Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Rhys's POV

"I know you are awake," Enzo repeated through the thick wood of my bedroom door.

"Go away," I told him loudly. I sat up in my large bed.

"Open the door right now," Enzo demanded. "Or I will open it myself. I know the lock is broken."

"The lock is not broken," I argued back.

"Do you really want to test that?" Enzo asked.

I threw my warm blanket off my legs. I walked across the cold floor and unlocked the heavy door. I pulled it open quickly. Enzo stood in the dark hallway. He wore grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. His dark hair was messy from sleeping.

"What do you want? It's too early in the morning for your troubles." I said angrily.

"I came to check on you," Enzo said calmly. He leaned against the doorframe. "I heard you moving around in here for hours. You are pacing back and forth. As a hockey player, sleep is paramount. You need your rest for training tomorrow."

"Like you care," I accused him immediately. "You're just deliberately provoking me. You have been doing it all day even before I arrived at this villa."

"Yes," Enzo admitted easily. "So?"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him. "You keep making me lose focus. You're intentionally pushing me to make choices."

"I wanted to see your reaction," Enzo said. "I wanted to see what you would do."

"You are a terrible person," I told him. "You are playing games with my head."

"I am just tired of pretending," Enzo replied. He stepped into my bedroom. I moved backward automatically. "I spent months watching you pretend we were cordial. You only smiled at me because you were dating Chloe. You forced yourself to be polite with me every single time."

"I was trying to be a good boyfriend," I argued. "I wanted Chloe to be happy. Getting along with her family was part of the deal. I did what I had to do."

"You hated me," Enzo pointed out. "You glared at me when nobody else was looking."

"I still hate you," I said firmly.

"No, you don't," Enzo challenged me. "You want me. And I won't pretend I don't want you too."

"You are completely crazy," I said. My voice shook a little. "You have lost your mind."

"I have been watching you for a very long time, Rhys," Enzo continued. He closed the bedroom door behind him. The lock clicked loudly in the quiet room. "I watched you buy her expensive gifts. I watched you treat her like a princess. And every single time you looked at me, I saw the exact same tension we have right now."

"There is no tension," I lied quickly.

"Stop lying to yourself," Enzo stepped closer to me. "I am done hiding it. I want you."

I pushed him back hard. My hands hit his chest. He did not even move. He stood still.

"You need to stop talking," I warned him loudly. "Please, I’m still trying to understand what's happening to me. I don't need this from you."

"What are you trying to understand?" Enzo asked softly.

"Everything," I yelled. "I was just betrayed by my girlfriend, you caused my breakup."

"I showed you the truth," Enzo corrected me. "She was the one who betrayed you. I just opened the door for you to see it."

"And now you want me to sleep with you?" I demanded. "I have never been with a man in my entire life. I do not even know if I like men. The last person I would ever want to experiment with is the exact same man who ruined my relationship."

"I am not a science experiment," Enzo said.

"Then leave me alone," I told him. "You are confusing me. You are pushing me too fast. I just got here today."

Enzo accepted every single word I said. He nodded his head slowly. But he refused to back down. He took another step toward me. I backed up until my legs hit the edge of my mattress.

"You are right," Enzo agreed calmly. "I pushed you into that locker room so you would see her true colors. I ruined your perfect relationship. But wanting me does not mean you owe me anything, Rhys. You do not owe me your time. You do not owe me your body. You can want me without giving me anything in return."

That answer completely caught me off guard. I stopped moving. I stared at him in the dim light of the bedroom. I expected him to demand something from me. I expected him to act like an arrogant athlete who always gets his way.

"What does that even mean?" I asked quietly.

"It means I am not demanding a relationship," Enzo explained. "I am just stating a fact. We both want this."

"I do not want this," I tried to deny it again.

"Yes, you do," Enzo said. His voice was deep and steady. "You are thinking about it right now."

The tension in the room finally broke. I could not hold it inside anymore. The secret was suffocating me.

"Fine," I admitted loudly. "I have been thinking about you since the day I caught you with her."

"What exactly were you thinking about?" Enzo asked.

"Everything," I confessed. My face felt incredibly hot. "I admit it, maybe I wanted to be the one you were pounding so hard. Maybe I wanted to be the one you were spanking, so what? What does that change?"

Enzo stared at me. He looked completely shocked for a brief second. His eyes widened slightly.

"It changes everything," Enzo said.

"No, it changes absolutely nothing," I argued back. "I still do not do men. I am a writer. I create fictional stories. That is just my imagination running wild. It is not real."

"Your imagination is very detailed," Enzo noted.

"It means nothing," I repeated firmly. "It is just a stupid fantasy. It does not mean I want to act on it."

"Do you want me to stop?" Enzo asked directly.

"Stop what?" I asked.

"Stop doing this," Enzo clarified. "Stop pushing you. Stop wanting you. Tell me to stop, Rhys. Tell me to leave your room right now, and I will walk out that door. I will never bring this up again."

I opened my mouth to tell him to leave. I wanted to tell him to get out of my room. But no words came out. I could not answer him. I just stood there and looked at his mouth.

Enzo did not wait for my answer. He moved closer and closed the distance between us. He put his large hands on my waist and pulled me against him. He leaned down and kissed me hard.

I froze completely for a full second. I kept my hands tight by my sides. I had never kissed a man before. His lips were slightly rough but incredibly warm. He tasted like mint. I stood perfectly still while he moved his mouth over mine.

Then my brain stopped working and I responded to him.

I opened my mouth and let him in, shocking myself with how strongly I wanted it. I lifted my hands and grabbed his broad shoulders. I pulled him even closer to me. Enzo groaned quietly. His grip on my waist tightened instantly. He pushed me backward until I fell onto the mattress.

He followed me down, pinning my legs with his heavy body. The kiss became much more intense. He slid his tongue into my mouth. I tangled my fingers in his thick dark hair. I kissed him back with everything I had. My chest heaved up and down. I felt his heat pressing against my stomach.

Suddenly, Enzo stopped. He pulled his mouth away from mine, lifted his head and looked down at me. He rolled off my body and stood up from the bed.

I laid there on my back. I was breathing very hard. My lips felt bruised and swollen. I felt completely furious at myself for wanting more of him. I wanted him to come back to the bed.

"Why did you stop?" I asked him. My voice sounded very rough.

"You're confused," Enzo said firmly. He took a step backward toward the closed door. "You just admitted that you have never been with a man. You are dealing with a fresh breakup. I will not take advantage of you while you are in this state."

"I am not confused right now," I told him. I sat up on the bed quickly.

"Yes, you are," Enzo replied. "Get some sleep, Rhys. We have training early tomorrow morning."

Enzo turned around and reached for the silver door handle. I jumped off the bed. I crossed the room in two large steps. I reached out and grabbed his shirt before he could open the door. I pulled the dark fabric tightly in my fist. Enzo stopped moving. He did not turn around to face me. He just looked down at my hand holding his shirt.

"I never said you could stop.”