“Morning,” she murmured.
He smiled faintly, brushing his hand along her hip before he glanced toward the windows. “Is it?” he asked, listening. “Sounds like the storm has passed.”
She propped herself on one elbow so she could look at him properly. “Are we really going to discuss the weather after last night?”
Uncertainty flashed briefly, then it was gone. He sat up, the mattress dipping beneath him.
“You can’t deny the chemistry,” she insisted.
He didn’t deflect. Didn’t joke. “You’re right. I can’t. This isn’t about you, Gaby. It’s me.” Twin vertical lines appeared between his gathered brows. “Perhaps it always has been.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know.” He exhaled, voice low. “Half the time, I don’t understand it myself.”
A roar cut through the quiet. Not wind or thunder, but a vehicle struggling in mud. “Our ride is here,” he said, the moment slipping away. He was already out of bed, naked and unbothered by it as he crossed to their bags.
“How do you know?”
“Phones are back up. I messaged Leland before dawn.”
They didn’t have much time to clear the air. “Rhys—” she began.
He paused, glancing back. “I’ll explain. I owe you that. But first, we finish the mission and bring your sister home.”
His words offered no promises or declarations, just more restraint. But it wasn’t a dismissal either.
She searched his face, looking for the man who’d whispered against her skin hours ago. He was still there, but buried now, beneath layers of control.
The mission hadn’t changed. But neither had what lay between them.
She nodded, accepting it because it was more than she’d had yesterday.
Outside, car doors slammed, and Mateo’s voice rang out. “Hello inside! Rhys! Gaby! Did you make it through the night in one piece?”
Rhys tugged on his pants. “Hurry and dress,” he said. “They’ll be barging in any second.”
She pulled the gauzy sundress over her head, fingers combing through tangled curls just as Leland burst through the door. He took in the rumpled bed and scattered clothes and raised a brow. No comment. Just acknowledgment.
“Power’s out in half the town,” he said. “Trees down, roads a mess. But the airstrip’s clear.”
“Breakfast with Álvarez?” Rhys asked.
“Cancelled. His assistant said Sebastián will be in touch about the exposition next month.”
“Dodged a bullet there,” Gaby muttered. “I don’t know how I would’ve eaten in his presence.”
“If you were allowed to attend,” Rhys said, shrugging into his shirt. “The brunch invitation was extended to Lucien.”
“Right. No pets allowed.”
“Our pilot’s en route. We should be wheels up in an hour,” Leland said, as he exited the room, closing the door behind him and shutting out Mateo’s curiosity.
Gaby sat heavily on the edge of the bed, shoes in hand.
“What’s wrong?” Rhys asked, tucking in his shirt.
“Next month seems like an eternity. Longer for Natalie.”
