He kissed the inside of each ankle, sending a shiver through her. Who knew ankles could be sensitive. He held her legs just wide enough apart to bracket his cheeks, up until he folded them over his shoulders. Then he teased her inner thigh, running his lips all the way down to kiss her mons, before starting on the other side.
“Rio.” She could hear the pleading in her voice, but she didn’t care. Hot need wrapped around her, demanding release before it consumed her.
He led her thighs apart, hovering over her, his breath teasing every one of her senses.
“You’re beautiful, Celeste.”
His mouth covered her, and she believed him. Would have believed every word he said, as long as he kept up the attention. Deep strokes, gentle kisses. His thumbs playing along her thighs, keeping her completely open while his tongue entered her again, doing some fluttery thing at her entrance that bowed her back.
Two fingers took over, and he followed her folds with his tongue, his lips closing over her sensitive clit, starting a rhythmic suction she felt all the way to her chest. She reached out, needing to hold on to something. Her nails scraped the cushion as her hips rocked to his pace, sending her higher. She was uttering unintelligible sounds, tightening her muscles until her rushing blood echoed in her head and the world exploded around her.
…
He’d deceived her. Let her think what he did was for her, but no. Bastard that he was, he’d gone down on her, brought her to release, for his own selfish pleasure. And he’d do it again. Because once he got a taste of her, he wanted more. More of those little noises she made. More of the abandon she hadn’t shared with him earlier.
He shoved down his pants, cursing the leather for holding on. Then he pulled out a condom and sheathed himself despite the awkward position. All to be ready for that moment when she came. Because he wasn’t going to let her drop after her orgasm. Shifting, he pushed at her entrance, setting his jaw as the tight muscles allowed him past. He thought he knew what to expect, but she was dangerously close to blowing his mind. Incredible heat surrounded his sensitive head, her body clutching him as she had his fingers. She’d be strong as that vice he’d imagined, covering all of him. Just thinking about being inside her sent him closer to the edge.
Celeste moaned, her expression changing from mindless pleasure to awareness, then anticipation. The woman didn’t disappoint. Her body undulated with each added inch, as if she just couldn’t be still. All the while that long, low purr echoed in her throat. Perfect. She had a hell of a way to let him know how much she enjoyed taking his cock.
He went in, as deep as he could. Deeper than he’d thought to the first time, but her legs tightened, keeping him against her, inside her. Steady. Dragging in a ragged breath, he reined in the need clawing at him. It would be too easy to hurt her if her body wasn’t ready. Just a few seconds to let her adjust.
She lay before him, hair spread out, tumbling over the cushion. Pink-tipped breasts pointing skyward, the buds still wet from his attention. Her stomach flat, leading down to where their bodies met. His skin contrasted with her pale thighs. How would he look between them? His cock thick and rigid, buried deep in the delicate pink folds holding him so tight. Urgency dug its claws into his spine. Fuck. He needed to move. Start out slow while he could still hold a thought in his head.
“Angel,” he coaxed, following her calves around him, bringing her heels to sit at the edge of the cushion. “I need you here.” She nodded, her breasts rising and falling with her quickened breaths. He withdrew, tightening his jaw as her body fought to keep him in place. Celeste arched, her lips parted as she dragged in one breath after another. Shaking his head to clear the haze, he stopped, caressing her, murmuring his pleasure before he moved again.
This time he slid home, with less resistance. Her body softening, giving way under his advance, letting him set a pace. One he increased with each stroke until he was pounding into her. Keeping time with her moans. He leaned in, bracing his arm against the wall by her head so he could see her expression. The new angle sent her soaring, reaching out to hold him. Clinging to him like she never wanted to let go.
And damn if he didn’t like it. If he didn’t want to take her again and again, until they were too tired to move. Then he’d lie there learning every secret to her body so he could make her come again.
Her fingers curled into his back, and he may have heard his name. Something echoed in his head while he held her. Keeping her close, he thrust one last time and arched, his low growl matching her purr as he spilled into her.
