Restless (Relentless Series Book 2) by Alyson Reynolds Page A

always comes back to me not staying in one place for long. Who cared that I went to fourteen countries in the year I lived in Europe? The fact that I was well traveled never occurred to anyone.
    “You traveled around Europe for a bit,” Rhys said. “I bet you learned all sorts of interesting shit, didn’t you?”
    Thank goodness someone's on my side . I gave him a grateful smile.
    “I did actually. The year I spent in Europe was amazing. People, food, culture; the United States doesn’t compare to the traditions and history from over there. I learned to speak French and Italian fluently. I would love to go back someday,” I narrowed my eyes at Violet, “but that doesn’t mean I’m booking a ticket tomorrow.”
    She waved her hands in front of her in a truce. “I never said that. All I meant was you get distracted too easily.”
    There was a reason I moved around a lot, but it had nothing to do with being bored. It had more to do with the fact that I was terrified of having relationships. Violet didn't understand what happened back home in Georgia and I hoped she never did.
    “I enjoy seeing the world."
    Rhys squeezed my arm. “I think it’s admirable. It doesn’t do any good to be locked up forever. All the time I’ve spent building up my business, it’s just not worth it some days."
    My arm tingled where he had touched it. The tension between us was almost deafening. Why was I so attracted to him even when all I could think about was Stephen? I had enough problems that I really didn’t need to add onto them with whatever this was.
    “So I know you buy bars, but what else do you do, Rhys?” Violet asked.
    “I own five of them altogether. The bars alone would bring enough for me to live on, but I also deal in real estate. My brother and I used to flip houses, do all the work ourselves, really get in there and help. We shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears when we first started, but now we have our own construction company that does the hard work.”
    “I have this bathroom at the beach house—”
    “Violet, no,” I cut her off. “You are not getting Rhys involved in that stupid bathroom. Just let Jaxon hire the guy like he wants.”
    She pursed her lips, unhappy that I was siding with her husband. “But—”
    I turned towards Rhys. “She’s been on a renovation kick lately. Violet thinks she’s a DIYer who can fix anything. Jax is going to go nuts the next time he comes in and she’s knocked a hole in a wall or ripped out carpet.”
    “It only happened once,” she defended.
    Rhys’ husky chuckle filled the air and goosebumps rose on my arms. “Do you know anything about construction?”
    “No, but I watch people on TV all the time. If they can do it so can I.”
    “Seriously, you just need to stick with acting.” I shook my head. Sometimes my sister was a little relentless when she came up with an idea. “Harper will be crawling around on concrete if you don’t get the hardwood floors down soon.”
    “Who builds a house on the beach and puts in carpet,” she mumbled.
    “That is pretty stupid,” Rhys agreed, trying to keep a straight face. His eyes twinkled in amusement.
    This man was something else. I enjoyed his company, even without the encouragement of alcohol, and he put up with my insane sister. We had a lot in common. It seemed unreal that I had found this guy in a bar in the middle of nowhere and then he magically showed up in California. I thought I would never see him again, but I’m happy I did. If he hadn’t looked so damn shocked that first night, I might have believed he'd followed me, but you couldn’t fake that kind of surprise.
    Rhys Brooks was the kind of man that got what he wanted and right now he was looking at me like I was dinner.

     
    My phone chimed, and I looked down to read the incoming text. I had to finish the article I was working on, like yesterday. It wasn't often that I forgot a deadline and had to rush to get my work submitted on time, but with