(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179: What a wonderful day with the Captain

Captain Rhys Thatcher was having one of the best days of his whole life. In fact, he wasn’t sure if anything would ever be able to top the last 24 hours.

It had started quite rough, if he was honest with himself. He’d been in a foul mood, and it had only gotten worse the longer he had spent away from his adorable Mr. Woods.

He had hated that he hadn’t had time to speak with him, let alone hold his hand in the two weeks that the two of them had been running around each other. Rhys had been kicking himself, frustrated since he was supposed to be seducing his pair, leading him down the road of debauchery at his own hand, and instead, he was stuck in useless meetings with people who spent half of their time blowing smoke up each other’s ass, and the other half getting shit done.

It was an endless cycle of getting a glimpse of Mr. Woods, and then having to be whisked away by the next task. It almost would have been better if he hadn’t seen him at all, since then he wouldn’t remember what he was missing.

It was especially harsh on him since it seemed like Mr. Woods had been completely fine. The man hadn’t a hair out of place every time he saw him. He was so professional, and didn’t appear as if a giant crack was forming inside of him. Not like Rhys.

So he pretended to be fine, pretended to be the perfect Esper, the perfect Captain, even as it felt like his heart was ripping out of his chest and his fingers itched to hold Mr. Woods. _{freēwēbηovel.c૦m}

He was on his last fucking nerve when Pamela brought up the calendar photoshoot. He had been ready to snap her head off, until he remembered.

It was Mr. Woods first appearance in the Guild, and he was an important person to the Guild.

Everyone would want a photo of him, and as a Captain, it was his duty to oversee something so important.

A dark, almost Villain-like smile crossed his face, and Rhys had put his head down to get his plan put in place. He wanted the rest of the afternoon off after the photoshoot, so that meant he had to push everyone hard until that day, get everything done, and give himself a break.

He also wanted the time to actually seduce Mr. Woods like he had intended. Maybe the night of the photoshoot the two of them could go out to dinner, spend some time away from the Guild building. Mr. Woods liked eating out in the past, and Rhys had liked to watch him glow from the inside out as he tried new things.

It was a slow seduction, but Rhys had time. He would always have time for Mr. Woods.

So, he spoke like a human would, smiled until he thought his face was going to break, and tried to be as charming as possible until the day of the photoshoot arrived.

He had to try to play it cool when he saw Mr. Woods walk in with Guide Jameson, and when he saw the confusion on his face, his heart had stopped. Then, Rhys came to a startling, and horrifying realisation.

As much as he adored Mr. Woods, he was also afraid that Mr. Woods would reject him. So even as he wanted to rush over and smother him with kisses and affection, he found himself frozen in place. He was terrified that Mr. Woods would look at him with cold eyes, full of disdain. It was the same fear that had gripped him after he’d realised what he’d done to Mr. Woods on that fateful day.

The one that made him run away.

And like that day, he did the exact same thing, proving that nothing had changed in the time since.

Kicking himself, he watched Mr. Woods from afar, even clenching his hand tightly when he took photos that he thought were way too close with Guide Jameson. He knew that they were friends, but sometimes he saw the way that Guide Jameson looked at Mr. Woods, and it made his blood boil.

That was, until Pamela called him over to take photos with Mr. Woods and Rhys put his hands on his Guide for the first time in a while.

The man was as stiff as a board, and Rhys would have laughed if his chest hadn’t hurt so much at the thought that Mr. Woods didn’t want his touch. The first round of photos were hard, unbearably so, until at one point, Mr. Woods snapped, and demanded that Rhys be put in the same holds that he had been in. Rhys had been willing to go along, even eager to understand what Mr. Woods had been through, until he caught a glimpse of what Mr. Woods had looked like mid photo.

Rhys had lost all ability to breathe.

If Mr. Woods had that look in his eyes, there was hope for the Captain still. So, once he was changed, and after they had previewed the photos, he had gone over to chat with him, test the waters so to speak.

It had been a disaster.

Mr. Woods had been standoffish, and Rhys worried that he had fucked up. Maybe...Mr. Woods had found someone else in the time that they had been apart? But then, what was up with the way he had looked at the camera? The way he had held him during the photo shoot?

In his own feelings, Rhys had run away, and only came back when they needed him for the second round of photos.

That was when Mr. Woods had collapsed in on himself, and Rhys got a peek into him to see how bad he was actually doing, and it was far worse then he had feared. He had known he wasn’t doing well, but that was because he was in love with the man. Had been for several years. But to find Mr. Woods in a worse state?