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Beth chewed on the end of her ink pen as she went over the list on her computer screen. Her brows furrowed as she looked between the pad of paper beside her laptop and corrected an incorrect entry on the list. Now that the bake sale was also going to be used to clean Rio’s money, she had to make sure everything balanced out.
If they were supposed to clear one point five million bucks, she was going to have to make sure the quantities and quality was there. Two million had been a breeze for the fundraiser last year, but she hadn’t been involved in criminal activity then. There was added pressure now.
She reached for her phone and checked her texts. Rio had texted her a little less than an hour ago, letting her know that he was running a little behind, but he’d be there soon.
Beth sent him a quick text, asking if she should put the coffee pot on yet. She jumped a little when she heard the text notification ding behind her. “How do you get in here so quietly?” She questioned, resting a hand over her rapidly beating heart as she turned around to see him standing in the threshold of the kitchen.
“I’m a criminal baby.” Rio seemed far too pleased with himself as he strolled towards her, “I’m good at what I do.” He stopped in front of her, reaching out to brush his fingers over her forehead, trailing them down her cheekbone before he leaned in to kiss her. “Miss me?”
“Mhm.” Beth hummed, kissing him again for good measure before she pulled back. “Would you like some coffee?”
His lips twitched upwards and he nodded. “Sounds good. But you sit, I know my way around your kitchen.”
Beth’s eyes followed him as he walked around the kitchen island and started fiddling with the coffee pot. She vividly remembered the first time she found him in her kitchen, the fear that had gripped at her. He still gave her plenty of reasons to worry , but she didn’t feel a lick of fear when she looked at him. Apparently, once you knew what a bad-boy gang leader's ‘O’ face looked like, it was hard to take him too seriously. “Did you handle everything yesterday?”
He shrugged, keeping his back to her as he scooped coffee into the filter. “Had to let one of my guys go.”
“ Oh .” She closed her laptop and straightened her papers up, neatly stacking them. “What sort of letting go?”
Rio looked over his shoulder at her, his brow arched upwards. “Exactly what you think, sweetheart.”
Beth swallowed thickly. “And if you and I end up going separate ways… are you going to let me go too?”
Rio turned the coffee pot on and turned around to face her. “Nah.” He shook his head and moved back to her. “If it don’t work out between us, I ain’t gonna be vindictive.” He assured her. “We good, baby.”
Beth looked up at him skeptically. “Just warn me okay?”
“I kept you on after your last stunt.” Rio reminded her, laying his hands on her shoulders with a gentle squeeze. “That shit was bad, but here you are. I wasn’t even in deep then. You and your bitches are good.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay.”
Rio frowned. “You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that.” Beth sighed. “I didn’t even have to kill Boomer and I feel guilty for disposing of his body…” She gestured to him then. “You make murder seem so casual. It’s a little unnerving.”
“I’m just keepin’ it straight with you. You asked, I told.” He rolled his shoulders.
“I know. I know .” She lifted a hand to rest over his at her shoulder, meeting his gaze. “Did you figure out where you wanted to go tonight?”
“Marcus is a fan of them breadsticks at Olive Garden.” Rio retorted with a smirk.
Beth laughed. “You don’t strike me as an Olive Garden sort of guy.”
“Marcus went there with his mother and now he asks to go all the time.” He shrugged. “Your kids like it?”
“They do.” Beth smiled. “So, Olive Garden tonight? How does five work?”
Rio nodded his head, “Sounds good, mama.” He released his hold on her shoulders and moved to pour himself a cup of coffee.
Beth got off her stool and moved to the fridge to grab the milk for him. “Emma was very excited when I told her we might see Marcus tonight.”
“Yea?” His lips twitched upwards with a smile. “How’d Kenny’s math test go yesterday?”
She was touched that he remembered the comment her son had made when they went out for ice cream. “He got a B+.” Beth said with a proud smile. “Thank you for suggesting a tutor. With everything that was going on with Dean, that would’ve slipped through the cracks.”
“Not a problem.” Rio said warmly as he poured milk into his coffee. “How is carman?” He questioned, giving her a sideways look.
“What’s that look for?”
Rio took a sip of his coffee. “One of my guys thought he saw him sniffing around Agent Turner’s Office.”
