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Beth felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she sat her empty glass down on the bar. It was the same feeling she got when she knew there was a black car parked across the street from her house. It was as though she had a 6th sense when it came to Rio.
She threw down a couple of bucks on the bar and thanked the bartender, shouldering her purse as she turned around. There he was. Staring at her from across the bar. He was the predator and she was the prey, caught in his sights.
Beth drew in a shaky breath, standing a little taller before she started through the crowd towards Rio. She swayed her hips as she moved, feeling emboldened by the whiskey she’d finished off. It had the desired effect apparently. She watched the way he dragged his finger over his bottom lip, raking his gaze over her hotly.
“Hi.” Beth said as she stopped beside him, her fingers curling around the strap of her purse on her shoulder, as if she was trying to keep her hands from reaching out to him.
“Agent Turner followed you here.” Rio responded simply, his tongue darting out over his bottom lip as he stared at her face.
“And how did you find out he was following me?” Beth questioned with an arched brow, swaying as she shifted her weight in her heels. “Were you following Agent Turner or me?”
Rio smirked, reaching for his drink and taking a sip of it. He was taking his sweet time to answer her. “Aren’t you a clever girl.” He sat the drink back down and turned to look at her, his head cocked to the side. “What’cha think the answer is?”
Beth met his eyes, “I think you were following me.”
“Maybe.” He sniffed and looked away, “He’s watching us.”
“I would be too.” Beth released her hold on her purse strap, letting her hand fall to her side. “If I was him. This seems like a clandestine meeting.”
Rio gave her another sweeping look. “Maybe we’re wanting to relive that night we met .” He remarked with a smirk.
Beth went rigid at his words. She felt a sudden rush of heat coursing through her veins as the story she’d told Agent Turner played back in her mind. “If that were the case, then… maybe we should give Agent Turner something to see.”
Rio chuckled and downed the rest of his drink before he slid off his stool. Beth had to take a step backwards to give him room, otherwise they would’ve been occupying the same space. “You know how to dance, mama?”
She laughed nervously, looking towards the dance floor. It was full of millennials, pressed close to one another and swaying the sultry mixes the DJ was offering them. She would stick out like a sore thumb. “I know how, but I wouldn’t say I’m any good.”
Rio stepped closer, staring her down as his lips slowly spread into a grin. “We gotta give him a show. I’ll show you how.” He took ahold of her hand and guided her to the dance floor.
Beth regretted bringing her purse with her now. She was dressed like a white suburban single mom who needed a drink after her daughter’s dance recital. She could feel the jealous looks of the women who couldn’t understand why a gorgeous man like Rio would be dancing with her.
She let him place her hands on his shoulders and she easily curled one around the back of his neck. Rio’s hands slid around her waist and he drew her closer, guiding the way she swayed against him.
“You’re a natural, Elizabeth.” He assured her, his lips a hair’s breadth from her lips as he spoke. She could taste the vodka he had just downed.
“I have a good partner.” Beth whispered, playing her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Her nose bumped against his and she thought for half a second that he meant to kiss her, but instead his lips went to her ear.
“He’s watching.” Rio drawled out, his lips brushing over the shell of his ear. He was just teasing her, wasn’t he?
“I think everyone is.” Beth retorted, catching the eyes of a woman who was practically sneering at the pair of them.
Rio slid his hand down the small of her back, slipping it lower down to cup her ass. “I’d be watching us too, baby. Have you seen yourself? Fucking gorgeous .”
Beth laughed breathily, “Agent Turner can’t hear you.”
Rio pulled back to meet her gaze. “I ain’t saying it for his benefit.” He lifted a hand and brushed his fingers from her forehead down the curve of her cheek to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
Beth swore she stopped breathing for just a second when she realized what was about to happen. Rio leaned in and kissed her, his lips slanting hungrily over hers.
Dean had been the only guy she’d ever kissed. They’d dated in high school, married young, and had kids. It had always been just okay. She’d never really understood what the hype was all about… but now she did. Now she understood.
