Rhys

Rage was burning inside me at the thought of all the sick motherfuckers that hit on my woman while she was at work. I clenched my fists, suddenly having the urge to pummel the next person I saw who had a Y chromosome. The wary confusion on Macy’s face cut through the red haze and I sucked in a deep breath, calming myself.

This overwhelming deluge of emotions was throwing me for a loop. I worked—okay, owned—an investment firm and spent my days with numbers and statistics. I was known for being cool and collected, level-headed. I took the same approach with dating as I did with work, analyzing the possible outcomes. My cynical views had long ago convinced me to give up on that particular activity.

And yet, the moment I saw this feisty redhead, a myriad of feelings bubbled to the surface. The strongest and most foreign was a fierce possessiveness. I didn’t have any interest in picking apart the details of a relationship and future with Macy. She would be mine. End of story.

However, I’d put myself in a precarious position by approaching her at work. It hadn’t occurred to me that I would need an excuse for being in Dirty Players to convince her I wasn’t one of the sleazy guys she probably saw on a regular basis. I briefly considered the truth, that I’d more or less been stalking her. Then promptly dismissed the idea. It was too high of a risk that it would send her running.

The bell above the door tinkled, announcing the arrival of another customer. Macy glanced in their direction and her face lit up with a bright smile. Jealousy ripped through me, another shock to my system since I’d rarely felt it before. I wanted to be the only man who put smiles on her beautiful face. My head whipped angrily in the direction of the entrance, but when I saw who it was, I relaxed.

Weston Davis lifted his chin at her as he strolled through the door, his arm wrapped tightly around a pretty blonde woman who waved. His wife, Aspen, I assumed. I’d never met her, but I’d heard all about her during my meetings with Weston. They approached the counter and Macy ducked under it to hug Aspen.

Leaning casually against the shiny black worktop, I greeted Weston. “Davis. Of all the gin joints…”

His shrewd green gaze darted in my direction and narrowed before he raised an eyebrow in silent question. “Fancy meeting you here, Campbell. I was beginning to think your balls had shriveled up and died.”

I laughed, even as both women gasped. Aspen smacked Weston’s arm and glared. “Weston!”

He looked down at his wife and gestured to me with a grin. “What? It’s no secret that Rhys doesn’t date. A few of us even have a bet going, either he’s really fucking bad in bed, or he’s still a virgin.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, man,” I remarked drily. I couldn’t help peeking at Macy to see how she was reacting to this conversation. She was watching our exchange thoughtfully, and most of her hostility seemed to have ebbed away. At least she didn’t seem scared of me anymore. The idea that she thought I could somehow hurt her had eaten away at me.

“You know this guy?” she asked Weston.

He nodded to her. “We grew up together and his firm manages my investment portfolio.” Looking back at me, he smirked. “Found someone worth breaking that dry spell for?” he joked.

I was completely serious when I turned my head and met Macy’s green eyes before answering. “Yes.”

“Smart idea to come in and pick up some education material. But, you could have just come to me, you know. I’m the motherfucking king in the bedroom.”

“Oh, for the love of—”

Aspen’s face was bright red and she loudly interrupted us. “What time do you get off tonight? I don’t want you closing up here alone late at night. The creeps come out in full force on Halloween.”

I’d forgotten about the holiday and it only furthered my worry over her working at a place like Dirty Players, and even more, late into the night.

Macy broke eye contact with me and waved off her concern. “I don’t need your husband to babysit me, Aspen. Go home and take advantage of his big. . .ego.”

“I’ll make sure she gets home safe,” I snapped, irritated at the idea of her mind on anyone’s prowess or equipment in the bedroom besides mine. All three sets of eyebrows shot up to their hairlines.

“I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” Aspen said at the same time Macy sputtered, “What the hell?” Then she barked, “We don’t.”

“It hasn’t been very long,” I told Aspen. When Macy snorted, I threw her a hard look before facing Weston again.

He didn’t say anything, he simply watched me with a speculative gleam in his eye. I met his stare stonily, making it clear I wasn’t going to budge on the issue of caring for Macy. He slowly moved closer to his wife, which meant closer to my girl. I couldn’t help the scowl that morphed onto my face. He tucked Aspen under his left arm and held out his other to drop around Macy’s shoulders for a hug. An involuntary growl clawed up my throat, every muscle in my body tensing.

