Rys's hands were filled with shopping bags of party clothes when we left the boutique.
"You spent too much on me," I said, curling my hands around his biceps.
He kissed my forehead. "Our definitions of too much differ."
"Right." I sighed. "At least you made Lynn happy with the tip."
"And you? Did I make you happy?"
"Of course. It's the most spectacular dress I've ever worn. The shoes too, but I'll need to rehearse walking in them at home tomorrow."
"I'll give your feet a good massage after the event," Rys said, unlocking his car. He left the bags in it and spun to face me. "Do you feel like walking to the marina? We could have lunch at a restaurant I love."
"Sure."
Rys wrapped his hand around mine, and we strolled down the busy street. At the marina, cries of seagulls and murmur of the ocean filled my ears, and my stomach reacted with a growl to the mouth-watering aromas wafting from the nearby restaurants.
Rys led the way to a modern, white-walled building. The waiter greeted us with a smile and led us to the terrace that offered a view of the sea and docked yachts swaying on gentle waves.
After we sat, Rys ordered white wine and leafed through the leather-bound menu.
"I was thinking about trying their fish. Is that okay with you?"
"The fish looks great."
The server returned and filled our glasses with wine. I roamed my surroundings with my eyes while Rys told him what we wanted. As the man left, I took a sip of Chardonnay and focused my attention on Rys, who watched me with a smile, rubbing the stem of his glass.
"What?" I asked.
He moved his head from side to side. "Just enjoying the view. We need to do this more often."
"This as in you spending obscene amounts on things for me?"
Rys chuckled, bringing the drink to his lips. "This as in you and me spending time together. And please stop worrying about the money, mi cielo. Last time I checked, I had more than enough. Besides..."
The waiter put a plate with oysters on the table.
"Besides?" I asked as he left.
"I asked you to accompany me, and it's safe to say no guest will be underdressed at that event."
"Who do you need to impress there, Mr. Delano? My parents took me to enough of those parties to know it's always business mixed with pleasure."
Rys quirked his lips. "If I'm honest with you, some people there will likely try to impress me, not the other way around."
"But you said it's a business opportunity. I still don't see what hotels and yachts have in common other than, you know, the luxury."
Rys picked up a lemon wedge and squeezed the juice onto the oysters.
"Try this first," he said, bringing one to my lips.
Laughing, I trapped the edge of the shell between my teeth and tipped my head back so the oyster would slip into my mouth.
I put the empty shell on a plate, and Rys breathed a chuckle as he took an oyster for himself. "Let's see if I can repeat the trick."
I cracked up when he mimicked my unladylike way of eating and handed him a napkin. "You need to work on your aim, Mr. Delano. You've got some juice on your chin."
Rys dabbed at his mouth. "It'll improve with more practice. But it definitely tastes better this way."
"Liar."
He reached across the table and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. "My honesty got me in trouble a few times. Do you still want to know why I need to attend that celebration?"
"Of course I do."
"Okay." Rys caressed my face once more and dropped his hand. "I told you Delano Environmental Solutions works on making buildings sustainable, but we've been trying to branch out. Due to the recent environmental regulations, yacht builders need help from companies like mine, but not every company has the necessary expertise."
"But yours does."
"Accurate." He nodded. "There are other shipyards, but Ingvel is the biggest. If we sign a contract with them, it'll be the best publicity for us both here and out of the country. It's only a matter of time until every industry and business has to implement new environmental policies. We'd be a step ahead of our competitors if we started to work with yacht builders now."
"I'm sure they'll agree."
Rys folded and unfolded the corner of a napkin, his brows furrowed. "I'll have some convincing to do. I know the CEO through our hotel business. Cohen and his team have been staying at our hotels for years, and he respects me, but respect alone doesn't guarantee a deal."
Seeing Rys doubt himself was endearing in a strange way. Very few people were as effortlessly charismatic, and he carried himself with quiet confidence I admired. Still, it was in these moments of vulnerability that I saw myself reflected in him.
"You'll do your best to convince them your company is what they need." I laced my fingers with Rys's on the table. "You told me you have the knowledge they look for, so persuading them shouldn't be a problem."
Rys brushed the back of my hand with his thumb. "I won't do that at his company's fiftieth-anniversary celebration, mi cielo. I just need him to be aware of what we could potentially offer and seek me out after."
"It doesn't matter," I whispered. "I believe in you anyway."
***
The sun was still searing as we strolled along another shopping street after the delicious lunch. The grilled fish was to die for, and the Italian lemon ice cream placed the restaurant in my top five, right under The Wave I loved because of the memories featuring Rys.
A small stationery shop was tucked between clothes stores. I needed pencils to sketch, so I nodded toward the display in the window. "Can we check it out?"
