Chapter 4

IVY

The next evening, Eddie drove me to Whitefish Resort. It was dark by the time we arrived. Eddie hooked a left and rolled his truck through the iron gates leading onto the resort property. A few miles down the road, Eddie turned right and headed up the driveway to the Wyatt's private ranch. The driveway was long and narrow, and dirt and dust flew around his truck.

The sprawling ranch-style home appeared, overlooking Montana's finest mountains. The sight nearly took my breath away. It was stunning, and I had forgotten how beautiful Moose Creek was. Not to mention how incredibly appealing the ranch appeared to be. It was two stories high with a white wrap-around porch and stunning floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountainous landscape. It was gigantic and almost too good to be true.

Eddie leaned across my lap and opened the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. You know I'd drive all night if I had to."

"I'll be fine," I assured him. "The employee bunkhouse isn't that far away if I need anything or get lonely."

I walked over to the driver's side window, leaned through, and hugged Eddie. When I pulled away, he kept his eyes down and sighed tensely. I knew he wasn't happy about my situation, but he wasn't making things any better by acting this way. We both knew there was no way I could work at the General Store and make the same kind of money I would earn working at Whitefish Resort. The pay was double, and God knew I needed the money.

I waved goodbye to Eddie and made my way onto the porch. He gave me a subtle wave but didn't budge from the driveway. He was waiting for me to step inside the ranch, where he knew I was safe. I shoved in Blaine's key, turned the lock, and stepped into the dark interior. I closed the front door behind me with a soft click. I finally heard the rumblings of Eddie's truck roll down the driveway.

At first, I thought I was hearing things when I entered the foyer. I flicked on a light switch that lit up a massive chandelier of deer antlers hanging directly above me. I could hear voices faintly in the distance when I walked through the rustic kitchen. My heart stopped when I noticed two empty whisky glasses on the countertop. That's strange. I tip-toed through the kitchen and followed the noises. They were still muffled, but a female voice became much more evident when I bravely rounded the corner and stepped into the sunken living room.

"Oh yeah...harder...harder... yeah, right there, baby."

My eyes widened, and I threw both hands over my mouth to stop the gasp from escaping my lips. I knew I should look away but couldn't bring myself to do it. The bare ass in front of me was undeniable. I had studied it every single day of my high school life, wishing I could touch it. Rhys Wyatt's muscular back was bare, breathtaking and covered in tattoos. His dark hair was no longer short and groomed but long, unruly, and wild. The only thing distracting me from fully appreciating his presence was watching his hands cup around two long and skinny legs on either side of his hips with toes curling in utter bliss.

"I'm coming, Rhys... I'm...I'm... coming!" shouted the girl experiencing such great euphoria beneath him.

It made my blood boil. What the hell was he doing here?

"Are you fucking kidding?" I shouted.

The unknown female let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed into the cathedral ceilings. Rhys calmly turned around and covered his package with his free hand and her mouth with the other. His unbelievably ripped but lean and cut body was perfectly shadowed by the roaring fire that filled the living room with a soft but steady glow. His eyes flickered into mine, and his lips curled in utter amusement at the look of horror on my face.

The girl quickly sat up and covered her boobs - no, wait, let me correct myself, covered her fake tits with her skinny arm, barely hiding her nipples. She was pretty but hardly breathtaking, with mascara-smeared eyes and a messy head full of freshly fucked hair.

"Don't you knock before entering a residence? " Rhys arrogantly laughed. He was clearly proud of himself for looking like a stud with an unknown female beneath him.

"Who is she?" the girl shrieked, still visibly shaken by my presence.

"I'm Ivy." I glared into her dark, angry eyes.

"She's no one, baby, relax. She's just my little brother's girlfriend."

His words sliced right through me, and I almost fell to the floor. I seriously hated him. I hated him when we were kids for teasing me relentlessly in the schoolyard, then as teenagers for leaving me embarrassed and aching on my father's desk, and now for being such an asshole. Seriously, what the hell was he doing here? He hadn't returned since he left for college, and now he suddenly decided to stop in for some casual fucking? I never thought I'd see him in Montana again.

"What is she doing here?" she sputtered and used a pillow to cover her naked body. "I thought you said you had the place all to yourself."