Chapter Six
Celeste bit her thumbnail. How could she be thinking about shower sex after last night? But hearing the water splashing against the tile got her imagination going. He was in there, his nude body all soapy. Maybe he needed help washing his back. She sat up, a huge grin on her face. Her hair fell over her shoulder in a tangled clump. She grimaced. Very unsexy. Tiptoeing over to her bag, she dug through to find a brush. Her phone sat in a corner, the screen bright within the dark interior. It had to be Oz. Who else would be reaching out? Her clients knew about the “vacation”, and she set up their posts weeks in advance.
She rolled her lips, her thumb hovering over the start button. Reading texts from her father, while naked, reached an unimaginable level of icky. She went back to the bed, pulling the sheet to wrap it around her, then sat at the edge. Half dreading what she’d read, she pushed the button.
I have to leave. There’s an unexpected situation, but I’ll have someone meet you.
Shoulders slumped, she frowned at the phone while she pulled the cover high up on her chest. After all the stress and worry, she wasn’t even going to see him. His message had sounded like she had to get down here pronto.
“Everything all right?” Rio padded in from the bathroom wearing jeans and the towel he’d slung across his neck.
Her gaze shot to him then back to the screen. “Uh… Change of plans.” She brought the phone to her chest. “My father had to rework his schedule. The city’s flooded so…” She hitched a shoulder. She was still somewhere between relief, uncertainty, and disappointment.
For a moment he just stared, his gaze wandering across her face. She gasped inwardly. I must look like a hot mess. A blush raced up her chest and face. She smoothed her hair over her shoulder like a makeshift ponytail.
“Does that mean we don’t have to rush out of here?” he asked, dropping his bag on the corner of the bed.
She glanced up at him, finding him a little apprehensive and a little hopeful. Maybe things didn’t have to end so soon. “I suppose so, if you’d like.” She forced saliva past the thick knot in her throat. Were these morning-after jitters? “We could go to breakfast,” she suggested.
“Brunch,” he teased.
Morning sex had proved just as memorable as the night before, and as the images flashed through her mind she blushed again, knowing it gave her thoughts away. Biting her lip to stifle a grin, she murmured, “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He came around to take her face in his hands, tilting it back for his kiss. Her lips were wonderfully sensitive, swollen from everything they’d done over the past few hours.
“Why don’t you shower? I’ll go check on the rental then we’ll grab a bite and see where we go from there.”
She nodded then got up, dragging the sheet around her like an old-fashioned gown, leaving room for her to walk. A contented smile stretched across her lips. “I won’t be long.”
“Good.” He reached into his bag, pulling out a shirt. “If they don’t have a car, I’ll walk over to the diner and bring something back.”
“Perfect.”
“What do I get you?”
You with a side of sex. She reeled back the words. “Scrambled eggs, plain, with a side of ham. Wheat bread, lightly toasted.”
“You got it.” He winked, watching her go by like a cat fixing to pounce. “I�
�ll text you when I’m heading back.”
“Okay.” She rattled off her number before she ducked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She put the phone on the counter, dropping the sheet on the toilet lid only to have it slide to the floor in a crumpled pile. One look in the mirror and she realized she looked just as bad. Eeek. Why hadn’t she gotten up to brush her hair? She ran her fingers through the tangles. How could a man like him be looking at her like he was ready to jump her…again? The wonder of it all still blew her away.
She turned on the water, stepping into the shower. Her father’s cryptic message wandered into her thoughts as she poured shampoo. The unexpected situation, could that be the people after him? As always, she wondered who “they” were. Did he mean the authorities or someone else? Did they want to arrest him or kill him? Those questions kept her up for countless nights after she’d made the mistake of Googling him.
Once her mother died, their visits had been few and far between. The calls brief, and on private lines. A few months ago, the texts started. She still had trouble picturing a man like Oz texting, but he’d said it was safer. Now the dreaded visit was postponed. Though she should be thankful for the reprieve. She grinned. How could she complain if she was getting Rio for a little longer? If she ended up in Houston for a while, why not plan dinner. A movie. What else did regular people do on dates?
