Rio

by Allyson James

  Chapter Twelve

  New Destination

  A long time later, they were still lying on the bed, Rio on top of Nella, Aiden relaxing against the wall, idly moving his bare foot up and down one of Nella’s exposed legs.

  She drifted in and out of sleep, tired, happy and serene. I want this man in my life. The words slid through her head, and she wasn’t terribly surprised to find them there.

  She did not want him simply because he’d given her this pleasure. He’d taught her that giving herself to another person did not make her weak. He’d taught her that trust, if anything, made her stronger.

  I want you in my life, Rio.

  She knew what that meant and what she had to do. She had to hand him her greatest vulnerability, take her courage into her hands and try. She had no idea if he wanted Nella in his life, but she was not going to take the risk of losing him forever because she was afraid to try.

  She smiled a little, liking his heavy weight on her. He was being gentle, because though he drowsed, he took care to support himself and not crush her. He was kind, this man who liked to flick his whip and promise to spank a lady good and hard if she did not obey.

  He had taught her to trust him. Now, Rio was going to have to learn to trust her.

  “Mmm,” Rio said. He lazily licked her ear. “You’ve been bad, Nella.”

  She heard him as though through a haze. Her head rested on Aiden’s muscled thigh, and she smelled his sex and sweat as well as Rio’s.

  “Has she?” Aiden answered.

  “No,” Nella murmured.

  Rio chuckled. “Don’t argue, love. You made me come way too fast.”

  Aiden’s foot caressed her leg, the touch of his toes sensual. “Are you going to punish her?”

  “Do you think I should?” Rio said, his breath tickling her.

  Nella did not answer, content the way everything was. She pressed a kiss to Aiden’s thigh, then turned her head and met Rio’s lips.

  The kiss was sweet, slow and profound. Rio tasted her whole mouth, his tongue hard and insistent. She felt Aiden stroke her hair, and realized he stroked Rio’s at the same time.

  Rio broke the kiss, and rose to his knees. Nella’s stomach fluttered, somewhere down under her haze of feeling.

  Aiden watched them both, his beautiful eyes heavy, cheekbones flushed.

  Rio looked at Nella, his dark hair hanging down like a curtain. “When I asked if you trusted me before, you weren’t sure, were you?”

  She thought a moment. “No.”

  “I like that you don’t lie,” he said softly. “I might go easier on you. But I will have to spank you.”

  “Yes,” Aiden smiled. His cock was already elongating. “Punish her.”

  “See? Aiden’s ready for it.”

  Nella groaned. She felt good and sated, and a little excited, but oh, so tired.

  Rio patted her rump. “Come on, baby. Hands and knees.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. Aiden.”

  Aiden slid his strong hands under her arms, pulling her up. She felt Rio’s cool leather strap on her back, and the dark bite of cream on her legs.

  “Let’s see,” Rio said, “for not trusting me, I think ten swats will do it.” He leaned down, covering Nella’s body with his warm one. “What do you think, Nella? Ten?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  She swiveled her gaze to him, so close, his dark face nearly against her own, his skin warm with spice and the smell of her own cream. “Yes, Rio?”

  A smile flickered on his mouth. “How about yes, sire.”

  Nella started to giggle. At his stern look, she tried to stop, but could not. “Sire?”

  “What is so funny? You’re a princess, you should be used to the word.”

  She giggled some more—it felt so good to laugh. “No one says sire anymore.”

  His lips twitched as though he were teasing her, but his eyes were dark blue and steady. “How about my lord and master.”

  Nella’s giggles increased. Above her Aiden said, “She is so cute.”

  “Cute or not, she’s just earned more punishment,” Rio growled. “I think I’ll have Aiden lick you while I give you your spanking.”

  “Aiden would be happy to,” he said.

  Rio didn’t wait for Nella’s consent. He rose on the bed, lifting her with him, then Aiden swung around and lay down, head toward the foot of the bed, and crossed his feet comfortably on the wall.

  Rio lowered Nella to straddle Aiden’s torso, her knees spread on either side of his head. Aiden flickered his tongue over her clit, stirring excitement.

