Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Rhys's POV

"Your bags are already in the car," my mother said brightly as I walked through the front doors of our mansion.

I stopped walking and stared at the large suitcases piled near the open entrance. Three maids stood directly behind her. I had just left my father in his large office. I spent the entire drive home looking for Enzo to curse him out for agreeing to this ridiculous deal without telling me. I could not find him anywhere on campus. Now I was home and I was already being kicked out.

"You packed my things already?" I asked her.

"Of course I did," my mother smiled widely. She stepped forward and hugged me very tightly. "Thank you for listening to your father today. You made him very happy."

"You seem very excited to send me away for two months," I pointed out. I pulled away from her tight hug.

"The president promised to come spend the whole week with me after you leave," she said. She looked incredibly excited. "He told me he cleared his entire schedule just for me."

I stared at her in complete disbelief. My father barely saw her as an actual woman. He just viewed her as a convenient mistress to keep around. She was really sending her only son away just so she could get a few days of his attention.

"He is just sending me away to hide me," I told her honestly.

"Put the remaining bags in his trunk right now," my mother ordered the maids, completely ignoring my words.

The maids hurried outside to load my car.

"I will send my private chefs to cook for you every single day," she continued talking very quickly. "You need to eat properly while you train. Do you want me to pack extra blankets for the cold weather? The villa might be chilly."

"No," I replied flatly. I honestly was not even listening to her anymore. "I am leaving now."

I drove to the private villa and arrived an hour later. I already regretted my decision to agree to this arrangement. I parked my car and walked inside. Enzo was waiting for me in the large living room. He wore his athletic clothes and looked completely prepared for the training.

"You took a long time to get here," Enzo said. He threw a black duffel bag onto the leather couch. "We are going to the private rink right now."

"I just arrived," I argued loudly. "Give me ten minutes to rest."

"No," Enzo replied strictly. "I am not going to treat you gently just because we know each other. If you want to survive this hockey contest, you have to work hard."

"I do not even know how to skate properly," I reminded him.

"You will learn today," Enzo said. "Follow me."

Rolling my eyes, I followed him to the indoor ice rink located behind the main villa. He handed me a pair of heavy skates. The first training session was going to be a complete disaster, no doubt. I stepped onto the smooth ice and my feet immediately slid far apart.

"Keep your knees bent," Enzo instructed loudly from the center of the ice.

"I am bending them," I yelled back.

"You are standing straight up like a wooden board," Enzo shouted. "Bend your knees and push with your right foot."

"I am going to fall," I warned him.

"I will catch you," he replied calmly. "Push forward now."

I tried to skate forward. My left foot caught the thick ice and I completely lost my balance. I fell backward quickly. Enzo skated forward instantly and caught me before my back hit the hard ground. His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist. He pulled me flush against his firm chest.

"You are truly terrible at this," Enzo laughed loudly.

"Let go of me," I said. My face felt very hot.

"If I let go, you will hit your head," he pointed out.

"I do not care," I told him. "Release me right now."

He let me go. I immediately slipped again. My feet slid out from under me. He caught me a second time. His large hands gripped my hips firmly to keep me standing. Our physical closeness started affecting me way more than I wanted to admit. My heart beat much faster every single time his body pressed against mine. I looked up at him. Enzo noticed every single reaction on my face. He looked at my flushed cheeks and my chest moving up and down. He did not force the issue. He just smiled slightly and helped me stand straight.

"Try again," he said quietly.

***

We went back into the main villa two hours later. I carried my bags up the wide staircase to find a bedroom. I walked down the long hallway and found my luggage sitting inside a large room. I looked at the bedroom door right next to it. It was slightly open and I saw Enzo unpack his own clothes.

"Why is my room right next to yours?" I asked loudly, standing in his doorway.

"Because it is convenient," Enzo answered. He did not look up from his open bag.

"Convenient for who?" I demanded. "For you?"

"For both of us," Enzo said simply.

"There are five other empty rooms in this house," I said. "I demand a different room. Move my bags down the hall right now."

"I refuse," Enzo said calmly. He placed his black shirts in the wooden drawer.

"Move them right now," I demanded again. "I do not want to sleep next to you. I want the room at the very end of the hallway."

"That room is locked," Enzo replied easily.

"Then give me the key," I argued.

"I do not have the key," he said. "Your father gave me very specific instructions today. He instructed me to keep you focused and safe during this training period. I need to keep a close eye on you."

"You are just using my father as an excuse," I accused him directly. "You are using this housing situation as an excuse to get close to me."

Enzo did not deny it. He just looked at me with his dark eyes.

"Go take a warm shower, Rhys," Enzo told me. "Dinner is in thirty minutes."

That night, I sat at the long dining table. I opened my laptop and started working on a new comic scene. The large house was very quiet. I typed quickly, trying to distract my mind from the disastrous training session and his warm hands on my hips. I did not hear Enzo walk into the dining room.

"That is very interesting," Enzo said right next to my left ear.

I jumped in my tall chair. Enzo was standing directly behind me. He leaned down over my shoulder and looked closely at my laptop screen.

"Get away from me," I said quickly. I reached for the screen to close it.

Enzo grabbed my wrist to stop me. "A professional hockey star and a novice newbie player?"

"Let go of my hand," I said loudly.

"That story is awfully familiar," Enzo continued reading the screen. He did not bother to hide the fact that he was sneakily reading my private work. "The tall captain is teaching the novice how to hold a hockey stick. Did you write this scene before today, or did our situation inspire you just now?"

I yanked my hand away from his grip and slammed my laptop shut. The loud sound echoed loudly in the empty dining room.

"You have zero boundaries," I yelled at him. I stood up from my chair and faced him completely. "Stop reading my work."

The argument became very heated quickly.

"You are writing about me," Enzo stated confidently. "Admit it."

"I am writing a fictional story," I argued back loudly. "It has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"You are a terrible liar," he whispered.

"I am not lying to you," I insisted.

Enzo stepped much closer to me. He closed the gap between us until our shoes were almost touching. I held my breath. I expected him to grab my waist again. I did think he was going to kiss me. But he stopped completely. He stayed just inches away from my face. He looked down at my lips, then back up to my eyes.

"Make a choice, Rhys," Enzo whispered softly. "Do I move closer, or you walk away."

My chest tightened painfully. I looked at his mouth. I wanted to lean forward. I wanted to see what he would do to me. But my pride completely stopped me from moving closer.

I grabbed my laptop off the wooden table, turned around quickly and walked away from him. I hurried up the stairs to my bedroom and locked the heavy door behind me.

I laid in my large bed for hours. I tossed and turned in the dark room. I could not sleep at all. My body felt far too warm under the blankets. Every time I closed my eyes, I just saw Enzo standing inches away from my face.

At two in the morning, I heard Enzo's voice outside my bedroom. "I know you're awake.”

Can this SON OF A BISCUIT EATER just let me be?!