31. Garrett

Herface.Fuck,when she said that word. The age she was when she lost her virginity. I should have backed off when she said she was young enough not to know what losing her virginity was. But I just couldn’t comprehend what that age would be. Stupidly, I thought maybe thirteen or fourteen. Sure, that’s young, but not unheard of, especially when hormones are involved. Teenagers are nothing but horny all the time. But eleven? There’s no fucking way that was consensual.

Rhys must have been raped.

My stomach churns at the thought of the little girl version of Rhys being violated. It’s fucking sickening. The thing is, her behaviour towards sex makes so much more sense now. Not everyone who suffers trauma fears it. Some people run towards it, wanting to re-experience it in a way they have more control over. It’s a twisted way of thinking, but it’s a real fucking thing.

I hurt her feelings when I told her my involvement in the bathroom incident last week was a mistake. I was a little surprised that she cared so much. Normally, she’d brush it off like it doesn’t bother her either way. Things have been different lately, though. She’s been different. Something is going on with her, and the more I learn about Rhys, the more I realise I know nothing.

“Aren’t you like, fucking Shaun Bossier?” Allison, one of Lexi’s old friends, is in line in front of us as we wait to go into the IMAX theatre. I feel Rhys stiffen a little next to me, but I tighten my grip on her hand, not willing to let her go. Ever fucking again.

Wait. I mean that in a platonic way.

Yeah, sure you do!

“Aren’t you meant to be Lexi’s friend?” Rhys bites back, and Allison flinches.

“What? Breaking Marcus’ heart wasn’t enough? You had to move on to all of his friends?” The bitch snarls at Rhys, and I feel my girl’s chest rise and fall as anger washes over her.

“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business!” I snap, and Allison’s eyes flare in shock as she looks up at me. Then I growl at her, baring my teeth.

Allison’s eyes dart back and forth between my face and Rhys’ before she spins on her heel and gives us her back.

Leaning down, I hover my lips next to Rhys’ ear.

“Ignore the bitch.”

In answer, Rhys leans into me, trusting me to make her feel safe.

When the cinema opens, we hang back a little and let everyone find their seat before we veer off to sit a little away from the FP Catholic herd. Taking our seats, I get comfy before sweeping up Rhys’ hand again and bringing our joined hands to rest on my thigh. I sneak a glance at her and see her brows dipped in a frown.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

Her confused gaze peers up at me, her brown eyes studying my face. “I’m confused.”

“About?”

She frowns again. “This.” She holds up our joined hands. “Why are you holding my hand?”

I don’t fucking know why I’m holding her hand. It’s one of those lines that are a little blurry, yet I can’t fucking help myself. I just need to touch her. To show her she’s not alone.

“I’m just trying to be a supportive friend. I can see that things are tough for you at the moment, and I want you to know you’re not alone.”

Sounds blare through the speakers as the movie trailers start, turning the chattering patrons to focus on the screen. Rhys doesn’t turn her eyes away from me, though. She studies me with a slight crease between her dark brows.

“So you’re holding my hand as a friend?”

I nod, even though deep down, I know I’m lying. Rhys tilts her head to the side as she takes in my expression. It’s like she is trying to read my mind. Trying to see the truth I’m hiding from her.

“I’m calling bullshit.”

Her words make me flinch, and a sinful black-lipped smile sweeps over her face. She has an infectious smile, especially when it’s full, showing her white teeth. I wonder if she realises how beautiful she is?

The movie starts up, and Rhys sits back in her seat, squeezing my hand tighter as she turns her focus to the screen. The feature is something called Alita. This cinema isn’t a normal one. They say it has the world’s largest cinema screen. I’m not sure how true that is, but there’s one thing I know. It’s fucking big.

I try to concentrate on the movie, but it’s not really my thing, and I can’t stop my mind from drifting to all the things I wish I could do to this siren sitting next to me. Rhys is all about sex, and I’m practically frothing at the mouth to dive into that world with her. But something is holding me back, and it’s not just my loyalty to Marcus, although that has a hell of a lot to do with it.

