by Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Joan Swan
Her chin tilted up, and she looked at him with that heavy-lidded gaze. “I have a new favorite.”
A tangled mix of joy and fear pulsed in his chest. “Dios mío, Cassie,” he breathed. “I want you.”
She grinned, and Rio’s heart tightened. “I’m right here.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. He’d fantasized about hearing those exact words for months, but now he couldn’t help but wonder if following through on Saul’s order and Rio’s own desires would be helping Cassie or hurting her.
But Cassie didn’t wait for a decision. She leaned into him, pressed that luscious mouth to his. Her hands slid across his back, her breasts rubbing against his chest. And Rio’s life was on the edge of permanent change, because he couldn’t push her away this time. All he could do was wrap his arms around her and hold as close as he could. Inhale her as completely as he could. Feel every inch of her as fast as he could…
She stiffened in his arms. Stopped kissing him back. Stopped running her hands over—
Shit. Her hands. She had one hand resting on his Glock where it lay at the base of his spine.
He pulled back and looked down at her. She’d frozen mid-kiss, lips parted and wet from Rio’s own mouth, looking up at him through her lashes. And, damn, she looked sexy—or would have if there hadn’t been fear in her eyes.
“Why…? What…?” Her voice came out as barely a whisper. She licked her lips and tried again. “Why do you…? Never mind.”
She slid her hand off the gun and stepped away at the same time, rubbing her hands down the sides of her shorts as if wiping the touch of him off her skin. All the heat thrumming through his body cooled as quickly as a doused campfire, leaving a dull ache…everywhere.
“I’m…sorry,” she said, still not looking at him. “That kind of, um, threw me off.” She wiped her forehead, shifted on her feet, fiddled with her necklace.
A sudden sense of guilt attacked, and Rio opened his mouth with an explanation for carrying the weapon, but immediately shut it. He’d told her of the danger here. She’d said she understood the risks. And the one logical brain cell still working told him her discomfort in this situation was for the best. She needed to be reminded of the dangers all around her. And it was in both their best interests if she remained a little off-balance with him. Rio needed room to switch tactics if the situation demanded, because he wasn’t a hundred percent sold on the whole sexual-distraction plan.
“I um…” She shook her head, scraped her bottom lip over her teeth. “I…don’t know…”
Manuel stepped up with two containers, three coffees in each and the fourth space filled with cream and sugar packets, then set a large Styrofoam cup of iced tea in front of Rio. If the other man had witnessed Rio and Cassie’s kiss, he didn’t show it.
Cassie rose on tiptoe and leaned over the bar to kiss Manuel on the cheek. “Gracias, Manuel.”
She left a twenty on the bar and picked up a flat of coffee. Rio took the other and followed her out, every part of his body twice as heavy as when he walked in.
Chapter Eleven
Cassie couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so awkward or confused or uncomfortable or conflicted.
Her brain was acting like a pinball machine when she pushed the heavy wooden door of Amigos open and stepped out into the bright morning sunlight. She turned toward the clinic and shaded her eyes, but her vision didn’t clear in time to avoid the cluster of men blocking her path.
Her sudden stop brought Rio up right behind her, his chest hard against her back.
He cursed, and coffee splashed on the sidewalk.
She would have apologized to Rio, but she looked at the group, and her throat closed. The three Muertos who’d spoken to Rio near Saul’s office had been joined by three more, and all six stood fanned across the sidewalk and into the street, clearly intent on keeping them from their destination.
Rio came up beside her, coffee gone from his hands. He sidestepped in front of her, reached behind him, and pushed her backward.
“In with Manuel,” he said, low and serious. “Now.”
God, no. She couldn’t leave him out here. Six to one. “Come with me.”
He gave her a harder push. “Go.”
“Not yet,” one man said. “We want to know why she’s here.”
“And I told you to mind your own, Paco.” Rio’s voice held a tone Cassie had never heard, yet one that felt familiar—rock solid, supremely confident, clearly authoritative, and deadly serious.
