The dessert buffet we'd been invited to enjoy after dancing was just as unforgettable as the rest of the anniversary celebration. The variety of delicious sweet treats had me regretting eating so much before. As Rys and I stood chatting, plates with bite-sized pastries in hand, Cohen approached us, flashing a sparkling white smile that stood out against his tanned face.
"I'd love to steal Rys for a moment if you don't mind," he said to me.
I shook my head with a smile. "Sure."
Rys touched my cheek with his lips and went after the business owner. Once clusters of guests hid them from view, I bit into my strawberry cheesecake, my gaze wandering around the hall. A guy in a gray suit with his hair neatly combed to the side ambled over and stood by my side as if I were an old acquaintance he'd run into.
"Enjoying the night?"
Something in his innocent question sent shivers of awareness down the length of my back. I glanced at his clean-shaven face and quickly refocused on the lonely chocolate truffle on his plate.
"Very much."
"Not a big talker, are you?"
My thoughts made a U-turn and stopped at my earlier conversation with Paolo, who was now nowhere to be seen. "Guess I am in the right company."
If the truffle guy thought I was rude, he'd hopefully leave me alone and go eat his dessert. To my disappointment, he laughed. "She's got jokes."
Apparently, he was the type to hear a yes each time someone said no. A huge neon warning sign flashed in front of my eyes. The crowd parted slightly, allowing me to see Rys chatting with Cohen across the hall.
"Doesn't it amaze you how some people are just lucky?" My unwanted companion stared Rys's way with overt animosity. Or that and jealousy. "The most beautiful women, the best business opportunities. All because—"
"All because some people work hard and are excellent at what they do," I said, protectiveness unfurling in my chest.
The truffle slid to the edge of the plate from the force of the guy's laughter. "Beautiful and naive. I meant to say all because Isaac Delano fathered them, but what do I know? Enjoy looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, sweetheart."
Sweetheart. The word sounded like an insult coming from him. "Excuse me. I've got cakes to try," I said, making it my mission not to flatter the man by looking at his face.
I rushed to the opposite end of the buffet table and grabbed a chocolate-covered strawberry I wasn't sure I'd eat without feeling sick. Why did one rude person unsettle me so much? Was it his condescending behavior or what he said about Rys?
"Sorry." Rys came to stand beside me. "Cohen had a few questions, and I needed to answer."
Relief swathed me. No more unwanted attention and weird men now that he was back. "Don't apologize. I'd hate it if you missed an opportunity you'd been waiting for because of babysitting me. I was enjoying the pastries."
Too bad some were untouched, and Rys's attention strayed to my plate as if he'd read my mind. "Aren't those good? You haven't tried the chocolate one."
"Someone interrupted me." The words tumbled out before I thought them through.
Rys raised his brows. "Who?"
"That guy in a gray suit. He knows you."
I nodded in the truffle guy's direction. The girl in a purple dress was in his proximity, talking to a woman, but Rys didn't look her way and focused on the source of my discomfort instead.
"What did he say?"
"That some people are lucky. I told him some people worked hard."
Rys slung an arm around my shoulders and brought me close until I was flush with his chest.
"How about leaving?" he whispered in my ear.
"Would Cohen be okay with it?"
"This isn't the kind of party that lasts all night. My guess is, most guests will bid their farewells soon."
"Then let's go."
Saying goodbye didn't take us long, but when we left the yacht, the inky sky stretched overhead, and the reflection of the street lights bounced off the dark ocean water. It was already past midnight, and perhaps too late for the crazy idea my mind had been obsessed with since my conversation with Paolo, but it was worth a try.
"I wouldn't say no to a night beach stroll," I told Rys. "But I wanted to do something with your help."
The corners of his mouth twitched. "Why does this sound like trouble?"
I stepped in front of Rys and pressed my palms to the lapels of his jacket. "Maybe. I want a tattoo. Tonight. And I need your help because well, you're you."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a tattoo artist among my staff, Miss Walton."
I pouted and batted my lashes for good measure. "Does that mean it's a no?"
Rys rubbed the heart he'd given me between his fingers. "Two questions. Answer honestly, and it might be a yes."
"Might. I need more guarantees than that, Mr. Delano."
"I'll do my best, mi cielo, but it's past midnight. So, my first question. Are you likely to regret this in the morning?"
I vigorously shook my head, and Rys trailed his fingertips over my collarbone, either to just caress me or distract me so I'd change my mind.
"Okay. My second question is, why?"
I closed my eyes. A breeze blew in my face, flooding my nostrils with the salty smell of the ocean and freedom.
"I've never been more free. And I don't know who will return home, but surely not the same person who left it. Don't get confused; I'm going back. I've got a few emails asking about more pieces of my jewelry, and I need to... I won't be able to hide forever. But I need something that's going to stay with me..."
Since you won't.
I couldn't bring myself to say the words, but at some point during the blissful weeks together Rys and I learned to understand each other without them.
"Let me ask Elio and Ash," Rys said with a bit of tightness in his voice. While he texted, I paced the length of the wooden walkway, thinking about the word I wanted permanently etched into my skin until I was by Rys's side again.
"Guess we're lucky," he said.
Joy bloomed in my chest. I threw my arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses. "You're the best."
***
The tiny tattoo parlor belonging to Elio's friend in a town close to Emerport stood out on the dark street thanks to its lit sign reading Two Inked. Clay parked and waited for us while Rys and I marched to the tiny establishment.
