He slid a thick finger deep within her core.
Cherone moaned in ecstasy. “Oh God!”
“If I remember correctly, last night we didn’t use protection. Did we?”
“Rico, don’t do this to us.” She was beginning to understand the magnitude of his anger.
“Did we?”
“Will you listen to me?”
“Or did your planning veer to that as well? Did you plan to get pregnant? Do you think Dom would force me to marry you then?”
God why are you making me seem so mercenary? So hateful?
“Because that’s the way it seems to me,”
You heard that.
Rico nodded.
“It was not like that!” she shrieked as he pulled one taut nipple into his mouth.
“So no protection?” He released her nipple. “Do you understand the depths of your deception yet?”
“Rico, I…”
“Do you understand?” He drilled his finger inside her, angling the digit to glide over her clit with each thrust.
Cherone couldn’t stop the trembling that overtook her. “Yes, Rico, I do!” She rotated her hips in rhythm to the movement of his finger. The tremors became more violent as she edged closer to an orgasm.
“No,” he said softly. He stepped away from the bed. “No. I don’t think you do.”
Feeling bereft of his touch, she sobbed in distress. “But I do!”
He started taking off his clothes. “I don’t think you understand at all.”
“Rico, I am truly sorry. I thought of nothing else but being with you. It wasn’t any more sinister than that. Yes, it was against what you wanted, but you withheld yourself from me. That was against my will. How is that any different?”
Standing naked in front of her, he gave a short bark of laughter. “You still don’t see the difference?”
Cherone stared at his broad, smooth muscled chest, chiseled stomach, narrow lean hips, and taut muscled thighs braced apart like a warrior about to do battle. “You have to know that I love you.”
He snorted.
“I do love you and would not knowingly do anything to hurt you.”
“Yes I know. That is your version of loving me.” The cool expression on his face did not change. “But how about you try my version? Where you don’t lie to me, ever. I like that version of love better.”
Rico kissed her softly on her forehead, her cheeks, and her chin. She tried turning her head to kiss him, but he avoided her lips. He trailed kisses over her neck, her chest, her breasts, and her stomach. Straining against him, she tried encouraging him to take her puckered nipples into his mouth.
“Rico?”
His fists were on either side of her head holding him up and away from her. He rose up over her, aligning his cock to her weeping core and slid into her.
Cherone cried out at the exquisiteness of it. Closing her eyes in bliss, she was in the throes of such passion, thoroughly enjoying the steely glide of his cock in and out of her heat. She opened her eyes and his cool dark gaze stared back at her, emotionless, distant. Tears pooled in her eyes as she realized how mechanical he was being. He didn’t touch her anywhere except where they were joined.
“Rico, mi amor, please,” she sobbed, appalled that her body continued to respond spectacularly to him.
“Am I hurting you, Cherone?”
The detached tone of his voice chilled her to the bone. Despite his reputation as the emotionless Ghost, his caring about her had never been in question. He didn’t sound as if he cared now.
“Rico?”
“Am I hurting you?”
“No, but…”
“You’re enjoying herself. I think if I keep this up, you will even come for me. But is this love?”
“No.” Tears clouded her vision and leaked from the corners of her eyes into her hair.
Rico looked down at her and sighed. “God, pequeña, don’t cry.”
His tenderness only made her cry harder. “I’m sorry.”
He sighed again and stilled his hips. “Will you lie to me again?”
“No, Rico,” Cherone wailed. “I’m so sorry.”
He tenderly kissed her eyelids and her cheeks to dry away her tears. Fusing their lips, Rico kissed her gently, lovingly. He removed his belt from her wrists as he deepened the kiss.
Cherone sighed at her sudden freedom. She wound her arms around his neck and held him to her as his tongue swirled around hers.
Rico stroked into her slowly. His big body sank into her, the hard planes of his chest and stomach against her soft flesh.
She trembled with undiluted pleasure.
