Chapter 11
Rhys
Iplace the glass of vodka on the rocks I just polished off on the table and get up to start dinner.
If I keep my head occupied, my mind won’t slide into the gutter.
After a torturous day, I needed a stiff drink to tame my stiff cock. I’m still in the same fucking predicament. At least Keira is nowhere near to witness my struggle.
The second we got back to the house, she declared she needed to wash off the day’s grime. She felt a little dirty from trying on clothes all day.
I didn’t argue.
I needed time to get my head screwed back on straight.
I head to the fridge and scour its contents.
We’re keeping it simple tonight.
I pull a few things out and place them on the counter. I turn to the pantry to grab potatoes, but my step falters.
Keira is singing.
I love her voice.
She walks into the kitchen and it’s as if the rug is pulled from underneath me.
Every muscle in my body tightens.
Why is she doing this to me?
“Hey, what’s for dinner?”
“I was thinking barbecue. Steaks. Sausages,” I say as my eyes rake her body.
“That sounds delicious. I’ll help.”
“I thought you were taking a shower.”
“I was.” She points to the towel wrapped around her chest. “As I was stepping into the shower––and for the record, I may never be able to leave because of your spa-like bathrooms––”
“I told you, you’re welcome here for as long as you want.”
“Good to know.”
The vodka on ice softened the edge, but her coquettish smile and batting eyelashes set me back to square one.
Great.
“As I was saying, just before jumping into the shower, it dawned on me to check my phone to make sure my battery wasn’t dead.”
She walks over to one of the stools at the kitchen island where she left her crossbody bag, and rummages through it. My eyes are transfixed by her butt wiggling underneath the towel.
“Bummer. My phone is dead.” She waves her phone in the air. “I’m going to plug it in. I want it to be charged in case Noah or Michaela call, since I left them messages this morning and I haven’t heard back from them.”
“Okay.” Her proximity is so overwhelming, I don’t dare to breathe.
Keira frowns.
“What?”
She strides towards me, barefoot.
“Remember what I said earlier in the car about this new uptight Rhys?” She pokes my chest a few times with her phone.
Each thump reverberates to my cock.
Without thinking, I grab her wrist and pull her close. Our bodies aren’t touching, but there can’t be more than an inch or two between us.
She gasps, her eyes wide as she takes me in.
“I was going to say you’re as stiff as a mannequin, but that ninja move proves me wrong.”
She giggles.
I stare at her, my nostrils flaring as I desperately try to regulate my heartbeat.
Once again, thoughts of spanking her ass come to mind.
“Why are you so tense?”
Because my cock is as stiff as steel. “You caught me by surprise. I’m not used to having a woman walk around my place in nothing but a towel.”
She gives me a one-shoulder shrug. “We’ll have to learn how to live together…”
I consider her.
She’s playing me.
“Let’s make sure we buy you a robe the next time we’re out shopping.”
Her smile is dangerous.
“We bought a robe, remember?” she says. “Would you prefer if I parade in the kimono instead?” The challenging way her hazel-green eyes hold my stare is as much of a trap as her loaded question. And I just walked straight into it.
I close my eyes on a prayer.
Please, God, help me out here.
I let go of her wrist and point to where she came from. “Get out of here.”
With a little smile stretching her lips, she saunters out of the kitchen. She gives me one last look over her shoulder, and she’s gone.
Now I can’t stop thinking of what she’s hiding underneath that stupid towel.
So much for not thinking of her in a sexual way.
I didn’t expect she’d keep provoking me like this. I sympathize with Adam in the Garden of Eden when he succumbed to Eve’s temptation. Lucky for me, I’m still standing. And goddammit it’s not easy. There’s only so much I can take before I snap like a fucking twig.
I will not bite into the forbidden fruit, I repeat over and over in my head.
I focus on my hit list.
Marinate the meat.
Another drink.
Then, a shower.
Absolutely no jerking thinking of her.
You got this.
I return to the meal preparation.
My phone rings.
I wipe my hands and snatch it from the counter.
It’s Noah.
Fuck.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Hey,” he says. “Is Keira okay?”
“Yes, she is. She’s here.”
He lets out a loud exhale. “Thank God. I was worried. I’ve been trying to call her, but there’s no answer.”
“Her phone battery is dead. She just plugged it in.”
“Got it,” he says. “I know I keep repeating myself, but thanks again for doing this. And thanks for buying her a new iPhone.”
“Stop saying that. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal. My sister is a handful. We both know it.”
Yes, she is.
“And the mouth on that girl,” he says.
