Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
“I wasn’t, uh, I mean, okay, yes, I was. Sorry for staring.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” I said, and something like surprise danced across his features.
Several moments of quiet passed, the tension thick, before he rubbed his jaw. “We should probably head upstairs.”
He started to move to the edge of the pool to climb out when I said, “Wait.” Rhys looked back at me. I swam close to him and plucked at the wet material of his T-shirt. “Why are you wearing this?”
His face clouded. “I’ve never really been comfortable going shirtless.”
My heart clenched hearing his reason. The fact he could have such low self-esteem when he was so handsome boggled my mind. “That’s too bad. I was hoping to do some staring of my own.”
Rhys chuckled softly. “I promise you there’s nothing worth staring at.”
I moved even closer, my mouth a hair’s breadth from his cheek when I murmured, “I’ll be the judge of that.”
With a flirty smile, I finally moved away and climbed out of the pool. I didn’t look back, but I felt his eyes on me as I emerged, the water dripping down my body. I grabbed one of the remaining clean towels Derek had left on the lounge chairs and wrapped it around myself before I picked one up for Rhys. He was out of the pool, too, his T-shirt drenched and clinging to him.
“Here,” I said softly, handing him the towel.
“Thanks.” There was a slightly unsure look on his face as he patted the ends of his hair. I stood watching him, not wanting to go upstairs yet because I liked being alone with him too much. There was a feeling between us, a lovely kind of tension. Surely, he felt it, too.
Surprising me, he reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it off. My stomach flipped. Rhys was a tall guy, and though he was carrying a few extra pounds, that didn’t take away from my attraction to him. In fact, I was very attracted to those extra pounds. There was something so manly about his husky physique. I just wanted him to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder like a caveman.
Yes, I was a cliché.
I knew he was probably feeling self-conscious, especially if he never took his shirt off around people. So, even though I was shy about liking him, and there was a part of me that just wanted to keep it secret, there was another part that wanted to validate him. I wanted him to know there was nothing about his body he needed to keep covered up.
“Has it gotten hotter in here?” I asked, fanning myself as my eyes traced his chest and stomach while he dried off with the towel.
A very faint smile tugged at his lips as he rolled his eyes. “Okay, you don’t need to pretend.”
“Who’s pretending?” I countered, my towel hanging around my shoulders as I stepped close to him and looked up. My eyes found his and held. “You’re hot, Rhys. Time to accept it.” Then I lost complete control of my faculties when I went up on my tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. I heard his intake of breath as my lips met his warm skin. I moved away, and every inch of me flamed hotter. Rhys eyes burned into mine, his expression intense, his jaw flickering in that way that always mesmerised me. I wanted to move my mouth a little to the left because I’d been becoming more and more curious about what his lips felt like.
What they might taste like.
I was pretty sure I’d stunned him because he didn’t say a word as I left and went upstairs, my heart pounding the entire time. When I entered the kitchen, everyone appeared to have showered and changed into dry clothes. Just how long had Rhys and I dawdled in the pool for?
“You and Rhys missed your chance to order,” Tristan told me with a glint in his eye like he imagined we’d been downstairs making out or something. “So, you’ll just have to eat what we picked.”
“That’s fine. I’m going to grab a quick shower.”
I passed through and made my way to the stairs. I made it onto the first step when Aidan appeared. He was studying me curiously like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out.
“If you’re here to enact revenge, you should know I’m not afraid to fight dirty.”
Aidan chuckled and shook his head, raising his hands in the air. “No revenge, I promise. I’ve decided to take the high road on this one.”
“Very mature of you,” I said, still not trusting him. This waving of the white flag could be a ruse.
A beat of silence fell before he went on, “So, you and Rhys, eh?”
I placed a hand on my hip. “Is that a statement or a question?”