Soft notes of jazz drifted from the built-in speakers at the hotel bar. Other than the bartender, Rys was the only person there, sitting on a black leather couch with his open laptop and a glass of whiskey on the rocks on the small table in front of him.
I walked a few steps until I stood next to it. "Hi."
Rys looked up from his computer. Relief danced across his chiseled features as if there was a possibility I wouldn't turn up here after I texted him to ask where he was barely half an hour ago.
He rose to his feet and nodded toward the bar. "Would you like a drink?"
"I'll have the same as you," I said, sitting.
Rys returned with a glass of whiskey. I ran my eyes over his face while he made himself comfortable beside me. Although he looked more relaxed, tension lingered in his expression. I trailed my fingertips over his jaw, taking my time to relish in the feeling of his skin. A few days ago, I didn't think I'd touch him, speak with him, or see him again. But he was here, and we had a chance to make it work.
"Are you okay?" I asked. "How's your dad?"
"Recovering." Rys leaned into my palm. "The surgery was a success. They're going to run some tests, but he might not need additional treatment."
"That's amazing news."
"It is." He picked up his drink and took a sip.
After staring at his lips for too long, I reached for my glass. Liquid courage glided down my throat, helping me form words. "I wanted to thank you."
Rys gave me a half-smile. "For what?"
"The white envelope. It was you, right?"
He rested the tumbler on his knee and rubbed circles on the glass with his thumb. "Yes, but I didn't do it for your parents. I still think depriving you of your trust was the worst decision they could've made, but I got some people to look into the Colemans' finances. If your father merged his company with theirs, his business would suffer, and in the future, those resorts will be yours."
"I didn't know your father knew Brock's well enough to invite him to the party." I curled my palms around my cold tumbler.
"Roger Coleman isn't my father's friend. More like an acquaintance he's seen maybe twice in his life. But my father is influential enough for people like the Colemans to try and kiss his ass. It just backfired for them this time, and I was lucky to see my father's invitation when I was at his office."
"I'm glad you turned up at La Delicia."
Rys set his drink on the table and tugged at my hand. "I was going to talk to you, anyway. Now come here. I haven't held you in days."
I snuggled into his side, closing my eyes. "It feels so much longer than that."
"It does. And we have a lot to discuss."
"Yeah." I inched away, although Rys kept his arm around my waist. "I'm going to Milan soon."
His lips spread into a grin. "You got a grant?"
"No. I mean, I don't know. I'm waiting for the school to reply. But I might have a job."
I told him about the portfolio, Kaia's help, and Paolo's call. Rys caressed my arm while I spoke, only asking a few questions.
"I have a plan B in case they don't accept me," I said when he fell quiet after my last response. "I'd work, save, and sell jewelry meanwhile. Then I'd try to get another grant or pay for my studies."
"Did you tell your parents any of this?"
"Not yet. It seemed like too much for one day. Dad was upset after he read the papers you gave him, and Mom sort of felt guilty for pushing me toward Brock. I wish she'd taken my side way sooner."
"The best way to redeem herself is by letting you dispose of your trust like a responsible adult you are. You'll need a place to live in Italy, mi cielo, although you can stay at one of my hotels in Milan for as long as you want. Or let me pay for a place for you."
I pushed my fingers through Rys's hair and curled them around his nape so he'd lean in. Our lips brushed once, but the second-long contact was enough for desire to tug at my lower stomach.
I missed him — like a friend, but also a lover.
"Let me talk to them first."
Rys splayed his palm over my back, moving it in circles. "And then my girlfriend will stop being stubborn and let me take care of her?"
"Your girlfriend."
He put his mouth on my neck. The wet kiss had me clenching my eyes shut and edging forward until Rys and I were chest to chest. It was after his mouth imprinted itself on every inch of my throat that the clink of glasses at the bar reminded me we weren't alone.
"Where's your room?" I whispered.
Rys gave me a knowing smirk. "Here. But as nice as the executive suite is, I'd rather take you somewhere else."
"Where?"
His next soft kiss lingered on my forehead. "Home."
***
Although I spent most part of the two-hour journey sleeping in Rys's arms while Clay drove, I woke up just in time to see Ellingworth at night. The city grew a lot over the last years, becoming just as important of a business center as Emerport.
"Do you live in something like one of those?" I pointed at the skyscrapers we'd passed.
"I have an apartment close to the office, but I only stay there if I work late and have no energy to drive."
"So, you live in a house."
Rys kissed the tip of my nose. "You'll see."
It was a house. Modern and expansive, with giant square windows and solar panels on the roof, far from the bustle of the city. Rys thanked Clay for taking us home and led me up the driveway, holding my hand.
A fresh scent enveloped us as soon as he opened the door. I took off my shoes and cut across the foyer, following Rys's lead.
He had a thing for minimalism, but the house was cozy despite the modern furniture. Unlike the one in Marfolk, his home in Ellingworth had more personal things — paperbacks piled up on the coffee table, and a few potted plants that didn't look too thirsty.
"Would you like anything?" Rys asked.
I stopped by the display of photos on the living room wall. "Just some water."
