The Christmas Playbook (Shadow Valley U)

Chapter 12 I decide to give Rhys the night off, feeding an excuse to my family that he's on a video call with his family while they open his gifts. Meanwhile, I'm forced on a nonnegotiable family outing to the tree lighting in the center of the resort. The pine tree stands tall in the courtyard behind the lodge, the tip of it so high I have to crane my neck to see the bright star. Liam, with his rosy-red cheeks, is on top of my dad's shoulders to see better. Marcus acts like a child and secretly throws snowballs at the back of my sister's head to piss her off.

I laugh under my breath every time the powder explodes against her coat. Until he hits me. "Marcus." I spin with gritted teeth. "Don't play with me. You know I'll get you back." Cold snow slides down my neck and underneath the back of my sweater. A chill works through me, and I can't help but bend down to make my own snowball. "I would be afraid if your boyfriend was here." Marcus chuckles. "But he's not. Did he break up with you already?" I roll my eyes, all while packing my snowball tighter.

"If he did, it'd be because of how crazy my family is." Marcus makes the mistake of taking his eyes from me. I palm the snowball a few times until passersby move out of the way. When the coast is clear, I wind my arm back and send it flying. It smacks him on the side of his head, and my laughter erupts. "Mira!" my mom scolds me, but I truly couldn't care less. Maybe it's the random orgasm that Rhys gave me, or maybe it's just Rhys's presence in general. Either way, I'm much more chipper today than I've ever been while on a family trip.

I fake an apology to my mom and turn away from my brother. There's a weird pang in my stomach that comes with the thought of Rhys. Do I miss him? No. Surely not. It would be insane to miss my fake boyfriend, right? And it's not like he's gone. He's just taking a break from being forced to do my stuff. "Hey, Mira... isn't that your boyfriend?" My brother's tone is laced with amusement. But I'm not stupid enough to fall for his tricks. "Nice try, Marcus," I call over my shoulder.

"I know the second I turn around, you're going to hit me dead center in the face with a snowball." "Boy...fwiend!" Liam claps his hands while my dad holds him steady on his shoulders. Butterflies fill my stomach, and warmth rushes in. Why did I just get butterflies? I follow Liam's line of sight, forgetting all about Marcus and our snowball fight, and spin over the slippery ground. "Think fast!" Marcus shouts. My hands fly up to block the hit, but nothing comes. Someone grabs my wrists and slowly pulls my face free. I blink several times before snapping out of my trance.

Rhys stands in front of me with the hottest smirk I've ever seen. "Need some backup, Frostbite?" Excitement forces a real smile onto my face. Rhys jerks slightly at the sight of it. "You should smile more often," he whispers. "It's a pretty one." A knot forms in my throat from the compliment. Does he mean that? Or is he just playing along with the whole boyfriend thing? "Bro, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you." Rhys drops my wrists and wraps his arm around my waist. "I know. You were trying to hit my girl." My cheeks burst with heat. His girl. Marcus shrugs sheepishly.

"She started it." I gasp. "I did not." For original chapters go to fіndnovel.net Rhys chuckles and peers down at me. "Want to go get some hot cocoa?" "Hot cocoa!" Liam chants from behind me. I wrinkle my nose at him. "Do you want some hot cocoa, too?" My dad grabs his wallet and offers me money. "Hurry before your sister sees and tells us he can't have sugar." I laugh and reach forward for the money, but Rhys quickly tugs me backward. "I've got it. Anyone else want some?" Marcus pipes up. "Me." Rhys glances at him.

"Only if you stop throwing snowballs at my girlfriend." "Done." I roll my eyes at my brother before heading towards the hot cocoa stand. Once we're out of earshot, I peek at him. "What are you doing here? I gave you the night off." Rhys blows air out of his puffed-up cheeks. "We've got a problem, Frostbite." Panic forces me to stop walking. "You want to break up?" Shit. My heart jolts, and I fear it's the beginning of an upcoming heartbreak from my fake boyfriend breaking up with me, which means I'm more delusional than I thought. "Okay," I start babbling. "We will need a plan.

