by Glines, Abbi
What had changed?
Had I suddenly become desirable in the last twenty-four hours?
I’d had Saint talking about doing things to me last night and how much he wanted me. Then, I came home, and Rio was looking at my lips, and twice, I saw his eyes drop to my chest. His jaw flexed each time, as if he was thinking things similar to what Saint had said to me. The difference was, his heated gaze had made my bottom parts tingle in a way that hadn’t happened with Saint.
I covered my face and took a deep breath. I had to get it together. I’d stammered several times over breakfast. Mostly when I caught him staring at my nipples. I’d not expected to have company waiting on me when I got home, so I hadn’t put a bra on this morning. My reactions to Rio were hard to miss because of it.
My hands went to my breasts, and I cupped them. It felt good. I had found myself thinking about Rio touching them during breakfast, and it had been hard to eat. What was wrong with me?
A knock on the bathroom door startled me.
“Aunt Bryn?” Cullen called my name.
“Yes?” I replied.
“Can I go to the park with Rio?”
I opened the door, and Cullen’s little face was turned up, looking at me with excitement in his eyes.
“Please, can I go?” he begged.
I lifted my gaze to see Rio standing at the end of the hallway, watching me. “Uh, well, yes, if Rio asked you to go.”
Rio gave one nod. “It was my idea,” he assured me. “Thought some fresh air and guy time might be good for both of us. Then, you can do girl things.”
I’d never let Cullen go anywhere with a man before, but there wasn’t one I trusted like I did Rio.
“Please, please, please,” Cullen begged.
“Okay, yes, that’s fine.” I lifted my gaze back to Rio. “If you’re sure.”
He smirked, as if that was a silly question. “Positive. We’ll make a stop by Henley’s shop and get a cupcake. She’ll be happy to see her favorite customer.”
“Yes!” Cullen said, throwing a fist into the air.
I laughed at his glee as he turned to run and get his shoes from his room.
“Thank you,” I said to Rio.
His gaze dropped to my mouth, then my chest one more time. I inhaled deeply, and his gaze slowly made it back up to meet mine.
“My pleasure,” he replied.
Cullen came running out of his room in his tennis shoes. “Ready!” he said loudly. “See you later, Aunt Bryn,” he said to me, then went to grab Rio’s hand.
I walked down the hall to follow them to the door.
“You stay with Rio the whole time. Be polite and do what he says,” I told Cullen, then handed my keys to Rio.
“Yes, ma’am. I will use my manners,” he assured me.
“You’ll need to get the booster seat out of my car,” I told him.
Rio took the keys and then opened the door. “We’ll be just fine,” he said.
I nodded and watched them go.
Closing and locking the door behind me, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Free time was something I hadn’t had in a while. I walked over and sat down on a barstool and stared at the table we had eaten breakfast at. The first thing I needed to do was wrap my head around Rio showing up after two weeks of silence, acting as if he wanted to be near me.
More than that, the looks he had given me weren’t friendly looks. He looked at my lips as if he wanted to kiss me. I had been close to begging him to do just that at one point. Maybe it was the images that Saint had put in my head last night, but it seemed my body was now very awake and more aware of its needs. I hadn’t thought I had needs, but after the way I had reacted to the looks Rio gave me, I realized I did in fact have them. They were just Rio-exclusive needs.
But was it stupid to get my hopes and hormones up? This was Rio. He could disappear in an instant. Two weeks ago, he’d barely looked at me. Before the Jeep smashing, he’d barely looked at me. Why was I now on his radar? Had he really been thinking about me?
A smile tugged at my lips. Rio March hadn’t been able to stop thinking about me. I felt fifteen again with butterflies in my stomach at the idea that he saw me. Really saw me.
He had taken Cullen out today. That was a step I had warned him about. I didn’t want Cullen to get attached to him. He wouldn’t have taken Cullen out if he was going to go away again. I had to believe that. I could recover from it, but I wasn’t sure Cullen could. He had been so excited about going with Rio.
