by Glines, Abbi
Archer had taken a pull from his cigar. He gave Rio a singular nod. “Indeed. I’ve been in Rome for a month,” he said.
“New hotel?” Rio asked him, handing me a glass of ice water.
“Always is,” was his reply.
There was no reason for me to have this sick knot in my stomach. This was going to be okay. Rio didn’t seem to care about my job. While that had bothered me before this moment, I was now thankful for it. There was a good chance he knew Mr. Archer came to the club. He himself had been there with friends. They had sat at our best table. Perhaps it was Mr. Archer who had suggested The Red Stiletto to them.
Chapter Forty
Rio
“How’s the farmers market business?” Archer asked me.
“Good. Pops had a heart attack a while back, but he’s okay. Back home, but not at work. Gramma won’t let him go back.”
“Guess it’s about time to hand it on over to you,” he said, then took a pull from his cigar.
I didn’t respond, but I hoped that wasn’t what happened anytime soon. There was too much I didn’t know that Pops still needed to teach me. Hazel would be more prepared than I was to take over running things.
“Bryn and I were going to watch the sunset,” Henley said, then nodded her head toward the railing, where the best view was this time of year. “Rio, could you help Saul get the steaks down to the grill?”
My eyes met Bryn’s then, and I realized something was wrong. I studied her for a moment, trying to figure it out, but Henley took her arm and pulled her away. I watched them go, although I needed to get her alone. See what it was that had her looking nervous.
“Takes a confident man to date a woman with a job like hers. I’ve dated a few Playboy Bunnies myself,” Archer said, then chuckled and slapped me on the back as he walked past me on his way inside.
Fuck.
That was what was wrong with her. Archer had been to The Red Stiletto. Had he said something to her? Dammit!
I started toward her.
“Rio! Come get this other tray of steaks,” Saul called out.
Bryn was laughing at something Henley had said. She seemed okay now, but I wasn’t going to be okay until I spoke to her. If I told him to get Drake to get the steaks, then Cullen’s entertainment was over, and he’d be out here. I needed him occupied, so I could talk to Bryn.
Turning, I went back inside to get the other tray and made my way down to the grill. Saul was putting the potatoes on when I got down there.
“How long is your dad gonna be here?” I asked him.
“As long as it takes to completely piss me off,” he replied. “Why?”
“He’s seen Bryn at work, and I think he said something to her, or she recognized him.”
Saul winced and looked at me. “Yeah, I heard. I don’t know how you do it. I’d lose my goddamn mind if I were you.”
Every time she left for work, I felt sick. I’d been ready to talk her into working at the market, and then Tory had died. Not wanting to upset her or bring up something that would cause a fight, I’d been trying to give it some time. Give us some time.
“I gotta go talk to her,” I told him, then turned and headed back up to where she stood with Henley.
She was taking a drink from the glass of water I had given her. The breeze caught her hair, and she smiled at something Henley had said. My chest tightened at the image. In the beginning, I’d thought this might wear off. This insane attraction I had to her. That I wouldn’t want her naked with me buried inside her all the damn time.
It wasn’t wearing off. I was sinking deeper. She was mine, and I fucking wanted to rip the eyeballs out of every man who had seen her tits and barely covered ass. That was mine.
Jealousy raged inside me, the closer I got to her. Knowing Archer had seen what was mine was eating at me. I had a hard enough time, knowing Drake had seen her like that.
I put my hand on her back. “We need to talk,” I said and shot my sister a warning glance to stay the fuck out of this.
She said nothing as I led Bryn inside.
“I’m s-s-sorry. I didn’t know who Saul’s dad w-was, or I would have told you before we got here,” she whispered as I moved us quickly past everyone, thankful Cullen’s eyes were on the screen as he played the game with Drake, who was shouting at the images on the television.
“It’s part of my j-j-job. This kind of thing was b-b-bound to happen,” she said.
I started up the stairs with my hand still on her back. She was right; this had been bound to happen. It had, and I fucking hated it.
We reached my room, and I moved her inside first, then followed, locking the door behind me.
“How many times has he been in there?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “Several.”
I ran a hand over my hair and looked at her. She was wringing her hands nervously and biting her bottom lip. I had brought her up here to see if she was okay. Not to drill her with questions. But the more I let myself dwell on the fact that Archer had seen her tits, the more my blood boiled.
“Did he recognize you?” I asked.
She nodded.
I stalked toward her and grabbed her arms, then pulled her to my chest. “I don’t like knowing he’s seen you naked,” I said between my clenched teeth, trying like hell to get ahold of my rage.
Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at me. She was scared, and it was my fault.
“It’s my j-j-job,” she said again.
“I fucking hate knowing anyone has seen you naked,” I said, then jerked her dress up and slipped my hand inside her panties. “This has only been touched by me, and I own it. It’s mine.” I looked down at her chest, then back at her. “Those tits are mine. I don’t share.”
The fear in her eyes was still there, but she was breathing rapidly now, and her nipples had hardened. I slid a finger inside her, and she made a soft sound as her mouth fell open.
“Tell me this is mine,” I said, hoping hearing her say it would ease this possessive monster clawing in my chest.
