Page 6 of Temptation and Treachery
She shook her head, her face turning a heated red. “I-I didn’t—” The words drifted away and realization sank in. “Whaaat? I gave you?” Brow furrowed, she blinked several times. “Me?”
The two seconds of emotions running across her features hardened his cock. Surprise, interest, curiosity, temptation, and a healthy dose of lust. Goddamn, what he wouldn’t give to watch her face as he worked his cock into her. Would she change with every position, every touch, or every stroke?
He suppressed a groan, determined to wipe the image from his mind and failing. They were close enough that he detected her subtle perfume over the dampness in the air. Nervous energy surrounded them. He could sense her fight-or-flight instinct was telling her to run, but her head kept her in place. He liked that about her. Admired her strength. Despite the walls he’d set around himself, he knew a part of her had slipped through.
“Wondered what would happen if you were in the next seat,” he murmured.
“Rio.” She failed to sound even remotely shocked. “Y-you have no sense of boundaries.” The whispered words were barely a protest.
“Of course I do.” He tucked a silky, blonde tendril behind her ear, watching the pearl-drop earring dance about. “How else would I know where to push?”
He had no intention of touching her. Bastard that he was, he wanted her to admit she wanted him. Why it mattered, he had no clue. He took an extra second to memorize heavy-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks then found himself leaning into her. A brush of his mouth against hers; that was all he needed. To know how she tasted, so he wouldn’t be left wondering when he walked away. But Celeste was hungry, her mouth playing against his, both giving and taking in what was anything but a simple kiss. Her soft lips gave way, sharing her unique flavor, challenging him to pull away. Holy hell. His teeth grazed her bottom lip, and he deepened their contact. Her fingertips dug into his biceps, holding on like she never wanted to let go. For once, he was in full agreement. He didn’t want to set her back and move on.
She shifted, but in the confines of her shelter, she couldn’t go far. “What were you imagining, Celeste?” he asked, his voice husky.
She stared at his shoulder, looking a little dazed, the tip of her tongue running across the edge of her bottom lip.
“Tell me.” He cupped her chin, tilting her face back to figure out what was going through her head. Right now he was banking on his ability to read people to help him get through to her. Because he wanted—needed—more of her, and she was whole new territory for him.
She blinked, and her fingers loosened. “Rio…” She swallowed hard, ducking her head to hide any telltale expressions.
He’d been Rio, his ICE code name, for so long, he sometimes forgot who he’d been before. Somehow, Celeste was in a similar situation. Only she was hiding from herself, too. That innocence he wouldn’t have thought he’d like, would buckle under what he suspected was a daring streak she kept tightly leashed. A change in tactic was in order. Being they were so alike, he knew exactly what she needed—a hard dose of reality.
He scanned the area then lowered his head to murmur in her ear. “You don’t have to hide here, Celeste. Nobody knows you, not even me.”
…
Her mind echoed with the scratch of a needle across vinyl.
Oh my God!
Vix, who had her leg wrapped around his waist while using her best pole-dancing moves, came to an abrupt stop. Full red lips formed an O as her eyes widened. Her gaze darted back and forth between her and Rio as she waited to see what happened next. Seconds ticked by as his words bounced around her head, squashing the very rational urge to make her escape.
She’d spent most of her adult life trying not to call attention to herself. Like the hotel clerk, she’d been doing things because it was procedure. Because that’s how she’d always done them. What if, for once, she did what she wanted, with whom she wanted? She had to ask herself, what would Vix do? That was an easy answer. She’d go for it. What harm could it do if they were in a little town where nobody knew either one of them? Most importantly, did she have the guts to go where her desires were leading her?
Vix nodded in encouragement. She untangled herself from Rio, a feat in itself, then ran a manicured hand down Rio’s shoulder as she sauntered past.
“Celeste…” Rio circled her waist, fitting them together so the heat of his body seeped into hers. She splayed her hands on his arms, flattening her breasts against an incredibly well-muscled chest. The urge to close her eyes and melt against him threatened to overwhelm her.
“We’re in the middle of town, across from a public square, for goodness sake.” At least she remembered thinking that before he drew her close, scrambling her brain.
“Baby, I could lay you down under that tree and run my lips along every inch of you to see if you’re as sweet as I imagine.” The image flooded her mind, as he must have planned, and a blush fought its way to her face.
An odd rumble left her throat. “How do you come up with these things?” Okay, now she desperately needed to put a couple of inches between them before she took over Vix’s pole-dancing moves.
“I’ve been thinking about it for hours.” Her legs went weak, and for a second, she worried her panties would drop on their own. “All the different ways I’d like to touch you. Taste you. Feel you wrapped around my cock.” He squeezed, low on her hips. “Wondering if the same thoughts had your tight little ass squirming in your seat during the flight.”
“Rio,” she whimpered. That part of her tingled, reminding her of how long it had been since her last disappointing encounter, and the inevitable regrets that followed. To date, the only orgasms she’d enjoyed were provided by her imagination and a few well-chosen toys.
“Mmmm. That’s what you said at the end of my fantasy. Only it was more of a scream, while I was grinding into you.”
The throbbing intensified, drenching her underwear and stoking an unexpected hunger. Her gaze shot to him, but his eyes were hidden. “Take off your sunglasses.”
The corner of his lips quirked, but he pulled the glasses off, letting them dangle on the braided cord. Why had she thought this would be better?
He leaned down, nipping at her swollen lower lip until her mouth rubbed lightly against his. Her fingers curled into his shoulder and chest. Better. Without the sunglasses he didn’t seem so imposing, but now he was a whole other level of hot. She tapped down the doubts whispering at the edge of her mind. Mom’s disappointed voice telling her she’d never be beautiful. Her father’s warning that men would use her to get to him.
She parted her lips, letting his tongue sweep in while she slid her arms up over the hard ledge of his shoulders. Their bodies melted against each other, creating pressure on her breasts that sent a hot spike of erotic energy straight to her core. This is what Vix had been angling for on the plane. But she wanted more. What, she didn’t know. Her body was asking for things she’d never put into words. Her own demons hadn’t let her enjoy sex the few times she’d been with a man. Once, she’d even found herself wishing it would be over. But those times didn’t come anywhere near this.
