Rico's Recovery (Detroit Heat Book 2)

by Lynn, Davida

  When I finally got a break, I asked, "Is she not around today?"

  Alan handed me a cup of water and shook his head. "I think she took a case that runs on an opposite schedule. Lizzie usually works with pretty tough cases, buddy. I guess your recovery went better than expected, which is a good thing, right?"

  I nodded, keeping up the ruse. I didn't know if that was the excuse he gave, or if it was the truth. Either way, I wasn't happy. Lizzie had been my rock. She had been the thing keeping the blackness away, and without her, I didn't know if I could keep it at bay.

  My session of physical therapy seemed to take days, not the simple hour. I just wanted to be done. If Lizzie wasn't there, I didn't see the point. I could stretch at home.

  The hour was finally up, and after giving Alan a halfhearted goodbye, I wheeled back to my cubby. My phone was flashing, and when I turned on the screen, there was a text from Lizzie.

  Surprise.

  She hadn’t lied. She had promised me that I wouldn’t like the surprise, or at least some of it. That much was true. If the surprise was that I wouldn't see her anymore, I could have done without it. As always, though, she had me intrigued. I couldn't just leave it at that, and I knew she wouldn't give in or make things easy, so I had to text her back and find out what the rest of the surprise was.

  You were right. I didn’t like it at all.

  I knew she had something good up her sleeve, but it was hard to imagine—especially after a workout with my new coach, the guy who thought I was mentally challenged.

  The entire ride home, I waited for a text. The next one she sent didn’t exactly clear things up, though.

  We can’t see each other at physical therapy.

  I rolled my eyes. I didn’t get it.

  Then I did something I told myself I wouldn’t. My mother and father had been together for nearly thirty years, and it was time I put that experience to good use.

  “Pops, can I ask you a question?”

  He turned his eyes from the road to give me a smile. "You just did."

  A second roll of the eyes. “What's the deal with women? I mean, really. I know it's a broad question, but I'm lost in the woods here."

  " I gotta admit, I’m a little lost here too. I didn’t even know there was a woman in question.”

  I looked out the window. “There isn’t.” I knew my father would see through the lie, so I gave up on it fast. “There might be. It’s just so hard to read her.”

  He nodded, “Yeah, that sounds about right. Who is it, or do I already know?”

  I gave my father a look. Had it really been that easy for him to guess? Maybe I should have given him a bit more credit. My pops had watched me grow up, and he probably knew me better than I could ever imagine. There was no sense hiding it from him.

  “Her name’s Lizzie,” I said, looking to see what his reaction would be.

  “I know her name.”

  “What?”

  “Rico, what do you think we did when we were at the hospital for twelve hours a day with you? We talked to people. Once we found out she’d be in charge of your PT, we sat down with her. Then after the wrist accident, your mother decided she didn’t like Lizzie anymore. I knew it wasn’t her fault, and when I saw you with her last week, I knew. Simple as that.” Pops never took his eyes off the road.

  “Wow. If you could see it that easily…” I wondered if her coworkers did know. If they did, maybe she didn’t switch by choice. Maybe her boss, or someone else, forced it. I texted her.

  You’re not in trouble, right?

  Staring at the phone and waiting for her to reply, I said out loud, “It might all be for nothing.”

  My dad drove on for a little bit without saying a word. At a red light, he laid a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him. He had a knowing smile on his face.

  “Love finds a way, Rico. Your gramps hated me. Hell, he’d still hate me if he were alive. Never approved of me, no matter how well I treated your mother. Something about me just rubbed him wrong, and he never let me forget it.”

  “Yeah, but this is her career, this is…”

  “Is what? Bigger than family? No, it ain’t.” As he spoke, my phone vibrated and I quickly swiped the screen.

  No. My choice. For the best, trust me.

  I let out a sigh of relief. “I think we’re in the clear.”

  “Good.” He said it without taking his eyes from the road. “I like her. Your ma will in time, too.”

  The rest of the ride home was quiet. I had felt distant from my parents, more so after the accident. In a short conversation, my father had made me feel closer to them than ever before.

  It was hard to stay away from Rico. It was maybe the hardest thing I’d ever done in my adult life. I wanted him so badly, and after the stolen kiss, my desire for him was stronger than ever before. He was always on my mind. He was in my dreams, and he was in my fantasies.

  The decision to stop doing PT with him killed me, but I had to look at the big picture. It was true that Rico didn’t need special care. His mobility was far better than I’d expected, and I felt sure in his full recovery.

