Rhys smiled at Feyre pouring over reports spread out across her desk from the open doorway. Her hair was falling out of the braided knot she had set her hair into that morning. Her suit jacket had been tossed over the back of her chair revealing a sleeveless blouse. He could see through the gap at the bottom of the desk that she had abandoned her high heels and was currently barefoot on the tile floor. She stopped looking at the reports for a moment to close her eyes and rub at her temples.
Feyre was tired. He knew that much and knew she had every right to be. Since she had taken up the position as his Velaris Incorporated Executive a month ago, she had completed her GED classes, had taken and passed the test, and had gotten her permit for driving to start taking driver's classes. On top of that she had visited every single business on the list of ones they owed, knew them all by heart and knew each owner personally, and was constantly aware of whatever special things were going on at each business. She made a point to be a part of as much as possible. She had also found them several more businesses and had worked with Rhys to come up with proper help for each business she had encountered, using each as a learning experience. She barely had had energy to undress before bed each night and more than once, Rhys had found her asleep on top of the covers in pencil skirts and half unbuttoned blouses.
She deserved a break. A vacation. A trip away from work where she could just relax and maybe paint. He knew she hadn't seen the inside of her studio in that month. She took her new job seriously and getting her education up to par was her main goal after making sure she knew every business. He knew she already had applied to college courses, with Azriel's help, to start in a few weeks. Business courses that Rhys knew Feyre would do very well at. She was a natural when it came to business sense and simply needed some concepts explained once to her.
It was something Azriel commented on constantly and Lucien had started mentioning whenever he caught tidbits of their meetings when bringing in coffee or messages for either of them.
"Feyre Darling," Rhys called to her and her eyes dragged up far too slowly from her reports. He frowned at what he saw. There was a dull, glazed look that coated her eyes and dark circles already starting to be visible. Too much. She was doing too much at once. "I have a few free moments. Come take a break with me," he nodded to the couch that occupied part of one of her walls.
Her eyes glazed over in a different way. Sex, he realized a moment later, she thought he was asking for a few stolen moments of pleasure while there was time. With how busy she had made herself and the extra work Hybern had created for him, they hadn't done more than exchange a kiss or two in passing in a while. Another reason they needed a vacation, he needed time to worship her properly again without her falling asleep after a few kisses.
"Come on, Darling," he waved her over to the couch and closed the door. "Lucien told me you don't have any meetings for an hour. We have time," he held out a hand to her and she rose to step around her desk and take it. There were two ways to go about what he wanted to do the very direct way, which likely wouldn't work in his favor, or the indirect way that would get her exactly where he wanted her. Rhys chose the indirect way and pulled in her close to drop a searing kiss on her lips. He traced his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened for him a heartbeat later and let him deepen the kiss. Slowly he walked them back to the couch until he could lay her down against it.
Feyre moaned against his lips and he almost lost his resolve to be the proper gentleman. He did want her and sex would indeed get her to relax, but it would also exhaust her further. Tonight, he assured himself, he would take her home and have her, but right now she needed a nap on the very comfortable couch he had ensured was in her office. He began the gentle stroke of his hands up and down her sides while he lessened his kisses until he was simply pressing his lips against her forehead and temple. He was not impressed that it only took mere minutes for her to go completely limp against him cuddled against his chest.
Rhys laid with her until his brief half hour reprieve was up and then pulled himself out from under her, readjusting her as he moved so she was still comfortable on the couch. He retrieved a small blanket from the storage closet in Feyre's office, one he had stashed there in case they ever had to be there very late and either of them used the couch for this exact purpose, and tucked it around her.
Lucien looked up from his computer screen the moment Rhys came back down the hall. He likely had been busy the entire half hour Rhys had been back with Feyre doing the exact things Rhys had asked him to do.
"All of both of your meetings for next week have been rescheduled," Lucien confirmed before Rhys could even ask.
"Which meetings did Feyre have this afternoon?" Rhys asked.
"Nothing that can't be moved," Lucien offered. "Does she need more coffee?"
"She's taking a nap. One I hope she doesn't wake from until it's time to go," Rhys stopped to lean against his doorframe. He watched Lucien already pulling up the electronic version of Feyre's schedule to find which meetings she had so he could call on her behalf. Lucien had become invaluable to both him and Feyre and had taken up being assistant to Feyre as well as Rhys shortly after Feyre had settled in again. Rhys had given him a raise because of it that Lucien had only argued about until Feyre had bluntly told him it saved Rhys from having to hire her a personal assistant too.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call a driver to take her home?" Lucien asked after he had all of the contact information pulled up on his screen.
"Do you think she would let me send her home?" Rhys asked. He had contemplated it but he could only imagine Feyre would be mad at him for suggesting sending her home. He was already pushing his luck with rearranging her appointments for the day and all of next week. Not that he hadn't checked into each of them first to ensure none of them were completely vital. But he knew she wouldn't appreciate everything being moved about on her.
"Depends on how nice of a resort you are taking her to," Lucien chuckled.
