Chapter Fifteen
The building didn’t smell like any gym Celeste ever visited. The worn hallway held some light citrus cleaner and a hint of leather. Kari led her to a doorway at the right, dropping her clothes on a wooden bench by the entrance. A dozen shower stalls, in two rows, took up the center of the room.
“The place wasn’t built with women in mind.” Kari patted the white-tiled walls stopping around mid-chest. “But if we face away from each other, we can have some privacy.” She went to the other side and pulled her shirt over her head. Celeste undressed in silence, hanging her towel on a hook outside the nearest stall before turning on the water. “Oh crap.” Kari set shampoo and body wash on the wall between them. “With all the hair, I should have gotten you another towel.”
“Don’t worry,” Celeste said, ducking under the spray. “I’ll make do.”
“Nah.” Kari pulled on her top. “The towels aren’t the best. I can barely manage, and my hair’s a lot shorter.” Her boots clomped on the cement floor. “Ugh, what I wouldn’t give for a pair of slip-ons right now.” She propped her foot on the bench, next to Celeste’s clothes, pulling at the laces. Celeste turned, giving Kari her back. “There we go. I’ll be back in a sec.”
Celeste worked the shampoo through her hair, letting the hot water drain away some of her tension along with the bubbles. She was running a soapy hand towel over her body when the door slammed, echoing throughout the building. Kari’s determined steps came closer.
“Where’d you learn to tell time?” Rio’s voice boomed from a few feet away.
Eyes wide, she covered her breasts and glanced over her shoulder. “I-I’m almost done.”
A loud clank came from down the hall. Rio scoffed. “Damn it, Parker.”
“Kari?” She shut off the water.
“Yeah.” He ran a hand over his hair. “We got set up. Parker told me you couldn’t use the shower because one of the guys was in here.”
She reached around, trying to find the towel, but her fingers fumbled over the bare metal hook. She turned, finding nothing but wet tile. Rio’s words sunk in. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath.
Pulling her hair to one side, she twisted it to wring out as much water as possible. Rio stood like a giant, taking up a good portion of her peripheral vision. “The tan looks good on you,” he said in a gentle voice.
Oh God. And he’d been the one to see all of her. Had he thought he suffered through sleeping with her, for his job? Hunching her shoulders, she let her head drop back.
“But I thought your skin was beautiful before.” The words sounded so sincere, they sent her into a tailspin.
“Stop it.” She couldn’t even tell what was real anymore.
Vix popped up, frowning at her for the outburst. Celeste glared at her alter ego. Whose side are you on? Following Vix was the whole reason she was in this mess. No, she lost some of her steam; she’d wanted to step outside herself for just one day. To live the life her readers thought she led. And she’d gotten more than she expected.
“Here.” He walked toward her, and she turned, her eyes bugging out when he pulled off his shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a strangled voice. Rio, all smooth, hard muscle was temptation itself. She couldn’t stop her eyes from raking back and forth across his chest.
“I’m giving you something to put on.” His navy-blue T-shirt hung off the end of his fingers. Could she literally wrap herself in something covered in his scent? Her knees felt weak even thinking about it. She reached out an unsteady hand, snatching the shirt to her chest. “I’m not going to hurt you.” The soothing tone managed to fan her temper.
“You’ve done enough of that already.” Giving him her back, she pulled on the shirt. When her head popped through the collar, she found him standing next to her.
“I’m sorry if I did…hurt you.” He shook his head. “But this job, is me. It’s my life.”
The sincerity in those heartfelt words made her want to scream. Hey, nothing personal. Sex with you was part of the job, baby. No, he’d stopped calling her that when he realized she was up for “fucking”. Setting her jaw, she glared at him.
“You didn’t have to—” She bit off the rest. He didn’t have to what? Make a fool of her? Make her believe? Make her fall for him? She wanted to squirm where she stood.
“Please, don’t hate the baby because of me.”
