Chapter 3
Rhys
No matter the time or the day, LAX is a zoo.
I’m stationed in front of the exit, awaiting Keira’s arrival.
I’m sure she’ll be beat when she gets here.
I’ve been keeping an eye on her arrival time all evening, so I knew she was delayed.
The trip back home was rough sailing. She texted in Hong Kong, freaked out.
Her flight departed late, causing her to miss her connecting flight.
I cut to the chase by demanding she pass me to the airline attendant so I could buy her a new ticket.
She was supposed to arrive at one o’clock this afternoon. It’s ten at night. Poor thing.
The doors open and another wave of people pours out.
I still don’t see her.
I hope she comes out soon.
She texted me when she landed on LA soil. That was an hour ago. Since she’s been out of the country for a while, I’m sure immigration must be a bitch.
“Oh, Rhys!” A loud voice pierces through the high decibels of the crowd.
My attention shifts to a tall salon-blonde wearing an inch thick of makeup, rushing towards me.
Philomena Tartersault.
She waves an animated hand over her head, while pulling a large suitcase behind her. She bumps into a few people without offering an apology in her determination.
I do a double take.
What the fuck?
The tech content creator is wearing a ribbed white tank top and from the way her nipples are greeting me, it’s clear she forgot to wear a bra.
Her skin-tight jeans reveal a camel toe I don’t care to see.
She’s a beautiful woman, but in my opinion, her uncanny knowledge and the way she brings down tech-talk to an understandable level are sufficient. The artifice is unnecessary.
“Philly,” I say as she approaches me. Without heels on, she’s a couple inches shorter to my six-foot-two.
“Rhys.” She grins wide.
I cringe.
My name comes out sounding like Reeeeeeeese.
She leans forwards to do that Euro air kiss thing on both cheeks.
I’m awkward at it, but I oblige.
Considering she’s from Oklahoma and she’s never set foot in Europe, it comes off as fake.
I distance myself from her.
“Did you come to pick me up?” She swats my chest. Her gaze rakes my body from head to toe. She was born with brown eyes, but thanks to contact lenses, today they’re green. The last time I saw her, they were blue.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Tsk.” She frowns. “Too bad.”
“C’est la vie.”
“You’re speaking French. I’m rubbing off you, aren’t I?”
She doesn’t speak French. She likes to pepper her commentaries with voilà, y’all!
“So, what’s new at SCORE? Any scoops?”
“I’m just getting back into the swing of things.”
She frowns again. “What do you mean?”
“I got back three days ago from an extended business trip in Southeast Asia. Beckett was holding the fort while I was away.”
“I just came back from a trip as well. New York,” she says.
“Hence why you’re at the arrival gate.”
“You’re so funny,” she says with a giggle. “My socials caught the attention of celebrity superstar and lifestyle maven Gail Voopowski.”
“Who?”
“She’s a big actress. She even won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She’s so stunning and such a super smart businesswoman… a real boss lady… like moi.”
“Got it.” I nod. “Congratulations on catching her eye. Is Gail venturing into the tech business?”
“No. On top of being the CEO of an incredible lifestyle-magazine-type website——she’s venturing to greater heights.
She has a new perfume that sold out in like a nanosecond, and she needs top content creators to spread the good word as she rolls out a new shipment.
Thanks to my four-point-six—and counting—million subscribers, I was on the list. They’re looking for massive exposure and they’re willing to fork out the money. ”
Philly pulls out a small bottle from her handbag and sprays her body.
The strong scent assaults my nostrils.
I choke.
Fuck, that stinks.
“Oops,” Philly says. “I might’ve sprayed a little too much on.”
“I’ll survive.” I hope.
“What do you think? Do you like the scent?”
Philomena is one of the leading tech and gadget content creators. Her socials have several million users. A shout out from Philly and you’re golden. And since Beckett and I are on her list of favorites, I weigh my words.
“It’s hmmm… unusual. It’s hard to put into words.” Smooth. Well played, Hartford.
She shoots me a sultry glance. “It’s a scent a player like you knows well.” She cocks an eyebrow.
I frown my confusion. “I don’t follow,” I say.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve had that particular scent… and taste on your lips more times than you can count.”
Perhaps she had too much to drink on the plane. “We could be at this all night long. Why don’t you spell it out, Philly?”
“It’s called ‘Eau de Vage’.” She closes the gap between us. “It translates to, pussy juices.”
Not what I expected. “That’s quite the marketing hook.”
“Trust me. It’s more than a hook… it’s a promise,” she says. “The scent is supposed to awaken a man’s primal feral nature.”
