Chapter 21

IVY

A day of sun tanning, drinking, and barbequing did not interest Rhys. He looked distant for most of the afternoon. I had no idea why he decided to come to Duke Falls if he would be a dark cloud. Even though he spent his day drinking whisky and fly fishing with the guys, something seemed off. His eyes always seemed to find mine, but we kept our distance. He may have saved my life, but being alone with him wouldn't happen again.

Missy and I hung out around our campsite, drinking fruity drinks, basking in the sun, and reading girly magazines all day. Once the sun went down, Grayson started a fire. I spoke to a few people sitting around the fire and then found an empty seat beside Missy and far away from Rhys. He was standing on the opposite side near the barbeques, surrounded by girls laughing at whatever came out of his mouth. On the other hand, I made a point of putting the safety of the fire between us. When I looked over, Rhys stared at me with a husky gleam I wasn't used to seeing.

"Play something for us, Rhys," Grayson nodded to Rhys's guitar leaning against a lawn chair.

"Nah, I'd rather not." Rhys put a marshmallow at the end of a stick, crouched near the fire and turned it slowly.

"Come on, Rhys," Grayson continued. "I'll take some requests; what do you guys want to hear?" he said to everyone sitting around the campfire.

"Play Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks," someone shouted.

"How about Where the Blacktop Ends by Keith Urban," another person called out.

Rhys just laughed and shook his head.

"Come on. We're sitting around a campfire drinking beer. You brought your guitar. Play us something." Charlie chimed in.

Rhys casually popped a roasted marshmallow into his mouth.

I took a steadying breath as I watched him walk around the fire, grab his guitar, and sit in the empty chair beside me. He was too close in proximity to my body.

Everyone cheered and started chanting at Rhys to play a song while he tuned his guitar.

"Okay, okay. Relax. I'll play something," he chuckled. He reached into his back pocket, pulled a guitar pick, and looked at me. "Before I get into the mainstream crap, I'd like to play an original. I wrote this one a few weeks ago. It's still a work in progress."

I swallowed hard and turned away from his penetrating blue eyes. I tried to forget all the times I had been so fascinated by him when he jammed on his guitar in our garage with Eddie, or when he played a set at Jones's Tavern, or when he strummed out a song on the tailgate of his pickup truck in the high school parking lot. Before I could think too hard, Rhys's velvety voice touched my ears. It made me lightheaded. I saw everyone sitting around the campfire, captivated by his voice. My ears tuned into his lyrics, and his voice sent chills all over my body.

The loneliness will stay with me and hold me till I fall asleep.

You're the one who understands me, but I have to set you free.

He will always be better than me.

Hold him tight.

Keep him warm at night.

Hold me there in your sweet memory.

Because that's all we can ever be.

When the song ended, everyone started clapping and shouting out more requests. Grayson asked him to play an upbeat country song. Rhys effortlessly started to play Kenny Chesney's American Kids like he hadn't just swept me off my feet.

The heat on my face made me want to crawl into a tent and escape him. It was vain of me to think, but I couldn't shake the thought that what he sang was about me. Was I delusional? Was I being that obsessed teenage girl again? He played a few more upbeat country songs, and I tried to stay calm, but all I wanted was to kiss him again. His rueful blue eyes watching me when he ended another original song caused my heart to race. It took me a second to breathe.

"Keep 'em coming. Play something else." Charlie chimed.

"Sorry, guys. The show's over." Rhys stood up and ran his hands through his hair. He snuck a glance in my direction. "After all that fly-fishing today, I'm ready to call it a night."

"Aw, come on, Rhys. The night has just begun. Have another shot of whiskey," Grayson suggested.

Rhys shook his head. "Nah, I'm beat. See you in the morning." He rested his guitar on a nearby boulder and turned away from the fire. "Night, guys."

I refused to make eye contact with him, afraid I'd throw myself into his arms if I gazed up at him. Instead, I let him walk away with his shoulders hunched and his hands stuffed in his front pockets. The fire cracked and flickered when Charlie threw another log onto the coals, but I couldn't concentrate.

"You're glaring at Rhys again," Missy whispered as she eyed me curiously. "Is everything okay?"

I was startled, realizing I had been openly glaring at him in thought. I hoped no one would notice. After hearing the song he wrote, I couldn't help it.

"He seems upset. I should check on him." I replied.

"Rhys Wyatt doesn't have feelings. He's fine."

