Pieces of Rhys

  Pieces Of Rhys

  Pieces of Rhys

  © 2012 L.D. Davis

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and situations are entirely a result of the author's over active imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased is coincidental. No part of this novel may be reproduced without written permission from the author.

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  Other Titles by L.D. Davis

  Accidentally on Purpose

  Acknowledgements

  THANK YOU, Lorien Vanover, for taking the time to edit this work - all night, with nothing to show for it but a numb butt. Thank you for your years of friendship and tolerating my yammering.

  An enormous THANKS to Evelyn "Evie" Erndt for her awesome play on words, thus creating the title of this book. Thank you for always listening to me go off about crazy stuff!

  Chapter One

  I sat in my car, scooted down in my seat so that I could barely see over the steering wheel. I was trying to be inconspicuous while I watched Rhys a few spaces ahead of me. He was talking to a group of our coworkers, cracking jokes and laughing.

  I watched the way his hard body leaned against his car, casual, nonchalant. I had a feeling that he knew he was a stud. It seems like he was always standing, sitting, walking, and breathing like a Calvin Klein model. His light brown hair always looked perfect and his light brown eyes had specks of gold in them that left a girl mesmerized. He was a little over six feet and in great shape. I often dreamed of eating chocolate off of his abs. I like chocolate and I like Rhys's abs, so it was all good.

  The group cleared away. Rhys took his phone from his pocket. It looked like he was texting. Probably some gorgeous woman that was as much in love with him as I was. Okay, I wasn't in love, but if he asked me to be, he wouldn't have to twist my arm or anything. Rhys had a smooth way of talking that gave me instant creamed panties. Seriously.

  Oh, if only I could have a piece of Rhys.

  And his name is pronounced Reese, like as in Witherspoon, except he's not, or like the candy, but he's not. Okay, so maybe he is candy. Eye candy.

  He put his phone away, opened his car door, and looked up for a moment. He started to get inside, but then looked up again and right at me. Oh shit, does he see me watching him? Nah! No way. Oh, but here he comes.

  I didn't even have enough sense to sit up straight and pretend I was on my phone or playing with the radio by the time he leaned on my door and poked his head into my window.

  "Lindsey. What are you doing over here?" He asked with his slow, smooth smile.

  I didn't have a decent lie prepared and I wasn't going to tell him the truth!

  "Uh..." Was all I could manage. Damn he smelled good.

  He chuckled. "You watching me?" He asked, pushing further inside and turning his head to see what I saw. "You are, aren't you?"

  "Pshhh...no," I rolled my eyes dramatically.

  He laughed again and then tapped my nose before going back to his car.

  I thunked my head on the steering wheel and then drove away. I had to go home and change my panties.

  Chapter Two

  At home, I found my ex-husband in my kitchen, rifling through my cookware. I was still so distracted by Rhys, I didn't notice Gary's car outside.

  "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

  "Getting my cookware."

  "Your cookware? Hey!" I ran over and snatched a pot from him. "I use that pot all of the time. No way are you taking it."

  "It's part of the Farberware set. I'm taking it," he looked at me pointedly before throwing two smaller pots into a box.

  "We've been divorced for a year, Gary. Why do you suddenly feel the need to break into my house and take my Farberware?"

  "I want to cook for this girl I've been seeing, except I have only one small frying pan and one little pot."

  Gary has been living off of fast food and his mother's cooking since he moved out a year and a half ago. I was amused that he was going to try to cook to impress a girl. For his sake, I hoped that their entire relationship wasn't hanging on his cooking skills. Not that I would care if she broke his heart, so maybe it was good if their entire relationship was hanging on his cooking skills.

  "Go buy your own pots and pans, Gary," I grumbled.

  "My mother gave us this set," he objected. "In a way, it's more mine than yours."

  I looked down at my pot.

  "Your mother? I thought this set came from my cousin Yvonne."

  "No, it came from my mother, and you're holding the last piece I need."

  If it came from his mother, he could have it. I felt my stomach churn at the thought that I had been eating from a pot that was gifted by Maura Hallinger. I tossed the pot to him.

  "While you're here, take back anything else your vile mother gave us," I said and started up the stairs. "And when I come out of the shower, you'd better be gone. I'm changing the locks first thing tomorrow morning!"

  In the shower, I thought about Rhys. Don't get excited, nothing too kinky. I've worked with Rhys for nearly three years, but it's only been the last six months or so that I really took notice of him. I remember one day in particular that seemed to be the turning point.

  I was having a craptastic day. I woke up late, I realized too late that I was out of body wash, and I got toothpaste on my shirt (but didn't find it there until I was already at work). The highway was a parking lot, the parking lot at work was a parking lot - I had to park in what I called Oz, the furthest corner of the lot. The elevator was being maintenanced so I had to take the stairs. Out of shape and a little over weight, I got to the third floor with my lungs and heart crying out Why! Why!

  My boss was cool about me being late, but once you're late, it's hard to get your shit together. I felt lost in the sauce all morning and before lunch I started getting snappy. Rhys always joked around with me, but this time I wasn't in a joking mood and I snapped at him, too before turning to stomp away, but he gently took hold of my arm to stop me.

