TAINTED

Chapter 17

RHYS

"Rhys? Are you home?" Ivy shouted from the foyer.

My ears perked up at the sweet sound of her voice and the door clicking shut behind her. How she said "home" like this was our home made my heart ache. Even if she hadn't meant it that way.

Over the past few weeks, we have become much more comfortable with each other. I had never talked so much with a girl before, but with Ivy, it was different. She made me laugh, was a good listener, and cared what I had to say. I felt like I could tell her anything. I knew it was only a matter of time before she and Blaine repaired their relationship. I overheard her on the phone with him a few nights ago, telling him she still needed some space, whatever that meant. I did my best to avoid whatever was happening between them. I had already done and said enough. I was just glad Ivy and I had found a nice rhythm between us while she stayed at the ranch.

"I'm in the kitchen," I replied, zipping up a cooler. I made us a picnic dinner. Ivy had no idea I planned to bring her to our private lake tonight. It was a warm and sunny day, and there was no point hanging out inside the ranch.

"Hey," she said, stepping into the kitchen. With a frown, her eyes quickly scanned the messy countertop. I was good at cooking, but Ivy was the cleanup crew these past few weeks. Without her here this afternoon, it looked like a food bomb went off in the kitchen. She looked like she wasn't sure what to think of it. "I see you've been busy." She picked up a dirty spatula and a greasy pan from the stovetop and put them in the sink.

"I made us dinner. We could head down to the lake. Get out of the ranch for a bit."

Ivy raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I like the sound of that. Is dinner in the cooler?"

I winked. "Yeah. And beer and Tequila."

"Can I get changed before we go?"

Her hair was twisted into a knot, and she was still wearing her resort uniform. She looked cute in tight black shorts and a white polo shirt.

I nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Her eyes lit up. "Okay, I'll be right back."

Ten minutes later, Ivy walked back into the kitchen, and I choked on the beer I was drinking. Her distinct smell of strawberries and wildflowers met my nose. She wore a short white sundress that made her tanned skin glow. The top half of her dress was like a corset, and it made her tits pop. The bottom half of her dress was short and flowy, stopping mid-thigh. She had legs for days in that dress. Her long blonde curls fell down her backside, and her lips were painted a cherry red. She may have been cute in her work outfit, but she was downright sexy when she dolled herself up.

"Ready," she smiled.

Walking up to me, she snatched my beer from my hand. She took a sip and handed it back to me. "Where are we headed? Are we driving somewhere?"

I looked down at the tip of my beer and swallowed hard. Her lips touched my beer bottle. Once I put my lips back on it, I would taste her. My face heated at the thought, and I felt like a tool for being so damn juvenile about it. I knew we had grown comfortable with each other lately, but damn seeing her lips on something that was mine was hot.

"Ah, no. We're walking." I replied, sliding open the patio door. "We're going down to the lake."

"The lake at the resort is quite a hike from here," Ivy frowned. "I'm wearing wedged sandals."

"It's not that far," I assured her. "It's a private lake on our property. It takes about five minutes to walk there. Hasn't Blaine ever brought you there before?"