My face heated, knowing Missy probably sensed I was going out of my way to talk to him. Missy glanced over at me with a smug grin. "But if you think it's necessary, by all means, check on him." I wouldn't say I liked how she emphasized the word check or the lofty tone in her voice.

I struggled to keep the irritation from my face. "I wasn't asking for your permission."

I stood up and started walking toward his tent. I knew following him was a terrible idea. I needed to talk to him, though. Things were too awkward. I hated how we left things.

I walked a bit further down a man-made path sheltered by tall, leafy birch trees to a more secluded area of the woods. Rhys's tent emitted a soft glow when I approached it.

"Ivy?" His voice came from behind me and caused me to jump. I spun around to face him. He was standing a few feet away shirtless. He had a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and a bottle of water in his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, I wanted to come by and say goodnight." I watched his face for any answer to what he was thinking. "And, of course, thank you again for jumping into the falls for me today."

He nodded, pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth and slid past me. His face was unreadable as he unzipped his tent and looked back at me. "You're welcome. Goodnight."

His dismissive tone made me angry.

"That's it?" I asked, unable to control the hurt in my voice. "Goodnight?"

The muscles in Rhys's neck moved as he swallowed. "Yeah. Goodnight, Ivy."

Lifting my eyes, I met his steady gaze. "Why did you come, Rhys? Charlie said you hate camping. He was shocked when you decided to come with us." I took a step forward, and Rhys took a step back.

"I like camping," he replied.

"Really?" I didn't mean to sound agitated, but I was, and it seeped into my voice. I was sick of his constant dismissal.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

I took another step forward. Before I could stop myself, I rested my hand on his chest and looked at him through my lashes. "Could it maybe be that you enjoy my company, and that's why you wanted to come."

"Don't flatter yourself," Rhys whispered, closing the space between us. His body was suddenly pressed against mine. I should have been worried that our mouths were inches apart, but I wasn't.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm still with Blaine after what happened between us?"

Why was I asking him this? It was so wrong. I couldn't stop myself, though. When he jumped into the falls for me today, it awakened feelings for him I could not shake. I tried to fight my feelings, but he sang that original song. Was he trying to tell me something? I needed answers.

He exhaled slowly, composing himself, and looked back to my eyes. "Ivy, don't – "

"I am going to ask you one more time, Rhys. Why did you come?"

He froze and let out a shaky breath. "You know why."

"Why can't you just say it?" We stared at each other in silence as I worked on keeping my breathing constant and my anger in check. He stared blankly at me, and I let out a frustrated sigh and turned away.

He grabbed my arm. I stiffened, but I didn't knock him away.

I turned around. "Say it, Rhys."

He grabbed both of my wrists and pulled me hard against his chest. "I like you, okay. Is that what you want to hear?" he whispered, his beautiful eyes suddenly glistening, his perfect face torn. "I've always had feelings for you but never acted on them? That I'm pissed you are dating my brother because you should be with me? Or maybe you want to hear about how I haven't stopped thinking about you since we were kids. Would any of those appease you, Ivy?"

"I want to hear the truth," I begged quietly, my voice breaking on my last word.

"Ivy – "his breath so light against my skin made me shutter. He was so close. He smelled so good. He brushed a stray lock of hair over my shoulder, and his warm touch caused me to shiver. My breathing quickened, and he noticed. "Ivy, you know why I came."

His lips parted, and his breathing sped up as he watched my eyes with a growing ache building inside them. I licked my bottom lip, and for a fraction of a second, I noticed his eyes seemed to struggle with something.

I exhaled, tilted my head upward slightly, and brushed my lips against his. I slid my fingers along his chest and ran them up his neck and into his hair. A moan escaped his lips, but he didn't push me away. I sighed raggedly and closed my eyes. When he made another deep noise, I pulled him close to me and finally kissed him, slipping my tongue into his mouth. The relief was instantaneous. My brain felt fuzzy, and my body hummed with a sensational warmth. I knew kissing Rhys was wrong, but everything in the moment felt right.

The heat radiated from Rhys's palms as they slid all over my neck, ribs, and hair, and the brush of his tongue and the nip of his teeth on my lower lip was electric. Our kisses were frantic and amazing, and the intensity of it all blindsided me. I let my mind go as I conjured every dirty, lewd impulse I'd been trying to resist since the moment I laid eyes on Rhys all those years ago. His lips moved over my jaw, down my throat and then back up to my lips. We were both vaguely aware of our surroundings but couldn't keep our hands off one another.