  I worked with other patients and on my article keep myself occupied. Rico and I talked more and more over the next month. When I got home from work around seven, he and I would talk almost every night. I appreciated the space between us, because it gave us a chance to get to know each other without the sexual tension getting in the way.

  There was sexual tension, but we took care of it as best as we could. Texting gave us a chance to grow with each other, and it helped me come out of my shell a little bit. I had to be expressive and tell him exactly what I wanted. I’d never had a partner that made me feel so comfortable about it. In some ways, staying apart made it easier for me to open up.

  I casually got information from Alan about Rico’s recovery. As I thought, he was defying expectations. Within a month, he was using a walker for short periods of time. According to Alan, Rico was the one motivating his therapist, not the other way around. He didn’t know where all of Rico’s strength and energy was coming from, but I did.

  I had energy too, and I needed to let it out sooner rather than later. When Alan said that Rico was ready to move into more strenuous exercises, I smiled to myself. Good. I’ve got a few exercises for him.

  I knew that Rico would be driving himself to therapy as soon as he was able. Staying with his parents was necessary, but he was so tired of it. He wanted any bit of independence he could get. Using a cane, Rico could get around slowly, but on his own.

  I got to the hospital with about fifteen minutes left in his session. After thumbing through a magazine for a little bit, I put it away, knowing there was no way I’d be able to pay attention.

  When I saw Rico walk through the double doors, my heart leapt into my throat. I watched him as he headed out of the hospital. He was favoring his right side, taking careful steps, but I could see just how far he’d come. I hadn’t seen him in more than a month, and a smile appeared on my face when he came into view. I felt like I knew him so much better.

  But in that moment, I only wanted one thing.

  I rolled down the window and gave a whistle. When he turned, I leaned out. “How about a ride?”

  The look on his face… Maybe it wasn’t as good as the one I’d had on mine after my orgasm, but it was still one for the scrapbooks.

  He was beaming. “Well, hello there, stranger.” Rico looked to another car in the parking lot, probably his. “I’ve got the parents’ minivan…”

  My smile changed from friendly to devious in an instant. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about any car.”

  We didn’t have much room in the backseat, but his minivan had tinted windows. The thought that someone might see us never occurred to me. I was too busy tearing at Rico’s clothes. I was careful with his body, but I was crazed with passion, as well. I wanted to get him naked as soon as possible. He didn’t seem too slowed down, either. He pulled my simple t-shirt over my head. As soon as he di
d, his lips were all over my bare skin.

  I threw my head back, letting out a moan that had been lurking inside me for months. Every bit of sex that Rico had promised me was coming out.

  “I’ve dreamed of this.” His breath was fire against my skin. His stubble scratched and tickled me, sending shivers down my body. “I’ve been waiting, dreaming, and wanting you ever since I first met you.”

  I laughed, my hands working to undo his belt. “Since you first met me?”

  “Yes. You left the room, and I was so confused and intrigued by you. I just had to have you.”

  I moaned again. “Well, I’m all yours, now.”

  For the first time, I felt Rico’s strong hands at my breasts. He massaged them, taking them in, gazing at me and drinking up my body. I was doing the same with him. Even after months out of the gym, Rico was still a statue carved by the gods.

  Pushing him back against the seat, I ran my finger down his bare chest. Time seemed to pause in that beautiful instant. He was the perfect man, and he was everything I wanted. The air smelled of wildflowers, like we were in a secluded cabin and not a minivan in an anything but secluded parking lot. Rico watched that finger trail all the way down to the top of his jeans.

  The momentary lull in action was over, and our bodies were at full speed once again. I yanked at the button of his jeans, and Rico laughed as I pulled him toward me.

  “You all right?” I prayed that I was being gentle enough with him, and at the same time, I prayed that he could take it with ease.

  As he reached for my own jeans, he nodded. “Oh, I’m fuckin’ dandy.”

  With the zipper down, I reached inside his pants and was more than satisfied by what I found. Rico was throbbing hard. And he was big. The pictures he’d sent me hadn’t done him justice.

  Mirroring me, Rico slipped his hand beneath my panties. There wasn’t much fabric for him to navigate through, since I had worn a tiny thong in anticipation of a quickie. His fingers split me open right away and a deep groan escaped his lips. There were no words for the tension released in that moment. After all the teasing and building each other up, Rico’s touch on my most sensitive area was heaven.

  We were worse than teenagers. The condom wrapper gave him trouble, but we laughed as he finally got it open, then seated it around his large member. We fumbled with the remainder of our clothes, and it took some time before we were in a comfortable position. I knew Rico’s body was still recovering, and I was prepared.

