by Desiree Holt
Rio murmured softly to her, words in Spanish that she didn’t understand but knew instinctively were sensual in meaning. When he pressed himself against her back she could feel the hot thickness of his swollen and demanding cock against her backside.
He lifted her leg and moved it over his thigh, opening her up to him, and his shaft pressed into the crevice between the cheeks of her ass. His fingers, saturated with her cream, slid easily along the length of her cunt, pausing briefly at the very sensitive flesh below her opening until he barely touched the tight ring of her anus.
“One of these times, amada,” he murmured, “when you are completely comfortable with me, I am going to take you here. It will be like nothing you’ve ever felt before.”
Fingers of icy heat chased themselves through her system. After all the reading she’d been doing she’d developed a fascination with anal sex. Not that Dennis would ever have considered it. He engaged in sex like he did everything else—precisely, rigidly and quickly. She’d wondered during the last few years of their marriage why he even wanted a wife, except for decoration and appearance.
“But for right now,” he continued, “I want to feel that hot, tight cunt of yours around me.”
He rolled away from her momentarily. She heard the drawer of the nightstand open and close, the crinkle of foil. Then he was back, his cock now sheathed in latex. Lifting her thigh again he positioned himself at the entrance to her vagina and slid smoothly inside her.
Amber sucked in a breath. She couldn’t believe how quickly he’d aroused her, how instantly she was ready for him. How excited she was to feel the thickness of him inside her.
His hand cupped her breast again, thumb and forefinger pinching the nipple sharply, taking her breath away.
“A short, fast, hard ride, cariña,” he whispered, and instantly began moving, pumping hot and deep, his balls slapping against her body.
It took only seconds, amazingly, for them to reach the peak at the same time. He pinched her nipple harder as he gave one final thrust and they exploded together, shuddering, his cock pulsing inside her.
Then they were still, his mouth pressed to her shoulder, her heart pounding furiously. When their breathing evened out he slid slowly from her body.
“I want to see more of you, Amber. A lot more.”
“I have to be honest, Rio. I’m really a mess after the divorce. I don’t think I’m much of a prize package for anyone right now, or have the capacity to—you know—be in a relationship.”
He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I think you have untold depths, Amber. A soul and a heart just waiting to be unlocked. And I firmly believe fate means for me to unlock them.” He studied her with heated eyes. “I know we just met last night but it doesn’t take long to know if you connect emotionally with someone. At least for me. I felt the tug the moment I laid eyes on you. The kind that doesn’t fade. If I’m willing to take a chance, are you?”
Was she? Part of her wanted to hide from the bright daylight that could expose all her flaws and part of her wanted to jump in with both feet.
Rio rose from the bed with the lithe grace of a panther. “Don’t answer me now. Let’s take this one hour at a time. I already called Molly to assure her you were all right, so we have time for some breakfast before I take you home. All right?”
“Thank you. That was very thoughtful. And yes, breakfast would be nice.”
“I’ll give you the luxury of a few more minutes in bed,” he teased, heading for the bathroom. “I’d invite you to shower with me but we might never get to breakfast.”
He strolled out of the bathroom a few minutes later, smiling at her, and pulled on a pair of jeans that fitted his body like a glove and a black T-shirt that emphasized the sexy darkness of his Castilian heritage.
“Breakfast in ten, Amber. Rise and shine.”
When he was gone, Amber headed into the bathroom. It was a big room, with a granite vanity and rough marble tiles on the floor set in an intricate design. A large mirror covered most of one wall but Amber studiously avoided it. Despite what Rio had said, Dennis’s critical comments were still too fresh in her mind.
The shower had multiple heads that sprayed softly from all directions. The shower gel had a pleasant citrus scent, so she applied it liberally over her body, taking her time. Closing her eyes and pretending it was Rio’s hands massaging the lather into her skin instead of her own. That his mouth was on her the way it had been the night before. That his thick, hard cock was filling her again and again.
She was good at imagining. When her sex life with Dennis had gone from acceptable straight to hell, the sex she’d enjoyed the most had been in her mind. She’d even downloaded some erotic romances to her e-reader, thinking maybe she could learn some things. But all she’d learned was that there were a lot of things she wanted to try, only definitely not with Dennis.
She dried off and wrapped the towel around herself, tucking one end in to hold it in place, and went in search of her clothes. Apparently Rio had picked them up from where he’d tossed them the night before and placed them, neatly folded, on an upholstered chair. But she was reluctant to put them on at the moment, unwilling to break the spell of the previous night, which still wrapped itself around her.
Maybe he won’t mind if I throw on one of his T-shirts. All men have a drawer full of T-shirts. Even a prig like Dennis had one.
She opened one of the drawers in the massive carved dresser—and jumped back as if a snake had suddenly stuck its head out. Instead of piles of clean T-shirts the drawer held an assortment of toys that reading had taught her were an integral part of BDSM play. BDSM? Was Rio into that?
Holy shit!