"Sure," Rys said, heading for the entrance. He opened the door and held it so I'd go in first. Inside, he lingered by the shelf with agendas while I scanned the rest of the store. I spotted color pencils on a table and went to grab some of a high-quality brand I knew, but as I gripped the box, decks of cards caught my eye. Not just any cards, but card games.
The red letters on the front of the pack on top read Get to know your partner. I took it from the pile and twirled it. Playing the game with Rys crossed my mind, but would he want to? He was my partner in all the ways that mattered. More than that, he was my lover and my friend. Sadness threatened to ruin my mood as I thought about who we'd be to each other in less than two weeks.
Nobody.
A beautiful memory you keep locked in your heart to cry over at night.
I put the cards back. A heartbeat later, long, slightly tanned fingers picked them up.
"Would you play this game with me, or are you afraid of spilling your secrets?"
A forceful swallow worked my throat. "No more than you're afraid of telling me yours."
Rys hugged my waist from behind and pressed a kiss to my neck. "I found something cool. Look at this.
He was holding a stainless steel clip in the shape of an anchor.
"What's that?" I asked.
"A bookmark. I hate dog-earing pages, and if I can, I read during flights. This is handy. What did you pick up?"
"Just some pencils. I figured that wasn't something you'd have at home. I only need a sketchbook, and then we can go."
"Can you draw?"
I poked Rys's nose. "Maybe."
"See?" He winked. "That's why that game will be handy, too. No more half-truths, Miss Walton. Only brutal honesty."
I pressed my lips to Rys's. "Okay. Let's see how willing you are to answer all the tricky questions in that deck."
"Wait. You know what they are?"
"Didn't have enough time to read them," I tossed over my shoulder as I set off for the shelf with sketchbooks in all sizes, colors, and shapes, and Rys followed me. "But I expect to learn a lot about you."
"Likewise," he rasped in my ear, squeezing my hip.
His touch caused a fluttering sensation in my stomach. I tried to ignore it the best I could while picking a sketchbook and a pencil sharpener.
As if he were on a mission to fund my every whim, Rys paid for everything at the checkout, and we walked to his car.
As I got in and sat, my bare thighs stuck to the warm leather. Rys turned on the air conditioning and drove out of the parking spot. For a while, I kept my gaze fixed on the busy streets of Emerport, whose traffic noises were far less pleasant than the sound of waves breaking. Marfolk was different from everything I knew—a wonderful, peaceful kind of different I'd miss once I was back home.
"What's on your mind?" Rys's deep voice filled the vehicle, and he rested his palm on my bare knee.
"Do you miss Ellingworth? I was thinking that I could live without the chaos of Wickhampton for a bit longer."
Rys's expression lifted in a smile. "Do I miss being at the office at seven a.m. and putting out fires all day? Hardly. Do I miss my bed? You're not in it, so that's a no."
"You probably wouldn't fit in my bed at home," I said. "It has the entire zoo of stuffed animals on top."
"As much as I care about the animal species, I'm afraid we'd need to kick them out. I wouldn't manage to sleep if it's not next to you."
"How are you going to sleep in less than two weeks, then?"
Being upfront with Rys was easy, and maybe that was the problem because everything coming out of my mouth lacked a filter.
His grin flipped into a frown. A moment later, Rys expelled a heavy exhale. "I don't have a clue."
Neither did I, so I covered his hand with mine as if he needed comfort. Maybe we both did, because, for every thing we said to each other, there were lots that we didn't dare to say.
"I didn't want to ruin the mood," I whispered. "It was a wonderful day."
"It's not over yet. I wanted to stop somewhere on our way home if you don't mind."
"I'd love to."
Over the next twenty minutes, Rys drove in silence while I soaked in the sight of his strong forearms and deft hands gripping the wheel. Only a watch adorned his wrist, and an idea popped up in my mind. I fished my phone out of my purse and went straight to the notes app, ignoring the notifications of texts I'd gotten earlier. I typed fast, afraid to forget the image my brain conjured. Once I was done writing, I checked the messages.
Brock: I'm sorry for how I spoke to you. I'm stressed out because of working with my father.
I deleted the chat and shoved the cell in my bag.
The car slowed. I looked over at Rys and then out of the car window. Dense woods surrounded us, but the place was different from the one he'd taken me to on a date.
Rys unbuckled my seat belt and his. The same hands I'd admired bracketed my face, and his impatient lips sought mine. The heat of his skin against me paired with the sensual caresses of his mouth made my body tingle with desire.
He gently curled a palm around my neck and broke the kiss. "You're shaking, mi cielo."
I leaned my forehead against Rys's. "I just want you."
