When we returned to Marfolk in the afternoon, Rys's mood was hard to gauge. I'd caught him staring into the distance a few times with his mouth set in a hard line, and he didn't seem especially affectionate, but thinking he'd freeze me out after last night hurt.

Since Rys had a video conference with hotel managers, I went to the rental, showered, and started making another necklace to replace the one I'd given Kaia.

Two hours later, a loud knock on the door rattled the quiet.

I shoved my feet in a pair of flip-flops and marched to the foyer. Only a few people could visit me in Marfolk. I threw the door open without checking who was on the other side, but I didn't see anyone.

It was when I looked around the porch that I spotted a huge bouquet of pale pink peonies and roses in a vase sitting on the worn wooden boards. I picked it up and carefully separated the flowers, looking for a note I must've missed.

"There's no card."

Rys's deep voice sent a blip to my heartbeat. Burying my nose in a fragrant peony, I watched him climb the porch steps, dressed in a loose white button-down and dark blue slacks.

"Apology flowers? I don't really know what you'd want to apologize for."

"Let's call them petition flowers. Go on a date with me."

He ran his fingers through my still slightly wet from shower hair, and I resisted the desire to close my eyes from the pleasure his caress brought. "A date?"

"Yeah. I want to take you somewhere beautiful."

"What should I wear?"

"Anything comfortable. It'll only be you and me."

"Okay. Would you like to wait inside while I get ready?"

"If you don't mind."

Rys shadowed me into the house and sat on the couch in the living room while I put the bouquet on the dresser in my bedroom, ditched my tank and shorts, and put on a short flowery dress. I brushed my hair, applied gloss to my lips, and went to look for him.

"I'm ready," I said, standing in the doorway.

He shoved his phone in his pants pocket and got up from the couch. "You look stunning. Let's go. We'll take my car."

"Are we going somewhere far?" I asked when we were outside.

"Not really," Rys said. "It's a twenty-minute drive."

He'd parked his Tesla nearby. The doors unlocked as we approached it, and I sat in the passenger seat while Rys took his place behind the wheel.

Rys started the car and drove through the residential area of Marfolk on our way out of town.

On my right, the ocean glistened in the rays of the evening sun. The water caressed the sandy shore lazily as if it were tired of the long day. I switched my attention to the pristine white sails of a few boats and then the horizon, where the sky was changing its colors to the palette of oranges and reds, getting ready for the sunset.

Eventually, Rys drove off the lane and took a narrow country road. The pines hid the seascape from view for the rest of our journey. Ten minutes later, he parked in the woods.

I accepted his hand as we got out of the car. "Where are we?"

Rys brushed his lips over my cheek. "You'll see."

He grabbed a picnic basket and a blanket from the vehicle and motioned for me to follow him as he stepped onto a narrow trail winding between the trees. Pine needles crunched under my flat sandals, and the pungent scent of pine filled my lungs, making me want to inhale deeper.

"Look at this," he said, slowing his steps to a halt.

We were on top of a hill, and below us, hidden from view by the pines and nestled between rocks, was a small, deserted beach.

"We need to descend here," Rys said. "Grip my hand."

My clumsiness temporarily forgotten, I let him lead me down the steep hill, focused on dodging dry roots and tree branches that could trip me.

When our feet sank into the sand, we stood motionless for a few heartbeats, soaking in the scenery.

"This place is magical," I said.

Rys strolled toward the middle of the beach, glancing behind as if to make sure I followed. "I love it too, especially because few people know about it."

"How did you find it?"

"Hiking with my father," he said, putting the basket down. "Isaac Delano believes in turning to nature whenever he's in doubt or stressed out."

"Do you believe in that too?"

Rys unfolded the checkered blanket and shook it before spreading it on the white sand. "I spend most of my days in the city. Workouts help with stress, but if I have a rare day off, I drive to the coast."

"What city do you live in? Permanently, I mean."

"Ellingworth."

A two-hour drive from Wickhampton and just another reminder of why we were bound to go separate ways come August.

The stinging sensation in my eyes I'd battled against all day was back. What the hell was wrong with me that after one night of sex I wanted more from him? Maybe I wasn't made for this.

Rys shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and glanced at his feet. "Lyra."

I blinked to clear my vision, pretending to be looking at the horizon. "What?"

"I believe there's something we should talk about. Let's walk?"

Every minuscule particle of my being hoped he wouldn't bring up our arrangement or his comment at breakfast. He was upfront, and I said yes because I wanted to be with him.

"Sure."

I left my sandals by the blanket, and the soles of my feet touched the warm sand.

Rys was barefoot, too. I took his hand, not having it in me to reject him, and we strolled toward the ocean.

A shudder ran through me when the cool water lapped at my toes. I wiggled them, and Rys chuckled next to me.

I peered up at him. "What?"

"I love watching you."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"No. I wanted to talk about what I said today." He rubbed the back of my hand methodically with his thumb. "I mentioned the Instagram thing, and you seemed upset."