“Hands to yourself, Weston,” I snarled. “Or I break them off.”

Both girls stared at me with wide eyes, but a smile broke out on Weston’s face and he laughed. Though, he quickly let her go.

“Rhys can handle things from here,” he murmured as he steered his wife towards the door.

“What?” Aspen squeaked, clearly shocked at her husband’s reaction. Weston bent down to whisper something in her ear and her eyes narrowed suspiciously on me. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t get the opportunity before Weston spoke up.

“Just remember, nobody ever finds the bodies I fucking bury.”

I nodded in understanding. “I’ll take care of her.”

Macy sighed audibly. “I can take care of myself!” she argued stubbornly. “You can all leave and stop worrying over me.”

“Out of the question.” My voice was banded with steel, making it clear that I expected her capitulation. To my surprise, and from the look on her face, hers too, she clamped her mouth shut and didn’t go on.

Weston threw Macy what could easily be interpreted as a look of sympathy before guiding Aspen out the door.

Alone again, I faced a very pissed off angel. Instead of putting me off, the fire in her eyes made my cock swell to painful proportions in my slacks. She was so fucking gorgeous, and I had no doubt all of that spark and feistiness would turn her wild with passion once I got her underneath me. Images of our sweaty bodies writhing against each other on satiny sheets invaded my mind. I could almost hear her screams of pleasure as I fucked her hard.

It took a great deal of effort, but I managed to push the images away before I tumbled her to the ground or worse, came in the pants of my three-thousand-dollar suit like a randy teenager.

“I’m not a child,” she sulked as she headed to the rows of shelves on the other side of the store.

I hurried over to her and caught her arm just as she was about to disappear down an aisle. I pulled her back to my front, my hands firm on her shoulders. She smelled like ginger and spice, and I filled my lungs with the intoxicating scent. I let my lips brush her ear as I whispered, “Trust me, angel. The fact that you are all woman hasn’t escaped my notice.”

A tiny shiver worked its way down her body, and a glance down had me mesmerized by the sight of her little nipples peaking and poking through her top. My breath caught in my throat and my hips pushed forward, nestling my large erection into her sexy ass. I gripped her shoulders tightly to keep myself from sliding a hand into her panties to confirm what I suspected, that she was drenched.

Much sooner than I wanted, I stepped away before I lost all control. I grasped Macy’s chin and turned her head to the side. Her emerald eyes were cloudy with lust and she looked a little bewildered by it. Was is possible this was new to her? She looked sweet and innocent, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind that she might still be a virgin.

Back the fuck off, I silently growled at my straining dick. It liked the thought of popping Macy’s sweet cherry before being buried deep inside her. I needed to put some space between me and her delectable little body. First, I brushed my lips ever so gently over hers and moaned as I ended the contact and backed away.

“What time are you done?”

Her mouth thinned into a straight line and she didn’t say anything at first. I raised an eyebrow and made sure my stony expression conveyed the fact that I wouldn’t move until she’d answered my question. Finally, she huffed in annoyance and started straightening the items on the shelves. “Ten,” she mumbled reluctantly. My eyes wandered to the merchandise she was fussing with and I knew it was time to get the fuck out of there. A wide variety of nipple clamps were displayed, bookended by the newest bullet vibrator, and cock rings. Shit. Shit. Shit. I pivoted on my heel and swiftly headed for the exit. “I’ll be in my car, getting some work done,” I threw over my shoulder. “I’ll meet you at the door at ten.”

I didn’t get much work done. Between fantasies inspired by the displays in the windows and stepping out of my car with a menacing glare to scare off any solo male customers, I lacked the focus for anything else.

My eyes also roamed around the building and parking lot, looking for security cameras, flood lights, and other safety measures. I spied one camera and several lights, but when dusk fell and the lights illuminated, they cast a very dim glow along the tan, cracked, plaster walls.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed Weston’s number. It rang four times and then disconnected. Not willing to be put off, I pressed call again. After another four rings, he picked up.

“What the fuck do you want?” he bellowed. I heard a female voice admonishing him in the background to keep his voice down. “My kids are in bed early for a change, meaning Aspen and I are in bed early. Now, we aren’t exactly sleeping, so you better have a damn good reason for interrupting.”