She fumbled for words. Now he expected her to hate her own child?
“No.” She shook her head. “He’ll be protected from all of this.” With Oz in jail, she’d be on her own. And as for the baby’s father… “I’ll come up with something,” she snapped. “Anything’s got to be better than ‘your father screwed me to lock up grandpa.’”
“What?” The word boomed loud enough to make her step back. His expression went neutral, though his face turned something close to brick red. “What happened between us has nothing to do with your father.”
“If you say so.” But doubt churned in her stomach. Either he was one hell of an actor, or she just might be wrong. Her heart pounded, hope struggling to stay alive.
“That was all you, sweetheart.” He stepped toward her, and she stepped back, needing space between them. “We didn’t know Ayala had a daughter until yesterday.”
Having Rio this close didn’t let her think straight. And the way he looked at her didn’t help. She swallowed hard. But one thing kept tugging at the back of her mind.
“What happened at Mary Lou’s?” She should have kept silent, but the realization was overwhelming, once she fit the pieces together. His brows edged closer. “I didn’t realize it until now, but that’s when you changed.”
He shook his head, lips opening as he readied his defense.
“I became angel and not baby.”
His head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. Guilt flashed across features that had been stoic seconds before. Humiliation erupted, sending a wave of pain bubbling up like a physical thing inside her.
“Bastard.” She pulled back, shaking her head as she sidestepped. She couldn’t shatter in front of him. Not when she’d almost believed him—again.
“Celeste.” He reached out to touch her, but she twisted away, stomping off with as much dignity as she could muster barefoot and wearing a wet shirt. Blinded by tears she refused to shed, she followed the dim light out to the hallway. Where could she go? Back to Kari? The woman who set this whole thing up?
“Celeste, stop.” Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall. Ignoring him, she pushed at the door, coming up hard when it didn’t budge. Of course, she would pick the locked one. Gritting her teeth, she slammed her hands on the other one with the same result. Trapped. She set her forehead against the cold, unyielding metal as energy drained from her along with the anger.
Kari, again. Why?
Rio’s presence loomed behind her, surrounding her like a thick cloak. God, she must be a pathetic sight. She turned, aiming to dart past him. His arm shot out. “Stop.” She took a step back, and he caged her in place, so she couldn’t wiggle out of his near hold. She leaned away until her back was flat against the wall.
“Listen to me.” His hand cupped her face and she jerked away. “Please,” he added in a whisper. The plea cut through the fog of anger and hurt feelings. She swallowed the enormous lump threatening to suffocate her. Maybe she couldn’t get away, but she didn’t need to face him. He brushed away the tears, prompting more to take their place. “Don’t cry, angel.” Her heart pitched. For the first time, she tasted true regret. How could she feel anything else when the best thing that had ever happened to her had been a lie? Her head screamed to get as far away from him as possible, but her body wanted to curl into his, needing the comfort and pleasure she’d thought they shared.
“Celeste…” He sucked in a deep breath. “It’s just a word.” She tightened her lips. “Something I used for everyone before you. Because they didn’t matter.”
She cut him a sideways glare, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Did I need my own code word, being Oz’s daughter?”
He shook his head and met her glare squarely. “I deserve that and probably a whole lot more for being a selfish dick.” Nodding, he swallowed, trying to clear the rough edge on his voice. “I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done. I thought the way I lived was for the best. I never counted on meeting you.” His thumb ran over her cheek in a gentle stroke. “You were different. I knew that the first time I held you.”
Her mind flashed back to the doorway where they’d taken refuge during the rain. Hot kisses. Roaming hands. Bodies pressed together.
“I hadn’t laughed so hard in…” He looked away, searching his memory, “forever.”
Her inhale cut short. He’d gone further back to when she stumbled and he caught her. I might never be okay again. Realizing what she meant, he’d burst out laughing. The memory brought a smile to her lips.
“Why do you think I didn’t kiss off when you told me to?”