“It’s yours. You know that,” she panted.
That wasn’t enough.
“Say, This pussy is yours, Rio ,” I demanded.
She licked her lips. “This p-p-pussy is yours, Rio.” Her eyes fluttered as I began to move my finger through her now-wet folds.
“That feel good, baby?” I asked, giving her clit attention with my thumb.
“Y-y-yes,” she breathed.
“You’re gonna come on my hand like a good girl, so I can lick your sweet juices off,” I said in her ear before kissing her neck, then moving to her mouth.
She leaned into me, moaning. I loved the way she tasted. Her lips had become another one of my addictions. She flicked her tongue against mine as she rode my hand. This was never going to get old. I’d thought it had to. It always had. But Bryn had the ability to drive me wild with lust over and over again.
“Come for me, baby,” I said against her mouth.
She rocked harder on my hand and panted into my mouth, “I am! I am!”
I held on to her while she jerked and shook in my arms.
“Ahhhhh,” she cried out, throwing her head back.
I had done that to her. Me. I was the one who made her feel this. No one else.
When she was done, I pulled my hand out and did just as I’d said. I licked it clean while she stood, watching me. Her eyes flared.
“I wish we didn’t have to go back down there,” she whispered.
“If Cullen wasn’t here, I’d keep you up here and fuck you all night,” I said. “But for now, I have the taste of your pussy in my mouth to satisfy me until he goes to bed.”
Chapter Forty-One
Bryn
He was jealous. I had to bite back a smile as I thought about his reaction earlier. He might not love me, but he felt more than lust. I knew jealousy wasn’t something I should be happy about, but I was.
After swimming, Cullen had fallen asleep on the sofa, watching a baseb
all game with Drake and Benji. When Benji had arrived, having yet another person here tonight who had seen me topless had worried me, but Benji acted like that night never happened. He never looked my way or made me feel uncomfortable. I liked him.
Rio was outside on what I now knew they called a deck with Saul and Archer. I hadn’t gone, too, because Archer had kept watching me during dinner. Rio had kept his hand on my thigh, and I caught him glaring at Archer more than once. I’d been thankful Archer had a business call while we were swimming in the pool. He might have seen me topless, but the idea of wearing a bikini in front of him bothered me.
Henley walked over and handed me a brownie. “Dairy-free and gluten-free, but it’s delicious,” she said.
I took it from her. “It’s also chocolate,” I replied, then took a bite. She was right; it was incredible. “Can you figure out how to do this and make it calorie-free too?”
She laughed and finished chewing the bite she had in her mouth. “I wish!” she replied.
Rio walked back into the house then, and his eyes went from me to Cullen, then back to me. He came over to me. “The guest bedroom is right beside mine. He’s slept there before. You good with us staying here?” he asked me.
I nodded while chewing another bite of my brownie.
“Ready for me to take him up?”
I nodded again, then swallowed. “I’ll go get the bed ready,” I told him.
This would be the first time I slept over here. Rio had been almost living with us the past five days. The nights I’d worked, he had stayed with Cullen, and then he continued staying on my off nights.
I went upstairs and pulled back the covers, and I only had to wait a moment before Rio arrived with a sleeping Cullen. I tucked him in and kissed his head, then turned back to Rio. He held out his hand, and I took it, smiling at him.
We walked out of the room, and instead of going back downstairs, Rio walked us directly into his bedroom.
“I liked your bikini,” he said as the door clicked behind him.
“You did?” I asked, turning back to him.
“It’s new,” he replied.
I nodded.
“You still have it on under that cover-up?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because I need to fuck you in it.”
“Oh,” I breathed.
“Take off that cover-up,” he ordered, coming toward me.
I pulled the cover-up off and stood there in front of him. I’d chosen a cotton-candy-pink bikini because I liked pink. I felt good in pink. It was pretty.
“Wearing this, you made it damn near impossible for me to think of anything else,” he said, trailing a finger along my cleavage. “I’m going to have to kill Archer.”
“What?” I asked.
“The way he kept looking at you during dinner. Only thing that will make me feel better is to kill him,” he replied seriously.
I laughed. “I think that might be extreme.”
He shrugged, then flashed me a grin. “Maybe.” Then, he lowered his head and kissed the tops of my breasts. “He doesn’t get to do this though, does he?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Rio tugged the left side of my top down and licked my nipple. “Or this,” he said before biting it and making the tingle between my legs start to throb.
“Just you,” I breathed out.
“Don’t go back, please,” he said as he pulled the other side of my top down.
“What?” I asked, dazed from his licking and sucking on my breasts.
He lifted his eyes to me and let my right nipple pop free of his mouth. “Don’t go back there. I can’t handle it. I tried. But I don’t want you working there.”
He was asking me to quit. I had wanted this.
Rio reached behind me and unfastened my top, then pulled it off me. “These should be for my eyes only,” he said, cupping my breasts in his hands. “Just mine. I don’t want you there.”
I wanted to quit. I never enjoyed it. The money was a security blanket I had never known though. It was scary to let that go. This was what I had wished he would say to me. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it meant he was feeling things for me.
Rio took my face in his hands. “Please,” he asked again.