Laughing seemed like an unwise move, so I stifled my chuckle. My attention returned to the building in front of me and my humor fled. “How the fuck can you let her keep working here, Davis?” I shouted.

“Calm the fuck down, Rhys.” I opened my mouth to give him hell, but he kept speaking. “I’ve beefed up security in that place as much as I could without her noticing. And, I’ve got Xander’s people on her at all times when she’s working.” Xander was another guy we’d grown up with, who was also Weston’s best friend. He ran a security firm here in Atlanta and had a badass reputation. Surprised by the information, I glanced around a little more thoroughly. That’s when I noticed the security guard for the grocery store next door was standing outside instead of in.

The frozen yogurt shop on the other side had a large picture window with a table up against it, and I realized that the occupant was the same woman who I’d noticed when I’d returned to my car earlier. She’d been sitting there, working on her laptop the whole time I’d been there.

I grunted an acknowledgement.

“My wife won’t let me shut the place down or use any other measure to force her to quit,” he said quietly. I wondered if he was trying to avoid his wife overhearing this part of the conversation. “On top of that, Macy can be as stubborn as a fucking mule.” I could hear the smile in his voice when he added, “It’s your job now. Good luck with that. My recommendation is to do your job as a man and get that girl pregnant.”

“Yeah, like that solution never crossed my mind,” I returned sarcastically. Seeing Macy round and swollen with my baby was just one of the many fantasies that I had dwelled on during the day.

“Take care of her.” There was no trace of humor in his tone anymore. “I’d hate to have to kill you.”

Some people might laugh at the threat, but I knew better. I’d worked in security to pay my way through college before I started my company and turned it into the Fortune 500 it was now. I could be a dangerous son of a bitch if the situation called for it. But, Weston? He’d hadn’t done wet work for the CIA, but I had no doubt that he was lethal and not really joking about the buried bodies.

“She’s mine.” A rush of pleasure coursed through me at saying it out loud. “No one touches what’s mine.” I hung up and scrolled through my contacts until I found the number I was looking for.

“Gray Securities,” a bubbly female voice answered.

“Xander Gray, please. This is Rhys Campbell.”

“One moment.”

There was a beat of silence before Xander picked up.

“What can I do for you, Rhys?” He’d always been no-nonsense, very direct, and it was something I appreciated. So, I got right to the point.

“The security guards you have on Macy Holland? I want them all female from now on.”

Xander was quiet for a moment. “You been drinking the water over at Weston’s place?”

I chuckled. “No, just found my own Aspen is all.”

He grunted but didn’t otherwise respond to my statement. He confirmed that all of Macy’s guards would be women from then on and I ended the call. There were only a couple more hours until she closed up the shop.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the clock on the dash read ten to ten. Just as I stepped inside, she turned out the last light and walked towards me. I held the door open for her, leaving only enough room for her to slide by me, pressing our bodies together.

Her quick inhale confirmed that she was feeling the same electric current flowing between us when we touched.

She kept her eyes down as she started in the direction of her car, but I took her elbow in my palm and guided her towards my car instead.

“My car is—”

“We’ll take mine tonight. If you aren’t working tomorrow, I’ll have someone drop it off at your place.”

She tried to argue with me and hold her ground when we reached my Tesla, but I opened the door, then swept her into my arms and placed her in the car. Her jaw dropped, but I ignored it and proceeded to buckle her in. I shut the door and jogged around to get in on the driver’s side.

“Are you hungry?” I asked as I started the engine, the soft purr just barely alerting you to the fact that it was running.

“Wait. Take me back to—”

“Answer me, angel,” I cut her off. “Are you hungry?”

Just then, her stomach growled and I laughed. I glanced at her and she stared at me, well, at my mouth, seemingly mesmerized by something. I smiled and her jaw went a little slack.

I turned back to the road and in my peripheral vision, I saw her snap into rigid posture and face the windshield.

“Where do you want to eat, Macy?”

“I have food at home. I’ll grab something there.”

I sighed. “Angel, don’t make me go twenty rounds with you over every little thing. Let me feed you.”

She was silent for a moment, then relaxed into her seat. “Fine. But, don’t expect me to eat like a rabbit.”