“Just tell them,” she whispered.
The other man stepped forward, leaving the group. Rio’s body didn’t move, but she sensed his muscles go hard. His right hand dropped from Cassie’s waist and moved to his weapon. Her stomach went cold. Her mind searched for options. She always knew how to respond in emergencies. Yet every thought she had now was rash and impulsive—and out of the question with that gun in Rio’s hand.
“Rio, please—” she whispered.
“Don’t go loco, amigo.” Paco’s attention darted toward the weapon, now held at Rio’s thigh, and he stopped two feet away. “I’m asking a simple question.”
“We both know what you’re doing, Paco,” Rio responded. “And you should know better than to do it with me.”
“I’m not fucking with you, Rio. Have we ever fucked with you, man? We want to know what she—”
“She’s. Mine.” His words were hard and final, and they sizzled the length of Cassie’s body. “All you need to know is if you fuck with her, you fuck with me. Are we clear?”
“Something’s not right here.” He looked at Cassie over Rio’s shoulder and lifted his chin. “Whatch you say about that, chica? You belong to Rio?”
She clenched her teeth around an automatic denial. To admit to being owned by anyone—especially a man? Nev—
One of the guys behind Paco lifted the front of his T-shirt, exposing the butt of a weapon, and covered it with his hand.
Cassie stepped up beside Rio, slid her free arm around him, snuggled into his side, and said, “No. Rio belongs to me.”
A split second of silence followed; then a round of laughter rumbled from the group. All except Paco, though a slow, appreciative smile did lift his mouth. Rio’s arm encircled her shoulder, and his hand slid beneath her hair, squeezing her neck too hard to be affectionate. He probably wanted to strangle her.
Paco reached out and tapped the side of her chin, an oddly sweet gesture. “You’re as spunky as Santos said.”
Mention of Santos took her by surprise. “You knew Santos?”
“Everyone knew Santos, chica. Good man.” He made a gesture against his chest, symbolizing the pain of loss. His gaze turned to Rio. “Listen, amigo, my boss don’t like hearing your girl is snooping around the harbor asking questions. My advice? Keep a closer eye on her and keep her out of trouble. Because a man only has so much control over his boss, no?”
Cassie had so many questions. They all pushed to come out at once—about Santos, about Paco and his boss, about why they were concerned with her interest in her own yacht. But tension hung thick in the air, as if the situation could go bad with one wrong word.
Her gaze jumped back to the group member with the gun. He now had his arms crossed, the weapon once again hidden beneath his T-shirt. She fisted her fingers in Rio’s shirt and leaned into him in relief.
Paco held up his hands to Rio. “We’re cool, man. No harm, no foul. Just keeping watch over what’s ours, you understand.”
“And I’ve got watch over what’s mine.” Rio released her neck and slid a hot hand down her back. “You understand.”
Paco inclined his head, made a hand signal to his group, and then followed them across the street.
Rio slid the weapon back into his jeans and muttered, “You’re about to rip my shirt, sugar.”
Cassie forced her fingers to uncurl from the cotton. She didn’t feel steady enough to walk on her own. Now that the gang was gone, all of the what-ifs rushed in and paralyzed
her. But her pride wouldn’t let her hold on.
When she shifted her weight to her own feet, Rio rounded on her, gripped both arms, and brought his face within an inch of hers. “When I tell you to get inside, you get inside. Do you understand?”
Shock hit her head on and she recoiled.
His fingers dug into her arms as he shook her. “Do you realize what could have happened right there? Do you?”
Her head was fuzzy. Confused. Anger and fear made her heart beat fast. An overwhelming sense of loss she didn’t understand pushed tears to her eyes.
“Christ,” he bit out, low and pained, and shook her again. “Don’t cry. They’re watching, Cassie. Don’t you dare cry. Your tough front has gotten you this far, don’t screw that up. Scream, throw a tantrum, do anything else, but don’t cry.”
Anger gave way to rage. Confusion blurred all good sense. And her control snapped.