I could man the fuck up and talk to Marcus about how I feel. He’d probably hate me, but going behind his back is worse. Even now, as I hold Rhys’ hand, I feel like I’m a betraying prick. It’s never going to be an ideal situation, but I need to decide what I want. Can I ignore these feelings that have been brewing for a couple of months now? Can I ignore the magnetic pull she has on me? Her black soul is akin to mine. She has a level of darkness that I find hard to ignore. Like her addiction and her past. She has a tortured soul that calls to me, that matches my own, and fuck if I don’t find it hard to not be near that every fucking minute.

“Can I give you a hand job while the movie is on?” Rhys whispers in my ear, and my cock jerks to life, desperate for her touch.

“No.” I keep my eyes on the screen, not really seeing anything as my thoughts turn devious.

“Why not? It will feel sooo good.” She nips at my ear, and my cock jerks again.

Fucking hell. This is going to be harder than I thought.

“No,” I grunt, and the little sinner reaches her free hand over towards my crotch. I slap it away quickly and glare at her as she pouts with those dark lips. Fuck, I want to kiss her until there’s no black left on them. I bet she looks just as hot without the bold black smile.

“Oh, come on. How about you rub my Kitty then?”

“No.”

“Not even over my clothes?” She asks, her expression totally serious.

“No.”

She huffs, throwing herself back in her seat in frustration. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

Not scared to admit to getting herself off, Rhys slides her free hand down the front of her uniform, and I twist in my seat to grab her hand before she makes contact.

“No,” I growl in her ear, and she glares at me.

“Is that all you know how to say?” She whisper-yells, and I nod.

Then she rolls her eyes.

We sit back, both of us frustrated as we pretend to watch the movie for a bit longer before she can no longer help herself.

“Garrett.” She whispers, and I dart my eyes to glance at her out of the corner of my eye. “I’m horny.”

Turning to her, it takes everything in me not to kiss her.

“You’re always horny.”

“Exactly. It’s worse than needing to eat food to function. Help me come. Pleeease?” She practically begs, and even though I know it’s a ploy to make me cave, I stay strong.

“No, Rhys. If that’s all you’re after, then you won’t find it from me. You have two other boyfriends for that anyway, don’t you?”

“Three.” She says, and then her eyes widen. “I mean two.”

I frown. “You said three.”

“See, this is what happens to my brain if I don’t come regularly. It turns to mush.” She flutters those dark lashes at me innocently, but I see straight through her little act.

Does she have a third guy? Is it Marcus? Did he decide to share her after all?

I narrow my eyes at her, and she clamps her mouth shut. Shit, she does have a third guy.

“Why can’t I have that from you, too? We would be good together. Fucking great together.” She’s trying hard to sell the idea to me, but it won’t work. I’m not going to give her what she wants.

“I want to show you that there’s more to a relationship or spending time with someone other than sex.”

She frowns, and it’s fucking adorable the way her dark brows tug together.

“Is there more, though? Isn’t sex like the endgame?”

That question is why I need to show her there’s a difference. Sure, sex can just be sex, but it can also be so much more. The only way I know how to show her is to help her see the other side of what a relationship can look like… just without the sex. Bossi and Hastings are happy to keep her Kitty—as she calls it—occupied, but it’s just a bandaid. It’s not helping her because something else is happening with Rhys, and I’m determined to find out what it is.

I manage to keep Rhys at bay for the rest of the movie, and once we pile on the bus to head back to Fox Pines, we take the same seats as earlier. The back seat of the bus is a long bench seat to fit five people, so it gives us room to kick back and stretch out our legs.

I watch Rhys squirming around where she sits as she does something on her phone. She can’t sit still, and either she’s still horny from before, or she’s chatting with Bossi or Hastings, and they are riling her up. I swear if she starts touching herself, I’m going to fucking cave, and I don’t want to cave. I don’t want to think with my dick and ruin things.

“Hey.” I wait for her to look up from her phone, her big brown eyes softening as they take me in. “I wanna show you something.”