A faint smell of disinfectant and cleaning spray greeted us together with a tired-looking artist who introduced himself as Dex. Curiosity leaked from his brown eyes as we accompanied him inside the studio.
"Thank you for seeing us so late," Rys said as Dex sat behind a desk and put a few photo books on the polished wood.
"It's okay. These are some of our designs. I don't know what exactly you're looking for, but something complex would likely require another appointment."
He addressed Rys, and an unwanted giggle flew out of my chest. "Nothing complex," I said. "I just want one word. Here."
I put a hand on the left side of my body under my boob. Rys narrowed his eyes enough for me to laugh harder.
"I'll have the same as her."
I stared at him. "What?"
Dex powered his computer, unfazed as though he was used to weird people's whims. "Same place?"
"Yeah. I'll go first and see how much it hurts."
"You don't even know what I want," I said as the smiling artist rose from the chair and approached us with a notepad, and Rys started unbuttoning his jacket.
"I trust you," he said.
"What if it's one of those cheesy quotes? Or a line from a romcom?"
Rys's eyes shone with amusement. "You said one word. Realistically, how cheesy can it get?"
"I didn't peg you for someone impulsive."
Rys tossed his three-thousand dollar jacket onto a chair and went on to rid himself of the vest. "Yet here we are."
"Guys. What are you going to get?"
Although Dex was smiling patiently, guilt pricked at me because he was at work because of us at two a.m., and we bickered instead of making it easier for him.
"Yes." Rys popped the tiny buttons of his shirt open with deliberate slowness. "What are we getting?"
I squished the desire to tell him I wanted my name under my boob and dropped into a chair, ready to watch Rys get naked and inked. "We're getting the word brave."
"Nice. Let's choose the design," Dex said.
Rys winked at me, handsome in his bare-chested glory. "See? Could've been worse."
His trust in me really was something else since I chose a script font and he didn't request a different one. I'd asked him if he was sure at least three times, and his determination never wavered.
He didn't wince as the needle sunk into his sun-kissed skin but fussed over me when I did during my turn because it did hurt, although choosing a short word helped.
When we were done, Rys paid Dex a few thousand despite his protests, saying nobody should do overtime for free.
I leaned on Rys in the Mercedes. He played with my hair during the long drive home, and although I was sleepy in the car, my drowsiness vanished as Clay parked in Rys's driveway.
It was the darkest hour before dawn, but soon, the sun would rise.
Once Clay left, Rys hugged me. "Want to see the sunrise? I have no meetings in the morning so we can sleep in."
"I'd love to."
He crouched down before me and unfastened my sandals. I was in his arms before my feet could touch the ground. Rys carried me across the backyard and to the beach, where he put me down and draped his jacket over my shoulders.
"As much as I love your sexy back, it might freeze in this dress."
I nudged his side. "So, my back is your favorite body part of mine?"
"I can't pick favorites," Rys said. "Love them all. What's your favorite?"
"Your big...before you imagine things, heart."
The hum of the waves drowned Rys's chuckle. "Before I imagine things. Good to know my male ego is safe with you."
"Your ego is small. Some have it bigger, like that weird guy with a truffle. The one in a gray suit."
A deep sigh came from Rys. "That was Charles."
"Do you know him well?"
"Better than I'd like." Rys embraced me as we strolled along the shore. "We went to the same college. His company has been trying to mimic what mine does but something keeps failing. He's resentful."
"It's not your fault you're doing better."
"Not everyone thinks success is merit-based. Lots chalk it up to luck. It's a bit of both, but luck alone is never enough if you want to succeed in the long run."
"He sounded jealous."
Rys ran his fingers down my biceps. "He's wasting his time."
I hugged his waist. We kept walking in silence, and when we stopped to take a rest, the darkness lifted, and orange tinted the horizon.
Rys threaded his fingers through mine and walked to where the sand was dry. "Let's sit."
I settled on his lap, resting my head on his sculpted shoulder.
"I also met a girl today," I said despite my initial resolve to just let it go. "She knows you. Dark hair, a purple dress."
"I definitely left you alone for too long. I'm sorry. Is there anything you want to know?"
"No, but also yes."
Rys kissed the top of my head. "That was my last attempt at a relationship. We dated briefly."
"What happened?"
"We were focused on our careers and what we had outside the relationship was more important than what was going on between us. We mutually agreed to end things."
"I got the impression it was you who ended them from how she spoke."
Rys moved his hand over my back in soothing circles. "She probably had some expectations I didn't meet. At that point in my life, dating wasn't a priority. Guess it showed. But even if it were...sometimes you know someone isn't your person, and I've always chosen honesty."
Dating was't a priority for him then, but what about now? What we had seemed so much more than a casual, no-strings-attached arrangement. Or maybe I was delusional enough to see what wasn't there.
His words resonated with me, though — deep down, I'd always known the guy I'd spent years dating wasn't the one. If only I'd had enough courage to leave that relationship when I realized it didn't fulfill my needs.
The cruel irony of destiny was that the man holding me gave me everything I didn't dare to dream of.
A new day awakened around us, spreading its pale rosy glow over the ocean water and sand. I traced the tattoo hidden under Rys's shirt. "Sometimes you also know if someone is the one."
A lingering kiss landed on my jaw. "Unfortunately, you always do."
I'd say the plot thickens but it's been thickening for a while, so I guess that's old news. Don't forget about the star.
P.S I love them together