  Too much excitement. When Rio’s lash came down across her buttocks, she screamed.

  “Twenty of them,” he said. “Count them, sweetheart. That was one.”

  “One,” Nella said weakly.

  Slap. “Two,” he growled.

  “Two.”

  “Three…”

  He went on, the slaps on her backside regulated and slow, the time between strokes exact. Aiden’s tongue underneath her stroked and teased, flickering over her clit in hot, wet madness.

  She squirmed and squealed, loving the heat of Aiden’s breath and the grating of his tongue juxtaposed with the stinging lashes of the strap. She lost count of the strokes, her mind whirling in dark frenzy.

  The next lash was harder. “Eleven,” Rio snarled.

  “Eleven,” she gasped.

  “Twelve…”

  It went on. Nella’s buttocks stung and hurt, her clit was full and wet, and Aiden’s tongue scooped through her quim.

  By the time Rio said, “Nineteen,” she was coming and screaming, and she ejaculated into Aiden’s welcoming mouth.

  “Nineteen,” she moaned, then “Twenty,” with Rio.

  He tossed aside the whip, put his hands on her smarting buttocks and parted them. She felt his tip press her anal star again, and held her breath.

  When he pushed himself inside, she cried “Yes!” joyously. He started thrusting, his cock long and hard and oh, so big. She heard herself shouting things like, Oh gods, Rio, please, faster, harder, please!

  Aiden kept up the miracle of his tongue. She leaned down and licked Aiden’s hard, long cock, from base to tip, earning a muffled groan. She licked and teased him, much as he licked her, all the while feeling the joy of Rio in her ass.

  Rio pumped and pumped her, his hands on her buttocks, faint grunts issuing from his throat.

  “Fuck you,” he said, his voice soft, then he shouted it, “Fuck you!” and came.

  He kept riding her, shooting every bit of come into her, and Aiden licked and licked and licked.

  Just as her climax peaked, just as she thought she’d die of pleasure, Rio pulled out, clasped Nella around the waist and held on tight, burying his face in her back, breathing hard. Beneath Nella’s fingers, Aiden released his seed, his hips grinding on the bed.

  Aiden got himself out from under them, and Rio and Nella collapsed, Rio still holding her. She smiled as blessed lassitude rolled over her, along with the near-scalding heat of Rio’s body.

  Aiden lay down on her other side, cocooning her between two warm males. Aiden kissed her cheek, then rested his arm around Rio’s back.

  Before she could put a name to the heady sensations drifting through her, she crashed into a deep, hard slumber, and dreamed nothing.

  * * * * *

  Rio went to sleep after the other two, and woke up before they did. Nella lay under him like she belonged to him, her eyes closed, a peaceful look on her face. Aiden slept on his back, not snoring at all, his cock half inflated, one leg hanging off the bed.

  Rio pressed a light kiss to Nella’s hair. This is what it feels like, he realized. It was what Rees and Talan had, a contentedness, but an arousing knowledge that they could blaze hot in two seconds flat if they really wanted to.

  Damn, her ass had been tight around his cock, and she’d wriggled and squirmed and squealed until he’d not been ab
le to control his coming. Rio always controlled his coming.

  Not this time, and not with her.

  He needed to talk to her about this Bond thing, too. She’d told him and the others about it yesterday, and before Aiden had drifted to sleep, he mentioned that he and Nella had talked about it a little.

  Rio wondered if women of Ariel could have the Bond with men not of Ariel. Rio had been feeling something between them, like a thread connecting them, since he’d carried her in to Dr. Laas’ lab and laid her on the table.

  Maybe the connection was this Bond, and not his wishful thinking or horniness.

  Wishful thinking was most likely. Rio had never had anything or anyone of his own, and Nella—was different.

  You just want her, his cynicism sneered. Talan loves Rees and now you want someone to love you.

  Would you shut up?

  Life was hard enough without him talking back to himself. No, he couldn’t have everything he wanted. No one could. Probably women of Ariel could only form the Bond with another Arielian. Why should she form it with a Shareem of Bor Narga who just wanted to get laid?