So that was what he was worried about? I should've been relieved, but a stupid, twisted part of me wanted him to admit to himself and me that he included me in his plans that would never come true because we were like the tide. Moving forward to inevitably move back.

And unless the earth stopped spinning and the moon ceased to rotate in its orbit, there was no changing that.

"It's okay, Rys."

He let go of my hand. "Nothing's okay, damn it. Not a single thing because when Kaia said you ran into your boyfriend's friends, all I thought was..."

His chest rose and fell fast, and he ran a palm down his face like I'd seen him do the day he asked me to give him my month in Marfolk. "All I thought was, he doesn't deserve her, but she's his. And she might start feeling guilty and go home sooner, and I won't be able to do anything because..."

Rys kicked a seashell, the muscle in his jaw bunching. "Because all I can give her are thirty fucking days."

I swallowed to clear a knot in my throat. "I wouldn't leave. I made a promise."

A derisive laugh fell off his lips. "People break those all the time."

"I'm not people."

Rys's gaze clamped onto mine. The storm brewing in his irises gave way to something gentler. It was a tsunami before and barely a ripple now.

A sliver of a smile graced his mouth. "Guess you're not."

I reached for his fingers, and Rys's hand engulfed mine.

"Rys?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this our first fight? If it is, what are we fighting about? And why did you take me to such a beautiful place to fight?"

"You're..." Rys shook his head, sighing.

"Finish that sentence, Mr. Delano."

He threw his head back. Breeze ruffled his dark hair, and Rys stared skyward as if what he needed to say was written in the clouds. "You're amazing, Lyra Walton. And no, I didn't bring you here to fight. I brought you here to talk about the patriarchy and give you an orgasm under the stars."

"I don't think the patriarchy is worthy of being talked about much. Why don't you just kiss me?"

One step of his, and I was cocooned in his arms. Rys claimed my mouth hungrily as though he'd been waiting for this kiss for hours, and I accepted each greedy lick of his tongue and nip of his teeth, fisting the fabric of his shirt on his chest.

"Fuck the patriarchy," he rasped. "Just let me kiss you all day."

"You didn't hear me say no, did you?"

His firm lips returned to mine for a few blissful moments, but then he broke the kiss and pointed at the part of the beach we had yet to see with his chin. "Let's walk there."

I knotted my fingers through Rys's as we strolled in the direction of the rocks. "I'm not mad at you for mentioning an Instagram profile," I said. "I thought about making one lots of times, but doubts held me back."

"It's your decision. I know you don't like being pressured, and I shouldn't have insisted."

"You had good intentions."

Genuinely good, not the desire to control me disguised as worry about my future.

Rys slipped his arm around my waist. "Remember I wanted to show you something on my laptop?"

"You never did. What was it?"

"Another thing I probably shouldn't have done. I just messed with some website templates, but you're the designer, so I'd rather you looked at them yourself."

"For me?"

"For you. This vacation won't last forever." Rys looked toward the calm water as if he needed to hide his true feelings by not letting me see his face. "But if you're serious about jewelry making and people want more after the fair, you need an online presence. Every business does."

"You don't even know if they'll like it. I might sell nothing."

"I believe in you. You might sell very little at first, but it shouldn't deter you. It's your dream."

A dream I'd never believed in enough, but Rys did, and pursuing it started to feel more like a necessity and less like an option thanks to him. I leaned my head on Rys's shoulder. "Thank you."

We stopped by the rocks. Rys pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I want to take a photo of you. Stand next to that big rock."

He aimed his phone camera at me, and I blew him a kiss.

Rys grinned. "More."

"Can I have one with you?" I asked after a few minutes.

I wanted to have something to remember him by. I hated the thought of forgetting what he looked like, his voice, or his laughter.

He beckoned me with his hand. "Come here."

Rys stood behind me, hugging me as we smiled, looking at our faces on the screen. He pressed his lips to my cheek, and I kissed his mouth as he took more photos.

"Send them to me, okay?" I said. "I won't see them until I turn my phone on, but I want them."

Rys handed me his cell. "Enter your number. It's about time, even though I love writing you notes. "

As soon as I did, I gave the phone back to Rys.

He fiddled with it and put it in the back pocket of his slacks. "Done. Now, dinner."

***

"Roasted potatoes or fries?"

Rys ran the pad of his index over my bottom lip. "Right now, neither."

"And later?"

"Roasted."

"You have exquisite taste, Mr. Delano."

He cupped my cheek, chuckling. "Judging by how much you like filching them from my plate, I'd say, likewise."

"I don't filch. I borrow."

Rys moved his fingers down to my breasts. "Right."

I was lying on the blanket with my head in his lap, full from everything we'd eaten. The bright orange streaks in the evening sky turned crimson, and only a tiny part of the sun peeked above the horizon.

"My turn to ask," Rys said, carrying on his exploration. "Vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream?"

