Page 13 of Temptation and Treachery
Chapter Five
“What brings you to Houston?”
Her shoe caught on the sidewalk, and she came crashing down from her mental high. Rio reached out, setting her straight and providing support. She offered a weak smile. He’d chosen the one topic guaranteed to burst her erotic bubble and land her facedown on the sidewalk—almost literally. She needed to derail the conversation. Pronto. “I’m visiting family.”
“Parents?”
“Something like that,” she mumbled. “You?”
“Work.”
Silence stretched between them, increasing the echo of her footsteps on the damp sidewalk. Shoot. Trust her luck to meet the one guy who didn’t enjoy hearing himself talk. If she’d been in all her senses, she might have prepared a response and avoided this awkward situation. Well, she could give a little, or wonder what-if for the rest of her life. She chose to go with the truth. It would be off-putting enough. “My father and I aren’t close. At all.” Dread wandered along the edge of her conscience, waiting to overrun the banks. “He and my mother…didn’t work out.” To say the least. His hold tightened around her, and she found a sliver of comfort in his embrace. “What do you do?”
“I’m a staff coordinator and part time trainer.” Pulling open the hotel door, he ushered her in.
“Doesn’t surprise me.” Her pulse kicked up. Yeah, just what she needed, to spend the night imagining Rio in tiny gym shorts, doing squats with a loaded bar. Maybe a military press. All those muscles bulging and relaxing, bulging and relaxing. Mmmm.
“Ma’am?”
Blinking, she looked up at the desk clerk who stood watching her, waiting for some sort of answer. Focus. Someone’s speaking to you. “I-I’m sorry…” If you were wearing these pearls, you’d totally understand.
The woman grinned, her crow’s feet becoming more pronounced. “May I help you?”
Celeste ducked her head, blindly rummaging through her bag as her face heated. Yeah, she got it now. Idiot. “Um, w-we came by earlier.”
“Oh, yes.” She pulled over the credit card and ID, then turned serious. “I’ve got you covered. And let me apologize. I heard about your visit, and I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to show up in the middle of the day.” She continued typing. “My kid had an emergency at school, and you know how that goes.” Grabbing the pages off the printer, she turned them around for a signature. “Okay, you’re all set. Go down this hall, past the breakfast area, then you’ll see the elevators on the left.” The clerk handed back her ID and credit card along with two keycards.
“Thanks.” Celeste palmed the cards, her smile freezing on her face. It’s not like she would be sharing a key with Rio. Picking up her shopping bag, she moved over while she dropped the little stack in her wallet. How would this work? Was she supposed to assume he heard her room number and he’d come by later? Once again her lack of experience when it came to the opposite sex left her fumbling at the very moment she needed it most.
Rio stepped up to the counter, pulling out his wallet. “Thank you for making sure we had rooms.” He placed the cards in front of the clerk.
“I thhhhh-ought you were together.” The woman shut her mouth, looking from Rio to her and back with a cringe. “Ron only held one room.”
Shock. Relief. Anticipation. All of them rushed through her, tightening her hold on her bag. Ron inadvertently saved her from an awkward situation. She bit the inside of her bottom lip, trying to come up with something witty. Unfortunately, with the world’s biggest spotlight shining on her, her brain stalled all creativity. The memory of Vix straddling him on the plane flashed through her mind. That woman knew what she wanted and exactly what to do in a situation like this.
“I happen to have a room, you know.” She arched a brow, tilting her head in what she hoped was a suave and sophisticated move.
“Is that so?” Rio played along, tucking his wallet back into his pocket while the clerk did her best to hide her knowing smile.
“Mmhmm. It would be rude of me to leave you without a place to stay.”
With a devilish grin, he wrapped an arm around her waist, urging her down the hall. “And you’re entirely too well-bred to be rude.” He punched the call button while she fought the urge to fidget. Her breeding, as he called it, as well as her upbringing left her with no idea what to do with him. Well, after the sex part. Maybe even before. The during part was pretty clear, and if his reactions were any indication, she was sure she’d nailed that. At least she hoped so.
They stepped into the elevator, and Vix popped up beside her. With an eager grin, she wrapped her arms around Rio’s neck and went for his zipper. No. She bit off the word before she said it out loud. Vix pouted, unhappy with being held back. He pushed the button for their floor. Oh God, their floor. The doors closed, reverberating in her throat. If she’d ever imagined a moment like this with someone like Rio, she would have done a lot more crunches. Planks. Stairs. And damn it, she might have given up dessert…for a while. Or gone fat free.
Rio’s fingers tucked a hair strand behind her ear. “You all right?”
She rolled her lips, looking up through her lashes. Would it be a turnoff if she told him she was a bundle of anxiety at the thought of sleeping with him? Or as he put it, fucking. Well, someone with a body like his, all hard muscles and sex appeal, could pull off everything the single word implied.
The doors rumbled open. “Regretting the offer?” He shook his head. “You don’t—”
“I’ve never done this.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before he told her they didn’t have to do anything. “Spending the night, I mean.”
He ran the back of his fingers along her cheek. “Neither have I.”
Her eyes widened. “No?”
“Never wanted to.” His thumb caressed the edge of her jaw. “Until now.” Her breath caught. “I warn you. I’m a bed hog.” She chuckled. “So I’ll probably end up all over you.” Now that sounded heavenly. This time she recognized the purr he’d mentioned. “If things get bad, you can kick me off the bed.”