  The best thing he could do was savor Nella right now, soak up everything he could while he had the chance.

  He gently moved a lock of hair from Nella’s temple and kissed her. She stirred in her sleep, but did not awaken. He’d tired her out, poor darling, but damn, it had been fun. When she rested and healed, he wanted to do it again.

  A low voice overhead broke in softly, returning Rio to reality, a place he did not want to go.

  “I so hate to interrupt,” Baine said, in a tone that indicated he was going to interrupt whether Rio liked it or not.

  “What is it?” Rio asked irritably. “Fucking machine.”

  “Rees and Talan have returned from their outing. They believe they have a transport arranged—all you have to do is get to it. And also, I’ve spied some of those assassin bots hovering nearby. Not honing in on any one thing, but searching. They’re getting closer by the minute, unfortunately. Perhaps now would be a good time to formulate a plan of action?”

  * * * * *

  The three of them washed off in Nella’s shower before they joined the others. Aiden and Rio soaped down Nella, having so much fun that Baine had to call them again and remind them of the problem.

  Laughing, Rio turned off the water, then he and Nella had stood under the drying heat, him holding and kissing her.

  Aiden watched them appreciatively, and Rio noticed the man’s eyes lingering not only on Nella’s curves, but also on Rio’s butt.

  Whatever.

  They found everyone in Dr. Laas’ laboratory, Rees and Talan unusually serious, Dr. Laas smug, and the smiling Dr. Ralston looking like a complete idiot as always. Hard to believe he was one of the most brilliant men in the galaxy.

  “I’ve got a transport,” Rees said without preliminary when they entered. “A trustworthy one, but we’ve got to get to it.”

  “Get to it where?” Rio asked.

  Aiden sat down on a sofa, clasping his hands and looking utterly relaxed. The man was a walking wall of calm. If Aiden got into a Dom-sub relationship with another Shareem, Rio was sure Aiden would be the Dom, even if he was level one. Aiden never lost his control.

  “Across the desert,” Rees said. “The transport will be leaving from Canyon Roble in three days. We get there, Nella and you get on it and you take her to Station 657, where she can get in touch with her people.”

  Nella looked up at Rio. “Then where will you go?”

  Rio draped his arm around her, like all this was casual and not going to change his life. “Anywhere. Once I get off Bor Narga, I’m free. Patrollers’ jurisdiction doesn’t reach Station 657. So there, I’m free to go where I want and do what I want. Gotta love it.”

  “What do you want?” Nella asked him. There was a spark in her eyes that he couldn’t decipher. “What do you want, Rio?”

  “To do what I damn well please.”

  It wasn’t an answer, and she wasn’t satisfied with it. But what did it matter? A couple days and she’d be gone.

  His heart burned, slow and hard, the pull to Nella getting stronger. I was never going to let this happen again. Never, ever. Damn.

  “So we pack it up and go to Canyon Roble,” he said. “Rylan lives out there. It will be good to see him again.”

  “Rylan?” Nella asked. “Is he another Shareem?”

  “A level two. Fun and games. But the man is wrapped up in his lady, Maia. Can’t blame him, she’s beautiful.”

  He ran his hand up Nella’s half-bare spine as he spoke, feeling the soft black leather of her dress, then her silky smooth skin, then the firmer leather of the collar.

  Given the choice after the shower, she’d picked up the leather dress and collar and asked him to help her put them on again. Aiden had fastened the collar around her neck while Rio lingered over the clasps of the dress.

  The fact that she wanted to wear his gifts made him hotter still.

  I am so screwed, he thought. This lady has screwed me over, and I let her do it.

  He pulled his mind back to their present problems. “So what do we do about the assassin bots out there?”

  Dr. Laas came forward, Dr. Ralston following her like a lovesick puppy. Dr. Laas held a hypo, needle pointing upward. “I think I have this right. This should alter her DNA so the bots can’t trace her.”

  “You think you have it right?” Rio demanded.

  “Nothing is ever one hundred percent,” Dr. Laas said patiently. “I’m ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine, nine, nine percent sure it’s right.”