  With him seated, I lowered my body down onto his. My hands were holding onto the back of the seats, and his hands were at my waist. They looked so big and manly. Everything we had been talking about and waiting for not-so-patiently was finally within our grasps.

  Rico guided his manhood inside me, and my face contorted as pleasure overtook me. Every former lover vanished in my mind. Rico’s body thrust upwards to meet mine, and I was already feeling a pressure growing inside my loins.

  “Fuck.” Rico spat the word out with passion and grit. Just the sound of his voice turned me on.

  Our bodies began the ancient dance. Rico’s mouth was at my neck. It sent shivers down my body. Those shivers only intensified when one of his hands drifted from my waist to my clit. I threw my head back and moaned my lover’s name.

  He was dragging his tongue over my skin, and when I kissed at his shoulder, the sweet and salty taste of his sweat was enough to push me over the edge. Every muscle in my body clenched, and I sunk down, letting him fill me completely. His cock stretched me, and as ecstasy surged through me, I dug my nails into Rico’s strong shoulders.

  I held back my feverish screams. Instead, I pulled Rico to me by his neck. We kissed as I came hard above him. It had been so quick, and the orgasm caught me by surprise. When our lips parted, I was giggling and powerless to stop it. Rico’s eyes followed me, and every time I met them, a new round of laughter started.

  “You doing all right? I knew I was rusty, but damn.” He smiled.

  I playfully slapped his chest. “I can’t help it.” My entire body was tingling. His cock was throbbing inside me as I rested on his lap. It was perfect.

  After the laughter was out of my system, Rico took control. Holding my ass up, he began to push into me from below. I moaned, each thrust reminding me that I was still glowing in the light of my orgasm. My mouth dropped open as he began to speed up. I was very impressed with him, with his stamina, his skill, and his strength. I had expected to do most of the work, and I was more than all right with that. I needed Rico, even if he wasn’t at one hundred percent. If this was him still in recovery, I couldn’t imagine what he’d be like at full power.

  Rico picked up the pace and I could see that he was getting close. He closed his eyes, and I saw his abs tighten. He let out a strangled groan as he pushed hard into me and held there. He exploded, and I took the beautiful sight in from above. When he couldn’t hold me up anymore, I lowered down with him, his body relaxing and glistening with sweat. He was gorgeous.

  For a few minutes, I watched him panting and smiling below me. I couldn’t help but slip back into physical therapist mode for a moment. “Are you feeling any pain anywhere? Your legs or your arm?”

  “Baby, I’m not feeling anything right now.”

  “Well, that’s not good news.”

  He sensed my displeasure. “No, no. I mean I feel so good, it’s like I’m not even human. Everything is just… floating.”

  I crawled from on top of him and sprawled beside him on the seat. “All right. I can live with that.”

  “Lizzie, I don’t even know what to say. You are such a mystery to me. I never know what to expect. Every time I think I know what you’re up to, I get blindsided.”

  I laughed. Closing my eyes, I laid my head on Rico’s shoulder. After a soft moan, I told him, “Good. I wouldn’t want you to get lazy.”

  Rico rested his hand on my thigh. It felt comfortable and comforting. “Oh, I believe you won’t ever let me get lazy, coach.”

  There was something so warm about Rico. The time we’d spent together was short, but it was powerful. It left me feeling like there was a strong connection between the two of us. I could tell that Rico was a strong, manly-type, but he had never tried to get macho with me. When I was his physical therapist, he worked harder because of me, maybe for me.

  The depression that had surrounded him in the hospital was gone. He was warm, caring, and I couldn’t stay away. I didn’t want to stay away.

  Maybe he read the look on my face, because Rico said, “I don’t want to do this sneaking around anymore, Lizzie. The danger is fun and all, but I want to see you see you. My parents know about you already.”

  My eyes went wide. “You told them? Rico, I could still get into serious trouble!” I wasn’t mad at him, per se, but he should have known better.

  “I didn’t tell them anything. My dad figured it out. When he found out you were going to be my therapist, I guess he took notice. I told him I was interested in someone, and he threw your name out there.”

  The fear and anger subsided. It was replaced with even more warmth than before. It would be harder than ever to let Rico go. I knew I had to, but damn.

  Somehow we managed to get our clothes back on, and I said, “I’m going to check on your file tomorrow. I know you can’t wait—neither can I—but we have to. As soon as you are done with PT, we are free to do whatever we’d like. You think you can survive a little longer, Rico?”