Amber had read a lot of books where BDSM was a fundamental part of the story. She’d often wondered, as she pleasured herself in her bedroom, what it would be like to be a sexual submissive, even just for play. Would she enjoy the pain? The domination? The idea had played around in the back of her mind but she’d never really given it any deep thought. Or imagined that she’d meet a man who was into that kind of sex.
The one thing every book she’d read had made clear was that a deep level of trust was required for a successful BDSM relationship. Stronger than in any other situation, even if it was only for one night. And Amber didn’t know if she had it in her anymore to trust someone that way.
She was still standing there, staring into the drawer, when a hand lightly touched her shoulder. She jerked so sharply the towel nearly came undone.
“Exploring, cariña?” An amused smile played on Rio’s lips.
“I was just, um, looking for a T-shirt to put on while we ate breakfast.” She backed away from the drawer as if it had suddenly caught fire.
“It’s all right.” He bent his head to nip an earlobe, then softly licked the side of her neck. “I didn’t know you even had an interest in this type of play.”
Shivers skimmed the length of her spine. “I don’t. I mean, I did— That is…” She covered her face with her hands. Could she possibly sound any stupider?
“No worries.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Something to discuss another time.” He reached into another drawer and pulled out a neatly folded navy T-shirt and handed it to her. Then he put his mouth close to her ear. “But it would be my great pleasure to teach you all about it, Amber. I think you would be a magnificent sub. Very trainable.”
“H-how do you know that?” she stammered, clutching the T-shirt.
“Because despite the things that have you so tied up in knots, last night you gave yourself openly and freely and let the pleasure take you. I can give you even more, a little at a time, and take you to places you never thought you would go.”
She stared at him, puzzled. “But why would you want to do that? Surely there are women more sexually sophisticated than I am, younger women who would make better partners for you.”
He turned her to face him directly and slid his fingers into her hair, holding her head in place. “Bec
ause it’s you I want, querida. And somehow I’m going to make you understand that. Believe it.”
* * * * *
She was still thinking about the contents of the drawer after breakfast when Rio walked her into the barn, his fingers linked loosely with hers. She had trouble keeping her mind on what he was saying as he pointed out the different horses, told her what stages of training they were in and gave her a simplified explanation of the process. People were busy everywhere, grooming the animals, doing barn chores, working horses in the corral. In a second barn he showed her a large training ring where someone was already working a horse, four calves leading it a merry chase.
And finally he showed her the breeding barn and explained the process from start to finish. By the time they walked back to the house, Amber’s head was spinning.
“I had absolutely no idea this was such an intense, lucrative business,” she told him. “I’ve seen rodeos on television or in the movies so I’ve seen roping and barrel racing events. But I never thought about all the cutting horses required for ranch work.”
“The demand keeps growing,” he told her. “We pride ourselves on breeding and training the best. And now I think I should get you back to Molly’s so she doesn’t think I’ve kidnapped you.”
They were quiet during the ride, Amber busy with her own thoughts even as she took in the lush countryside bathed in the golden glow of the morning sun. When they pulled into the driveway and Rio parked the car he turned to her, his fingers threading through her hair at the nape of her neck.
“You have to know I want to see you again,” he told her. “Like tonight.”
Amber frowned. “Rio, I’m sure there are plenty of women your own age for you to spend time with.”
“Not that again. Please.” The muscles in his face tightened. “If that’s what I wanted, that’s what I’d do. Why is it so hard for you to believe that you’re the one I want to be with?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m wondering if it’s…you know, just out of pity. A favor for Molly’s poor divorced friend.”
His hand tightened against her skin. “I’m not sure who you’re insulting with those words, you or me.”
She tugged at her lower lip with her teeth. “I know Molly’s concerned about me. She thinks I’m going to crawl into an emotional hole and shut out the world.”
Rio made what was obviously a conscious effort to calm himself. “Surely you can’t think last night was out of pity. I could never have made love to you the way I did if that’s all it was.” He pressed two fingers lightly beneath her chin and turned her to face him. “Your ex must be some kind of asshole if he could deliberately do this kind of damage to a beautiful, smart, sexy woman. I’m inclined to think he had his own inadequacies and could only make himself feel better by diminishing you.”
Was Rio right? Was that what Dennis’s problem had been?
As if sensing her uncertainty, he pressed his slight advantage. “I really do want to get to know you a lot better, Amber. To spend time with you. The sex was—well, nothing less than spectacular—but I want to know you out of bed as well. Find out what makes you tick.” He brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. “You’re a lot more than a hot body, Amber McCloud. And I think we might have something very special here.”
“But how can you be sure?” she asked.
“By spending time together. And trusting my instincts.” He leaned closer to her. “All those toys you stumbled on this morning? They’re a part of my life as much as anything else is, and I want the chance to introduce you to them. To show you exactly how they can increase the intensity of sexual arousal. Do you think you’d like that?”
Yes, yes, yes!
“M-maybe.”
“Think about it. All of it. I will call you later. I’d like to take you to dinner. Don’t say no.”
As if she could.
But what she said was, “I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” He traced the outline of her lips with just the tip of his tongue.