I need to distract her. It’s only about half an hour before we get back home, so I open my photo app on my phone and drop my legs off the seat, gesturing for her to meet me in the middle. She takes a moment, looking back down at her phone and then back to me as if deciding which option to choose—boring Garrett or phone sex with someone else.

The moment she slips her phone into her pocket, I relax and watch her slide across to park her arse next to me. I’ll call that a small win.

“Are you going to show me your dick pic?”

I roll my eyes and hold up my phone. “This is my little sister Britney.”

Rhys’ face falls neutral, no longer holding the mischief it did a moment ago.

“Oh, she has your eyes. How old is she?”

“She’s nine, and even though she’s the youngest in the house, she fucking rules the roost.” I grin when Rhys laughs.

“I can tell. She has fierceness in her eyes. A true warrior.” Rhys grabs my wrist and tugs it closer so she can get a better look. “She’s really pretty, too. You’ll have your hands full fighting off boys soon.”

“They won’t dare to come near her,” I growl, and Rhys giggles.

Angling my phone back towards me, I swipe across a few pictures and then hold it towards Rhys again.

“This is Polly. She’s …” The words get stuck in my throat, and I try to cover my stumble by clearing my throat. “She’s eleven.”

Rhys’ brows hitch, and I know she’s thinking the same thing I just did. Polly is the same age Rhys was when her virginity was taken away from her. Anger builds inside me like a simmering volcano getting ready to combust. If anyone ever touched my Polly like that, I’d fucking kill them.

“She’s really pretty, too. Same eyes but different hair colour to you. Who has the blonde hair in your family?” Rhys looks up to me then, her eyes curious and no longer filled with the need that has been plaguing her all afternoon.

I shift a little on the seat, leaning in towards her, and she sinks in to meet me in the middle.

“My old man has blonde hair,” I grumble, not really wanting to talk about that prick.

“Oh. Do you have a picture of your parents?”

Maybe this was a bad idea. I don’t want to show her my dad. He’s a fucking psycho prick sitting in prison where he belongs. Although, if he gets his way, he’ll be out on good behaviour soon. Way too fucking soon.

I scroll through my pictures and find one of my mum. She’s standing in the kitchen, cooking. I hold it up, and Rhys smiles.

“Your mum looks nice. Sweet.”

I nod. “She is sweet. Too sweet for her own good sometimes.”

“You get your brown curls from her.” Rhys beams, turning her eyes to mine before lifting her hand and ruffling my hair.

“Hey! Watch it.” I hiss playfully, and she giggles.

“Oh no. I think one of your curls is out of place now.” She teases, and I narrow my eyes.

“Maybe I should mess your hair up?”

“Oh no, not my stylish hair.” She mocks, laughing, and reaches up to mess my hair again.

I grab her wrist just in time, tugging down and pinning it behind her back. The move brings us close together. So close that I’m in the perfect position to kiss her. My heart suddenly flips in my chest, and my eyes dart to her lips, right as her pink tongue pops out to wet them. When I look back up to her eyes, they’re focused on my lips, so I copy what she did and lick them. I don’t know why I do that. I know I’m playing with fire here, but I can’t fucking help myself. Her breathing increases as she watches my tongue, and when her eyes finally lift to meet mine, I purposefully refrain, reminding myself that I can’t cross that line. Aside from the fact that I can’t betray Marcus, Rhys doesn’t need another dick in her life. She needs a friend.

Reluctantly, I pull back from the most tempting lips I’ve ever come across.

Glancing down at Rhys, I immediately see the hurt in her eyes.

“Sorry.” It’s a useless apology, but it’s all I’ve got.

“No need to be sorry.” She shifts back further from me, breaking the invisible chain between us.

When her lips tug up in a weak smile, mine matches, and I steer us back into conversation about our families. I manage to dodge talking about my dad, and I focus on asking about her family. She fills me in about her twin foster brothers and her older foster sister, and then how she only just started calling her foster parents, mum and dad. Her eyes glass over a little when she talks about that, and I realise what’s been missing out of Rhys’ life.

It’s unconditional love.