Standing up, I went to the sink to clean up the dishes we had dirtied, only to find they were gone. Opening the dishwasher, I found them inside. Rio had cleaned up. Smiling again, I closed it and stood there with a feeling so unfamiliar to me that I didn’t know how to explain it. Was this joy? Or was it happiness? Hope maybe?
I bit my bottom lip to keep from giggling like an idiot and decided I’d take a bubble bath. Soak, shave, relax, then wash my hair. If Rio did want to see me, then I would give him something worth seeing. This morning, I had been a mess.
Walking into the bathroom, I paused and looked at myself in the mirror. I wouldn’t do my makeup like I had to for work, but I could make myself attractive with normal makeup. He liked my breasts. He had made that clear.
I turned and went to my closet to assess my clothing. My wardrobe wasn’t sexy or revealing. I looked through my shirts and found nothing that would work. Then, I remembered a pink sundress I had bought in the spring but never worn. I had thought it looked feminine, and when I had tried it on, I’d felt pretty. It was shorter than what I normally wore, but it had a flounce at the bottom. I laid it on the bed, then glanced down at my red toenails and wished they were pink. If I changed the color, I would have to just change it back for work in two days.
After a brief debate, I decided it was worth it. I needed pink toenails. I only wore the red press-on nails at work. My natural fingernails were bare, and I made the decision to paint those pink too. Rio March wouldn’t know what hit him. Or at least, I hoped so. I could very possibly be making an idiot of myself. But then I thought about the way he’d looked at my mouth, and I smiled.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rio
“Might not want to tell your aunt you had candy and a cupcake,” I told Cullen as we pulled back into the apartment parking lot.
Cullen nodded. “Okay, but I really want to tell her that I got to go inside the candy store and buy something.”
“Why is that? She doesn’t take you in there, so I’m guessing she doesn’t want you eating candy.” And I didn’t want to do anything to make her mad at me.
The kid’s eyes had lit up when I suggested it. I hadn’t thought it through before I asked him. There was no way I could have backed out of it.
“We tried once. They don’t like Aunt Bryn, so we can’t go in there,” he said in a soft voice, as if he was telling me a secret and felt bad about it.
Why the fuck did Charles Denney not like Bryn? Had Tory done something to the old man? I’d known him since I’d moved here. He was a nice old man.
“I think I can talk to the owner. Mr. Charles seemed to like you just fine. I’ll tell him how nice your aunt Bryn is.”
Cullen’s eyes went wide, and he gazed at me as if I had hung the damn moon. “Really? You could do that?”
“Of course I can. I’ve known Mr. Charles a long time.”
“Do you know the man who owns the pizza place? Because he don’t like us either. That’s why we make our own pizzas. But I sure would like some pizza from there. It smells real good when you pass by it.”
What the fuck did Dan O’Neil have against Bryn? Jesus, was this entire town full of assholes? Just because Tory had done something, they didn’t have to blame it on Bryn and Cullen.
“We will be eating pizza from there tonight,” I assured him.
Cullen let out a woot. I unbuckled him, and he climbed out of the Jeep on my side. “I can’t wait to tell Aunt Bryn!” he said. “She loves the smell of that piz
za too.”
He started to run for the stairs and stopped, then came back to me to take my hand.
“Sorry. I forgot I can’t walk in the parking lot alone,” he said to me seriously. “Aunt Bryn don’t want me hit by a car.”
I nodded and held on to his hand firmly. “She’s a smart woman,” I said.
“She’s real smart,” he agreed. “She’s got a job that pays her lots of money. I get to drink milk every day now, and we got snacks in the house, and I get to eat ice cream almost every week!”
I felt a tight knot in my stomach as he talked about all the food he had now, thanks to his aunt Bryn’s job. Things most kids took for granted. Things I knew all too well what it was like to go without. Bryn’s job made more sense to me, the more the kid talked.
I was a fucking asshole. Just like the rest of this town.
