Chapter 11
Bad Behaviour
Rhys
Ifucked up.
I know it the moment she walks out, tears shining in her eyes.
Hell, I knew it the moment I dragged Ollie into that office and opened my damn mouth, demanding that she tell me why she defended me against Jerri.
I shouldn’t have done it, but I was so clouded by shame, embarrassment, and anger that I couldn’t think.
All I could see were all those people standing there watching and seeing me as the weak, broken man I’ve tried so hard to hide.
I just wanted to remove her and myself from everyone’s view and regain some control over the situation. But I only made things worse.
“Fuck!” I slam my fist into the wooden wall in front of me, causing it to shudder as dust puffs into the air like a toxic plume, choking me. Pain shoots up my arm, but it does little against the anger and self-hatred burning me from the inside out.
Useless. Pathetic. Incompetent.
Jerri’s vile words whisper in the back of my mind, haunting my every waking moment.
It’s not the first time she’s said those things to me.
They were some of the first things that came out of her mouth when I woke up in that damn hospital after the IED explosion that killed my entire unit and ruined me.
“You’re supposed to be a trained professional, Rhys, not a pathetic, useless idiot rotting away in bed. How the hell can I stay married to someone like you when you look like that?” That was what she said to me the day she handed me the divorce papers.
It was my second day out of an induced coma.
I grab my hair with both hands and yank it, but the sting does nothing against the agonising memories bombarding my mind.
Of how weak I felt lying in that hospital bed.
Familiar guilt gnaws at my insides alongside the impotent anger and fear of being useless and letting the people I love down. Again.
Fuck. Why can’t I keep my shit together? The last thing this group needs is for me to lose it. They need me to be strong and capable. To lead them back home to Haven and to safety. Especially after everything that’s happened today, with that small horde and Ingrid being shot by one of us.
I knew before setting off to save Jerri that the journey home with her was going to be tough. She’s someone who lashes out when she’s scared or threatened. I just didn’t expect it to be this bad.
The door to the room flies open and crashes into the wall beside it. More plumes of dust puff up around me, causing my eyes and throat to burn as I cough.
“What the fuck did you do?” Theo snarls as he stalks into the room like a panther intent on killing its prey.
I’ve seen that look in his eyes before, but this is the first time he’s directed it at me.
“I fucked up,” I tell him, not even attempting to justify myself. “I lashed out at Ollie for defending me against Jerri.”
He stops a few inches away from me, and while he may be slightly shorter, it does little to reduce the pure fury and malice pouring off him as he glares at me. “Too right, you fucked up. You made that beautiful, brave, and smart woman fucking cry after she defended you.”
I wince as burning hot self-loathing and disgust rolls through me. “I know.”
His nostrils flare and the muscles in his shoulders bunch like he’s about to slam his fists into me.
“I don’t care what you have to do, Rhys, but you need to sort your shit out.
” He closes the distance between us and gets right up into my face, his eyes boring into mine.
“You hurt her like that again and I’ll do more than punch some sense into you. ”
In the blink of an eye, he slams his fist into the side of my face.
The pain is immediate and blinding as I stagger back, the entire side of my face on fire. But I don’t fight back. I deserve this and more. I simply wait for the next hit.
It never comes.
Instead Theo stands there, breathing hard with a mixture of pain, anger, and pity. It’s the pity that hurts the most.
“You’re my best friend, Rhys, but you need to stop getting in the way of your own happiness,” he says with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head. “Before it’s too late and you lose it completely.”
And then he walks out, leaving me with a rapidly bruising face and an equally bruised heart.
Theo
My best friend is a fucking idiot.
It’s the only thought going through my mind as I stalk through the barn and up the staircase to the first floor. A few people shoot me curious glances, but with one look at my expression, they quickly look away. The tension in the building is already thick and my mood isn’t helping things.
Something we’ll need to sort out before it turns deadly.
I find Alex and Ollie in the small room we placed her in to recover. She’s snuggled in her sleeping bag, smelling slightly of soap and her hair a little damp from giving herself a quick wash. Her hands are curled around a steaming pot while Harlow lies next to her, eyeing the pot with hungry eyes.
Alex sits on her other side, his own pot forgotten on the floor between his outstretched legs. He’s too busy staring at Ollie with a love-sick expression on his face.
I wonder if I have a similar look on my face too.
They both look up when I enter the room. Alex cocks an eyebrow expectantly while Ollie furrows her brows and nibbles on her lower lip.
“Did you beat the shit out of him?” Alex asks, causing Ollie to gasp and thump him in the side with her fist.
“Alex!” she admonishes before turning her attention back to me. “Please don’t tell me you guys had a fight?”
Some of the tension I’ve been holding dissipates as I move over to her and plonk myself at her feet. “I didn’t fight him, but I made it very clear to him what happens the next time he upsets you.” I unconsciously flex my fists, causing both their eyes to flick down to them.
Ollie sighs. “You still punched him.” It’s a statement, not a question.
“I wanted to make sure he got the message.”
Alex nods his head in approval. “Good.”
Ollie, however, isn’t so pleased. She rolls her eyes. “Men,” she mutters under her breath.
Alex’s lips twitch, and I can’t help but chuckle at her exasperation.
