Her knees dropped on either side of his legs, and she crawled up his body. His hands found her breasts, and the gentle squeeze followed by a roll of her nipples sent waves of desire through her. The physical sensations joined her craving and pooled between her legs.
"You going to ride me?" Rio grabbed her neck and pulled her down for a kiss, not allowing her to respond while he ravaged her mouth. Breathing became a priority.
Meg pulled away and sucked in huge gulps of air. Their eyes met and held. "Definitely." Meg nodded as she spoke.
She loved sex with Rio but riding him was by far her favorite position. She loved it because his cock reached so deep and his hands always found her clit. His fingers and shaft drove her crazy as she writhed up and down. She held his cock and lowered onto him. Her body absorbed his hardness with a now familiar thrill. Meg waited until he was completely inside her before she ground down on his pelvic bone, rubbing her sex against him. A shiver of absolute pleasure exploded through her body, sending goose flesh across her exposed skin.
Gravity pulled her forward, and she planted her hands on his shoulders and lifted. The rhythm this time was fast and hard. She had no desire to tease tonight. After a week without him, she was reclaiming what she knew to be hers. Rio was hers. The words hadn't been said, but her heart had claimed him. Her gentleman giant, her SEAL. She reveled in his inherent kindness that she assumed very few had seen. She'd witnessed as he struggled to make his dream a reality. He was selfless. He was too good to be true, and she loved him with all her heart.
Her world exploded. Splotches of red and white pushed at the darkness behind her tightly clenched eyelids. Rio held her up and thrust into her, slamming deep inside her. His breath held and a fierce growl rolled from him as he came inside her. She loved that savage edge to him when they made love. She felt cherished and protected knowing that same savagery would be used to defend and shelter her.
His fingers pulled at a length of her hair, lifting it off her sweaty neck. She rolled to his side and tucked herself in the space between the back of the couch and his body. She'd gone to her doctor and now had an IUD so there was no more fumbling with condoms after sex.
He pulled her into his chest and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I needed to be with you tonight. A week is too long."
"I know. With our bizarre schedules, life has been kind of crazy." In fact, it was his schedule that had kept them apart for four… no, five, nights.
"Hopefully it will slow down, but the learning curve on this business set up is insane. I don't want to play the fool at these meetings. Most of time it is my team that keeps me above water. I know I can understand the material. It is just going to take time." He yawned and shuddered with the intensity of the action.
"Let's move to the bed." She gave him a little nudge when his eyes closed.
"Are you sure we can't sleep here?"
"Positive. I need covers."
"I'll keep you warm."
"No doubt you would, but civilized people sleep in a bed. Come on. Get up."
"You're worse than Z-man. Bossy, bossy." He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"You can't compare me to your boss in the SEALs. I'm much gentler, but if you don't move, I'll be forced to employ devious methods."
His hands slid down and cupped his cock and balls protecting himself, but his eyes didn't open.
Meghan laughed and climbed over him. He grunted at her not so gentle clambering but kept his eyes closed. She took a step toward the end of the couch, her eyes fixed on his face.
He cracked an eye open and then popped both open, his eyebrows launched toward his hairline. "Woman, what do you think you're doing?"
"Me? Just getting something." She couldn't help the smile that split her face when she leaned over and acted like she was reaching for the small throw on the arm of the couch. At the last second, she swiped her finger up the arch of his foot.
"Shit!" Both of Rio's legs jacked up to his chest and he rolled off the couch in less than a heartbeat. He spun and leveled an evil stare at her before he growled, "You're mine now, woman. You just declared war."
Perhaps she should have thought about this a little more? Meg backed up toward the bedroom, her retreating steps matching his slow prowling moves as he stalked her across the apartment. He lunged. She spun with a hair-raising shriek and bolted toward the bedroom.