He touched his mouth to her cheek, rubbing lightly to blur the trail of tears, studying her with an intensity she didn’t expect.
“I’m sorry. So damn sorry I hurt you.”
Her emotions settled, one by one, leaving her with a sad contentment and an inkling of hope.
Rio pressed his forehead to hers. “Yes, something changed in that dressing room.”
Did it ever. She’d ignored caution, and things had gone too far in a semi-public place. Her body heated at the remembered intimacy.
“I was on my knees in front of you, something I normally wouldn’t do, when Mary Lou came to the door. I knew you wouldn’t like if we got caught. And I cared—something else that never happened.”
For a few crazy seconds she’d been so close to the edge she hadn’t heard the shop owner. Her pussy tingled, begging for a replay of any one of those moments.
Their breathing mingled and she knew they were sharing the same memory. Despite what he said, Rio had spent a lot of time with his mouth on her. Giving her pleasure. Making her beg to finish. Pushing her to a second screaming release. Her nipples pebbled against the borrowed T-shirt, and she yearned for more in a way she’d never experienced.
“That’s why I couldn’t use that word with you. And why I can’t touch you now.”
Confused, she tried focusing on his features. “I-I don’t understand.”
His lids lowered, pressing tight in a tortured expression. “If I do,” he said in a gravelly tone, “I won’t want to stop.”
She bit back a whimper. “Then don’t…stop, I mean.”
He opened his eyes, staring down between them. His hand hovered close to her hip, not quite touching her. “I don’t have protection.”
Her body reacted, lending to the wet folds, knowing from experience how he’d feel inside her. She licked her bottom lip, her breath catching when his eyes fixed on her mouth. Mmmm, this is what wanting feels like. Restless, her hips shifted, just enough to leave some space between her thighs. “I’m already pregnant,” she whispered.
A low rumble echoed in his chest a moment before his lips took hers. The taste of him went straight to her head, leaving her pliant, her legs tangling with his. His hands moved under the T-shirt, pulling it up and over her head within a split second.
Coming together was a pleasure in itself. Belly to belly, breasts to chest, heated skin to deliciously heated skin. Her insides melted, and her lips parted for him. She followed his lead, wrapping her legs around him when he lifted her, settling an arm under her bare bottom while he pushed open a nearby door.
He used his free arm to send God knows what tumbling to the ground before he sat her on the flat surface. His hand covered the top of her left breast, fanning over her nipple, to end in a full sweep along the underside. The simple move thrilled her as much as it did the first time he did it and saw her reaction.
“Celeste.” He nuzzled her neck. “This won’t hurt you? Won’t hurt the baby?”
Kari’s comments filtered through the haze of desire. “Kari said as long as you didn’t launch yourself off the ceiling fan, we should be okay.”
His breath whooshed out while his thumb and forefinger worked her stiff bud. “You talked to her about us having sex?” he murmured, shifting to spread her thighs wider.
No, she hadn’t asked; at that moment she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him or sex. Kari, however, had expanded on her comment like she expected this to happen. Maybe…maybe her plan. His continued caress, now including a maddening pull and release, wouldn’t let her finish the thought. She focused on him, cupping his cheek, and he stilled, letting her gather her thoughts. “I-I listened.” The answer, as honest as she could be, was enough to break whatever restraint he had.
The kiss, hard and possessive, sent her senses flaming out of control. How could she have thought they were in the past? That this would never happen again. He’d been everything. The things she’d wanted and those she didn’t know she wanted.
Bending her back, his lips closed over the tip of her breast, surrounding it in incredible heat. His tongue swept across the bottom, pressing the hard nipple against the roof of his mouth. Skimming across in one direction then another, ending with a quick pull before starting over. His hands played over her legs, his thumbs caressing her inner thigh, sending shivers through her body. Every time this man touched her she learned something new about her own body. About herself.