Beth let out a soft moan against his lips, melting against him as he clutched at her harder. They weren’t really swaying to the music now. More like, standing at the edges of the dance floor making out.
Rio’s tongue slipped between her lips, sweeping over the roof of her mouth. No, Dean had never kissed her like this. Not even close. She’d never felt like she was a molten ball of desire before.
Beth pulled back from his kiss reluctantly. “Is he still watching?” She started to look behind her, in the general direction Rio had looked at from the bar.
Rio tightened the grip he had on her hip. “Don’t be so obvious.” He cautioned, coaxing her into another kiss, which required very little coaxing in reality.
She pressed closer to him, running her hand over his shoulder. This time it was her tongue slipping into his out, sliding over his as they deepened the kiss. If Agent Turner was watching, he was certainly getting all the proof he needed that she and Rio were romantically involved. Romantically? No . Beth wasn’t sure this was romance. Romance involved more than needy kisses in a bar, right?
Rio’s hand skimmed along her side, brushing over the side of her breast, sending new waves of desire to settle between her thighs. His teeth scraped her bottom lip as he drew back from the kiss, his eyes dark as he met her gaze. “You wanna get out of here?”
Beth nodded her head. Her lips were tingling from the kiss, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath.
“You got your mom-mobile?” Rio questioned as he curled his fingers around her hand.
“Why?” She countered, blinking her eyes as if she meant to blink away the haze of desire clouding her vision.
“Ain’t you got those backseats that fold down flat?” Rio smirked at her, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.
“ Oh .” It took a second for what he’d said to compute, but then she got exactly what he was suggesting. “Yes. They fold down into the floor.” She squeezed his hand. “Do you really think Agent Turner would look in the window?”
Rio shook his head and chuckled, “Maybe I ain’t too concerned about what Agnet Turner is going to do.” He fixed her with a look.
Beth swallowed thickly, ducking her head. “I’m starting to wonder if Agent Turner is even here or if I’m being falsely seduced.”
“Look towards the bathrooms and you’ll see him for yourself.” Rio quipped, jerking his head in that direction.
Beth looked towards the hallway that led to the bathroom and spotted Agent Turner sitting at a high top table with another man. They both had drinks in hand, but it was clear Turner had been looking at them seconds before she’d spotted him.
Rio brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Ain’t nothing false about seducing you.”
“Good.” Beth said firmly, letting him lead them through the bar and out into the parking lot. Her heart was pounding and goosebumps spread over her skin as they stepped into the cool night air, the wind chilling her warm skin.
A part of her still worried that all of this was just an intricate way to ensure that Agent Turner believed there was nothing more than sex between Rio and her. But could someone really manufacture the looks he was giving her? They seemed too authentic to be made up. And the way he kissed…
Rio kept his fingers curled around her hand as they casually approached her minivan. A 2019 Pacifica — a mom-van with class. “Open it up and I’ll put the seats down.”
“Right here in the parking lot?” Beth blinked. Holy shit . She released his hand and fumbled in her purse for the keys, despite her shock. “Isn’t that against the law? Public indecency… something like that.”
Rio chuckled as he opened the trunk and started to stow the seats down into the floor of the van. “I thought you got off on breaking the law.” He shot her a look over his shoulder.
Beth chewed on her bottom lip as she watched him. “I don’t know where you heard that…” Was she really about to go at with a gangbanger in the back of her minivan, in the middle of a bar parking lot? What would Ruby say? She knew Annie would just encourage it.
“A little birdy told me,” He remarked, his eyes on her as she stepped between the van and the car parked next to it to throw her purse in the driver’s seat.
“I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone that crime makes me get off .” Beth insisted, looking at him then with an arched brow. She shut the door and walked back to the trunk where Rio was crouched inside.
“It’s obvious.” Rio said smugly, gesturing for her to join him.
Beth drew in a fortifying breath, before climbing into the back of her van. Rio pulled the trunk closed and all at once she found herself pressed against him, his lips dragging along the length of her throat.