Her thighs circled his waist as she locked her legs high on his back.
Rico placed his forehead against hers and kissed her softly. “I love you, querida,” Rico whispered against her lips. “But don’t ever try to manipulate me again.”
“I love you too, and I won’t,” Cherone promised solemnly. “I just wanted to belong to you.”
Rico wrapped his arms around her, clutching her tight to him as he trailed his lips down her neck. His touch was achingly tender on her overly sensitive skin.
She trembled uncontrollably under him.
He took her nipple into his mouth as he glided in and out of her heat, slowly, reverently with excruciating gentleness. He turned his head and pulled the other nipple into his mouth.
She cried out as need sizzled through her. She grabbed a fist full of his dark hair, pulling his head to receive her kiss. Melding their lips, she tried to show him how deeply she loved him, pouring all of her emotion into it.
Rico deepened the kiss, gripped her ass, and pulled her closer to him as he powered into her. He growled appreciatively as the muscles of her core tightened around his bruising shaft.
Cherone palmed the taut flesh of his ass and rolled her hips provocatively, grinding sensually on his hard pole. He sucked her tongue deep into his mouth as he buried every inch of his cock deeper into her with insistent need.
“Yes, Rico!” she cried in the throes of such passion, shattering in a violent orgasm.
Rico roared as his seed exploded from him like hot lava.
He slumped down on top of her weakly, quivering in the aftermath. Moments later, he rolled to his side and pulled her tight against him. Pushing her hair from her face, he kissed her lips softly. “I have to go,” he said quietly.
“I know. Neo and Sean must be freaking out right now.” Cherone grinned.
“Yeah, well, I had more pressing issues to deal with.”
Cherone frowned. “Rico?” she whispered.
“Don’t worry, querida.” He smoothed the frown lines from her forehead. “When I get back we will sort everything out.”
“Can you forgive me?”
“Already forgiven, but you may find that there will be consequences for the decision you made last night. The future you had envisaged will not be the same.” He kissed her gently, picked her up, and walked into the en-suite bathroom.
Cherone looked around the pristine white porcelain and chrome fixtures. Since Rico didn’t really live in the condo, it all seemed sterile, impersonal.
“I don’t have much time with you,” he said. “I’ll get you back to the house before I meet the guys.” He pulled her in under the warm spray of the shower.
She clung to him as he ran his soapy hands over her sensitive skin, her breasts, her stomach, between her legs and her thighs. There was no place on her body his fingers didn’t explore. She was shocked that after the loving they had just indulged in that her desire could return so swiftly. Pulling his head down for better access, she nibbled on his lower lip before covering his mouth with hers.
Rico took over the kiss, deepening and turning it instantly erotic. He turned her to face the tiled wall as he palmed her breasts, their weight overflowing in his large hands.
She moaned loudly as he bounced his swollen cock against her ass and slid into her from behind. With the hot skin of his chest on her back and
cool tiles of the shower on her front, Cherone was mindless with lust. She writhed against him, overwhelmed by the desire raging in searing intensity throughout her body.
Rico pulled the soft skin of her neck between his teeth and gently bit down as he sawed in and out of her heat. His large hard frame was clued to her smaller, softer one. His grip tightened on her breasts as he stroked deep and up into her.
Cherone cried out until she was hoarse, but he was relentless, drilling into her until she spasmed with pleasure and erupted around him.
He rode her mercilessly through her orgasm, making her splinter into another blazing release. Gripping the globes of her ass, he spread her cheeks to allow him deeper access. He pounded repeatedly against the cluster of nerves deep with her but then pulled out and battered the broad head of his cock erotically against her sensitive clit.
She screamed anew at the clitoral stimulation.
Slamming back into her heat, he growled huskily as his seed burst from him, flooding her pussy.
She shivered uncontrollably against the wall, too weak to stand under her own power.
Turning her in his arms, Rico held her limp form against him. He gently bathed her and then washed himself. He lifted her from the shower and dried her with a thick towel.