Not three steps further, she was pulled off her feet and unceremoniously up-ended over his shoulder. "Let me down!" There was no way he could have understood her because she was laughing too hard. He had pinned her legs to his torso and was tickling the bottoms of her feet as she hung helplessly over his shoulder.
Meghan shrieked when a sharp crack of an open palm on her butt cheek echoed in the bedroom. Before she could voice an indignant complaint, she was flying through the air and bouncing on the bed. He pounced on her, and his tickle assault was ruthless and nonstop.
"Uncle!" She swatted his hands away, laughing so hard her eyes watered with unshed tears.
Rio settled between her legs. He ran his lips up her neck, and she shivered. "I guess we made it to the bed. Now maybe I should work on keeping you warm."
Meg wrapped her arms around him. He didn't know it, but he'd changed her in ways she couldn't describe. He'd gathered the scattered, damaged pieces of her heart, along with the fragile, injured parts of her soul and somehow healed them and melded them together into a whole. The moments she spent with him built her up. She was stronger because of him, and for that and so many other reasons, she'd let her heart fill with love. He'd become her cornerstone, and he probably had no idea she'd started to build a future with him as her leading man. Someday she'd have to let him know.
Chapter 21
Rio glanced up at the door to his office. "You know this is getting to be a habit."
Mason chuckled and walked across the open space to drop into one of the two leather chairs in front of his desk. "You should be gone. You have a reason to leave."
Rio dropped his tablet and leaned forward to accept the glass of bourbon his brother handed him. "I do, but I also have a learning curve that would rock a Ph.D. candidate’s world."
"You know you don't have to understand the nuts and bolts. You need to have the big picture and guide the ship. The nuts and bolts will get turned by those who know what wrench to use. Think of it like you're a general contractor. You hire people to do the plumbing, the carpentry, and the masonry work. Your purpose is to make sure the masonry work gets done before the plumbing."
Rio chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "True, but if you don't have a clue what a mason is, you have to educate yourself."
Mason pointed at him. "Educate yourself about the profession. That doesn't mean you have to learn how to stack bricks or make mortar."
"Yeah, those damn rabbit holes do consume a lot of time." He took another sip of his drink and cocked his head as he looked at his brother. "How are things with you?"
Mason filled his lungs and blew the air out as he shook his head. "I'm going to be fine. I met with Deanne today. Here at the office, with the door open, against my lawyer’s advice."
"Fuck. How did that go?"
Mason's eyes held his for a moment, and he shrugged. "She's incensed. I have her in a corner, and she is lashing out like a wounded animal. She threatened me, Mom, Dad, and you."
Rio sat straight in his chair, instantly alert. "Threatened Mom and Dad? How?"
"She threatened to ruin them socially. I called them in the Maldives. Mom laughed so hard she had to hand the phone to Dad. I think if Deanne makes the mistake of trying to malign or impugn their name, she'll have a legal battle on her hands—one she won't win."
"How did she threaten you?"
"Financially. She seems to think that Chandler Thompson will divorce his wife and marry her and will make me... how did she put it… irrelevant, while he wipes the floor with Northern Nova."
"She's delusional. Chandler married money. He doesn't work. He has n
o money of his own."
"Right. We know that because his son went to school with us, but that isn't common knowledge. Could be Deanne doesn't know. So, the only threat I'm worried about is the one she made toward you. She said she was going to ruin you."
"Me? Dude, I'm not afraid of her. She's insane." Rio tossed back the rest of his drink.
"She is and that's why I worry." Mason followed suit and upended the tumbler in his hand, draining the liquid.
"She can't touch me." Rio sighed and glanced at his watch. Meg was working until at least eight, and it was just six now. "What do you say we grab some dinner?"
"I'd like that." Mason grabbed Rio's empty glass. "I'll go get my jacket and dispose of these. We can take my car. Meet me in the foyer in ten?"