When we got to the door and knocked, I was struggling to swallow past the lump in my throat. However, the moment the door opened, everything I had been struggling with vanished as Bryn stood there, looking like a damn goddess.
“Hey, Aunt Bryn!” Cullen said, rushing inside.
“Hey, buddy. Did you have fun?” she asked.
“The best! You won’t believe it, but we are eating pizza tonight from the pizza place in town. They like Rio, so he can buy us pizza from there,” he said. “I gotta pee.” Then, he was gone.
My eyes never left her. She turned her gaze to me then, and I stood there, speechless. Bryn was beautiful in baggy shirts, no makeup, and unbrushed hair. However, Bryn like this was the most gorgeous being on the planet.
“So, you’re staying for dinner then?” she asked with a smile.
I opened my mouth, and nothing came out. Then, I laughed at my own reaction. Finally, I managed to find my voice. “Damn, Bryn. A man needs a warning before you show up at the door like this.”
She blushed and bit her bottom lip. She’d done this on purpose—or at least, I was pretty damn sure she had. This was for me. Although I hadn’t needed any more of a push. It felt good to know she wanted to give me a reason to stay.
The short skirt showcased her legs that I knew only led to more perfection underneath, and, God, did she give me a view of cleavage. I had fought not to stare at her nipples through the damn T-shirt this morning, which was several sizes too big. I didn’t need to see the tops of them. But there they were, taunting me. Her breathing was heavy enough to make them rise and fall slowly.
“Come on in,” she said, stepping back, and I caught sight of her bare feet. Even those were perfect.
I came inside, and her scent hit me. I paused and inhaled deeply. Then turned to look down at her. “You are trying to kill me,” I whispered just as Cullen came running back into the room.
“And Rio knows the man who owns the candy shop. He can tell him that you’re nice and we can go inside.”
I saw her stiffen, and a forced smile touched her lips. “That’s wonderful,” she told him tightly. “The pizza place and the candy shop,” she said, turning her fake smile my way.
“Yeah, I’d like to know more about that later,” I told her.
She only nodded once, then turned back to Cullen. “You’ve had a very busy morning. It’s time for a nap. If you don’t nap, you’ll never make it to eat that pizza.”
Cullen’s shoulders slumped. “Okay,” he said, then looked at me. “You’ll be here when I get up?” he asked.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. Especially with your aunt dressed like that.
He walked slowly back to his room and closed the door.
“I’ll come check on you in ten minutes. You’d better be in bed,” Bryn called out to him. Then, she looked back at me. “So, he was good today?” she asked.
“Perfect,” I replied. “Tell me about the pizza place and candy store,” I said, stepping closer to her.
She sighed. “The man at the candy store said he didn’t sell to people like me who vandalize others’ property.” She lifted her gaze from the floor to mine. “Same with the pizza place,” she added.
The fucking Jeep . Jesus, were they still holding that shit against her? Why hadn’t I known about this already?
“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching out to touch her hand because I needed to touch something. “I had no idea.”
She shrugged. “You’re well liked in this community, and I bashed your Jeep. They took your side.”
The knot in my stomach was back, and I wondered what else she’d suffered because of her taking the fall for what her sister had done to my Jeep. Fuck, I hated the idea of her being turned away like that. My chest hurt.
“You look like you’re about to be sick,” she said, squeezing my hand. “It’s fine. Trust me, that was not the first time I’d gone through that. When Tory slept with the Baptist minister in the last town we lived in, I had much worse things said about us and to us. They won’t even sell you milk in town after something like that.”
I needed her to stop telling me this shit long enough for me to deal with the fact that she’d been turned away in this town. Because of me. I closed my eyes and muttered a curse.
Her other hand touched my arm. “Let’s talk about something else. Tell me what y’all did today,” she said in a cheerful voice.
I opened my eyes and looked down at her. It hurt that she was so beautiful. I let go of her hand and reached up to cup her face. Her lips parted as I ran my thumb over her bottom lip. I placed my other hand on her hip and pulled her closer to me until our bodies were touching. Her breasts were pressing against my chest, and she was leaning into me, telling me clearly that she wanted to be here.