You mean the primal need to run away? “I see.”
“Is it working?” She puckers her lips into something I’m sure she thinks looks sexy. Too bad for her it has zero effect on me.
I tread with caution. “There are so many scents competing for attention at an airport.”
“You’re right.” She shoots me a come-hither look. “Let’s go out tomorrow night and let’s make sure the night ends at my place. It’ll give us a chance to put the theory to test. You, me, and a lot of ‘Eau de Vage’.”
The blatant suggestion knocks me up the side of the head.
I ponder on a suitable answer.
One that won’t offend her.
She keeps talking. “I’ve been hinting at it for a while, Rhys… I hope the message is loud and clear this time around.”
“Philly––” My eyes move over the eager her shoulder. A pair of tone, tanned legs approaching, catches my attention.
Nice.
My gaze travels up the woman’s body, taking in her sexy frayed jeans shorts and form-fitted black sleeveless tank top. Her face is devoid of any trace of makeup, and yet, she’s gorgeous—
Whoa.
The flecks of gold and green twinkling from her hazel-green eyes give her away.
Keira?
“Rhys?” Although she’s still standing right in front of me, Philly’s voice comes from a distance.
Keira waves, flashing me a brilliant smile.
My heart jackknifes in my throat. I wave back.
I take Keira in as she approaches, a huge grin stretching my lips.
“Do you know her?” I’m aware Philly is annoyed, but I can’t find it in me to care.
“If you’ll excuse me, my new roommate just arrived.”
“You live with a woman?” Philly’s tone goes up several octaves.
“I do now.”
“Why did you lead me on?” Philly’s face is red with anger.
My eyebrows hit my forehead. “Come again?”
“I thought we were going out tomorrow night and ending the evening at my place to test ‘Eau de Vage’ and have sex. A lot of dirty sex.” She twists her lips.
How delusional. “I never misled you,” I say. “You proposed dinner. I never agreed.”
“Come on, Rhys, I’m offering you a chance to enjoy my vage.”
God, I hate that word.
“I don’t offer that to every guy… but you’re special… I like you,” she says in a raspy voice, batting her eyelashes at me. She even sticks out her chest as if to sweeten the pot.
“My Saturday night is booked. I’m spending it with her.” I jerk my chin to a smiling Keira. “Have a great weekend, Philly.”
“But I can show you a good time,” she says.
She doesn’t know when to quit. “Let’s keep it professional.” Sorry doll, it’s a hard no for me.
Philly’s eyes move to Keira. “You can’t be serious. She looks like a little girl.”
I glare at her. “I wasn’t asking for your permission.” I walk away without giving Philly a chance to respond.
With eager steps, I stride to my best friend’s little sister.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” She drops her bag to the floor, then she removes her baseball cap.
My bewildered eyes travel up and down her petite form, unable to believe how different she looks from the last time I saw the five feet two inches fresh-faced girl standing in front of me.
“You look… your body… your hair… your…” tits.
That was some eloquent prose. I pause, searching for my next words because so far, I’ve done a shit job at stringing a cohesive sentence together.
I manage to pull my eyes from her chest long enough to say, “Holy…Wow.” Spoken like a man who co-owns a multibillion-dollar company, Hartford.
She’s so tanned. And she’s changed. A lot.
Keira lets out a small laugh before putting the baseball cap back on.
She shoves her hands into her pockets, anchoring her jeans shorts lower on her hips, revealing a bit of her taut stomach.
Goddammit.
The succulent sight makes my mouth water.
Is she doing that on purpose?
I pull my eyes up to hers. “You should’ve at least texted me a photo to warn me.”
“That would’ve killed the surprise.” Her hazel-green eyes dance with mischief.
“I’m going to have to tell your brother off.”
Her expression turns serious. “I requested Noah not to tip you off.”
I wonder why? “What happened? You look so different.”
She licks her lips in a slow motion, as if looking for her words.
I commit the tempting view to memory.
“There’s so much to tell.” She averts her gaze for a beat. “We can talk about it, but not here… someone might recognize me.”
Guilt hits me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to push.”
“It’s okay, Rhys.”
There’s a novel’s worth of words to share, but we simply smile at each other for a long beat.
I was worried about this encounter. I’m glad to see it was all in my head. Her parting words were a slap in the face and since then, we haven’t talked much. After the tragedy that ripped her world apart, I reached out via text. Her responses were succinct.
I break the silence. “Welcome home.”
“It was time.”
“You weren’t ready until now.”
She answers with a slow nod.
“We’re acting like strangers,” I say. “Come here and give me a big hug, Cocoa Puffs.”