  "Don't be like that," he said softly, his voice and tone smooth as butter. I never paid attention to it before. I always took it as a patronizing tone, but he was still holding my arm, slowly stroking my hand with his other hand. He was leaning in close enough for me to feel his breath on my face.

  I looked down at his hands on me. The stroking of my hand was sending a strange sensation up my arm and through the rest of my body. I looked up to his face as he continued speaking in that smooth voice.

  "You don't really want to talk to me like that," he said. "You're too pretty to be getting all upset in here."

  He just kept smiling and stroking and I felt myself getting red in the face and wet in the pants.

  I was deep in my memory of that day when the shower curtain was suddenly wrenched away. The pole was torn away with it, and I heard myself scream.

  Standing in the middle of the bathroom, holding my shower curtain with the pole still attached, was Gary.

  "My mother gave us the shower curtain, too," he said and walked out of the bathroom.

  Chapter Three

  After mopping all of the water up in the bathroom and rinsing shampoo out of my hair in the kitchen sink, I got dressed and headed to Wal-Mart. What a cool kid I was, hanging at Wally World on a Friday night.

  I was standing in the shower curtain isle, trying to decide on a new shower curtain and rod. I was disturbed that I had been showering behind a shower curtain that Maura Hallinger had given to me and her idiot son. No wonder I never felt clean.

  I heard a familiar voice from a couple of isles away. I knew it was Rhys, because my body temperature skyrocketed and parts of my body hardened and moist
ened simultaneously. I walked to the end of my isle and cautiously peeked between shelves of towels. There he was, standing a couple of isles down, talking to a girl I recognized from the accounting department at work.

  I wasn't about to get caught staring again, but I just wanted to take in one good look before sneaking away. A normal person would have stepped into the isle and said "Hey, Rhys! What's up?" But when I was anywhere near this guy, normalcy went out the window and got ran over by a truck.

  I swear, I was just beginning to back away when he looked right at me. Okay, maybe he's just looking at the pretty towels, but would his face look like that? Would he have that "I caught you" look on his face?

  Oh boy. Here he comes.

  I ran back to the middle of the isle and pretended to be busy choosing a shower curtain. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him coming towards me.

  "What's up?" He asked.

  I feigned surprise when I looked over at him.

  "Hey, Rhys," I smiled.

  "Yeah, don't hey Rhys me. I saw you watching me."

  "Say what?"

  "You were watching me through those towels."

  "I was looking at towels. Were you near the towels?" I tilted my head like a confused puppy.

  He grinned and shook his head. "You're something else."

  "I don't know what you're talking about. I was comparing shower curtains to towels. You know, looking for a good color scheme."

  He looked in my cart and raised his eyebrows at me.

  "Interesting array of items you have."

  I had picked up two sets of doorknobs, a cookware set, ice-cream that was now a carton of mush, three pairs of cute panties, and a Will Ferrell movie.

  Rhys picked up the panties, inspected them.

  "These are cute."

  "You want some for yourself?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that my face was most likely bright red.

  "I don't look good in pink," he said, tossing them back into the cart.

  The woman he was with walked over, absorbed in her phone. I didn't remember her real name, but my friend Kit and I called her Fast Fingers Freddy. I never saw her not texting.

  "Well, don't let me keep you from...whatever it is you're doing," I said, eyeing the girl.

  "You know my cousin Muriel?" Rhys said, gesturing to FFF.

  I felt relief to know that FFF was only Rhys's cousin, but I was annoyed with her name. What was her mother thinking? It doesn't matter, she'll always be Freddy to me.

  "I've seen her around," I said, wondering if I should try to talk to her or not. She seemed oblivious to us.

  "Sup," Muriel said without looking up.

  "Sup," I replied with raised eyebrows.

  "Why are you changing your locks?" Rhys picked up a knob.

  "I'm trying to keep out unwanted guests."

  "Huh," he said thoughtfully. "You know how to install this stuff?"

  "Not a clue," I admitted. "Not even sure if I have the right tools. Maybe I should buy a tool set."

  Rhys laughed and shook his head again. He did that a lot around me.

  "I can help you out, after I drop Muriel off. It's not a problem and I have my own tools."

  Oh, I'm so sure you do.

  "That's nice of you, but I don't want you wasting your Friday night."

  "It won't be a waste," he smiled and started to walk away. "I'll be by in an hour."

  "You don't know where I live," I objected.

  "I know a lot of things." He disappeared around the corner.

  I didn't count on seeing him in an hour. I didn't count on seeing him until Monday morning.

  I didn't know if I was relieved or disappointed.

  Chapter Four

  I was standing at my open front door, holding a hammer and a screw driver, thinking about how to beat the doorknob into submission, when a black Audi pulled into my driveway. I was frozen in place, with an idiotic look on my face when Rhys walked up the steps, and onto the porch. He carried a toolbox in his right hand and a six pack of beer in his other.

  He stopped in the doorway next to me and looked at my choice of tools. Laugh, shake of the head.

  "Give me those before you hurt yourself," he took the hammer and screw driver from me.