I squirmed when he slipped his fingertips under my strapless bra. "Neither. I love chocolate, but not in ice cream. I prefer mango or lemon."

"But chocolate cake is okay, isn't it?"

"More than. The one we ate at The Wave was delicious."

"I might have some in the basket."

I sat up, and Rys's smile eased wide. "I want something in return," he said.

"A heated discussion of the role of the patriarchy?"

He tugged at the hem of my dress. "A kiss. We agreed discussions are overrated."

I hoisted myself up and swung my leg over his, settling on his lap.

"That's how much you want that cake, huh?" Rys said, palming my thigh.

"That's how much I want you."

He splayed his fingers over my lower back, and I encircled his neck with my arms as my lips brushed against his. Rys closed his eyes, and I kissed him slowly until his tongue swirled around mine, and he moved his hand on my thigh over the curve of my hip to my stomach.

Never breaking the contact between our mouths, Rys touched my breast. My breath quivered when he massaged it gently. I turned my head so he'd kiss my neck, and he glided his warm mouth down the column of my throat, not leaving an inch of skin without attention.

I rocked my hips, and Rys's breath rushed out on a groan. "I'm hanging on by a thread here, mi cielo."

I cupped his erection with my palm and rubbed him. Rys bit the skin at the base of my neck. "Lyra."

"What?" I whispered, my voice sounding foreign to my ears, maybe because I was wet and just as desperate for him.

"I need to fuck you."

He undid the knot on the front of my dress, and I unbuttoned his shirt, getting even more aroused from the feel of his smooth, scorching heat under the pads of my fingers. Rys pushed the spaghetti straps of my dress down my shoulders and undid the front clasp of my lacy bra. It fell, and a cool breeze hit my naked skin, making me shiver.

"Let's warm you up," Rys murmured against my chest. The warmth of his mouth engulfed the tip of my breast, and he sucked it while I caressed his torso.

Each time I shifted on his lap, my sex touched his length, and heat spread between my legs even more.

Rys grazed my nipple with his teeth. "Do you want me inside you, mi cielo?"

The truth was, whatever I felt surpassed just wanting. It was a raw need and my desire to be one with him. I reached between us to bare Rys to me. He helped me free him and grabbed his wallet from the blanket.

"Stay where you are," he said, rolling the condom down his length. "Just lift yourself a little."

I did, bracing my forearms on Rys's shoulders for balance. He pushed my lacy underwear to the side and shamelessly explored my sex with his fingers. "God, you're more than ready."

"I've been ready since I woke up next to you."

"It took lots of self-restraint." Rys entered me with two fingers at once, sending a jolt of pleasure to my core. "Not to have my way with you instead of attending the meeting. Sit on me, mi cielo."

Our eyes locked, I lowered myself onto him. The memory of him filling me last night hadn't faded yet, but it felt different this time. Fuller. And although I was in charge, Rys was the one guiding me.

I moved down another inch and stilled.

"You're doing so well," Rys said, caressing my cheek, his bright eyes hazy with lust. "Take more of me."

His palms settled on the back of my thighs, and his lips found their way back to my chest, covering my skin in scorching kisses.

I lifted myself off a fraction of an inch only to slam down on him. Rys moaned, throwing his head back, eyes shut. "You feel incredible, Lyra."

I slowly moved up and down on him, keeping a steady pace while Rys drove me wild with his mouth on my breasts. When the movements became seamless from how wet I was, he grabbed my hand and placed it on my sex between us.

"Show me how you love being touched."

He didn't need to ask because I loved the way he touched me last night, but there was something even more intimate about touching myself while he kept his hand on mine.

When Rys thrust into me several times, changing angles, I could already feel my climax approaching.

"I'm close," I choked out, my knees shaking from the effort it took to stay on top of him.

I touched myself faster, and Rys cursed under his breath, licking my sensitive nipple. He flexed his hips and pressed on my hand as if telling me to apply more vigor to my caresses.

Our moans disrupted the quiet on the night beach. I spasmed around Rys, and he let go almost right after I did, his strong body shaking from his release.

He hugged me tightly. His breaths became erratic, and it took me a while to inhale a lungful.

After Rys adjusted my clothes and his, we lay on the blanket, our gazes fixed on the sky dotted with myriads of bright stars. My head was on his chest, and he buried his hand in my hair, moving his fingers on my scalp in soothing motions.

"Someone told me people come here to stargaze and make wishes," Rys said.

"Did you make one?"

He hummed a yes, rubbing his nose over my cheek.

"Then I will, too."

"Make it two. Or three. Just promise me..."

Something in Rys's voice made my heart squeeze. "What?"

"That you'll never come here with anyone else."



Mr. Delano says 30 days but acts differently. He's soft for Lyra but...I guess we'll see. Any guesses about the events in the next chapter?

I know we all want her to dump Brock but no, lol. I promised angst and I'll deliver.

Or try to.

Hope you're enjoying the story, guys!