Lowering my head, I heard her shaky breath just before my mouth touched hers. Her hand gripped my bicep, and she trembled in my arms. When her mouth opened for me, I dived in, tasting her. I’d thought about this for so long, and not one of my fantasies compared to the actual thing. She tasted of honey and sunshine. She was sweet and warm.
She was holding on to me with both her hands now, as if she needed me to hold her up. Her scent, her taste, the way she felt against me—I wasn’t sure I could ever let go of her. I moved the hand I had on her hip down to cup her bottom. I grabbed it with both hands and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around me, and I walked us over the few steps to the sofa to sit down with her. Never once breaking the kiss.
I ran my hands up her thighs, and she gasped. I only pulled back a little, so I could look at her. My right hand was just inside her thigh. Her legs were open as she straddled me. The sundress was pushed all the way up, so I could see the lacy pink panties covering her. I lifted my eyes from that view to look into her eyes. Moving my hand slowly, I watched her.
“I’m just going to touch you there,” I said, my voice thick with arousal.
She nodded slightly, and her mouth fell open, but her eyes never left mine. I ran a finger over the silk and lace.
“It’s damp,” I said.
“Yes,” she whispered.
I slipped a finger under the fabric, and the silky heat made it easy to move inside.
“Oh!” she said, grabbing on to my arms again and arching her back so that her breasts were in my face.
“Pull down your sundress,” I said as I began running my finger along the satin skin, wet with arousal.
She reached behind her and unzipped the dress, then tugged it down until both her big, round tits were bobbing right under my chin.
I moved my finger to push inside her, and she arched again. This time, I captured a nipple in my mouth and sucked hard.
“O-o-oh G-G-God,” she cried out.
I continued lavishing her nipple and enjoying the way her pussy clenched around my finger as she panted in my arms.
“I just meant to kiss you,” I said as I looked at her. “But you taste too sweet. You drive me crazy. I needed to touch you.”
“Yes,” she said as she began to move her hips against my hand.
I licked at her other nipple and bit down gently. She made a small cry,
and her hands grabbed my head.
“Yes, pl-pl-please,” she begged. Her stuttering was back. She wasn’t able to concentrate. She was in the moment with me.
I bit down again, and she rocked harder against my hand. My dick was so swollen that I wasn’t sure how much longer my jeans could hold it. With each little pant Bryn made, I throbbed harder. We had just had our first kiss. There was no way I could sink inside her now. With the kid asleep in the other room. It would have to be quiet, and I wanted to hear her scream my name.
“Rio,” she panted out.
I bit her again, harder this time, holding her nipple in my teeth while I looked up at her. She met my eyes, and her mouth fell open as she began to jerk in my arms.
“Oh G-G-God. O-o-oh, oh,” she cried as the orgasm hit her.
Her pussy was squeezing my finger, her juices coating my hand. I wanted to be down there, tasting it. Would she enjoy me biting her clit too? She liked the pain. The harder I had bitten her nipple, the harder she had ridden my hand.
She moaned and then opened her eyes while a smile curled her lips. “Th-th-that was a-amazing,” she said.
Really? That had been amazing? Hell, I could show her better orgasms than that.
But I had already moved too quickly. My fantasies in the shower had pushed me to this. Bryn being all hot and ready hadn’t helped slow me down.
I moved her off my lap in hopes that my erection would calm the fuck down.
Looking at her face, I let out a soft, shaky laugh. “I meant to kiss you. Seems I don’t have much control.”
She smiled, looking pleased with that admission from me. “Me neither.”
I smirked then. “I guess that’s been building for a long time.”
She tilted her head and studied me with a surprised expression. “Really?”
“Yeah, really,” I replied.
She straightened her dress and curled her feet back behind her. “You could have fooled me.”
“I thought you’d bashed my Jeep,” I reminded her.
She shrugged, and the strap of her sundress fell back off her shoulder. “That’s my point.”