"We're not going to a resort," Rhys turned to head back into his office. "I'm taking her to my family's cabin in the mountains. No internet out there and no phone signal. She'll have to take a break and so will I."
"No thanks," Lucien shuddered. "I like being connected to my phone and internet. How else would I know all the juicy gossip in the world?"
"It will all be there when we return," was all Rhys said as he closed his office door. He had some things to get in order for them to actually leave for a week but his main priority had been Feyre. With her seen to, he could finish up his work.
Surprisingly Feyre was not mad when she woke. She blushed profusely when she wandered down from her office nearly three hours later as he was finishing up the last of his phone calls. Her hair was unbound and her clothes were a bit rumpled but otherwise she looked more embarrassed than mad.
"I'm sorry I fell asleep," she told him when he waved her into his office. "I'm sorry I keep falling asleep when you were looking for some physical attention. I know we haven't had much time to be together."
Rhys rose and went to her, folding her into his arms to press a kiss to her forehead. "Some day I will take you on that couch. Today, that wasn't the plan. The plan was to get you to take a break." He pressed a kiss to each of her eyelids. "You needed the rest."
"And I missed my meetings," her cheeks flushed hot against him, a sign she was blushing.
"I had Lucien reschedule them. Along with everything next week as well," he meant to go on but Feyre pushed away from him, hard.
"I'm not incapable, Rhys. I worked much longer hours at physically harder jobs than this and kept up! You don't need to go be a Mother Hen about it!"
"I had him reschedule my meetings as well. I wanted to take you on a short vacation. Just a week, to give us some time alone together since we haven't had much. And to reward you for everything you've accomplished in such a short period of time." He tilted her chin up to stare down into her eyes. He wanted her to see he was serious. The Mother knew he believed she could and would accomplish all she wanted to do, but not before wearing herself out when she didn't need to. "I would never suggest you cannot handle what you put your mind to."
"Where are we going? Or are we just staying home?" She asked finally.
"There is a cabin in the Illyrian mountains that my family built. It's remote but it's comfortable. I figured I'd spend tomorrow morning getting supplies and then we'd go and spend a week resting and getting sick of each other." He bent to nip at her ear, hoping she would catch his meaning.
"Maybe we could start getting sick of each other now," Feyre murmured against him.
"The couch?" Rhys asked. He would bend her over the arm of that couch in an instant but he'd rather take her home and have her there.
"What about right here?" Feyre replied her hands sliding down his chest and lower.
"Lucien is right there and he won't leave until I do," Rhys reminded her. It was a habit he had picked up with Tamlin. Tamlin apparently had punished him one night for not being around when needed, so Lucien never left before his boss. It gave Rhys one more reason to never stay late anymore.
"You don't want an audience?" She asked, a wicked smile on her face.
"You do?" He replied back, an equally wicked smile. "I know several places we could go to have a much better audience than our poor personal assistant. Places where people pay to watch others have sex. I think we could put on a good show if that's what you are into."
Feyre pulled back instantly, her nose wrinkling slightly at the way he had called her bluff. "Have you ever done that before?" She asked.
"Once," Rhys admitted. "Not necessarily by choice."
Amarantha had dragged him to one once and had done some very twisted things to him while the audience had cheered. He had been blindfolded but he had heard every insult thrown his way and every encouragement thrown hers. It had been a pleasure house that focused on the more painful BDSM that Amarantha enjoyed. Nothing like the places he could bring Feyre.
"Rhys…" Feyre murmured. "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased."
"Don't be sorry, Darling. It's in the past. And if you were even remotely interested in going to one to watch or to be the show, I'd be happy to oblige you." He pressed a searing kiss to her mouth. He would love to see and do everything that would drive her to the brink of ecstasy.
"Eh hem," Lucien cleared his throat from the doorway, a blush on his cheeks. "Cassian called just now. He's on his way up."
"Something important?" Rhys asked.
"Who knows with him?" Lucien replied, the blush fading from his face. "Last time he called up, it was to gloat how his ID wasn't failing anymore."
"Feyre used to shut down the elevator on him three times a week at random," Rhys explained. "In retaliation for her welcome prank."
"If I started doing it, do you think he would believe it was Feyre again somehow?" Lucien asked with a chuckle.
"Could always try," Feyre grinned. "I'll leave you to your meeting with Cassian and we can head out when you are done."
Rhys smiled and watched Feyre swish her hips as she left the office. A promise of what to expect at home. Perhaps he would convince her to eat dinner first so he could lay her out on the table and eat off of her.
"I don't know what you are thinking about exactly, but can you not? It's uncomfortable watching you eye fuck my friend in the back," Lucien drawled.
"The only one that can ask me not to do it is her, and she is quite happy with any way I fuck her. With my eyes, mind, or body," Rhys replied. Lucien only made a disgusted noise, shot a rude gesture at him, and went back to his desk. Rhys could only chuckle. It was his hope to break Lucien of some of the formalness that Tamlin and Lucien's father, Beron, before that, had beaten into him. He had an easy manner with Feyre as friends, it would be nice to see if Lucien could become that way with him too.