She let out an unabashedly loud moan when his lips found a spot where her neck met her shoulder that made her insides tremble. Her fingers curled around the back of his neck, her nails scraping lightly.
Rio laid her back on the floor of the car, his hand gripping at her hip as he draped himself over her. He was all lean, hard angles and he molded perfectly against her soft curves.
Agent Turner wasn’t here to observe them. This wasn’t for show. Sure, Beth could convince herself that maybe, just maybe, he’d peer through the window… but it wasn’t going to happen. This was all about the latent need they had for each other, that they’d finally snapped and given in to it.
Beth’s fingers started working at the buttons of his shirt, loosening one after the other. Tomorrow she might just regret this, but not tonight. And maybe not tomorrow either.
Rio took the hint and pulled back to take the shirt off. He looked down at her with that predatory hunger, his tongue darting out over his lips. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
“Then show me.” Beth said lowly, feeling emboldened by the look in his eyes. Had Dean ever looked at her like that ? Maybe… But she wasn’t about to let Dean fill up her headspace, when she had Rio right there.
“Planned on it.” Rio said gruffly, his gaze flickering between her eyes and her lips. He balled his shirt up and leaned down to tuck it under her head, before he dipped down to kiss her again. There was something so electric about the way it felt to kiss him. It sent sparks of desire coursing through her veins, which settled between her thighs. She was almost embarrassed at the prospect of him finding out just how wet she was for him.
Beth ran her hand down his bare back, her fingernails scraping gently as she pulled him down closer to her. He pressed a knee between her thighs and she wantonly ground herself against it, seeking some sort of friction. She should’ve been ashamed, shouldn’t she? Rutting up against an actual gangbanger. But God could he kiss. Fuck .
Rio pushed her blouse up, his fingers as greedy as his kiss as he ran his hand over her newly bared skin. There was a moment of hesitation on her part, her stomach muscles tensing in anticipation of her touch. She was a woman who had had four children. She’d always been curvy, but giving birth to four babies had solidified her curves as a permanent part of her body. And Rio… despite his attention towards her, didn’t particularly strike her as a man who would go after a woman like her. But in the bar, he’d only had eyes for her. In a room full of women half her age and half her size. Maybe Dean’s affair had bruised her ego more than she’d come to accept.
She lifted her arms above her head as he pulled her blouse off. He’d barely tossed it aside, before his hand slipped beneath her to find the closure of her bra. Beth couldn’t help but laugh against his lips, “ Front .”
“What?” Rio mumbled, pulling back to look down at her.
Beth tapped the clasp between her breasts. “It’s a front closure.” She explained, popping it loose.
“Clever.” He remarked, brushing his lips along her collarbone, before he ventured lower. “ Gorgeous .” Rio breathed out, his lips brushing over the swell of her right breast as he took as much of her left breast into his hand as he could. She was more than supple. It was a miracle her back didn’t hurt more than it already did, some days.
Beth’s back arched up off the floor, a breathy gasp escaping her lips as he took her nipple in between his teeth. She ground herself against his leg, her hips rolling slowly. With each rock of her hips, she could feel his hard cock pressed against her thigh.
Rio gripped at her hip tighter, guiding her motions as he teased her breast. She was going to be marked tomorrow. If his lips didn’t leave bruises on her breast, she’d have red marks from his scruff. And his fingers were bound to leave bruises on her hips, with the way he kept holding on to her.
He started to kiss lower, brushing his lips over her ribs and her stomach. Beth let out a soft whine as he had to remove his leg from between her thighs to move lower down her torso. “Just wait.” Rio promised as he brushed his lips over the waistband of her pants.
Beth looked down at him, catching his eyes in the dim light from the overhead street light that shown through the window. “It’s been awhile since I waxed.” She cautioned him. Dean had always preferred her waxed, not that he’d ever been much of a giver.
“I ain’t about to complain.” Rio quipped. “And if carman ever did, he’s dumber than he looks. And he looks pretty fuckin’ dumb.”
