Asher's meeting ran long, giving Kaia and me more time to hang out. After having lunch downtown, we went shopping and each bought a dress. Ash texted he was heading back at almost five, and Kaia and I hugged goodbye, promising to meet at least once more before her vacation ended.

I strolled home, pausing to take pictures of every photo-worthy thing on my way and thinking about the day I spent with Kaia and everything we talked about.

The closer my street became, the slower I walked. My fear of running into Rys was to blame, and seeing his Tesla in his driveway did nothing to settle my nerves. If he was home, he could see me in the backyard if that qualified as 'seeing me around.'

I rummaged in my purse for the keys, struggling to locate them under the bag with the dress I'd stuffed inside to free my hands. When I wrapped my fingers around the seashell keyring, I turned into my driveway, and my breath stuttered.

Rys was sitting on my porch in his trademark thinking position — hands clasped under his chin, elbows resting on his bent knees.

When I cleared my throat awkwardly, his eyes snapped to mine, and he scrambled to his feet. "Lyra."

"I didn't think seeing me around meant waiting for me on my porch."

Wow. I was the one who said that. Marfolk must've had something special in the air.

Rys raked a hand through his hair. "Fair enough. Can we please talk?"

I tossed the key back into my purse, rested the raffia basket on the porch, and sat next to it. If Rys expected me to invite him in, he could keep expecting.

He lowered himself on the step beside me, so close his thigh touched mine. "I'm sorry."

"Let me guess; you're going to suggest another apology dinner? If so, no, thank you, Mr. Delano."

"I'd do anything if it'd convince you to forgive me," Rys said. "But I acted like an asshole, and it's not easy to explain why."

I hugged my bent knees. "You could try."

"Okay."

He pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. When he handed it to me, his calendar was on the screen.

I cocked my head. "What am I supposed to see?"

"That I travel way more than I'm home. Look at each month."

Rys's entire schedule was written in the calendar, but while June and July didn't have trips, only meetings and events, it was different starting in August.

Berlin, Madrid, Oslo, and Milan. Later, Mexico and Papeete I only knew about because my father dreamed of building a resort in French Polynesia. There were more cities. More countries on every continent.

"That's a lot of trips," I whispered.

"Those are some of the places we have hotels. Although I delegate lots of things, some need to be done and supervised in person. I can't commit to a relationship because it's a crucial moment for our business, and my father counts on me."

Brock thought I was desperate when I called him, and I surely seemed that way to Rys if he felt the need to explain he was too busy for a relationship after I force-kissed him.

I rested Rys's phone on the step beside his thigh and stood, smoothing the front of my shorts. "I understand. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I shouldn't have kissed you. It was a mistake."

Rys ran a palm down his face. "Lyra, please."

"It's okay. Really. No hard feelings. I'm happy to have met you. Guess I'll see you around."

Pathetic. Desperate, weak, and pathetic.

I took the key out of my bag and jammed it in the lock, twisting. Tears of embarrassment burned my eyes. I'd done so much whining about my mother's words, but maybe she knew me better than I did and feared I'd be alone forever if Brock dumped me. Seeing how I couldn't stop being weird with every man I met, she might've been on to something.

Once in the foyer, I left my bag on the old dresser and peeked out of the window against my better judgment. There were no reasons for Rys to keep sitting on my porch, but there he was, cradling his head in his hands.

Several moments later, he rose to his feet, but his steps lacked confidence as he walked down the driveway. He halted abruptly at the end of it as if he'd forgotten something and looked skyward for a few heartbeats.

Then he spun around and jogged back to my house.

His footsteps thudded on the porch. I backtracked so he wouldn't see me through the glass when a bang rattled the old door.

"Lyra."

I froze, my heart stumbling out a frantic beat.

"Open the door. Please." Rys's voice was too soft for someone who nearly knocked the door down.

I opened it, and he stormed into the foyer. He stopped an inch from me, his sculpted chest heaving under his white tee.

"I tried." He cupped my face with his warm palm. My resolve to forget the last few days and stay away from him shattered into minuscule particles. "I tried to stop thinking about you and that kiss but couldn't. Can't."

