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His smile made his eyes gleam, but there was an ominous undertone. “Let’s get inside.”
He shoved from the car and led me to the elevator. It was a long ride in the private lift and with him leaning against the rail with his arms crossed it seemed to last forever. Through the mirror, I could see his eyes were on me so intently, like he was planning an attack.
When the doors opened, I made myself at home, flopping on the couch. Rhys followed me, bringing glasses of water and two glasses of wine like he did the night before. Only I skipped the water and went straight to the wine.
“Not gonna lie,” Rhys started, leaning back on his side of the couch. “After this morning, I thought I would have to lure you into my car with candy. Wrap you up with rope and throw you in the trunk.”
“Turns out, I’m a willing victim.”
His smile brightened again, and the same questions I’d seen scrolling through his eyes earlier, still lingered. “What caused the tears?”
So we are sharing?
“My grandparents,” I said point blank. If I let him guess, he would assume the worst, and even though it sometimes hurt to talk about them, I didn't want him thinking it was him. “The song on the radio made me think of my grandma. It was her favorite and Grandpa would make her stop whatever she was doing when it came on and dance with him.”
“They’re gone?”
“Yeah a few years now. They were all I had. And they loved each other so much. Grandma passed away in the hospital from pneumonia, and Grandpa died of heartbreak at home a month later.”
“Shit I’m so sorry. How old were you?”
“Senior in high school. Just about to graduate. Soccer afforded me a scholarship with just enough left over to get my apartment. I got a little savings from selling their house. And I do have their old car I can drive if I need to. So they raised me, and left me with enough in this world to give me a head start.”
Tears had started falling again and I tried wiping them away before Rhys made a big deal about it. The only other time I opened up about my grandparents was to Erin. Not because they were a secret, but because I hadn’t had anyone in my life worth telling.
“What about your parents? What’s that story?”
I rolled my eyes and waved my hands in the air, wiping that question away from the space between us. “I told you about my grandparents to keep you from assuming my tears were something else. But if you want to know about my parents, that will cost you the one big question that we agreed on.”
“I don't think I can limit myself to one big question anymore. I want to know a lot more about Ash Keller.”
“Then you better start answering a few questions yourself. Starting with why you get a kick out of torturing Coach?”
“He and I go way back. I stupidly held him responsible for my life falling apart a few months back. Making him crazy sometimes helps me smile.”
“How adult of you,” I mumbled, making him laugh.
“Colin and I are good, Ash. He can be a pain in my ass, but he means well.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
He twisted his glass in his fingers, debating what his next words were going to be. I tried to look like I meant business, like I wouldn't accept anything less than a straight answer. “I think I did.”
“Elaborate. How did Coach make your life fall apart?”
“He didn’t. He just…that night, at that soccer game you were at, he said some things without knowing my girlfriend was sitting behind him. She overheard and left the game. I haven't spoken to her since.”
My jaw dropped, my eyes widened, and my heart started racing. “What did he say? Were you cheating on her?”
“The fuck?” He was instantly angry and stood up quickly. Pointing at me, he added, “That was your one question.”
“You said we get a lot more,” I argued.
“I lied,” he snapped, raising his voice like I had never heard from him before.
He set his glass on the table and then took mine from my hand and set it down. Without any preamble, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. In a flash, we were in his bedroom and I was being thrown on his bed. Not like the night before, but aggressively, and with anger oozing from him.
“Lose the clothes, Ash. We both know why you’re here, so let's get to it.” He pulled his own shirt over his head and tossed it to the side.