Cassie jerked out of his hold, hauled back, and let her hand fly. She cracked Rio hard across the face. His head jolted sideways. A fleshy smack sounded at the same time his whisker-roughened cheek dug into her palm. The sensations instantly made her want to hurl.
He raised his hand to his face with a grimace. “Shit…” He hissed a breath between his teeth and squinted at her. “Nice one. I didn’t expect you to pack quite that much power.”
He rubbed at his cheek, gave his head a good shake, and stretched his face muscles, then reached for the carrier filled with coffee he’d set on the top of a garbage can nearby. An angry red handprint remained, showing the first signs of welting.
Some kind of pained sound came out of her throat. Never had she hit…anyone. Ever. And Rio? She cared for Rio. Yes, he was acting like a lunatic and a shit, but …
Good Lord, what was happening to her?
“Hey.” His voice was soft as he walked up to her and ran a hand over her hair. Her world righted for a millisecond. Then he said, “You did good. Now we kiss and make up. The Muertos know you’re not a pushover and not to mess with you.” He grinned. “Besides, I belong to you, right? So have your way with me.”
He leaned in, and it took a second to realize that after all that, he was really going to kiss her. She slapped a hand to his chest, stopping him a breath from her lips, and all she could focus on was the injury she’d caused. The tears pushed out and over her lower lashes.
“This was…all a game?” Her voice was weak, rough. “A show? You taunted me into hitting you—”
“Hold on.” He reached up and wiped at her tears with his thumb. “I did suggest a few other options.”
She pushed hard at his chest, turned, and started walking.
He came up beside her. “I’ve been trying to tell you how things work out here, but you don’t want to listen. So now you’ve had a front-row seat, Cassie. Now you know why I carry a weapon. Now you know why you need protection at the clinic. Now you know why I need to be with you everywhere you go.”
She stopped and turned on him. “Tell me why they’re all so afraid of you. What did you do to earn that reputation?”
His gaze went dark, and a hint of shame shot through before he looked away. “All that matters is that they are.”
“Is it? Is that what matters to you, Rio?”
“If them being afraid of me keeps you safe, then yeah, that’s what really matters to me.”
She stepped close, grabbed the front of his T-shirt, and implored, “Why?”
His expression twisted from frustration to anger. He turned away and started walking again. “Why can’t you believe I don’t want to see you get hurt? Why can’t I just care?”
“Maybe because that would give you an admitted direct conflict of interest. Maybe because we’ve only known each other two days, of which you’ve seen ninety percent of my bad side.”
“Maybe I like your bad side.”
“Then you’re in luck. There’s a lot to like.”
He strode up the clinic steps and held the door open for her. “You may have only known me for two days, but I’ve known you a lot longer.”
The scent of fresh wood and paint washed over her as she entered. Every sound echoed around the unfinished space. “What does that mean?”
Rio walked in behind her, but instead of answering, called, “Hey, Solana!”
He stood so close his enthusiastic voice vibrated over her neck and shoulders. He reached past her and set the crate of coffee on the temporary plywood reception counter.
The two men met in the center of the space and did some elaborate handshake thing like teenagers.
“Haven’t seen you in a while.” Raymie’s smile lit up his deep brown skin. “What you been up to, man?”
She turned to set her coffee on the reception desk. One look at Nina and Cassie lost track of the men’s conversation. Her cousin rose slowly from her chair, attention focused on the interaction between Rio and Raymie with clear discomfort.
“Nina?” Cassie rounded the reception desk. “Something wrong?”
Nina pursed her lips. Her gaze dropped away. “No. Nothing.” She grabbed a handful of papers and turned down the hall. “I’m doing inventory.”
“Great catch, Cassie,” Raymie said from behind her. She turned to find his trademark grin in place, but Rio’s attention followed Nina down the hall. “Rio’s help will really speed things up.”
“Good,” she answered absently. “Keep him busy.”
Cassie followed Nina’s path and pushed open the door to exam room three. Nina stood at the counter, sifting through a box of lab supplies with jerky shoves.
