a habit I’ve built because I’m terrified to lose that piece of myself, so I keep him locked up.
But I’m scared no one will ever see and appreciate the real me.
” Rhys rubs his hands up both thighs, like the nervous energy I can read on his face is affecting him everywhere.
“Anyway, you’re the first person I’ve felt safe enough to tell that to.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that meeting you makes me want to stop hiding.
And that terrifies me more than anything. ”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making any noises, my hands gravitating toward each other to twist and pull anxiously.
This man may be well over six feet tall and built like a brick wall, but he truly is all gooey on the inside.
Of course, he would need to protect that piece of him, but to be scared no one will see that side of him and appreciate it for what he’s worth? My heart fractures at the thought.
Rhys gives a small, nervous laugh when I don’t immediately say anything in return.
“I don’t know what you’re supposed to do with that, but I needed you to know anyway.
” His eyes soften in that way that makes my chest ache.
I lean forward, even if we’re separated by the width of the small room, wanting him to hear my words and hoping like hell they hit their mark.
“I see you, Rhys. You don’t have to hide from me.”