Beth felt the bottom fall out of her heart. “ What ?”
He clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Could be a problem.”
“It could be a huge problem.” Her expression fell. “Was he meeting with Turner? Rio, he knows that I was working for you.”
Rio sat his coffee cup down on the countertop. “He didn’t go in.” He rolled his shoulders as he moved to put the milk back in the fridge. “Guess we can be thankful he’s a coward.”
Beth blinked a few times before she looked down at the ground. “A coward that’s going to use it against me. Sure, he didn’t go in this time, but what about next time? What about the next time I push for him to sign the divorce papers and he decides to tell Agent Turner that his wife has been cleaning money for a gangbanger?”
Rio bristled, “Whatchu gonna do then?”
She fixed him with an annoyed look. “I’m not killing him.” Beth told him firmly, standing a little taller. “I’ll figure something out.”
“You’re good at figuring this shit out.” He brushed his fingers over her cheekbone. “But sometimes you gotta make hard choices, baby.”
Beth stared him down. “I’ll figure it out.” It wasn’t as simple as the Boomer situation (which wasn’t simple at all). Dean, for all of his shittiness, was still the father of her children. She couldn’t just put a bullet in him, not as easily as Rio had been able to.
“He don’t deserve you, baby.” He sniffed, before taking a sip of his coffee.
“Are you saying you do ?” Beth retorted, arching one brow as she met his dark gaze.
“Nah, you’re too good for me too.” He clicked his tongue against his teeth.
Beth laughed softly. “I don’t know why you’re jealous.”
“I ain’t jealous.”
“You’re a bad liar.”
He shrugged, “I just don’t wanna get myself too invested, if you’re just gonna go back to him.”
“I’m not going back to him.” Beth said firmly as she stepped towards him, reaching out to play with the zipper of his hoodie. “Especially not now .”
He pursed his lips. “Why’s that?”
“Because of you.” There was no reason to dance around the subject. Beth hooked her fingers in his sweatshirt at the zipper, pulling him in so she could kiss him. “I’ll handle Dean.” She said as she pulled back. “I’ll find out why he went to Agent Turner’s office.”
Rio curled his arm around her waist. “Be a boss bitch.”
“I am a boss bitch.” Beth corrected him with a smirk.
“You are.” Rio ran his hands over her hips.
Beth leaned back against the counter. “I don’t want to talk about Dean anymore. Understood?”
He gave a short nod, running his tongue along his bottom lip. “I can do that.”
She smiled at him, “How about we go watch something on Netflix.”
“Sounds good.”
Beth rubbed her lips together as she watched Rio pour more coffee into his cup. “Do you want to try to watch Bake Off again?” She questioned as she started towards the family room, Rio following close behind.
“How ‘bout a movie?” Rio said as he sat his cup down on the coffee table, plopping down on the sofa.
Beth made a face. “I think the last movie I watched on Netflix was Beauty and the Beast with Jane.” She sat down beside him, letting her hand rest on his leg. “Or maybe some Barbie movie.”
“I know how that is. Marcus’ got Coco on a constant loop.” He chuckled. “You like Star Wars ?”
“Yeah?” She shrugged. “They’re okay.”
Rio pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. “Let’s see what they got on here.” He grabbed the remote and turned the television on. His brows furrowed together as he clicked through the choices. “Shit, outside of kid movies there ain’t anything to watch.”
“Let me look.” Beth took the remote from him, clicking through the movies she had on her list. “None of these movies seem right.” She leaned into his side. They were all either too sappy, too romantic, too sad… none of which seemed right to watch with Rio.
“How ‘bout a couple episodes of something.” Rio squeezed her shoulder as he draped his arm behind her. “You like The Good Place ?”
“Yes!” Beth navigated to the first episode of the series and clicked play. “This is quality date material right here.” She tilted her head to look at him and she felt those butterflies in her stomach when she caught the smile on his lips.
They made it through two episodes, before Rio had her stretched out on the sofa beneath him. Beth curled her leg around his hips, keeping him close as she slanted her mouth over his. There wasn’t a particular haste to get undressed like before, they were taking their time, enjoying each other.
Rio kissed at the corners of her lips, before trailing his his lips along her jawbone and down her throat. His tongue brushed over a sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, which he had found the other day in bed.