Beth let out a laugh that came straight from her belly. “I don’t want to talk about him right now.” She told him, but she couldn’t help the grin that spread over her lips. They fumbled to get her pants off and she instantly regretted that she hadn’t had the forethought to put on a better pair of underwear. But Rio really didn’t seem to care.
Rio dragged her underwear down her legs, nudging her thighs apart as he settled in between them. “That all for me, mama?” He questioned as he swept his fingers between her slick folds, before he lowered his lips to her flesh.
Beth groaned, her fingers brushing over his close-cut hair, trying to find purchase as his tongue found her clit. It had been awhile. Sure, she’d been good to herself. She’d even used a vibrator that Ruby had bought for her, but… it wasn’t this . It wasn’t Rio going down on her in the back of her van. God, how was she ever going to load her kids into the car to drive to the park and not think about this moment?
Rio wrapped his hands around her thighs, urging her legs up and over his shoulders as he worked his mouth over her sensitive flesh. His tongue shallowly thrusting into her. He ate her out like he did everything else, with a precise dedication to the cause.
Beth dug her heels into his back, urging him on as he sucked and lapped at her clit. “I’m… I’m close.” She hissed out, feeling the way her inner muscles were already starting to flutter into anticipation.
Rio chuckled. Far too pleased with himself. He pressed two fingers into her, again and again as he swirled his tongue around her clit. Her back arched up off the floor, her nails digging into his shoulders. She cried out as her release hit her, her cunt clenching around his fingers. Fuck .
Beth couldn’t believe how quickly he moved back up her body. His lips found hers and she could taste herself on his lips and his tongue. He was wrestling with his own pants and she reached down to help work them down his ass, boxers and all. She needed more . She needed him.
She pulled away from his kiss, breathing raggedly as she met his gaze. “Do you… uh. Do you have a condom?” Beth questioned, remembering that that was a thing people asked about before the ventured into fucking.
Rio flexed his jaw, his tongue pressed to the inside of his cheek. “ No .”
A short laugh escaped Beth’s lips. That would be just her luck. “I mean, I have an IUD and I’m on the pill. But… diseases .”
“I’m clean.” Rio arched a brow at her.
“I got tested after I found out Dean had been cheating on me. Passed with flying colors.” Beth held his gaze. “You better be telling me the truth.”
“Cross my heart.” He ran his finger over his heart in a ‘X’ shape.
“How much is that worth when a gangbanger’s saying it?”
Rio chuckled. “Touche, mama.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “But I mean it. I’m clean.”
Beth bit down on her bottom lip. Despite the fact that he’d held a gun to her more times than she cared to admit - she trusted him. She lifted her hand and curled her hand around the back of his neck, dragging him down for a kiss. There was no going back from this.
Rio scraped his teeth over her bottom lip, his fingers finding their way into her hair as he used his free hand to guide his cock to her center. She cried out as he started to press into her, inch by inch.
Her nails dug into his shoulders, leaving little crescent mark shapes in their wake. She rocked her hips, trying to find a rhythm with him. They built it, together. It was rough, hard, his hands gripping at her hips. Her back was going to be a mess of carpet burns caused by the floor of the van. She’d be sore tomorrow.
“That’s it Elizabeth.” Rio urged, his lips close to her ear. “That’s it. Come on baby.” He nipped at her earlobe. “So fucking good.” He palmed her breast, his fingers twisting her nipple as he started pounding into her faster. “So good.”
“ Rio .” Beth’s lips parted as she moaned out a series of completely unintelligible words. She was so close to her second release. All she could hear was the sound of their flesh slapping together. It was such an animalistic sound. “Close.”
Rio held her gaze as he slipped his hand between them and teased her clit. There was something insanely erotic about staring him in the eyes as the world shattered around her. She cried out, her back bowing up off the floor as her inner walls clenched around his cock. He was right there behind her. His thrusts grew erratic and he grunted out her name, holding her steady as his release spilled into her.
Beth laughed breathlessly as she sank back against the floor. She felt well and truly used in all the best ways. Rio pulled out of her slowly, collapsing onto the floor beside her. For a second she wondered what sort of cleaner she’d have to use to get sex off the carpet as she felt his seed slipping from her, but she pushed the thought far from her mind as she turned to look at the man beside her.