“Ah Rico, you destroyed my T-shirt and bra. How am I going get out of here?”
Rico grinned with a wicked glint in his eyes. He kissed her hard. “I will always take care of you.”
Ten minutes later, Rico delivered her back to their house.
Her attire of jeans and Rico’s oversized jacket swimming on her made Clara shake her head. “I’m going to start sewing,” she muttered as she went back into the kitchen.
“Sewing what, Clara?” Cherone called out to her retreating housekeeper.
“The baby’s blanket,” Clara yelled back.
“Oh!” Cherone raised stunned eyes to Rico.
Rico grinned at her. “I told you there may be consequences. And after today, it’s now a strong possibility,” he murmured before sealing his mouth over hers. When the kiss ended, she was trembling in his arms in renewed arousal. “Behave,” he admonished, and he tapped her on her ass as he walked out the front door.
Be careful and come back to me.
I always do.
Rico climbed into Neo’s truck. Neo and Sean frowned at him.
“What the fuck was that?” Sean asked.
“I hope you’ve set the date,” Neo said. “Otherwise, we may just have to kick your ass.”
“Shut the fuck up, man. Y’all sound like a bunch of gossiping old ladies.” Rico didn’t bother looking at his mates. He was too busy savoring the hours spent with Cherone. When I get back I’m going to take her away for a month. If she’s not pregnant now, I’ll make sure she’s pregnant then. Clara will be sewing for years to come.
I can’t wait to make a family with her.
My first real family.
Chapter Ten
CHERONE JERKED UP out of a deep sleep uncertain about the reality of the shouted words that awakened her.
Run!
There it was again, Rico’s voice in her head. It wasn’t as clear as it usually was, but it was unmistakably Rico. She couldn’t ignore it. The fear in his voice was palpable and scared the shit out of her. Rico is never scared!
Cherone jumped out of bed and threw on her sweats and sneakers. She grabbed her backpack which always held her wallet and her knives. She never went anywhere without them; the paranoia of the guys after Damien’s death had definitely rubbed off on her.
Where am I going and who am I running from? Cherone asked.
Run, pequeña! Go to Neo! Don’t go to the house.
What’s going on? Where are you? Cherone could hear the fear and pain in Rico’s voice, even though she was certain he was trying to hide it. But for the first time in nine years, Rico didn’t answer her mental outreach, and the emptiness was jarring.
Cherone stole out of the dorm building, moving with the stealthy agility her guardians had taught her. It was almost one a.m., and there was no movement about campus. Everything around her was too eerily quiet, as though something sinister was in the air.
As she approached the parking lot, she saw two men tinkering with her car, one man working under the hood, the other up under the car itself.
Rico, what the hell is going on? She screamed her question at him, but again there was no answer.
Cherone ran around Osceola to the Richter Library and hid outside while she called Neo. She had no idea if Neo would be in Miami because Neo’s home base was in Nassau, Bahamas.
Neo answered on the second ring. “What’s wrong?”
“Come get me,” Cherone whispered. “I know you guys have a tracker on me, so just activate it and come for me. And Neo?”
“Yeah?”
“Approach with extreme caution. I have no idea what’s going on.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Make it three. Hurry!”Cherone ducked behind a few flowering shrubs, palmed a blade and waited for Neo.
In less than five minutes, Neo’s Ram 1500 truck rolled into the library’s parking lot with no lights on. Cherone quickly climbed into the vehicle.
Putting a finger to his lips, Neo drove off campus. Neo constantly checked his mirrors to ensure they were not being followed until they pulled into Neo’s apartment building at the Village at Merrick Park and entered the condo.
“What happened?” he asked as he pulled her into his arms for a hug as soon as they crossed the threshold.
“I was hoping you’d tell me,” Cherone replied with tears in her eyes. “Something is wrong with Rico,” she whispered, another jolt of despair surging through her. On the ride over, she had tried repeatedly to talk to Rico again, but there was no response.