“Yeah, baby, we’re big, stupid men.” I grab her feet through the sleeping bag material and squeeze them. “How’s your head feeling?”
“Still pounding, but it’s not too bad now that the painkillers have kicked in.” She wiggles her toes against my hand.
“Good. You’ll have to take it easy for the next few days so you don’t make it worse.
” Which reminds me, I probably should have checked Rhys’s shoulder before I left him in that room, just to make sure the idiot hadn’t done any damage during the fight.
But there’s no way I’m leaving this room now, not with Ollie looking all cute and snuggled up like she is.
The bastard will be fine for the night.
I squeeze her feet once more before getting to my feet and crossing the small room to my backpack.
“What are you doing?” Alex asks, tension in his voice as I grab my sleeping bag.
I walk back to where Ollie is and place my sleeping bag next to hers. “Setting up my sleeping area,” I say as I roll it out on the thick straw.
“You’re not sleeping there,” Alex snaps, glaring at the sleeping bag like it’s personally offended him.
Uh oh. Does this mean Alex is finally putting his foot down and rejecting the idea of sharing Ollie? After everything?
I pause and look over at him. “Why shouldn’t I sleep here?
” I ask, keeping my tone level and calm even as my stomach clenches.
I promised him after he revealed everything that happened with Willow that I’ll listen to him even if I don’t like what he’s about to say.
It’s the least I can do after being such a shitty friend to him.
Ollie stays silent as she watches us, having the good sense not to butt in. This is an important moment between me and Alex.
The ex-rugby player blows out a breath and rakes a hand through his blond hair. “I’m adjusting, but not that fast, Theo.” His voice is strained.
Adjusting? What…
My mouth drops open in disbelief. “You think I’m going to try to fuck her?” Is he serious?
Even Ollie looks shocked as she stares at him with wide eyes.
Alex at least has the decency to look sheepish as he rubs his neck and averts his gaze. “Well, the last time you guys spent the night alone together, you ended up… you know…” His cheeks turn bright red.
Huh. I never expected him to be embarrassed about discussing sex with Ollie to me. Not when the man is usually a flagrant exhibitionist. I’ll have to fix that.
“Fucking her with my fingers until she came?” I deadpan.
Ollie chokes, and her face flushes to match Alex’s. “Theo!”
“Also, we weren’t alone. Rhys was there.”
This time, it’s Alex’s turn to stare at me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth while Ollie’s face somehow becomes even redder.
“She… you… with Rhys?”
A wicked grin slowly spreads across my lips. “Oh, he didn’t take part, just watched.” I flick my eyes to Ollie, who’s slowly sinking deeper into her sleeping bag. “Something princess here seemed to enjoy very much.”
Alex’s eyebrows shoot upward as he swings his gaze to Ollie. “Oh really? Interesting…” The embarrassment from earlier is gone, replaced with predatory heat.
There’s the outgoing exhibitionist.
Ollie hides her flushed face behind her hands. “You’re such a dick, Theo,” she says with a groan, but I can hear the amusement and excitement in her voice.
Good. After everything that’s happened today, she deserves a bit of levity.
I chuckle. “Yes, but I’m your dick.” I lean forward and press a kiss to the top of her head.
“You’re still not sleeping next to her,” Alex grumbles, breaking the moment.
I roll my eyes and sit back. “Relax. I’m not going to fuck our girl. She’s injured and needs rest.”
I feel rather than see Ollie jolt at me saying our girl.
I bite back a grin and continue. “Besides, Harlow’s sleeping between us.” I motion to the dog in question, who’s snoozing happily between mine and Ollie’s sleeping bags without a care in the world. Must be nice.
“Fine,” Alex huffs. “I’ll sleep on her other side.” He moves to get his sleeping bag.
He makes it sound as if him being here will be a deterrent, which is absolutely not the case. Not that I’m stupid enough to tell him that. This is exactly what I want—for us to love and cherish Ollie together—so that he’s comfortable enough to sleep with her between us is huge.
“Do I get a say in any of this?” Ollie asks as she glances between us with a scowl.
I cock an eyebrow. “Do you not want us to sleep with you, princess?” I fight to keep my expression neutral.
Her eyes narrow. She knows exactly what I’m doing, wording it like that.
After a moment, she sighs. “Fine. Just be on your best behaviour. I’m too tired and sore to deal with any of your shit.
” She directs that to both of us, which is fair—we’ve both been pretty stubborn and heated with our stances on this relationship.
“We’ll be good,” Alex says with a nod as he rolls out his sleeping bag on her other side.
I snort at his eagerness and get comfortable in my sleeping bag, exhaustion finally overcoming me as we settle down for the night.
After getting himself comfortable, Alex switches off the lamp, dousing the room in darkness.
Harlow huffs at being jostled and moves to curl up at our feet, giving me the opportunity to move closer to Ollie.
“What happened to behaving?” Alex grumbles as I throw an arm over Ollie.
“Cuddling isn’t bad behaviour, right, baby?”
“No, it’s not,” she says with a sigh before rolling towards Alex, giving him the chance to snuggle closer to her. It’s like she instinctively knows to include him to soothe the raw wounds Willow left behind.
I smile in the dark as I tighten my arm around her and revel in the rightness of the situation.
One stubborn idiot down; one to go.