Chapter Five

Chase rolled over onto his side and put his arm out, expecting to touch bare skin. He only got a handful of the comforter. He opened his eyes. The other side of his bed was empty.

Rio was gone.

He sat up and looked around the room. There was no sight of her or her dress that he remembered being on the floor next to the bed. The smell of freshly brewed coffee awoke him even more and he smiled. After pulling on a pair of shorts, he made his way to the kitchen, expecting to find his overnight guest in what he hoped was only a towel or sheet. Something he could easily pull off and properly tell her good morning.

But the kitchen was empty and so were the living room and patio. There was no sign of her anywhere. He rubbed his eyes and headed for the coffeemaker. The pot was full and a single mug sat next to it. Inside was a curled-up piece of paper.

Chase pulled it out and read the note:

Hey,

Sorry I had to leave without saying goodbye. We totally overslept and I had to run home and get ready for a lunch date with Marco and his mom. I promised I’d go shopping with her at some of the stores on the other island. I’ll be back by dinner. Why don’t you stop by the club and meet me there around eight so we can talk? Thanks for a great night!

Rio

His uneasiness from earlier returned. Although she hadn’t completely blown him off, it still seemed strange that she’d pretty much sneaked out of his villa. At least she had asked him to meet her for dinner. That had to be a sign that she wasn’t regretting their night together.

Or, maybe she wanted to meet with him so she could tell him exactly that?

He tried not to let his mind believe that having sex with him had been part of some sort of master plan to get back at him for what happened two years ago. The more he thought about it though, the less likely he believed it. Rio wasn’t the kind of woman who slept with someone out of revenge. He might not have spent that much time with her, but his gut told him she wouldn’t do that to him.

So, whatever she was going to tell him at dinner, he’d have to listen to and accept. They were stuck together on a remote island, for Christ’s sake. What other choice did he have?

* * *

A few hours later, Chase walked into the Isla Bonita Bar & Grill ready to see Rio again. He’d spent the day trying to distract himself from thinking too much about what would happen between them at dinner, or after dinner.

When he finally spotted her at a table, everything else in the bar faded away and he focused only on her.

That’s why it wasn’t until he reached the table that he realized she wasn’t sitting alone. Her dance partner Marco, an older woman, and another man sat with her. And they were all laughing and having way too much of a good time.

“Chase! You came!” She stood up and he thought she was going to kiss him on the lips. But she only pecked him on the cheek before motioning to the seat next to her. “Look, I saved this spot just for you.”

He noticed her bright eyes and easy laugh. She was trying way too hard, but for who?

“Hey Chase, it’s nice to finally meet you,” Marco said with a nod. “How are you enjoying your stay on the island?”

He looked at Rio and tried to decipher the look she was giving him. “It’s fine, I guess. I’m not really a fan of the sun, or the sand, or the ocean though, so I’m probably not the best reviewer.”

Marco gave him a half-smile, while Rio laughed out loud. Again, what was with the act? He raised an eyebrow at her when she finally calmed down. “Chase, let me make the rest of the introductions. This is Esperanza, Marco’s mother, and this is Carlo Mancini. He’s a developer from Italy who’s interested in buying the island.”

Then it all made perfect sense.

Chase spent the rest of the dinner trying to talk up the island as much as he could. He knew that Rio appreciated his effort, and she was able to calm down a little and relax. At one point, she even rested her hand on his knee under the table. It stirred his cock awake and right then he was ready for dinner to be over.

Unfortunately, Carlo Mancini didn’t get the memo.

He kept talking and talking about his resorts in other countries and on more than one occasion invited Rio to stay at them. The more wine he drank, the more flirty Carlo became. His degree of drunkenness was starting to equal Chase’s degree of annoyance. Especially once Marco and Rio started performing. The lust shone in Carlo’s eyes as he watched her move on the dance floor.

After two dances, Carlo apparently decided he’d had enough of watching. He walked up to Rio, grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Marco. Chase jumped to his feet, but she met his eyes and shook her head.

Marco returned to the table and told Chase to sit down. “Rio is a big girl. She can handle herself with a snake like Carlo.”

Although he didn’t want to, Chase took a seat. “Why are you guys wining and dining him? Shouldn’t the owners be doing that if they want him to buy the resort?”

“He’s only one of two developers interested. We found out today that Carlo’s other resorts have onsite dance studios and paid instructors and they cater to couples which means Carlo’s’ company would probably keep the island pretty much the same. The other developer owns more family-friendly hotels and he’s already told the owner his plans to build a ten-story complex in the middle of the island and knock down some of the villas in order to put in more shops and restaurants.”