How could any woman tell him no? Even if I didn’t want to quit, I would have a hard time saying no.
“Okay,” I replied.
“You’ll quit?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Then, he kissed me. I could taste the whiskey on his breath. It was a dark, dangerous flavor, and I wanted more of it.
I ran my hands under his shirt and up his chest, loving the hard muscles that jerked in response to my touch.
Rio trailed kisses down my jawline, neck, and collarbone until he was once again at my breasts. “What have you done to me?” he asked. “I’ve never felt so damn possessive over a woman. I’ve never craved one. It’s controlling me, and I don’t give a fuck. I just want more of it, of you.”
His hands moved to my bottoms and tugged them down my legs. I stepped out of them.
“I thought you wanted to fuck me, wearing it,” I said, remembering his words.
He stood up and took off his shirt, then pushed down his shorts. “I will, but right now, I’m not going to fuck you.”
Before I could ask what we were going to do, he picked me up and threw me back on his bed. I bounced once, and then he was crawling over me.
“What is this then?” I asked as he hooked his arms under my knees.
He grinned up at me, then thrust into me. This was what I wanted. To be full of him. Having him stretch me and move inside me.
“It’s mating. You make me feel like an animal. I lose all fucking control with you.”
He put my legs up over his shoulders and grabbed my waist to pull me to him as he pumped into me. “So beautiful,” he said as he looked down at me.
His eyes raking over my body made me feel powerful. Knowing he wanted me so much and he craved this part of me—it was enough for now.
Rio reached down and started playing with my clit as he continued to move inside me. I bucked beneath him and cried out his name. That was almost too good. Too much at once.
“That’s it,” he said with a raspy voice. “You’re gonna come on my dick several times before I pull out of you.”
If he kept that up, I would be coming any minute. He pushed down on my clit and then pressed it between his two fingers. The sharp pain—paired with his length sliding into me, hitting so deep inside—was explosive.
I grabbed his hand and jerked wildly under him.
He dropped my legs and was over me now, moving. His chest pressed to mine. He began kissing my lips, then my jawline.
“I love watching you come,” he said. “Now, get on your hands and knees.”
He moved off me and flipped me over. I got on my hands and knees, and he grabbed my bottom and slid back into me. The first slap on my right butt cheek startled me. He’d never done that before. This did feel animalistic. He slapped my left butt cheek now and then again. I heard myself moan as he kept spanking me, and I pressed back harder against him with each thrust.
When he stopped with the slaps, I looked back at him over my shoulder. “Spank me,” I begged.
His eyes lit up with excitement. “You liked getting your hot little ass spanked?”
“Yes.”
His hand landed on the now-tender skin.
“Harder!” I pleaded.
The next hit was harder, and Rio was thrusting into me faster. I heard him breathing hard as he continued to spank me with one hand and pull me back to him with the other. Just as his hand landed on me again, I hit my second climax, and my arms went limp as I fell forward onto the pillow, crying out.
Rio stopped the spanking, but he grabbed my hips and kept pounding into me, making my orgasm lengthen.
“OH GOD!” I screamed as another one hit me unexpectedly.
“FUUUCK!” Rio roared, and he jerked insi
de me, pumping wildly. “Take all of it. I want it inside you,” he said as he shot his release into me.
My mind was in such a haze that I didn’t feel him leave my body, but he was beside me, pulling me to him. I snuggled against him, and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. I couldn’t open my eyes. It required more energy than I had left.
He whispered something into my hair, but I was too sleepy to ask him what he’d said.
Chapter Forty-Two
I stood outside The Red Stiletto for the last time. At least, I hoped that was the case. Marley had told me if I ever needed a job, I’d have one. That was after she’d cried on me, hugged me, and made me promise to come visit and bring Cullen to see Bay.
Saint hadn’t shown any emotion, but I hadn’t expected him to. He didn’t seem to care at all that I was quitting. He said nothing. Marley had done all the talking before handing me my last paycheck and taking my costume. Saint had just walked out the office door to get back to work.
I wished that night in the club when we’d been alone had never happened. Ever since then, it had made things awkward between us. Before then, I had felt like he was a friend.
I didn’t hate it here, but I would be glad to see it in my rearview mirror. I wished Trix had been here, so I could tell her good-bye. We hadn’t spent time together outside of the club, but we had worked together enough that she had become a part of my life. I would miss her too.
I opened my car door and climbed inside. Just as I started it up, the back door opened, and Saint stepped outside. I lifted my hand and waved good-bye to him. He gave me a nod in return. If there hadn’t been Rio in my head and heart, then I might have possibly felt something for Saint. I wasn’t sure anyone other than Rio would have broken through my walls. He was the first person I’d ever let past the barriers I kept around my heart. Even at twelve years old, I’d been hurt badly enough to be guarded. Rio had gotten in then and never left.
Driving back to The Shores, I had to make a decision about work. This morning, Rio had offered me a job, working as his pops’s assistant. He’d said he’d already talked to Pops and Hazel about it. However, I wasn’t sure it was safe to put all of my security in Rio’s hands. What would happen if we ended? I would have to once again find another job and start over. There was so much to decide and quickly.