As he went to the kitchen to get it, I examined the images. In one of them, Rys's parents stood next to their son the day of his graduation. Rys was with Asher in another photo, probably after a race because of the trophy in Asher's hands. A childhood picture of Rys with a tall boy caught my eye.
"That's Elio," Rys said, coming up to me.
Only now did I notice the similarities between the child and the man I'd seen. "How's he?"
"He's good. My father only needed him for a couple of weeks, so he has a new client. "
"What about the blackmail?"
"It was Charles."
I took a moment to remember. Then Cohen's yacht party came to my mind. "The guy in a gray suit I talked to. No way."
Rys handed me a glass of water. "I didn't think he was that stupid, either, and it would've been more logical to target me, not my father. Anyway." He unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged it off before tossing it onto the couch. "I'm just glad the police did their job fast for once."
"Me too."
"I'm also glad you're here."
I paused mid-sip. Rys waited until I finished drinking and took the glass from my hands. He left it on a low table beside the couch and pulled me into the warmth of his embrace. "So, how many days do we have before you go to Italy?"
I clasped my fingers behind his back. "Ten. Didn't you need to travel before then?"
"I can reschedule. You could spend some days here with me. I want to show you our offices and...fuck." He breathed out, tightening his hold on me. "I just want you close before we're apart again."
If the days I'd spent without Rys after my vacation had been a preview of what being far from him would be like, I could see lots of lonely nights ahead of us.
"Do you think we can make it?" I said, my voice muffled by the fabric of Rys's shirt.
"Do you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you?"
Question marks were everywhere in my future, but that was one thing I knew for certain.
"Yes."
Rys lifted my chin with his thumb. "Then we can, mi cielo. We can, and we will."
His reassurance melted the tension in my body. I moved my hands up his back, letting them memorize every muscle that strained and then relaxed under my touch.
His breaths quickened. He jerked me toward him, and the collision of our chests stole the air from my lungs. Grabbing fistfuls of my dress, he tugged it up, exposing my body inch by inch until all I had on was my matching white bra and thong.
His arousal pressed to my lower belly as I unbuttoned his shirt, revealing smooth, tanned skin to my greedy eyes. Without wasting a second, I lay wet kisses over his chest and neck. Rys shuddered when I nipped at his earlobe.
"Keep it up," he said, squeezing my ass, "and I'll take you right here instead of..."
I licked a path down his neck, rubbing him through his pants. As I popped the button open and slid the zipper down, Rys groaned, lifting me off my feet. I only doubled my efforts, sucking at his neck and touching him everywhere I could reach while he carried me down the hallway.
Dim lights automatically turned on when Rys entered his bedroom. With a flick of his fingers, he unclasped my bra and rid himself of his remaining clothes.
I straddled his lap, stifling a moan when my sensitive nipples brushed against his chest.
"You have no idea." Rys smoothed his thumb over my brow. "How much I missed you."
His spicy scent and the words spoken in a deep, husky voice sent a rush of heat to my core. I rocked against him, rubbing my wetness over his cock.
He meshed his lips with mine. His tongue slid between them, and he kissed me without restraint, licking and exploring until I grew so wet I could come from this alone.
Rys gripped my waist and fell back on the bed with a groan. "Move up. Let me taste you and see how much you missed me."
"A lot," I whispered, aligning my sex with his mouth. I curled my fingers around the headboard as he flicked his tongue over my clit, making my already sensitive sex clench. I tried to tell him how good it felt, but all that came out were whimpers and moans. He held me in place with his arms bracketing my thighs while he kissed me, penetrating me with the tip of his tongue and withdrawing in a steady rhythm.
Another skillful kiss pushed me over the edge. Rys lapped at my sex until the last wave of pleasure subsided, and I slid down his body, still shaking from the orgasm.
He gently pushed me onto my back and settled between my legs. Blue eyes searched mine, asking for permission, and I tangled my fingers in his hair, nodding. "I need you."
Rys kept his gaze on me while he put on a condom. As he gripped my hip and sank inside me, a husky moan left his throat. I pressed my hips up to meet his thrusts and create more friction, and he kissed me hungrily when I urged him to move faster by tightening my legs around the back of his thighs.
"Just like that," he murmured, bending his head until the wet heat of his mouth covered my nipple. Rys tugged at it with his teeth and soothed the ache with his tongue right after. Nails digging into his back, I clung to him as he rammed into me, filling me to the hilt only to withdraw almost completely and repeat the same over and over.
Pleasure took me by surprise this time. It started with tingles between my legs and robbed me of breath, spreading like wildfire when Rys came seconds after I did.
We lay in silence, chest to chest. When I winced, shifting, he ran his knuckles over my cheek. "Was I too rough?"
"Don't be silly, Mr. Delano."
He pulled a pin out of my bun. "Not Mr. Delano. Rys. You know what?"
The movement of his fingers as he pulled out more and more pins, freeing my hair, was soothing and arousing at once.
"I don't," I said, melting a little from each touch.
Rys inched closer until our foreheads touched. "I love you."