“So you want Carlo to buy the island.”

“Not just me. The owner and the rest of the staff do too. When we found out Rio was coming, we made sure he’d be here since he’s known for wanting to schmooze with celebrities.”

“And I’m sure it helps that she looks like that,” Chase said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt,” he said.

Chase looked over again at Rio and Carlo and his blood boiled. The man with thick leather skin and a too-white smile kept moving his hands down Rio’s back and settling on her ass. To her credit, she’d only let them stay there for a second or two before pulling them back up.

Chase balled his fists, hating the way that man’s hands roamed over her body. Almost as much as he hated the fact that she was letting him put his hands on her, even if he understood the reason why. When the song finally ended, Rio maneuvered out of his clutches and started to walk away. Carlo grabbed her wrist and pulled her back and whispered something in her ear.

That was it. Chase had had enough.

He stomped over to them just as another song blared.

“Excuse me, Mr. Mancini, but I think Rio’s had enough of dancing for tonight.”

Carlo let go of Rio and looked at Chase. “Funny, but I didn’t hear her say that.”

When they both looked at her, she gave them a half smile. “It’s fine, Chase. I’ll take a break on the next song.”

The Italian man shrugged and moved to grab Rio again so Chase stepped in front of her to block him. Carlo accidentally tripped over one of Chase’s shoes and crashed into another dancer, causing them both to fall to the ground.

Marco ran over to help Carlo up, while Rio helped the other dancer. Chase stood by and watched with amusement. He expected for the man to yell at him or the other dancer, but instead he seemed more embarrassed than angry.

“I think maybe I have had too much wine,” he said laughing, once he was back on his feet.

“How about I drive you back to your villa?” Marco asked.

Carlo nodded and said his good-byes. Chase waved as he left and turned to say something to Rio, but she was already headed toward the back of the bar. He caught up to her before she made it to the door.

“Hey, why are you storming off? Aren’t you going to thank me for saving you from that octopus?”

“Saving me? You nearly assaulted him,” she said, poking her finger into his chest. “What if he had broken his arm? Not only would he probably have sued the resort, but there’d be no way he’d ever buy it. You had no right to do that.”

She disappeared out the door. His stomach fell. Rio was right. He had acted impulsively and recklessly. He could’ve ruined everything.

Chase opened the door, which led to an outside corridor that faced the beach. He found Rio leaning against one of the walls. When she saw him, she straightened her back, prepared to argue.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You were right. That was a dumb thing to do. I’ll apologize to Marco in the morning.”

Her shoulders eased in relief. “What were you thinking, Chase?”

“I wasn’t. That’s the problem. When it comes to you, it’s like my mind goes on a vacation of its own.” He moved closer. Her chest heaved, and he wondered if her breath was labored from dancing or from him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I have no self-control around you. Especially when I’ve been thinking of you all day. Correction, when I’ve been thinking of what I want to do to you all day. Honestly, it’s made me a little nuts. You sneak out this morning without waking me, without letting me taste you like I did last night… What am I supposed to do?”

He was against her now, tracing the outline of her cleavage. She took a deep breath and whispered, “What do you want to do?”

“You. Right here. Right now,” he rasped just before their lips crashed together in one hard, demanding kiss. Her tongue sought his and he groaned into her mouth. He cupped her ass and lifted her up so she could wrap her long, lean legs around his hips.

He couldn’t believe how much she wanted this. As if to prove it, she reached between them to rub his throbbing cock through his pants.

“The condom is in my pocket,” he whispered. “Hold on to my neck and squeeze those thighs around me like you did last night in my bed.”

She did as he said and he silently thanked every deity in the universe that he’d been hopeful enough to bring a condom with him. He took out the foil packet, unbuckled his pants and pulled out his rigid cock.

“Now, Chase,” she whispered against his neck. The feral need in her voice ramped up his own lust by a million watts.

After sheathing himself, he shoved her dress further up and twisted his fingers around the strap of her silk thong. “I hope these aren’t your favorite pair of panties,” he growled before tearing it away from her body.

He moved his hands to grip her hips, digging his fingers into her flesh. Then with one quick, hard thrust he was inside her. Finally.

“Don’t let go,” she whispered.

“Never.”

Rio held on as he pounded into her, all the while they devoured each other as if their next kiss would be their last.

Chase didn’t know what this thing with Rio was becoming. All he knew or cared about at the moment was that she was in his arms.

And, for now, that was enough.