…
Bud set out a pen and the paperwork for the rental. “You didn’t scare off that sweet little girl after I dropped ya off, ditcha?”
Rio suppressed a smile. “Nah, Bud. I didn’t. We’re grabbing breakfast then heading out.” He scrawled his usual, illegible signature, losing some of his cheer. The countdown had begun the moment the sun came up. Check on a rental. Breakfast. Drive to Houston. Say good-bye. Rio grimaced inwardly. What could he say to Bud? I don’t do long-term. I’ll make sure she doesn’t have a hard time walking away. Maybe a plain I’m a fucking bastard would explain everything.
Bud frowned. “Ya thinking she’s gonna kick ya to the curb when you get to the city?”
“Could be.” He kept his reply short, hoping things would end there.
“Yeah.” Bud took a deep breath while he folded the contract and put it in an envelope. “The good ones are smart that way.”
“Yup.” He gathered the paperwork, needing to get the hell out of town. Things would go back to normal when he got to Houston. The anxiety curling inside him was just the need to be in the thick of things.
“Well, some of us are smart enough to keep at it.” Bud slapped the keys on the counter and gave him a pointed look. “And I didn’t take you fer no fool, son.”
“Things are what they are, Bud.” He scooped up the key ring and took the proffered hand. “Thanks for everything.”
“Hope things work out.”
Rio adjusted the bag over his shoulder, heading to the lot next to the building. A solitary vehicle sat in the fourth slot, waiting for him. He unlocked the SUV, tossing his bag in the passenger’s seat before getting in. For once, he didn’t do a preliminary check. In fact, he hadn’t bothered to look around on the way out the building. Right now, he didn’t give a damn about anything that might happen to him.
Pulling out of the airport, he headed toward town, conscious of the ticking clock. By sundown he’d be walking away from her and everything that happened in the last eighteen hours. Every smile. Every touch. Every emotion that flashed across her beautiful face. He’d touched her, memorizing every soft, tempting inch of her. Enjoying the way her body tightened. Undulated. Hot, wet, and needy just for him. He never thought those images would come back to haunt him.
Ahead, a crossing guard came down by the railroad tracks while a faraway whistle cut through the air. He’d just driven close to three miles without a conscious thought of his surroundings. The train caught up to the crossing, leaving him to sit and watch the lights alternating on the cross-guard. The line of faded boxcars stretched out into the distance, the end blocked by an oversize stop sign.
Shaking himself, he took stock. He should grab Celeste and go to Houston, but what he wanted was another night in Breman. For a few hours, he’d learned what it was to be happy. Lighthearted. A word nobody had ever used to describe him. But it was true. He traced it back to when Celeste admitted she was apprehensive because of a new experience, not having second thoughts.
He’d stayed in bed for hours. Holding her. Listening to the sound of her even breathing. Watching as she lay there, relaxed, boneless, in a deep, motionless sleep after hours of intense, searing-hot sex. A canvas so wonderfully open and innocent that he could hardly believe she existed.
She’d been adorable, worried they’d get a noise complaint. So he’d used his newly found knowledge of her body and hit her tickle spots until she was dissolving in a fit of giggles. Laughter had come so easily. Then the neighbor’s bed squeaked, and a low moan filtered through the wall. Wide-eyed, she’d slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Oh my God,” she’d whispered. “Do you think they heard us? Is that how we sounded?”
He’d pretended to think about it. “No. I think it was more like this.” And he’d pounced, ready to show her they weren’t going to be outdone.
Fuck. He slouched back in the seat, hitting the cushioned headrest. Above him, tucked into the visor, sat a safety list with Bud’s name clearly written at the bottom, next to yesterday’s date and time. Eight seventeen. He could’ve been on the road last night. Something sharp pierced his chest. No, he refused to think about what he’d been doing at eight seventeen last night, or where he’d anchored her leg. And those damn purrs.