"Sounds like a plan." Rio turned off his tablet and stood, grabbing his jacket as he watched Mason head down the hall. Damn, it was good to actually talk with his brother again. The missing pieces of his life that had floated just out of reach for the last twelve years clicked into place. This is what had been missing. An honest relationship with his older brother. The connection that had been severed and never repaired was mending. Was it perfect? No, not yet, but Rio would work his ass off to make sure it was stronger than ever. He glanced up at a portrait of his Pops that hung in the hallway. The sly smirk on the man's face made Rio laugh. The old man had game.
His phone vibrated on the desktop. Rio smiled as he picked it up. "Hey, you on dinner break?"
"Actually no, I'm heading home early. N.R. has a sinus infection and left mid-morning so the extended hours didn't happen. Want to come to mine and eat?"
"I just asked Mason to dinner. Let me tell him I need to bail."
"No! You go to dinner with your brother. I'm so happy you're getting to spend some time with him. I'll go home and do laundry. God knows I need to get a couple loads done. If it isn't too late, come see me when you get home?"
"Perfect."
"Shit."
"What?"
"Nothing, I just realized I need to stop and get detergent."
"Nah, I have a full bottle in my apartment. Just use mine." They'd exchanged keys for safekeeping right after Rio had locked himself out of his apartment. He failed to realize the door stop wasn't holding, and the damn thing locked automatically.
He turned off his light and shut his office door. The noise and clatter of the office had started to dull, but there were still people working and several groups were talking in the hallway. He smiled absently in their direction and held up a hand in acknowledgement.
"Okay, but I'll grab your dirty clothes, too."
"You don't need to do my laundry, Meg." Rio laughed and skirted around several women who were standing beside the breakroom.
"I know that, but since I'm using your soap, I'll do a load or two for you."
"I don't think I have much. Some towels and workout clothes." His suits went to the cleaners along with his button downs. That limited his laundry requirements, and he was okay with that.
"Great, I'll go over after I get done with dinner. If I don't see you tonight, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm really glad you are having dinner with your brother. You need to reconnect."
Rio smiled down at the floor. "I won't wake you if it’s late. Goodnight, Meg."
"Night, Rio." Her soft voice purred as she hung up.
He locked the home screen of his phone and slipped it into his pocket. He did need to reconnect with Mason, and the fact she recognized it cemented another piece of her into his heart. He'd slowly and steadily fallen in love with Meghan Williams.
Rio leaned against the empty reception desk and stared at the beautiful metal works on the wall, but he wasn't seeing the art. He was tracing his relationship with Meg in his mind, wondering if he’d missed a life altering moment where he realized she was the one. No… he hadn't because life wasn't scripted that way. At least his wasn't. His love for Meg had grown from that first night. Her laughter, heart, strength, insecurities, fears, struggles and desires all defined the love that had built over the days and nights since he'd returned home. Physically they were perfect together. They were in the same place in their lives, and the universe had gifted them with each other. It was as if his world had finally settled into place. He was complete.
"Are you ready?"
Mason's words surprised him. He smiled widely and stood up from the counter where he'd been waiting. "I am." He dropped his hand on his brother's shoulder. Now that he had Meghan and his family, he was ready for anything.
"So, have you met the 'rents?" Connie took a drink of her soda before she picked up her sandwich. They were having a picnic on Meg's desk since N.R. was still out sick. The doctor had threatened to hospitalize him if he didn't take a full week off to recuperate. The happiness that radiated around the halls was almost tangible.
"No. He's met my family. I told you about that, right?"
"Oh, yeah. How's that going for you?"
"Well, I changed my phone number and moved. My sister has called here once. I calmly explained I was willing to get together with them and reminded her they had my email address. I asked them to contact me that way. The first couple of volleys from that side of the net were hard to read. The distance helped. We've had some really good conversations, and I recently gave them my phone number. The calls were… nice."
"Wow, you know it really sucks they had to be pushed away in order to understand you needed to be you, not their clone."