He muttered a curse under his breath and lay a string of kisses along my jaw. "Take them off."
"What?"
"Your panties. Take them off now. And follow me."
My fingers trembled as I reached under my dress and pulled the lace thong down while Rys watched my every movement as if it was an erotic show. Once I tossed the garment aside, he opened the door and got out of the Tesla.
I did the same despite the weakness in my knees. Not even the light evening breeze was enough to cool me. I joined Rys by the front of his car, and my skin burned from lust and anticipation as he pulled me into the circle of his arms.
He lifted me effortlessly and sat me on the hood of his Tesla. "Just for the record," he whispered, leaning in until his lips were an inch away from mine, "it wasn't you I punished. Touch me and feel what you do to me."
I ran the tip of my tongue over Rys' bottom lip and cupped his erection through his slacks. He buried his fingers in my strands and yanked me toward him. His minty taste flooded my mouth as he devoured me, and I kissed him back, freeing him from his underwear.
His warm, wet mouth continued its gentle assault on my skin — jaw, neck, shoulder and stopped at my breasts.
I parted my legs and wrapped them around Rys's hips. "Please."
A wicked grin flashed across his stunning features, then he lowered the straps of my dress and took off my bra. "Please what?" Rys whispered, circling my nipple with the tip of his tongue. "More of this?"
"All of this. All of you."
He drew the tightened bud into his mouth and sucked, caressing my other breast with his free hand. I squeezed my legs around him as if it'd help me bring him closer and push him inside me. Rys went on kissing me until my whimpers grew embarrassingly loud, only stopping when I closed my fist around his erection and moved it up and then down.
He pressed his forehead to my shoulder. "Fuck. Tell me why your touch feels this way."
"What way?" I asked, breathless.
"Like something I won't ever get enough of."
Rys pushed himself off me only to press his palm to my belly so I'd lie back. In an instant, he was crouching down before me, and I rested my legs on his shoulders while his head disappeared between them.
It started with him gently kissing my inner thighs until I gripped his hair and directed his head toward where I needed his lips the most. A frisson of surprise shot through me at the feeling of Rys' tongue exploring me without a trace of shame. He entered me with its tip, and shivers of pleasure shook my core when he withdrew and trapped my clit between his lips.
"Rys." I moaned, lifting my hips.
He looked up at me as if to make sure what he did to me achieved its desired effect and kissed, licked, and sucked me faster. Each time his tongue met my slick wetness, pleasure rippled, growing until ripples became waves.
I found his hand on the hood of the car beside me and gripped it as my core tensed, and my release sent tingles of ecstasy down the length of my spine. They echoed in the tips of my toes and grew stronger when Rys pressed his bare chest to mine and entered me in one slow thrust.
I clutched his shoulders, torn between wanting to watch him and struggling to keep my eyes open.
He slid his palms under my ass and pulled me up toward him, creating delicious friction between our bodies.
"Does this feel like punishment?" Rys asked, nipping at my earlobe.
I dug my fingertips into his strained muscles. "No."
The force of his next thrust sent me up a few inches. "And now?"
My heartbeat quickened. "Harder."
He slammed into me repeatedly, not giving me time to recover or catch my breath. We clung to each other — my arms and legs tight around him, his mouth fused to mine. The frenzied rhythm Rys set was what I needed — heat pooled in my lower belly, and the familiar feeling of an impending climax appeared as I broke our kiss and watched his cock seamlessly move in and out of me.
"Can't. Get. Enough." Rys rasped against my mouth when my orgasm hit me, and the walls of my sex squeezed around his length.
I bit his bottom lip. "Let go."
With a curse, Rys spilled himself into the condom. As I held him, running my palms over his damp back, reality replaced the sex-induced haze. Birds chirped, and a light breeze caressed my naked skin, bringing in the scent of pines.
I traced the shape of Rys's mouth with the pad of my thumb. It lingered on the spot I'd bit, and I rubbed it.
Rys laughed quietly, burying his hand in my strands. "It didn't hurt, baby."
Something else did, though. No matter how good I'd gotten at lying to myself, I couldn't deny that when I told him to let go, don't let me go was what I really wanted to say.
Your Friday update is here:) thoughts?
That thing between them doesn't seem casual...
Thanks for checking on me and your messages here and on Instagram, guys🥰 I appreciate you.
On another note, it's Spring break for me next week, and I'm going to be away, so there will be no updates since I don't think I'll get any writing/editing time. Hope you enjoy your time off if you get to have some❤️ And hope you're enjoying Lyra and Rys's story.
Please, remember to vote. It costs nothing but really gives an author a confidence boost same as your comments❤️
See you in a week❤️