I’m an idiot. It was one of the few times his head wasn’t in sync with his instincts.
His head knew his job, and his life, didn’t include room for a woman. Never had. And he’d thought it never would… His instincts, which kept him alive, safe, and whole, screamed for him to stop so loudly, the letters seemed to stand out from the big, red sign. The fact he’d be leaving Celeste had been clawing at the back of his mind since he’d seen her sitting in bed, wrapped in the sheet.
The image of her, eyes widening in realization, flashed through his head. You don’t have to hide here, Celeste. Nobody knows you, not even me. Yeah, what an eye opener, when she figured out she didn’t have to be her everyday self. Not here, not with him. His self-deprecating scoff echoed off the roof. Pendejo, because the word idiot didn’t offer enough self-loathing to satisfy him.
He put the gear to park and pulled out his cell phone. “Yeah.” Kris, his lead, answered on the first ring, unintelligible voices in the background.
“I’m not coming.” They’d worked together long enough that no preamble was needed.
“Hang on,” he said without missing a beat. “Get out.” Chair legs scuffed. Mumbling. Door closed.
Rio smiled in spite of himself. “You got some way with words.” Silence. But he could picture the dead stare Kris was known for.
“What’s her name?”
Wheels clanked to each side of him, while he smirked at the windshield. Damn, wouldn’t have figured it was that obvious.
“We’re the same cut of bastard, Rio.” Eyebrow raised, Rio nodded to himself. There was no denying the truth. “The only time the job didn’t come first was because of Tessa. And you’ll remember, one of your guys almost shot me in the process.” Kris had reminded him of that fact more than once.
Rio remained silent. Yesterday he would’ve thrown out his usual “shit happens when you break rank”. Today he knew better.
“You’ve had your eye on Ayala ever since shit started with Guerrero. So I have to ask, what would trump you bringing in the head of one of the biggest cartels in Mexico.”
His job had always come first, and tearing down the cartel had been the single most important thing in his life… until now. Until her. The light to his darkness. His angel.
“Cel
este,” he said, quietly. “Her name is Celeste.”
The line went silent. He could almost picture Kris processing his words. For a moment he felt a prick at his conscience. But really, he’d been on days off. If he was anyone else he wouldn’t have even been notified.
The last boxcar went by. “All right. Check in when you get back. We’ll see how things are going.”
“Will do.” Relief washed through him, then turned to anticipation. They hung up, and he immediately sent her a text. On my way. As soon as the guard went up he was gone, speeding toward the hotel with a smile on his face and a huge weight off his shoulders.
He pulled into the small parking area and went inside, leaving his bag in the SUV. He suddenly had a craving for something much more luscious. Maybe he’d find Celeste naked, having washed away his scent and everything that happened between them last night. A smile hooked the corner of his lips. There were so many ways he’d mark her all over again. He slipped the keycard in the lock and ducked inside.
Chapter Seven
How long had she been staring at the menu? Yet she still didn’t have a single clue what the cafe offered. The strand of pearls lay tucked against the most intimate part of her body, sweeping away every attempt at concentration. She’d been fine leaving the hotel, but the drive to Houston had given her a couple of hours to become overly sensitive. They’d stopped at a restaurant and found the only parking space available was down the block. They’d stood waiting for a couple of vehicles to go by, and she’d become overly aware of Rio’s brawny body next to her. She’d shot a glance in his direction and found him checking traffic. At least she thought so. Then his hand came down on her hip, his long fingers stroking her absently for a second before he urged her to step off the sidewalk.
Maybe the quick steps to the curb were to blame, or his overwhelming presence. But before they’d made it across the block, she’d discovered how much her hips swayed. She couldn’t really be shaking her ass so much, right? The light coat had flapped in the wind until she’d gripped the front closed to stop the incessant thrumming.
Temptation and Treachery (Dangerous Desires) Page 5