Beth inhaled sharply. How was it possible that the tiniest spot on her neck, had the ability to make lust burst fully to bloom in her lower belly. She rocked her hips slowly, grinding against the leg he had pressed between her thighs.
He chuckled against her throat, “You like that, baby?”
“You know I do.” She remarked, tilting her head so she could look at him.
Rio slipped his hand beneath her dress and curled his fingers around her hip, guiding the movement of her hips as she ground herself against him again. “ Fuck , the way you move.”
Beth smirked, rolling her hips again. She could feel his cock pressing against the top of her thigh through his jeans and she knew that each rock of her hips was providing him with friction too. “Are you going to make me do all the work?”
Rio surged forward and kissed her. It was all consuming. She swore he could kiss her with his whole body.
Beth moaned against his lips, a new lust boiling within her at the way his tongue kept thrusting into her mouth. She could feel her release just out of reach, her hips grinding against him faster, trying to reach that peak.
Rio palmed at her breast with his free hand, adding the deluge of sensations she was already feeling.
She clutched at his sweatshirt, fingers twisting in the fabric at his back as she felt her release cresting. Beth tore her lips away from his, catching his heated gaze as she stiffened beneath him, her inner walls clenching.
Beth sank back against the sofa, feeling the heated flush from her cheeks spreading over her chest. “Holy shit.” She laughed, brushing her hair out of her face as she looked up at him. “What’s that look for?”
“Just thinkin’ about how gorgeous you are.” Rio answered as he sat back on his knees.
Beth slowly sat up, tucking her legs beneath her as did. “You say it pretty often.” She slowly unzipped his hoodie, pushing the fabric down his arms. “But more importantly, you make me feel it too.”
He shook his head. “You don’t need me to make you gorgeous, baby. Own that shit. That’s all you.” Rio said as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor.
Her cheeks burned hotter under his gaze. “I know I’m good looking,” Beth said as she draped her arms over his shoulders. “That’s not what I meant.” She pressed her lips to his briefly, before continuing. “You make me feel your words. The way you look at me. The way you touch me. I know .”
Rio ran his hand over the length of her back, catching hold of the zipper and dragging it down her spine. “I’m a lucky man.”
Beth sat back so she could pull her dress off her arms, letting it pool at her waist. She felt goosebumps forming in response to the heated look he was giving her. In all the years she’d been with Dean, even in the beginning before she’d had four kids that had wrecked her body… he’d never looked at her like that. He’d always made her feel subtly self-conscious for the gnarly c-section scar on her stomach and the stretch marks that looked like claw marks creeping up from her hips. None of which she could have prevented from happening. She’d always had stretch marks, she’d grown womanly curves faster than her pale skin had been able to accommodate them. The babies only made them worse. How had she made it twenty years with Dean? She hadn’t been satisfied in any way.
She curled her hand around the back of his neck, drawing him in for another kiss as she let her other hand reach down to trace the outline of his erection through his jeans. He groaned against her mouth in response to her touch and she couldn’t help but smirk against his lips. Beth unzipped his jeans, trying to get them down his hips, without much luck.
Rio reluctantly pulled away from her, getting off the sofa so he could divest himself of his jeans and boxers. Beth took the opportunity to remove her dress the rest off the way, abandoning it over the side of the sofa, followed by her underwear and bra.
“You wanna try something?” He questioned, his eyes raking over her bared body.
“Sure.” Beth chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up at him. They had already debauched the family room, why not keep going?
Rio turned his attention the arm of the sofa, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he regarded it. “C’mere Elizabeth.”
Beth placed her feet on the ground and rose slowly, “What do you have in mind?” She questioned as she walked towards him.
“I was thinkin’ about leaning you over this and fucking you.” Rio answered, his lips twitching upwards into a too-pleased smirk. “You like the sound of that?”
“I’m never going to be able to look at this sofa the same way again.” Beth laughed breathlessly as she let him draw her in closer.
Rio brushed his fingers over her cheek. “It gives you something to think about when I’m not here.” He winked at her before leaning in to kiss her.
Beth let herself get lost in the kiss, in the feel of his hands skimming over her skin. She wasn’t about to let anything get in between her and Rio. Sure, it was messy and deep down she knew it would only end in heartache. But she wasn’t going to lose it without a fight.