Amber melted, leaning toward him as much as the console allowed. She was breathless when he finally lifted his head.
“Later, querida,” he told her. “We’ll talk about what comes next.”
She climbed out of the car and watched as he backed around and sped down the driveway. Then she turned toward the house. She didn’t even have to reach for the doorknob before Molly yanked the door open and stood there grinning at her.
“I’m dying of curiosity. Nick’s gone into town for a meeting so we’re all alone. I made fresh coffee and I want details.”
Amber felt idiotically like a virgin doing the walk of shame. But laughter danced in Molly’s eyes and a smile teased at her lips.
“I can imagine what you must think…” Amber began.
Molly held up a hand. “What I think is I’m damn glad you spent the evening with a totally hot man. Definitely preferable to hiding in your room. Come on. Let’s go have that coffee.”
When they were seated at the table Molly looked at her and grinned. “So tell me. Is he as hot in bed as the rumors say he is?”
“Molly!” Amber’s eyes widened. Even with Molly she wasn’t used to sharing her intimate activities. Although she had finally told her the truth about Dennis. Then she giggled. Yes, giggled. “But I have to say, he lived up to his reputation, whatever that is.”
Molly sat back with a satisfied look on her face. “I knew it. And I knew the two of you would be perfect for each other.”
“You do know he’s ten years younger than I am?”
“And you know there’s a significant age difference between Nick and me. Which, by the way, he gets furious if I even mention.”
“Why? Is he sensitive about it?
Molly shook her head. “On the contrary. He thinks I’m too conscious of it and he’s constantly telling me age is a state of mind. And after four months of marriage I’m finally beginning to believe him.” She looked down into her coffee cup. “I couldn’t ask for a better lover. Or a more attentive husband. And it’s real, Amber. None of it’s fake. Believe me, I’d know.”
Amber ran her finger around the rim of her mug. “I just, you know, find it hard to believe that…”
“That a sexy, good-looking younger man would have the hots for you?” Molly grinned. “Believe me, I struggled with the same thing. But, honey? Just go with it. If it turns out to be nothing more than a good time between two people who have an attraction for each other, it’s still okay.”
“There’s something else.” Amber stared down at her coffee, unable to look at her friend.
“Something else?” Molly was puzzled. “Something bad?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She sighed. “I opened one of the drawers in his bedroom to get a T-shirt and found…stuff.” Heat crept up her cheeks as she remembered the array of toys and implements.
“Stuff?” Molly’s tone was curious. “Enlighten me here, girlfriend. What kind of stuff?”
Still keeping her eyes averted, Amber quickly described the things she’d seen in the drawer. When Molly didn’t say a word, she finally looked up to see her friend with a strange expression on her face.
“Sh-should I be afraid? Was that some kind of sign I should stay away from him?”
“I don’t know, Amber. Have you ever fantasized about BDSM? About the erotic world of dominance and submission?”
Again Amber’s face heated and she dropped her gaze. “Truthfully? Yes.” She was almost whispering. “Does that make me a terrible person?”
Molly put her cool hand on Amber’s wrist. “I think it makes you adventurous. Look at me, Amber. I’ll tell you something and hope it doesn’t make you see me differently.”
“Tell me something?” She frowned. “What could you possibly say that would do that?”
Molly cleared her throat. “Shortly after Nick and I met I discovered that BDSM played a large role in his sexual preferences.”
Amber’s eyes widened. She didn�
��t know if she was shocked or intrigued. Molly and Nick were into that? “You’re kidding me.”
“Nuh-uh. At first I didn’t know how to react, but he took me to a very private club he belongs to, Peregrine. Which, by the way, is owned by a woman who is older than her husband. I think he wanted me to see both the lifestyle and their situation.”
“And?”
Molly shrugged. “And here I still am, happier than I ever thought I could be. And loving my husband and our life together.”
Amber sipped her now cooling coffee. “I have to think about this.”
“When are you seeing Rio again? And I know you are. I saw the look on his face.”
“He’s calling me later. He wants to take me to dinner.”
“Go,” Molly urged. “And ask him about the club. He’s a member too. He can make the introduction to the lifestyle very appealing and easy.”
Later, as Amber dressed for dinner, she found herself daydreaming. A montage of erotic images swirled in her mind. She had the feeling she was about to make big changes in her life. She didn’t know if she should be afraid or excited.
Chapter Four
“I need to go shopping,” Amber announced to Molly the next morning when Rio brought her home.
It had been well after ten by the time she’d finally made it out of bed, pleasantly exhausted from another night of intense lovemaking with Rio. The man certainly had an inventive mind. Already he was teaching her things that brought her untold pleasure and took her to heights she’d never dreamed possible.
“Let me bring you into my world,” he’d said when he dropped her off. “You told me you discussed this with Molly—and that’s fine,” he’d added hastily. “And she told you about Peregrine. I would love to take you there. Let you immerse yourself in the experience.”
She had finally agreed, riding the edge of anticipation that he would take her there tonight.
“Ask Molly about appropriate dress,” was the last thing he’d said before he drove away.
