Chapter 3 Rhys
CHAPTER THREE
Rhys
Why is this so fucking difficult?
I growl as I throw my pen across my desk. Digging my fingers in my hair, I tug at the roots, hoping to pull some goddamn intelligence from my brain.
Why can’t I get this?
I look back down at the equations in front of me—the same ones I’ve been staring at for the last hour—and it still makes no sense. The answer key the professor gave us is next to it, and I hate that my answers don’t match his.
It’s no secret that I’ve never had trouble at school.
Everyone says I’m a genius, but since I’m not Knox, I don’t brag about it or even show it off.
In truth, I’m no genius. Am I smart, yes, but that’s because I work hard.
I like puzzles and challenges—something I don’t understand—but I’ve never had an experience like this.
Usually, I figure things out quickly and don’t need to be taught something twice.
Now, I’m frustrated that every attempt to solve this is failing.
Here’s the thing. Even though I’m smart and humble, I still refuse to ask for help.
I’ve thought about going to one of those campus tutors—even walking to the building—but something stops me every time.
I know I can’t put this off for much longer because it’s nearing the end of the semester, which means our final test, and I’m not confident I’d even pass.
Just as I put my head down to try again, my phone buzzes. I take a quick glance at it and furrow my brows. Why the fuck is Knox texting me?
I go to open it but become distracted when the apartment door opens and Everest walks in. He looks fresh from the gym, all sweaty and lickable, and I give him a crooked grin. “Hot, baby?”
He rolls his eyes as he whips off his drenched shirt and tosses it on the floor behind him. “Not right now. I can barely feel my legs.”
Challenge accepted. “I can fuck some sensation back into them.”
“It’s normally the opposite.” He comes in for a kiss and then props his chin on my shoulder. “Max rode me hard today.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Rephrase that. Now.”
“There’s no need for that,” he teases, running his fingers through my hair. “It’s just an expression.”
I push my chair back and drag him onto my lap. Nipping at his neck, my hands wander down his fit figure before settling on his crotch. “You like me possessive.”
He shudders in my hold and shakes his head. “N-No.”
“Yeah, you do,” I mock, biting down until he gasps. “You fucking love how far I’m willing to go for you to prove that you’re mine.” I squeeze his growing dick as he gasps. “Say it, baby.”
He rolls his head back onto my shoulder as he squirms. “I’m yours, Rhys. So yours.”
I smile against his skin. I respect that he doesn’t want to fuck right now, so I move my hand to hold his.
I finger the silver band on his ring finger and give him a kiss.
We’re just months away from our wedding, and I couldn’t be happier.
Everest who was once my enemy is now my best friend, my lover, and my future husband.
He pushes me to be better, and his forgiveness has taught me that past sins can be redeemed.
His generous heart healed me from the inside out.
Sure, I can still be grumpy, but only he has a way of filling me with warmth.
“Besides the gym, how was your day?”
He shrugs as he gets up and walks to the fridge. “Uneventful. I went to class like usual and then the gym.”
I raise a brow as his cheeks flush. “And?”
He turns and bites his bottom lip, almost like he’s holding back a smile. He fidgets with the label of his water bottle and shrugs again. “Um, I got my last test back.”
“And?”
“I got an A.” He beams and shakes his head in exasperation. “Can you believe that? Science has always been my worst subject, and I really thought I was going to fail, but I did great.”
My heart warms at that as I stand and move towards him. “You should be proud of yourself, baby. I know how hard you worked for that.”
“We worked for that.”
“No, it was all you. It was there in your head, I just helped you bring it out.”
I’ve continued tutoring Everest on all the subjects he needs help in.
He went through a phase a few months ago where he was having a hard time concentrating.
Apparently, it’s always been difficult, but the stress of his course load increased it.
He’s always had anxiety, but he could tell it was something different.
He couldn’t focus and his mind kept jumping from topic to topic.
He couldn’t hold a thought for more than two minutes and was constantly distracted.
When it bothered him enough, he talked to his therapist about it, and we found out he has a form of ADHD.
They think he has the inattentive type and he was in a bit of disbelief.
He’d never been diagnosed with it before, and even though it predominantly affects children, we learned that it sometimes occurs in adults too.
He started taking medication for it, and it helped, for the most part.
That, along with targeted therapy, has really helped him.
He still struggles from time to time, but he says he feels much better.
I guess this test is proof of that. We don’t know if he’s going to have to keep taking it long-term, but his therapist says they can discuss that when the time comes.
“Well, I’m proud of you,” I tell him as I bring him into my chest for a hug. “So fucking proud, baby.”
He pulls back with red cheeks and sighs. “Enough about me. How was your day?” He wrinkles his nose as he looks over my shoulder. “You’re still doing that homework from last night?”
I tense. I haven’t told Everest anything about how I’m struggling with this last class. I tell him everything, but for some reason, I can’t tell him this. He leans on me for help with his academics, and admitting that I’m having a hard time… I can’t do it.
“Yeah, my professor assigned more this morning,” I lie. Guilt settles into my gut, but I push it to the side. He doesn’t need to know. It doesn’t change anything about our relationship if I keep this to myself. I’ll figure it out on my own. I just need to work harder.
I change the subject in the best way I know how. I swoop down and press a hard kiss against his lips. Groping him, I feel him harden against me as he lets out a sexy as hell whimper.
“Hey, Rhys?”
“Yeah?”
“You know how I said I didn’t want to have sex…”
He doesn’t even have to finish his sentence before I have my hands on his ass and his legs around my waist.