I lowered my eyes, hiding from the vibrant blue of his. Rys stepped forward, leaving me no choice but to take a step back. One, two, three, until he trapped me between the cool wall and his warm, hard body.

He caressed my cheek with his palm. "Say you don't regret me."

Did I? Saying I did would be a lie because I liked myself when I was with him. I liked talking to him. I liked kissing him, wrong as it was.

I shook my head, unable to ignore what his closeness and spicy, fresh scent did to me. My heart was pounding, and my shaky legs could barely hold my weight.

"I don't," I squeezed out.

"Good," Rys whispered, curling his hand around my nape. "Because I'm about to do something I'd need to apologize for."

He crashed his mouth against mine. My lips parted on a gasp, and he swept in like a tornado, flooding me with his minty taste. Our tongues circled and stroked, and Rys slanted his mouth to kiss me deeper, so deep my core clenched each time his tongue pressed against mine.

"This," he rasped against my lips. "I want this. I don't deserve it, but I want it."

I wanted it too, in spite of his words. Despite knowing it'd lead us nowhere. I'd done as told all my life, but not this time. This time, it was my choice. My mistake. My craving.

I slid my fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp as he claimed my lips once more. Rys kept the kiss slow and broke it when a sound I didn't expect to make — something between a moan and a whimper — left my throat.

"You deserve so much better," he said, running the back of his fingers over my cheek. "But I'd give anything for a month with you. Give me your month in Marfolk, Lyra."

I focused on regulating my ragged breaths. A month with him.

I never thought I'd consider being with someone for a month, knowing it would inevitably come to an end.

My heart constricted. Would I be ready to say goodbye when the time came? Probably not. If I felt this drawn to Rys after just a few days, a month could tie me to him, and parting ways would hurt.

But I wanted to get to know him better, and wasn't it finally time to put my wants and needs first?

Rys ran the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip that still tingled from his kiss. "Please."

In my mind, the person my mother told me I was warred with the one I wanted to become — bolder. Fearless. Adventurous. Someone in charge of her decisions. Someone able to enjoy swimming without stopping to make sure she could touch the bottom of the sea with her foot. I blinked slowly, but the image of the new Lyra my mind painted so vividly hadn't gone anywhere. "Okay."

He stared at me as though he didn't expect I'd agree. "Okay?"

"You have your month, Rys Delano."

It was Rys's relieved breath that made me smile despite the emotionally taxing last hour. Or maybe less time had passed. Time was even more of an abstract concept when Rys and I were together.

"Thank you," he said, caging me in a tight embrace. "And I'm sorry for handling things like crap last night."

"You're forgiven."

"I shouldn't be. I hurt your feelings."

The regret in his eyes pulled at my heartstrings. But he was right, and I didn't want to downplay how wounded I was last night. I traced his jaw with the tip of my index finger. "You're right. I don't have a habit of throwing myself at handsome guys on moonlit beaches."

"Handsome." He chuckled, pulling me closer. "I mean it, though," seriousness returned to his tone, "make me work for it."

He said the last words in such a low, suggestive voice desire ignited my blood.

Weak, Lyra. This guy makes you feel both empowered and weak.

I pressed my lips to his cheek. "Okay. Get out of here, and I'll see you around."

Laughter vibrated in Rys's chest. "Ouch."

"Did I hurt your feelings this time?"

He buried his hand in my hair, his exhale gusting against my temple. "Not nearly as much as I hurt yours. So, you want me to leave?"

"For a smart businessman, you're awfully clueless, Rys Delano."

Humming, Rys trailed his fingertips down the curve of my waist. My bare skin pebbled under his featherlike caress. "Now that we luckily established I'm not going anywhere," he murmured, continuing the slow exploration of my skin, "we'll use some of the time together to work on your ability to hit me where it hurts, because all you do is make me feel like..."

Rys slid his thumb under the waistband of my shorts, inches away from my empowering panties. I made a considerable effort to focus on his words and not his hand wreaking havoc on my self-control. "Like?"

He grazed my cheek with his lips. "Like the world can go to hell right now, and I'd barely blink as long as you're with me."

Hope it was worth the wait!

I'm so excited to know what you think!

Hit the little star if you liked it. More on Friday!