Rio turned to look at her, a smug grin plastered to his lips. “Whatcha thinking about there sweetheart?”
“You’ll laugh.”
“Try me.”
Beth’s cheeks burnt hotly, “I was wondering how to get our mess off the carpet.” She pressed her lips together as she met his eyes. “Spot Shot? Resolve?”
“Betcha could ask carman.” Rio taunted lightly, before he curled a possessive arm around her middle and pulled her close.
“I am not asking Dean.” Beth protested, as she rested her hand over his where he had it curled around her waist. “I try to limit my communication with him entirely.” She admitted to him.
“Good.” He said with a short nod of his head. “Who's got your kids tonight, mama?”
“Annie’s sitting them.” She answered with a grimace. Beth stretched her arm to reach her pants, pulling her cellphone out of them to check her messages. “She’s going to be expecting me back in an hour.”
Rio clicked his tongue against his teeth. “ Damn .” He shook his head slowly as he raked his hand over his mouth. “I gotta pick up Marcus tonight. I’ve got him for the weekend.”
Beth’s heart fluttered a little at the way Rio spoke about his son. It wasn’t anything profound , but it was the way he said it. Like he was letting her into the life he had outside of the world of crime. “I’ve got mine this weekend. Dean was supposed to, but…” She shrugged. “How does he handle going back and forth between houses?”
“He don’t complain too much. He’s still at the age that it’s all a big adventure.” Rio turned to look at her. “How are yours handling it?”
“Emma hates it.” Beth confessed. “I wish I could just let her stay with me, but I don’t need Dean making a scene. It’ll only make it worse. I hate splitting the kids up, as it is.”
“You taking them to the park this weekend?”
Her brows shot upwards. “Probably.” Beth quickly looked to the ceiling. “Sounds like a business proposition.”
“Nah…” Rio hummed. “Thought yours might wanna play with mine.”
Beth tilted her head to look at him. “Like a playdate?” She wished she knew where all of this left the two of them, but she didn’t want to push on the fragile balance that existed between them.
“Yea. A playdate .” He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “How’s Saturday at noon?”
Beth blinked at him. “Annie might be there with Sadie.”
“I see.” He nodded his head slowly and steepled his fingers on his chest.
“Are we going to pretend this didn’t happen?” Beth questioned. “I mean it’s fine… We keep it business as usual.” She swallowed back the lump that was forming in her throat.
“Is that what you want, Elizabeth?”
“I-...” Beth sighed. “No. I don’t know.” She turned to look at him again, studying the way he was clenching his jaw. “What do you want this to be Rio?”
“It don’t got be something serious.” He waved his hand. “We keep business, business…. And we keep this casual.”
“And if we plan playdates for our kids with my sister?”
“You gonna tell her we fucked?”
Beth winced. “Probably.” Somehow, she figured Annie would guess anyways.
Rio stared at her expectantly.
“Saturday at noon works for me.” She said with a small smile.
“Saturday at noon it is.” Rio said with his own small smile, one that lacked the typical smugness. Something had definitely shifted. It had shifted back in the club, the moment she realized he was staring at her like she was the only woman that existed. Whatever this was, casual or whatever, it wasn’t going to just go away. Maybe she was an idiot for falling for a gangbanger that had thought about killing her more than once, or maybe she wasn’t.
“We should get dressed.” Beth remarked after a few too many moments of silence, which were probably only a few seconds in reality.
“Shoot me a text when you get home. Okay?” Rio said as he started buttoning his shirt.
“Yeah.” Beth said with a nod as she fastened her bra back on. “You do the same.” It felt so normal. Like they didn’t usually use their texts to convey where drops would be. How much money would be exchanged. Coded words that meant something else entirely. Was this what dating was like now ? It had been twenty years since she’d dated. Were things just casual now? She shook those thoughts out of her head. This was not dating.
The way Rio looked at her while she dressed, however, had her thinking otherwise.