Maybe make a scene? We can get into a big fight." My teeth sink into my lip as I think of reasons for our fight. "Maybe you can say that you don't want a commitment⁠-" Rhys grips my chin, his hold firm but steady. Silence takes over. His thumb frees my lip from my teeth, and his eyes shift back and forth between mine. "I don't want to break up. We haven't even had sex yet." He's joking. I think. He gently skims his thumb against my lip. "I expected a refusal or, at the very least, a scoff." His eyebrow rises beneath his beanie.

"Interesting." The snow under my boots makes a noise with my shifting. I wouldn't be surprised if it started to melt from the heat brewing between my legs at the thought of having sex with Rhys. I clear my throat. "No breakup, then. What's the problem?" Rhys glances back and forth. "You know how I came here with my friends? Well, they're starting to notice my more-than-usual absence, and Briar brought up coming to this thing. I couldn't really get out of it since I haven't spent any time with them." Oh. Oh.

"And they can't really see you with me and my family, or else they'll be wondering why you suddenly have a girlfriend," I finish. He nods. "And your family can't see me with them and not you." "Shit," I mutter. Suddenly, I feel bad. I've been monopolizing his time for this lie. I didn't even consider that he came to hang out with his friends. My shoulders fall, and I drop my gaze to our boots. "I'm sorry, Rhys. This is all my fault." "Hey." He gives me a little shake. "None of that." His finger lands on my chin, and he tips my head back. I stare into his eyes and instantly feel calmer.

"Playing the role of your boyfriend has made this trip interesting." His grin is infectious. "Plus, I got to finger you on the slopes. No regrets there. Now, we just need to keep up appearances for your family while avoiding my friends, and I need to slip away to show my face with them. It's doable. Like juggling. Or lying to your family about being able to snowboard." I huff with annoyance, but it's fake. I don't know how he does it, but I lose my bad mood in his presence. "Oh shit." Rhys grabs my hand. Suddenly, we're running. Me and running on the slippery snow? Is he out of his mind?

"Rhys!" I squeal. "I'm going to fall!" "Not on my watch." He jerks to a stop and bends down in front of me. "Climb on, baby. We gotta take cover." "What?" I peer over my shoulder, and my gaze lands on a group of people our age. "Are those your friends?" "Yes! Now get on my back." I climb on quickly, and his arms wrap around my calves. I squeeze tight, enveloping him with my arms. My face is buried in the crook of his neck, and the dirtiest thought slips in. What would he do if I started to kiss him there? I lose track of where his hurried pace takes us.

Through a throng of people, back inside the lodge, we're immediately enveloped in warmth...then darkness. Rhys shuts a door and moves us away from the windows. "Where the fuck are we?" he mutters, still holding on to my legs. I peek around, and although there aren't any lights, I know exactly where we are. "Santa's workshop." I laugh quietly. "It's a cute little cottage that the resort has set up during the day for kids to walk through." "Explains why my head is almost touching the ceiling," he mumbles. I bury my face into his neck again, trying to conceal my laughter.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" he asks, amused. A breathy laugh leaves my mouth, landing right over the spot on his neck that was tempting me no more than a few seconds ago. "I can make it even funnier," I tease. Before I give him a chance to question me, I press my mouth beneath his jaw and kiss him. His pulse quickly picks up speed and pounds against my lips. "Mira, Mira, Mira." Rhys tsks his tongue while moving his head to the side to give me better access.

"Are you trying to get me all hot and bothered in Santa's workshop?" "Who, me?" I pepper his neck with light kisses until I get to the stubble on his sharp jaw. He turns slightly, our mouths a breath away. "You're going to end up on the naughty list if you keep that up." His voice is strained. And I can't help but love the sound. I smile shyly. "Good."