"Yeah, but you know what? I'm actually okay with that. Rio and I have been dating for three months. He's it for me. Getting my family in order will happen or it won’t. They are no longer the most important thing in my life. Besides, I think pushing them away a little bit is healthy, at least for me."
"So when will you meet his parents?"
"We haven't really talked about it. They're vacationing overseas, so there is no need to discuss it now. His dad is pretty much retired. His brother is running the day-to-day operations of the company and Rio is working hard to get his business ready to launch."
"Have you met his brother?"
"Nope. Mason is a very busy man." From what Rio had told her, Mason was working himself to death trying to forget about the nasty divorce he was going through.
Connie popped a slice of apple into her mouth and spoke around it, "So this is serious, as in happily ever after?"
"I'd say yes if he asked me." She could feel herself starting to blush.
"Do you think he will?"
She smiled but shook her head. "I don't know. A girl can hope, right?" Hope and dream.
"Have you dropped hints?"
"No!" She wouldn't do that. She hadn't even told him she loved him. It had almost slipped a couple times, but the insecurities from her past kept the words stranded. Was it stupid? Probably, but she could no more stop herself from the bouts of insecurity than she could stop breathing.
"Why not?"
"You know me. I'm not going to do that."
"Sometimes you just need to put on your big girl panties and take a chance, Meg."
"Yeah, no. Not happening." She'd wait until Rio said something. If he never did, she'd keep her secret and save her heart a public humiliation. Goodness knew she was familiar with suffering in silence.
"Chicken."
"Maybe, but it’s not like I'm going to tell him over the phone."
"Is he out of town?"
"Yep, left yesterday for two weeks. He is flying to D.C. to talk with the alphabet soup people. His words, not mine."
"The what?"
"Alphabet soup. CIA, FBI, NSA, ICE, DHS and Guardian."
Connie's apple slice stilled halfway to her mouth. Her eyes got huge. "Why?"
"I told you he is opening a company, right?"
Connie's head bounced up and down.
"He is meeting with the HR people for each of the organizations to set up a clearinghouse of sorts to match SEALs who are getting out of the service with job openings that the people in D.C. may have."
"Are there that many SEALs?" Connie finally put the apple slice in her mouth.
"He's starting with SEALs. Then he is adding Green Berets, Delta Force and Recon."
"What's Recon?"
Meg's eyes got wide and she shook her head. "I have no idea, but it sounds important."
The women looked at each other for a moment before they both erupted in laughter. "Oh! Did I tell you I got a job offer?"
Connie nearly levitated off the chair. "From who?"
"Triple Two." Meghan's last class ended in a month, and she'd paid the tuition off. She wanted normal hours and a regular workload. Her nights were reserved for Rio now, and N.R.'s demands were no longer something she cared to give into.
"They are the new logistics group that built out on the river, right?" Connie asked.
"Yep. They are hiring now. You should apply and get out of here." Meg hated leaving Connie, but they were close enough that the separation wouldn't inhibit their friendship.
Connie looked to her right and then to her left before she leaned forward and whispered, "I did. I haven't heard from them yet."
Meg was the one bouncing in her seat now. "Oh, my goodness! Check your email again when you get to your office. I got mine last night!"
"I will. This is fantastic, I'm so happy for you."
"If they have a brain in their head, they'll offer you a position." Meg was sure of it. Connie was exceptional at her job. "Will Senior give you a recommendation?"
"He already has. Told me he was impressed I'd stayed as long as I have. Truth be told, I don't know if Senior is going to keep the doors open much longer. He's old. I think he's waiting for N.R. to take the reins."
"The horror," Meg whispered and sent them both into a fit of laughter.
"Okay, well now I have to go check my email." Connie put the detritus of her lunch into her bag and stood. "I'm happy for you. We need to double date. I’ll have to use a crowbar to get Dean out of the house, but I'll use it."
Hot SEAL, Savannah Nights Page 17