  “Let her try,” Nella said. She gave a shaky laugh. “Growing a third arm is better than being traced by Linginian’s assassin bots. I know several lovely people on Ariel with three arms.”

  “It is absolutely brilliant,” Dr. Ralston prattled. “I watched her put it together. Unbelievable.”

  Dr. Laas gave him a tight smile. “If everyone at DNAmo had been like you, I would still have a career. All right, Nella, this won’t hurt a bit.”

  Dr. Laas stuck the hypo into Nella’s arm. A hiss, and the plunger was empty.

  Nella waited, staring at her arm as though fearing it would sprout another one, but nothing happened. Then she looked up at Rio.

  He stared. “Damn.” He touched her face. “Her eyes changed color.”

  Where Nella’s eyes had been brown-green before, they were now perfectly emerald. Beautiful.

  Startled, Nella ducked away from Rio’s touch and padded quickly to a mirror. “How did you—?”

  Dr. Laas looked smug. “Easy if you know how. I simply altered the code for eye color.”

  “And that changes her DNA enough to fool the assassin bots?” Rio asked. He folded his arms, leather stretching, his body already feeling empty without her next to him.

  “Yes,” Dr. Laas said. “I also did something else.”

  “What?” Nella asked.

  “Oh, nothing to be afraid of. Your family has a genetic tendency toward Protkins disease, an arthritic condition. I took that away.”

  Nella looked impressed. “It’s very rare in our family—most of us don’t have it. How did you find it?”

  “I looked. You will not pass it to your children, should you ever have any.”

  Baine interjected, “Dr. Laas is proud of her abilities.”

  “She ought to be,” Nella said. “So the assassin bots won’t find me?”

  “No. They look for an exact match. I did it subtly but enough so that even if the bots have been adjusted for a close match, they still won’t find you.”

  “She’s a genius,” Dr. Ralston breathed.

  “I’ve always said that,” Rio told him, trying to sound offhand.

  “No, what you say is, why do you always have your nose in that boring computer? But thank you. I won the Fleming Award for my genetic engineering research and pioneering.” She looked sad. “Before I was outlawed, that is.”

  “Why not leave the
planet then?” Nella asked. “Come with us. You can work on Ariel.”

  Dr. Laas sighed. “My dear, my entire life and all my research is saturated in this compound. It would take a lifetime to dig it all out and upload it somewhere else. No, I’ll stay. I’ve made myself quite comfortable.” She looked over at Dr. Ralston, and her face softened. “Besides, I’ve made friends.”

  Dr. Ralston tried to look modest.

  “So,” Rio said, interrupting the doctors’ mutual admiration. “We go, then.”

  Talan looked worried. “But are we sure it will work? The assassin bots will leave her alone?”

  Nella turned from the mirror. With the collar and her flame-colored hair and her black dress and her new green eyes, she looked hot and sexy and good enough to eat.

  “I hate to say this,” Nella said, answering Talan. “But there’s really only one way to find out.”

  * * * * *

  Rees and Talan would accompany Rio and Nella, so Rees could connect with the transport pilot and ensure all went well. They also had to make plans for the fact that any patroller who saw Rio hightailing it out of Pas City might follow him to see what he was up to.

  Aiden came up with the solution. “No problem. I’ll get Ky and we’ll make some trouble. Attract the patrollers’ attention while you slip away.” His blue eyes glinted with humor and anticipation.

  “Hey,” Rio said. “Don’t get yourself terminated or anything.”

  “Not that much trouble. Just enough to irritate them. Ky will do it. He’s bored.”

  Ky was Aiden’s roommate, a level three Shareem with sun-streaked dark brown hair. He’d not been face-sculpted like Aiden, and some might even call him homely, but he had a powerful body that made women wilt whenever he walked by them.

  Ky was a true Dom, loving nothing better than to attach nipple rings to a lady and make her his willing slave. Women would do anything for him.

  As they were prepared to leave the compound, Rio took Aiden aside. “Thanks for your help with Nella.”

  Aiden raised his perfect brows. “I bet that was hard for you to say.”

  “Maybe. Don’t rub it in.”