Neo gently pushed her away from him. “What are you talking about? Their mission was successful.”
“Rico called out to me about an hour ago, waking me up. He told me to run and go to you. But he didn’t say why I had to run.” Cherone started wringing her hands. “Heeding the urgency in his voice, I dressed and left the dorm. As soon as I got to the parking lot, saw two men messing with my car.”
“What were they doing?” Neo asked.
“I have no idea what they were doing, but I wasn’t going to stick around and ask.”
“Did you see what they looked like?” Neo started dialing a number on his cell phone.
“No. It was too dark. But I know they both were well over six feet tall and were relatively large men. Rico didn’t answer my mental call out to him.”
Neo stopped typing into his phone and gave her a hard looked. “Mental call out to him? What are you talking about?”
From the look in Neo’s eyes Cherone knew telling him about her and Rico’s connection wasn’t going to be easy. “I have to tell you about Rico and me.”
“Ah Roni, I think we can skip that talk.” Neo seemed uncomfortable as he looked anywhere but her.
“No. I don’t mean that.” Cherone smiled sadly. “Rico and I can communicate with each other mentally. Ever since we first met, we could talk to each other that way.”
Neo frowned. “How the hell is that possible?”
“Well that part is a long story, but it has to do with my Creole ancestry and fated mates. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t have time now to explain it to you.”
Neo started pacing. “I feel like I’m in a freaking sci-fi movie.”
“You have to believe me. Neo, I’m telling you the truth. Please understand that for Rico to talk to me over such a long distance, something is definitely wrong. We have only ever been able to communicate when we were in the same room or house, never with such distance between us.”
“While I appreciate you believe in what you are telling me, I know Rico is fine. His assignment was successful. Sean has already returned and debriefed. Rico is scheduled back to Miami in a day or two. I will reach out to him tomorrow.”
“Neo, please listen to me. Rico is in trouble. He’s hurt and …” Her voice cracked. “He needs your help. He was frantic and afraid for me. You know Rico never loses his shit like that. Something is wrong! You have to help him.”
“Roni…”
“No, you have to listen to me! Uncle Neo, please! Go to our house. He told me not to go there, but obviously the house has been compromised. Check on Ray and Clara. See if anyone was trying to get to me. But don’t just ignore me!”
He regarded her steadily, “I’ll check it out. Stay here.”
“No! I want to go with you.”
“I know you have Rico wrapped around your little finger, but I’m not Rico! You need to do as you’re told.”
Cherone stared at him stubbornly. “Just go and check on Ray and Clara. Rico would be very upset if something happened to them.”
“Ray is one of us. He can take care of himself and his wife.”
“What? How come no one told me? You know what? Just go!”
After Neo left, Cherone’s fear for Rico almost choked her.
Chapter Eleven
RICO WEAVED IN and out of consciousness. His abductors tortured him, taking turns beating, burning, and cutting him about the body. When the pain became too great, he would pass out, but they would wake him again by dousing him with cold water. Despite the pain and lack of proper food, Rico did all he could to preserve his strength and sanity. He refused to give up. Cherone would kick his ass if he didn’t come home as promised.
This was the one time in his life he had ignored his survival instincts and was now paying the price for that folly. He and Sean had successfully rescued the American journalist and two other British aid workers who were held in the same rebel cave. They had been in and out of Iraq in less than 48 hours.
On the way home, Rico had received a message from Keith Rollands, who managed Cherone’s hotel, so he had taken a detour to New Orleans to address Rollands’ concerns. After the death of her brothers and her sister, and Tamara’s imprisonment, Rico had taken possession of Cherone’s property. Since Neo ran their jointly owned intelligence and personal security company, Sean was head of his family-run business, and Dominic was CEO of his international shipping organization, it was left to him take care of Cherone’s assets along with his vast holdings.
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