Fumbling, he unzipped his tent, and we stumbled inside. Our lips unlocked for a brief and fleeting moment, and I could glance quickly around his tent. His tent was tiny, and his sleeping bag occupied the entire floor. A tiny lamp flickered in the corner. Rhys turned to face me and placed a hand on either side of my face before kissing me again. He held me close, tight, just as I wanted him to. His thumb moved down and pressed against my throat just enough to let me know he was in control this time.

His hand slid down my shoulder and cupped my breast, causing me to sink into him. The hard ridge of his erection pressed firmly against the burning ache between my thighs. My body was screaming for Rhys to have me.

"Tell me to stop, Goldie," he murmured against my lips. His attentive mouth began to tease my shoulders until his open mouth pressed against the top of my breasts. My nipples hardened, aware of how close his lips were to them. "Ivy – tell me."

I couldn't. Instead, I reached up, cupping the back of his neck to bring him closer.

"Rhys," I murmured against his lips. I didn't care what was right or wrong. All I cared about was feeling Rhys inside me.

He let out a throaty growl and flipped me onto my backside. He climbed over me, leaned over and devoured me with a deep, possessive kiss. Slowly, he moved his hand between my legs and slipped his fingers on the inside of my shorts, grazing my wet panties. When his fingers slipped inside me, a small whimper escaped from my throat. I didn't care that he could see and feel how much I wanted him.

"Ah, God," he let out a ragged breath as he started to roll his thumb against my clit. I moaned, feeling his rough thumb roll against my smooth and sensitive skin. The feeling was explosive like my body was about to burst. I'd never felt anything like it – ever – with anyone. He pulled me closer, wrapping his free hand around my body and held me close to his chest. I inhaled a sharp breath and dug my hands into his hair. I wanted him to rip off my shorts. I wanted to beg him to take me.

Right here. Right now.

He growled and then dropped his head against my neck. "You're so wet," he said, continuing to kiss down my neck. "That's so hot. So fucking hot -" He stopped mid-sentence, his breath caught in his throat. The heat from his fingers had every muscle in my body tensing, and it felt like my insides were liquefying.

"Fuck Ivy," his eyes fell closed, and he seemed to be fighting an internal battle. I inhaled sharply and looked up at him and his beautifully wounded face. I knew what we were doing was wrong. I wasn't drunk. I shouldn't have kissed him again. But deep down, I wanted this, and I hated myself for wanting it so badly.

Without opening his eyes, he withdrew his fingers and fisted the thin lace of my panties in his hand. He was shaking when he looked down at me. "Fuck I want to make you come. I want to hear you cry out my name. I'm fucking dying to taste you, Ivy."

He pulled my hips roughly, lifting me onto his lap and thrusting my legs apart to straddle him. I craved more of what he was doing to me, and it scared me that I wanted him to do all those things he said to me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Please Rhys...."

He made a low, angry noise deep in his throat and took my breasts in his hands and squeezed them. His rough, big hands massaged them almost to the point of pain, but instead of wincing, I pushed into his palms harder, wanting more. He inhaled a sharp breath and stopped moving. His expression changed from desire to panic as he removed his hands from my breasts. My heart ached from the loss of his touch. Memories of him stopping us three years ago swarmed inside my mind, and I prayed to God the past was not about to repeat itself.

He refused to make eye contact with me and shook his head. "Ivy, you know we can't do this."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. I was holding my breath to stop tears from threatening my eyes. This wasn't happening. Not again.

"Ivy, we can't," he said, looking down at me and pushing his body back a fraction. "We've already done too much."

His face was swept with ache, confusion and lust. I sat up, feeling my swollen clit pulsing between my thighs. The embarrassment started to build, and I started to cry. Rhys pulled me close to him and wrapped his strong, protective arms around me.

"Ivy – please. Don't cry," he whispered against my hair. "I thought I could. I want you. I do..." his voice trailed off.

"I don't understand." I managed to croak out.

"I won't share you, Ivy." I looked up at him; his eyes were wet with unshed tears. "I can't," he whispered. "I can't betray Blaine like this. And I can't let you betray him like this either."

I looked up at him, and the ache in his eyes said more than his words ever could. We did it again. We had lost all self-control. The crazy pull between us took over. Seeing him in so much pain broke my heart more than he was breaking mine right now. I wiped away my tears and looked up at him.

He let out a sad sigh. "You need to go before Missy comes looking for you."

"Rhys - "I started, but he cut me off.

"There is nothing to talk about, Ivy. You're with Blaine. You're not mine, and you never will be."