Strings of the Heart (Runaway Train #3)(56)

I couldn’t help feeling wounded by the fact he was actually working to avoid me and treating me with kid gloves. But instead of showing my hurt, I plastered a smile onto my face. “I see,” I replied. I then brought the tape measure to his neck. The moment my fingers touched his bare skin, he jumped. “Sorry if my fingers are cold.”

“It’s fine,” he replied, as I turned away to scribble down the inches.

“Raise your arms,” I requested. As I brought my arms around Rhys, my face brushed against his chest. I couldn’t stop the tremor that went through me as I inhaled his cologne. While I fitted the tape against his pecs, I remembered what his bare chest looked like, even what it felt like as his body hovered over mine when we were making love. Even though I hated the way he had been acting, I couldn’t deny the attraction I still felt for him. I wanted to rub my body against his, feel his hands on me like they had been once before.

After pushing away my lustful thoughts, I ordered, “Bend your arm at the elbow and place it on your hip.”

“Don’t I get a ‘please’?” he asked, with a teasing lilt in his voice.

“You missed out on ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ because you were late,” I countered, running the tape measure down his bicep.

He sighed. “I did say I was sorry. I promise the next time you need me for something, I’ll be on time. I swear.”

Eyeing him, I searched his face and saw true sincerity. I nodded. “Okay then.”

After getting his waist and hips, I scribbled down the measurements, all the while dreading what I had to do next. For some reason, it hadn’t seemed as mortifying to do Brayden or AJ’s inseam. But I already felt my cheeks warming at the mere thought of doing it to Rhys. It also didn’t help that we were all alone.

I dropped to my knees in front of him. “What the f**k do you think you’re doing?” Rhys demanded, as he jumped back from me like he had been scalded with hot water.

Tilting my head up at him, I blew a few strands of hair out of my face. “I’m sorry. I have to get your inseam, or the pants won’t fit right.”

Rhys clenched and unclenched his jaw a few moments before he stepped back in front of me. It didn’t help matters that my face had to be right on eyelevel with his crotch to get the measurements.

“C-Can you s-spread your legs a little?” With a grunt, Rhys shifted his feet and moved his legs. “Thank you,” I replied, as I brought the tape up to the inside of his groin. The moment my hand brushed against his crotch, Rhys’s h*ps jerked forward.

Trying to ignore his reaction, I took the tape and ran it down his leg to the back of his heel. When I started to remove the tape, I sucked in a breath. The front of Rhys’s jeans strained with a half-mast bulge.

When I jerked my gaze up to his, he shook his head furiously. “Don’t look at me like that!”

“How am I looking at you?” I whispered.

He licked his lips. “Like you want to do something about what you caused.”

Heat warmed my cheeks. “I didn’t mean to. I was just getting your measurements.”

Reaching down, Rhys grabbed me under my arms and hauled me to my feet. My tape measure fell to the floor between us. As Rhys crushed me against his chest, his wild gaze focused on mine. “I guess you’re happy about that, huh?”

I didn’t like the tone he was using with me—it wasn’t him. He had never spoken like this to me before. “No, I—”

“None of the other guys sprung wood while you were touching them, did they?” he demanded. When I shook my head, he said, “I didn’t think they did. They’re not me—they don’t get affected by you like I do.”

My heart leapt into my throat at his statement. “Y-You do?”

He slid his hand over my hip to cup my bu**ocks. When he pressed his bulge against my core, we both gasped at the pleasure. “You tell me. Am I affected by you?”

“Yes. Very much.”

Grinding his pelvis into mine again, he asked, “Are you affected by me?”

“Yes. Always,” I murmured, staring into his hooded eyes.

With his mouth hovering over mine, Rhys shook his head. “Fuck me, Allison…I thought we were going to be friends.”

“We are.”

A defeated look crept into his eyes. “This doesn’t feel like friendship. It feels like much, much more.”

What the hell? He was giving me whiplash from his emotional yo-yoing back and forth. Did he mean that he really wanted me now? Or was he just teasing me for more of his own sadistic fun? I was starting to think Rhys could be one cruel bastard.

“Maybe that’s because one of us hasn’t been honest about how they truly feel,” I countered, jerking my chin up.

As the color drained from his face, Rhys froze his movements against me. Just when he opened his mouth to say something, the door flew open, and Eli burst inside followed by Gabe. “Here we are. Reporting for our fitting,” Eli said, giving me a mock salute.

Rhys jerked back from me so fast I was sure he was going to end up with whiplash. He spun around to hide the evidence of his arousal from Eli and Gabe. I turned to face the twins. “Hey guys, I’m ready when you are.”

Glancing past me, Gabe’s brows furrowed at Rhys. “You okay, man?” he asked.