Chapter 13 #3
It’s just for show, my brain tried to whisper, distant and muffled. He’s doing it because they’re watching.
But as his thumb gently brushed against my jawline, tracing the curve of my skin with a tenderness that felt entirely too real, my brain completely gave up trying to fight it.
It felt... dangerously good.
Sharp, loud knuckles suddenly rap-rap-rapped against the driver’s side window, and the sound shattered the moment like a brick thrown through glass.
Rhys pulled back slowly, his eyes dark and heavy, his breath coming in short, uneven hitches as he looked down at me. His hands lingered on my face for a fraction of a second longer than necessary before he reluctantly dropped them, turning his head toward the window.
Standing right outside the driver’s door was Justin, leaning down with an obnoxious, mocking grin plastered across his face. Beside him, holding the umbrella, stood Kelcey.
She wasn’t smiling.
Her eyes were locked onto me through the rain-spotted glass, cold, sharp, and absolutely murderous. Her grip on the umbrella handle was so tight her knuckles were stark white, her lips pressed into a thin, furious line that completely ruined her polished exterior.
Rhys rolled the window down an inch, just enough for his voice to carry over the sound of the rain.
“Can we help you?” Rhys asked, his voice entirely flat, though his chest was still rising and falling a little too fast.
“Just checking to see if you guys needed a room,” Justin drawled, his tone dripping with fake brotherly as he tapped his knuckles against the roof of the SUV. “Or at least some privacy.”
“We have plenty of privacy here, Justin,” Rhys said coldly, not bothering to look at him. His eyes remained fixed straight ahead.
Justin let out a dry, condescending laugh.
“Right. Sure thing, lover boy. Nice to see you again, Ainsley,” he added, peering past Rhys to flash me a smile.
Two weeks ago, I would have melted at it.
Now, all I could wonder was whether he would try to come after me like he had with Kelcey—do a second round of taking his step-brother’s girl.
I didn’t answer. I just kept my chin up, staring straight back at him and Kelcey, whose glare could have burned a hole right through the metal car door.
“Let’s go, Justin,” she said, her voice as sharp and brittle as glass. She didn’t look at Rhys once. Her murderous gaze stayed pinned directly on me. “It’s freezing out here.”
Justin shrugged, gave the top of the car two patronizing pats, and walked off toward his own vehicle, Kelcey following close behind without another word.
Rhys rolled the window back up, cutting off the sound of their footsteps.The silence returned to the car, but this time, it was vibrating with raw, unspent adrenaline.
Rhys didn’t look at me. His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard I thought the whole thing might cave in, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror as Justin’s car backed out of the driveway and drove away into the storm.
“I guess I better get going,” I murmured. “I’ll see you soon?”
“Come over on Sunday,” he said. His voice was tight and he didn’t look at me. Was he already regretting kissing me? “We’re opening the pool tomorrow, Landon’s coming over to swim on Sunday. You can join.”
“Will Kelcey and Justin be there?” I asked.
“Does it matter?” His eyes were basically boring a hole into the steering wheel. “If you’re worried about Kelcey being suspicious, it’s better that we hang out even when they’re not there, too. I’m sure my parents will mention that you came over.”
“Oh,” I murmured. “Right. Of course.”
But I hadn’t asked the question because I was worried about Kelcey being suspicious or because I only wanted to hang out with him when they were around.
I’d just been curious. There was no reason I should be upset by his response or the fact that he was looking at what we were doing through the lens of our fake relationship.
It was what I should be expecting of him, and what I should have been doing too.
I wasn’t sure when I hadn’t been. Or maybe I did.
“See you Sunday, Rhys,” I said, stepping out into the rain and shutting the door before he could reply.
I hurried across the street and up my front walkway, taking the porch steps two at a time, breathing a sigh of relief as I stopped under the awning. I stood on my front porch for a long time, the cold rain dripping off the roof above me, the quiet hum of my house echoing from inside.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, I raised my hand.
My fingers lifted to my lips, gently brushing against the center of my mouth.
It still felt warm. It still tingled with the phantom pressure of his hands on my jaw, the dark scent of his cologne lingering on my skin.
I leaned my back against the cold wooden front door, staring out at the empty, rain-slicked street, my heart beating fast and erratic in my chest.
Why did I like that so much?
I closed my eyes, pressing my hand harder against my mouth, but the question stayed there, ringing louder than the thunder in the distance.