Don’t remind me. “She never shies away from speaking her mind.”
“No, she doesn’t. The woman can drive any rational man insane.”
I’m teetering on the edge of insanity as we speak.
“You know as well as I do, when she wants something, there’s no stopping her,” he says.
“Been there, done that.”
“The woman is as stubborn as a mule.”
“I won’t argue with you.”
“And opinionated.”
“Yup.”
“Even though I’m eternally grateful, I can’t help but feel guilty,” he says.
“What are you talking about, Noah?”
“I want to make sure you guys aren’t locking horns.”
I frown at the phone. “Why would you say that?”
“When I texted Keira last night to make sure she arrived safely, I inquired about you.”
She never mentioned it.
“She told me you were out clearing your mind. I’ve had to walk away from her a few times myself in the middle of heated debates, aka her trying to get her way. What did she do or say to piss you off?”
“We’re still learning how to live together.”
“I speak from experience… not an easy task, which is why I can’t thank you enough for being willing to put up with her.” He chuckles.
I laugh.
“She texted me earlier to let me know you were taking her underwear shopping. What the hell, man?”
Keira, what were you thinking wording it like that? “She arrived with nothing more than a backpack and the clothes on her back.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“There was a screw up at the hotel. It’s unclear if her luggage was stolen or lost.”
“I didn’t know about the luggage.”
“I suspect she didn’t want you to worry,” I say. “It was a rough trip back to the US for her.”
“Sounds like it. You also took her clothes shopping?”
“I did.”
“I’ll wire you money to cover those purchases––”
“Absolutely not.”
“Stop being a stubborn ass, Hartford,” he says. “The deal was for you to give her a place to crash. Not buy her a new wardrobe and God knows what else.”
The crotchless panties flash in front of my eyes.
“This goes above and beyond your big brother duties. She’s my little sister and my responsibility.”
I get where he’s coming from. His mom did a good number on him growing up. Still, a wave of possessiveness takes over me.
“She’s in my house, under my roof, so she’s my responsibility. We made an oath a long time ago. When you can’t step in, I do.”
Noah laughs on the other end.
“What’s so funny?”
“There are no bounds to your fierce loyalty.”
Loyalty runs both ways. “None,” I say. “After all, you saved my ass more times than I can count.”
“Yes, I did,” he says. “While we’re on the subject of assholes, don’t let any fuckers around her. And if a moron thinks he has a chance with her, I can count on you to make sure the body disappears without a trace. You have enough money to hire the best hitmen.”
“First, those scenarios only happen in Hollywood. Second, Keira is twenty-three. It’s not like I can ground her.”
“Why the hell not?”
We both laugh.
“I’m a lucky bastard to have you as my best friend, Rhys.”
I groan under my breath.
He’d crush me with his bare hands if he knew I was harboring impure thoughts towards his sister.
“I don’t have time for this bromance,” I say.
“Asshole.”
I chuckle.
Noah lets out an insufferable sigh. “I’m trying hard not to get into her business, but I can’t help it.
It’s wired in me to protect her.” He’s has done a better job of taking care of his little sister than their mom ever did.
“Now that she’s talking to me again, I don’t want to screw things up by being in her face. ”
“I get it.”
His need to watch over his sister is as strong as mine.
Hence, why she shut us out of her life for three years when we expressed our reservations and concerns.
She wanted fame at any cost. Showbusiness is a cutthroat business.
I should know. Keira being Keira, she thought she knew better and didn’t need our advice.
The rift that ensued put a mountain of stress––and sorrow––on Noah. I didn’t fare much better.
“I’m being overbearing,” Noah says. “You have everything under control. She’s in good hands. Nothing will happen to her under your watch.”
I think of how many times my good hands have jerked off to thoughts of biting her peachy ass. Thank God Noah can’t see my guilty face.
“Rhys?” Noah says.
“She’s in good hands,” I say, hoping to convince myself.
“That’s all I need to hear. All right, I’m off. We got hit by another bad storm, so everyone is spending a lot more time indoors—”
“That sucks.”
“As long as it doesn’t get worse and affect production again, I can live with it.
We lost a day of shooting earlier this week.
In any case, I’m heading next door to my neighbor’s.
He has a bunch of friends coming over and we’re going to watch a footie game.
He’s still trying to convince me their football is better than ours. ”
“As if,” I say.
“Thank you,” Noah says.
We chuckle.
“What time is it over there?”
“Four-thirty in the afternoon,” he says.
“Got it. Have fun.”
“Tell my sis I called. Ask her to shoot me a text when her phone is charged.”
“Will do.”