Cassian arrived only a minute later and simply smirked at him from the doorway. "You're taking Feyre to the cabin?" He asked after Rhys glared at his brother. "Don't ruin my bedroom up there with your crazy vacation sex."
"Like I'd use your room for anything. It's probably too contaminated with your juices everywhere," Rhys snorted. "Like we don't know you hide in your room and masturbate after we hunt and get drunk each year."
"Like I'm the only one," Cassian snorted. "I hope Feyre's on birth control or she'll get pregnant just walking around your room."
"Fuck off," Rhys flipped his brother a specific finger. "Are you just up here to complain about my vacation destination?"
"Yes," Cassian gave him a shit eating grin.
"Alright then, I'm taking Feyre home now. Have a good week, Cassian." Rhys shoved past him and went to collect Feyre from her office. He flipped Cassian one more rude gesture as he escorted Feyre past him to the elevator.
Rhys was happy to discover Nuala and Cerridwen had dinner prepared for them before they left for the evening which meant they could eat dinner right away and Rhys could convince Feyre to bed early. With her rest that afternoon, he took advantage of her few extra moments of being awake to give her a taste of what to expect on vacation.
In the morning he left Feyre a note, abandoned his sports car for his little used SUV, and drove to several different stores. He stopped first at Feyre's art supply store to buy her paint, canvases, and a travel kit of brushes along with a large sketch pad and charcoal. He wanted to make sure she had plenty to work with while she was there. Then he went to the lingerie store Feyre frequented and bought her several new pieces to model for him. The ladies that owned the store were far too happy to point him in the right direction for things Feyre might actually enjoy. He made a stop at his favorite jewelers to collect several orders he had placed. Then Rhys had gone to the grocery store to make sure they would be fed and supplied for the week.
When his SUV was loaded down, he went home and helped Feyre to pack a bag of weather appropriate clothing for them before he bundled her into the car for the long drive up to Illyria.
It was a long drive and it was late afternoon by the time they turned off the main roads and started the climb into the mountains. He navigated the roads by memory alone, mostly from his childhood but also from annual hunting trips he took with Cassian and Azriel to remind themselves they were considered warriors of the Illyrian clans. The sun was starting to set by the time they pulled onto a small dirt road enclosed by trees. His whole body relaxed as they came into view of the cabin.
"I thought you said it was a cabin, not a mansion?" Feyre quipped at him.
Rhys chuckled. The cabin was large. Large enough to hold his family and give them space to be apart while they relaxed. He had brought his entire Inner Circle up at one point to give them some reprieve together. It had ended with Mor and Amren ready to rip each other to shreds.
"Go explore while I unload the car," Rhys told her as he opened her door and handed her the key to the front door. She gave him a kiss and disappeared through the front door. He knew what she was seeing inside. The entrance opened into a big common room where arm chairs and couches sat around a large fireplace. The kitchen and dining room were open and off to one side while a hallway led to a large bathroom and a sauna. The staircase in the back of the hallway led up to the bedrooms upstairs that each had their own bathrooms. Rhys' bedroom had a tub large enough for both of them. The entire place was furnished both comfortably and expensively. A combination of his mother's culture and his father's insistence for spending money on good quality.
The cabin had been built as a peace offering from his father to his mother. A way to give her a place to come back to in the mountains she had been born and raised in away from the Illyrian clans but close enough to visit if she wished. It wasn't where they had stayed when he had been learning what it was to be Illyrian. That had been a two-story wooden hovel with two bedrooms upstairs and an open room downstairs that held the dining room, kitchen, and sitting space altogether. The only bathroom had been an outhouse at the back of the house. If they showered at all, it was in a wooden stall where they had to heat water to be poured over them. This was far more luxurious than that, far more luxurious than his townhouse.
The best part was they would be completely and utterly alone. The one phone in the house was for emergency use only. They would have time to just be together. She could draw and paint, and he would read nearby while she worked. When they needed a break from their activities, they could go hiking. And when they were in the mood, they would explore so many different areas of the house with their bodies as they explored each other.
It would be perfect. The vacation they would come back and have time and again just to remember that at some point, when everything was absolutely perfect, Rhys would produce the box Mor had brought from his family's estate. They would remember the loving things he would say in hopes that she would forgive how quickly he was springing things on her. And with any hope, they would remember how she said 'yes' to him and then she would wear the star shaped sapphire perched on a silver band for the rest of their lives.
"Rhys?" Feyre's voice came from the door. "Are you coming or are you going to stay out there and stare at this monstrosity you call a cabin all night?"
Rhys chuckled, shook his head of the image of Feyre wearing his mother's ring, and then started to unload the boxes and bags he had spent the morning gathering. It wouldn't be tonight. Tonight would be for settling in and perhaps getting Feyre to model some of the new pieces of lingerie he had bought for her.