Cassie closed the door. “What’s wrong?”
Nina’s hard glance sliced toward her. “What are you doing with him?”
Oh, great. She braced herself. “Getting coffee. What’s the problem?”
Arms crossed over her chest, Nina flipped her long hair over one shoulder. “When…where…? How did you meet up with someone like him?”
Cassie slid her hands into her back pockets. “He’s working security at the estate for Saul.”
Nina’s tight expression went slack for a long second, followed by an audible click when she closed and set her jaw. “Well, I guess that makes sense.” She busied herself with supplies again. “You know, I was thinking today. I have everything under control here; the clinic’s coming together nicely. Why don’t you go back to San Diego or take a vacation before you have to start your fellowship? You could probably use a break. This last year hasn’t been easy—”
“Okay.” Cassie held up her hands. “Saul I can understand. I expected him to be a prick. Rio would love to have me out of the way to make his life easier. But you? What possible reason could you have for wanting me to leave?”
Nina threw a handful of test tubes back into the box and faced her. “I don’t, Cassie. I don’t want you to leave, but….” Her gaze darted to the door. “It would be safer.”
She pulled her hands from her pockets and planted them on her hips. “What in the hell are you talking about? Spill it, Nina. Now.”
“He’s dangerous, Cassie.” The lowered hiss of her cousin’s voice raised the hair on Cassie’s arms. “He killed a man.”
The words didn’t stick, didn’t sink in. She couldn’t let them. After how close Cassie had been with Rio, how vulnerable she’d allowed herself to be with him, just as she’d been with Sharpe… “How do you know that?”
“The same way anyone knows anything in this town. People talk. Everyone knows.”
The reason for Rio’s reputation was starting to take shape, and one part of her brain wanted to hold out benefit of the doubt for him, while another wanted to kick on the flight reflex.
“Then why isn’t he in jail?” Cassie asked.
“You just told me he works for Saul. Everyone knows Saul’s tight with Chief Fermin.”
Cassie envisioned Rio and Fermin shaking hands the night before, their easy familiarity. Nervous tendrils snaked through her chest.
Another burst of Rio’s and Raymie’s laughter drifted
into the room.
Nina’s gaze turned and held on the door. “I didn’t know they were friends. Raymie’s last job was down in La Paz. Maybe he hasn’t heard…maybe he doesn’t know what Rio’s really like.”
Cassie was beginning to wonder if anyone knew what Rio was really like. She used to believe she was such a good judge of character, believed her senses had become so keen over the last year in the emergency room, but…
“Listen,” she said, “give me some time to get the real story before you say or do anything. Don’t ruin a sweet start with Raymie over a rumor, okay?”
Resignation smoothed the stress wrinkles in Nina’s forehead. “You’re right. Okay.”
Cassie sighed, but she was hardly relieved. “Now, do you want me to have him leave? I told him he could help out, and he’s also here as a source of security.” She held her hand up before Nina had a chance to argue. “I agreed before I knew anything about this history, and I have to tell you that he just diffused a terrible situation with the Muertos in the street. I’m extremely worried about you here, and in this case, Rio’s reputation could be a benefit. I’ve spent the last couple of days with him at the estate and he’s been…” —delicious, irresistible, sexily distracting— “…tolerable. He says he was Mamà and Santos’s friend, and from the things he’s told me, I believe him.”
Another wave of laughter carried through the clinic, and Nina closed her eyes, obviously torn between a budding romance and deep fears.
“Let’s just see how it goes,” Cassie said. “If you’re uncomfortable, you say the word and he’s out of here. In the meantime, I’ll try to get the details. Okay?”
Nina pushed out a deep breath and met Cassie’s gaze. “Fine.”
Cassie and Nina emerged from the exam room, and the men’s laughter quieted. Rio held a roll of drywall tape, fingers covered in white dust. The entire line of his body was relaxed, his easy stance slanting his shoulders and hips. He wore a wide smile, lopsided and bright. Those mysterious eyes shone warm green and glimmered with happiness.