  "I didn't think you were really coming," I said, backing up to let him in.

  "I told you I would. It's getting dark though, I'll need some light, or I can do this for you in the morning."

  "No way." I turned on the outside light and the living room lights.

  "So, who's the unwanted guest?" Rhys glanced up at me a few minutes later.

  "My ex-husband, Gary. I see him more now than I did through our entire marriage."

  "Maybe you should have changed your locks sooner."

  "Maybe I should have. He took my cookware yesterday, and my shower curtain. While I was in the shower."

  He laughed and looked at me again.

  "You're shitting me."

  "I shit you not."

  He laughed again and stood up.

  "Next door."

  He followed me through the living room into the kitchen. It felt weird having Rhys walking through my house. We occasionally had lunch together, and drinks after work with a group of coworkers, but I never imagined him inside of my house, with just the two of us, alone.

  Rhys flipped the switch for my back light, but nothing happened. He looked at me and I looked back.

  "It needs a new bulb."

  "Did your ex take the light bulb, too?"

  "No, smartass. I can't get the globe off."

  Laugh. Shaking of the head.

  He grabbed a kitchen chair from the table.

  "Is there anything else you need me to fix?" He asked with amusement.

  I bit my lip and rocked from foot to foot.

  "Well, since you're asking..."

  After replacing the outside bulb and the locks for the back door, Rhys put up my new shower curtain, stopped a drippy faucet, and hung a painting I had been meaning to hang for months.

  "You owe me," Rhys said when all was done. We were standing in the kitchen drinking beer.

  "Like what?"

  If he said sex, I would pretend to be appalled as I tore my clothes off and laid myself out on the kitchen table like a Christmas turkey waiting to get stuffed.

  "Like dinner."

  "Sure. What do you want?" I yanked open a drawer and pulled out several take-out menus.

  He moved in close to me so we could view the menus together. I tried not to squirm as his arm touched mine while we each held an end of a menu.

  Wow he smells good.

  We settled on cheesesteaks and fries. While I was on the phone with the restaurant, Rhys wandered into my living room and started looking through my movie collection.

  "How about a movie?" He asked when I joined him.

  I stood there dumbfounded. Rhys wanted to watch a movie with me, and eat food, all at once, in my living room.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  "Uhh..." I said. "Nothing. I just thought you would have better things to do on a Friday night than to hang out with me."

  "Maybe it's you that has something better to do. Maybe you have a hot date."

  "Hardly."

  "You want me to leave?" He asked with a smile, and moved closer to me.

  "Umm..." I was again frozen to the floor as he got so close to me I thought he was going to kiss me, but that's ridiculous right? I mean, this was Rhys, and Rhys was the guy I not-so-secretly stare at and wished that he would kiss me.

  And then he kissed me.

  Whoa. Holy cannoli.

  Rhys's lips were soft, but not too soft. They were a nice manly kind of soft, great for kissing. When his tongue teased at mine, I gripped onto his shirt, not because I was trying to get closer, but because I thought I was going to fall.

  When he pulled away, I was breathless and he was smiling. I didn't immediately release him, because I was still unsteady in the legs.

  "Here's a good movie," he s
aid, plucking one off of the shelf. Carefully, he unraveled my fingers from his shirt and walked over to the television.

  "What...was...that?" I asked, still rooted to the spot where he kissed me.

  "Ten Things I Hate About You."

  "Not the movie. I mean the kiss."

  "It was a kiss."

  "Yeah, got that, but why?"

  "Did you not enjoy it?" He asked.

  "I enjoyed it, but why did you kiss me?"

  "You don't kiss people you like?"

  "I like a lot of people."

  "But you don't like a lot of people the way that you like me," he smiled.

  I thought about that for a few seconds.

  "Okay," I said. "We both know I stalk you from afar."

  "And not so far."

  "Yeah, okay, but I've never seen you stalking me. I mean, you're cool about my own embarrassing behavior, and you're nice to me, but...I would have never foreseen a kiss."

  Before he could respond, my doorbell rang. I finally moved to go answer the door. When I reached into my pocket for money for the delivery guy, Rhys appeared next to me and handed him a twenty.

  "Keep the change," he told the guy and closed the door. He took the food from me and carried it to the coffee table.

  "What was that?" I asked, following him.

  "You keep asking that."

  "I thought I was paying for dinner?"

  "I didn't say that."

  "You said I owed you dinner."

  "I didn't say you had to pay for it."

  I put a hand to my forehead.

  "Oh boy," I said. "I'm so confused."

  "You're a little tense tonight," he said with his awesome smile.

  "Yeah, I am!"

  "We need to address that."

  He put his hands on my waist and lowered me to the couch. He kissed me again, but more intensely than before. I felt my nipples harden and I probably should have changed my panties long ago, but I was pretty sure he caused an instant orgasm with this newer kiss.

  He had one hand on my hip and the other on the back of my neck. I felt like an idiot because I didn't know what to do with my own hands at first, but then I wrapped my arms around his neck. This move shifted our positions and I found myself lying on the couch, with Rhys on top of me.