Another kind of fire — a warm, cozy one, engulfed me. I did know, because love wasn't about lots of beautiful words and over-the-top gestures. It was about caring and putting someone first. In our short time together, Rys had made me feel more cherished than anyone ever had. "You know what?" I whispered against his lips. "I love you too."
***
"This looks professional enough, mi cielo," Rys said, leaning against his office door in nothing but his black underwear as he sipped his coffee the next morning.
I tugged at the hem of his crisp white shirt, pulling it down as if Ginevra would be able to tell I had nothing else on. My dress and panties were in the washer, and my prospective employer wanted to chat with me right away, giving me ten minutes to come up with some sort of business attire.
My phone buzzed, and the anxiety from needing to make a good impression on Ginevra reappeared.
"Just be yourself," Rys whispered, winking at me before shutting the door on his way out.
"Lyra! Paolo told me so many good things about you!"
The woman's cheerful voice and friendly smile on-screen instantly eased my nerves. Over the next fifteen minutes, all we did was, indeed, chat — about jewelry, my favorite brands, and the pieces I made.
"Would you be able to start in two weeks?" Ginevra asked. "I know it's short notice, but we're opening the store then, and I'd love to have you with us from the start."
"Sure. I'd love to."
"Amazing. I'm going to email you the details. See you in Milano."
The feeling of accomplishment made me giddy. I hopped off the chair as soon as we finished talking, eager to tell Rys it went well and be with him before we drove back to Wickhampton. I'd taken two steps when my cell vibrated again. I clicked on the email, and my legs froze, only to push me forward.
"Rys." I came to a halt in the kitchen doorway, panting from the sprint down the hallway.
He closed the dishwasher, chuckling. "Let me guess, it went well."
"No," I blurt. "Well, yes. That's what they said."
Tears of relief streamed down my face. Rys frowned, stepping toward me, but I held my hand up, stopping him so I could finish speaking.
"Angelo Rizzo school said yes."
***
Adrenaline still roamed my blood when I sat on the couch with Mom and Dad in the afternoon. Both of them looked tired, and Mom's eyes were red. Asking Rys to wait until I called him to come over and meet my parents was the right decision.
"Your father and I talked," Mom said, "and decided to let you have your trust. No conditions. I made a mistake including that clause about marriage in the first place. Guess I didn't realize how much you've grown."
All the hurt resurfaced. Although a part of me forgave her, another part needed to say what I never had the courage to say. "You thought I was nobody without a man, and that hurt me more than anything. For years, I've done nothing but try to earn your approval. To make you see I'm good at something. But I was never good enough. When I sold all my jewelry, a part of me wished you'd see me and congratulate me on my achievement, no matter how tiny it was in your eyes. Instead you called me a fool when I saw Brock for who he is before you did. Would you have been happy if I married a cheater who only wanted me for my money?"
Mom wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her silk blouse, not caring that her mascara would leave dirty smears on the ivory fabric. "I wish I hadn't said and done any of that. It's a weak excuse, but I did what I swore not to do. I treated you like my mother treated me."
"And look at what that treatment did to you, Amelia," Dad spoke. "It sent you running away at eighteen and forced you to grow up way too fast."
"I needed to prove to myself I was worthy," Mom said. "And then I met you, and you told me I was."
Dad sighed, reaching for her hand. "And thank God it was me and not someone like Roger. But this isn't about us." He looked at me. "It's about our child. And what we need to do to earn her forgiveness for all our narrow-minded decisions."
"I'm moving away." The words rushed out of me, and I bit my lip as shock twisted my parent's faces.
Dad slumped against the back of the sectional. "Sweetheart."
"Wait," I said. "I'm not running away. I'm moving to Italy because I got a scholarship from the best design school there, and I have a job at a jewelry boutique waiting for me."
I'd never heard my parents ask so many questions. I answered all of them patiently, telling them about Marfolk, making my collection and a portfolio with Kaia's help, and of course, Rys.
"It's a shame Isaac and I lost touch," Dad said. "I owe him a call."
"Are we going to meet your boyfriend before you leave?" Mom asked.
"As soon as I tell him to come over."
"Text him." Mom jumped to her feet. "And I need to call a few restaurants. It's late, but maybe someone has a table for tonight."
"Rys already booked one." I stood to go and get ready in my room. "He's eager to meet both of you."
He also said nobody would stop him from taking me to Ellingworth so we could enjoy some time as a couple, and the hungry look he gave me in our foyer an hour later proved he meant every word.
Rys handed my mom a bouquet of roses. I was already hiding my flaming face in the one he gave me because it was impossible to forget what we did last night and this morning, even less so when he didn't miss a chance to touch me.
Mom thanked him. Her eyes darted from me to Rys, and he pressed me to his side, kissing my temple. "Ready to leave, mi cielo?"
"Let me put these in water." I lifted the roses and pecked his cheek before darting to the kitchen.
"A real gentleman," Mom said, dropping her flowers in a vase as she stood at the kitchen counter by my side. "It's clear he loves you. It's good to see you so happy. I just hope you let me fix what I broke."
I bit back a hopeful smile. "You can try."
Tides did change. Sometimes it took meeting the right person, and sometimes it took uncovering the person you were meant to be.
I'll go cry. See you in the epilogue!