Rhys shifted his clear blue eyes between us, but before he could answer, I flippantly pointed at him and said, "Does Blaine or your Dad know you're here?"

Rhys didn't answer me. He bent down to give me another shot of his perfect ass as he pulled a hot pink dress off the floor and tossed it at the girl whose name remained a mystery. "Put this on, baby, and give us a few minutes, would you?"

The girl looked horrified. I suddenly realized it wasn't my place to ask what was happening here. This ranch didn't belong to Blaine only; it belonged to Rhys too, and as he said, I was "no one."

"No. We don't need a few minutes," I mumbled. "I'll leave. I can spend the night at the employee bunkhouse."

I walked back through the kitchen and into the foyer. I snatched my duffle bag from the hardwood floor and sucked back tears stinging my eyes. I hated how I reacted. I had no business saying any of the things I did.

Once the door slammed behind me, I looked back at the sprawling ranch, which contained what was once my weakness.

I made it halfway down the driveway when the ground rumbled beneath my feet, and bright lights lit up the gravel road behind me. I whipped around and saw a black Range Rover rolling toward me. Shit! He must have parked that fancy vehicle in the garage. I stopped dead in my tracks before I moved over to the side of the road. The vehicle slowly pulled up beside me. The tinted power windows rolled down, and our eyes locked.

"Get in," Rhys ordered.

"I don't think so," I shook my head, relieved my voice came out steady.

Rhys's eyebrows shot up, and he leaned an elbow on the window's edge. "Come on, Ivy. Don't be like that. Get in. I promise I won't bite." The amusement in his voice only agitated me more. I swallowed hard, but this time, I didn't say anything.

I wished he hadn't followed me. He wasn't making how I once felt about him any easier by glaring at me with his piercing blue eyes. I forced my gaze to the ground and tried to act like he wasn't three feet ahead of me, watching every move I made. Why did he have to be so unbelievably gorgeous? Why couldn't he have come back fat or bald or something like that? Only Rhys Wyatt could show up unannounced with hair to his shoulders and a body covered with tattoos and still look like perfection.

"Jesus, Ivy," he let out a low laugh. "I am not going to ask you again. Now get inside my vehicle."

Rhys's eyes smirked into mine until the silence between us became unbearable. One hand was on the steering wheel, and the other casually hung out the window.

"I'm good, thanks," I finally say, and somehow, my wobbling legs move down the gravel road.

I had no idea where I was headed or where this insane behaviour came from. I had never talked to anyone how I just talked to Rhys, but something about seeing him gloat - knowing I caught him thrusting his dick in and out of whatever her name was, sent me into a deep dark part of myself I was quickly coming to hate.

He shouted my name as his tires slowly inched down the road behind me. This was ridiculous. What on earth was I running from anyway? I didn't care about Rhys Wyatt anymore. I was with Blaine. I took a deep breath, stopped dead in my tracks, and met his smiling eyes.

"Change of heart?" he smirked.

What an ass.

I let out a deep breath and glared at him. I wanted to smack his smirk right off his face. When I didn't answer immediately, he added, "Come on, Ivy. Don't make me get out to throw you in."

I walked across the vehicle's front end, opened the door and slid into the passenger's seat. Rhys draped his arm along the back of my seat and glanced over his shoulder as he put the vehicle in reverse. As he slowly crept backward up the winding road, neither of us said a word. I glanced up at him and studied his perfect jawline while his head was cocked to the side and focused on the road behind us. His lips were tense and tight before he caught my stare. He gazed at me momentarily, and I saw his eyes soften for a second. He quickly looked away from my face, and I forced my stare down into my lap. Rhys successfully backed his vehicle into the garage and pressed a tiny button on a key chain dangling from the ignition. The automatic garage door automatically pulled down in front of us.

"She'll be gone in a couple of hours," he said, looking straight ahead out the windshield. "I called her a cab."

I nodded, then slipped out of his vehicle without saying another word. Opening the side door that led into the ranch, I refused to look back at Rhys and moved as quickly as I could into the guest bedroom. I didn't want to know where that girl was, and I especially didn't want to be anywhere near Rhys. I had no idea what he was doing here, and all I could hope for was that he'd be gone when I woke up tomorrow morning.