“Rio,” she said in a voice heavy with her unspoken plea. One hand left her. Clothing rustled over the rush of their breaths. She could picture the image with the clarity of one who’d watched in fascination. His clothes would be falling away, revealing the hardened length of him ready to take her. There’d be no cover this time. No rustling and having him unroll a condom over that part of him. He’d be ready now.
Urgency clawed at her from the inside. He dragged her closer and stepped between her thighs. The deliberate brush against the sensitive skin shot through her like lightening through a cable. She parted her lips, needing to catch her breath. Positioning himself, he eased past her entrance. Her gasp echoed around them as the thick head of his cock spread her walls, stretching her, filling her, inch by glorious inch. She crossed her legs around his hips, tightening her hold as he continued the controlled possession.
He kissed her shoulder, moving up her body, drawing a damp line to the hollow at her throat. “Foolish woman. Look what you do to me. Every. Time.”
A ripple of pleasure started at her extremities, building into a wave up her core, and finally crashing through her chest with the force of a tsunami when their hips met.
With her fingers digging into his shoulders, she bowed back as a scream escaped her.
…
Her body surrounded him with the most incredible heat he’d ever felt. She’d taken all of him. And he didn’t have to see her face to know she shared the experience. It took everything he had not to follow her into oblivion.
Her scream blurred the memory of the words he had in an endless loop. I hate you. She hadn’t meant it; she was just reacting to her pain. And he wished he could tear that moment from his life, and from hers. She’d thought he’d hurt her in an unimaginable way. The realization brought him back to himself.
She shifted against him, moving her hips just enough for a shallow thrust. “Rio.” Her breathy voice reached something inside him.
“What, angel?” Despite her groan, he held back, watching her expression change as she squeezed her inner muscles, testing his resolve. He needed the words. Needed them like a balm where she’d flayed him alive the night before. “Tell me, and I’ll make it good for you.”
Heavy-lidded eyes, swollen lips. She’d never looked more beautiful. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“No.” He shook his head, his lips roaming her face. Not what he wanted.
“I thought—” He cut her off with a kiss, swallowing her words.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said at the corner of her mouth. “We made mistakes. Both of us.”
“I just wanted…” She sucked in a shuddering breath.
He moved inside her, coaxing her with his body. “Tell me. What did you want, angel?”
“You.” The whisper had the same effect as aloe on a burn. Soothing his soul. Filling the hollow in his chest. “I wanted you to be real.”
“I’m real, sweetheart.” He brought her hand to his face, letting her cup his cheek then wander down to his shoulder and chest. Her gaze followed across every inch of his skin. Leaning in, he spread her legs wide, pushing into her as far as he could possibly go. Then rocking against her until her head fell back and she panted with every move. His thrust drew her whimper. He watched her, the hard press of her teeth on her bottom lip doing things to him he couldn’t explain.
With one arm still wrapped around his shoulder, she threw herself forward. Her hips rocked against him while her mouth devoured his. He took the time to savor her reactions to his touch. He had no desire to rush her to an orgasm. Bringing her to the edge had its own rewards.
He toyed with her, touching her everywhere, memorizing her reactions as his own heat rose. When he couldn’t hold back, he dug his hands into her hair, giving back as good as he got. Seconds later, they pulled apart, just enough to draw ragged breaths in between kisses. But now he was the one needing more. Cupping her ass, he drew back and thrust into her again and again in a heavy rhythm he knew she enjoyed. Her nails bit into his back, and he doubted he’d ever been happier.
She tightened around him, rewarding him with a throaty purr. His body continued to move, thrusting harder. The pressure on his cock shocked him as he followed her, exploding in their climax.
He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, their bodies in sync while they shared the same space.
Celeste leaned away, still limp from her orgasm. There should be words said after something so powerful. But he had no idea what they were. Just knew this couldn’t be the end.
“We’re not done here.”
Her toes curled against the back of his thighs, and she met his eyes, her lips pulling into a welcoming smile.