Rio whispered her name as he broke the kiss, his hands at her hips urging her to turn around. She leaned back against his chest as his hands wandered over her bare skin. He cupped her left breast with one hand, his fingers playing over her nipple, pinching it lightly, as his right hand skimmed down her stomach, before finding its home between her thighs. “Is that all for me?” He questioned, his breath dancing over her skin as his lips brushed against the shell of her ear.
Beth nodded her head slowly. “Yes.” She closed her eyes as his fingers found her sensitive clit, circling it without giving her real attention.
Rio walked her forward, until her legs pressed against the side of the sofa. “Bend over.” He breathed out.
Beth bit down on her bottom lip as she leaned forward, trying to find a comfortable position as she draped herself over the sofa. Her toes pressed against the floor, holding her up as Rio moved to stand behind her. She could feel his hard length pressed against her.
She gripped at the sofa cushion as she felt him line the head of his cock up. This angle brought a new sensation with it, one that made her relish the stretch of him as he slowly filled her. He drew back, repeating the action as he clutched at her hip hard enough to leave new fingershapped bruises on her skin.
“You like that?” He questioned as he thrust into her a little harder, making her cry out.
“ Yes !” Beth gasped, her toes struggling to keep their purchase on the floor as he started to pick up the pace. The angle was good. Really good.
“That’s it.” Rio muttered, keeping at the driving pace of his thrusts.
“Come on Rio. Come on.” Beth urged, trying to rock backwards to meet his movements, using the sofa cushions to balance herself. She clenched her inner walls around him, relishing the guttural sound she got out of him.
Rio wedged his hand in between her and the sofa, his fingers seeking out that little bundle of nerves, trying to get her closer to her release too. “ Close .” He warned her, though his pace didn’t waver.
Beth pressed her palms against the sofa and her back arched as she pressed back against him, again and again. She was unabashedly loud as her own release finally hit her, her inner walls clamping down around him as he kept pistoning into her. His fingers tightened at her hip as his release finally hit, slamming into her once more as he basked in the moment.
Her arms gave out as she sank against the sofa, turning her head to press her cheek to the cushion. “My legs feel like limp noodles.” She quipped and he laughed.
Rio leaned over her and kissed her back. “Lemme help you, baby.” He offered, holding his hand out to help her off the sofa. “Good?”
She smiled broadly. “Very good.” Beth leaned against him. “We should take a shower before we go get our respective kids.”
He kissed the side of her head. “Lead the way, mama.”
“Dinner out with four always seemed manageable.” Beth remarked as she took a sip of wine, meeting Rio’s gaze from across the table, before looking towards the five kids sitting beside them, arguing back and forth about some word search that was on the kid’s menu.
“At least they’re having fun.” Rio gave her a brief look, before turning his attention to Marcus beside him. He was good with his son. Helping him sound out a word on his menu, trying to explain to him what it was. Despite Rio’s very specific speech pattern, Beth had realized quickly that he was actually extremely smart.
“Mommy!” Jane plead. “Danny ate the last breadstick.”
“Sweetheart, dinner’s going to be here soon.”
“I want another breadstick.” Jane frowned, crossing her arms across her chest.
“You can get more when dinner gets here. They’re going to spoil your appetite.”
“ Mom . I want more breadsticks.”
“Hey,” Rio shook his head at her, leaning his elbow against the table and propping his chin on his palm. “Listen to your mom.”
Beth took another sip of her wine to mask her smirk at his words. She knew firsthand how this would’ve gone down with Dean. He constantly undermined her when it came to the kids. Whenever she said ‘no’, it was just an excuse for him to say ‘yes’ to them. Somehow, a gangbanger had more respect than Dean.
Jane relented to Rio, turning her attention back to the picture she was coloring on the back of her menu.
Beth stretched her leg out beneath the table and tapped the toe of her shoe against Rio’s foot with a warm smile. “Thank you.” She mouthed at him from across the table.
Rio shrugged, reaching for his own glass of wine, his eyes fixed on hers as he took a sip. “I always wondered why they had these back rooms.” He gestured down the table of rowdy children.
“They’re sparing the rest of the restaurant.” Beth leaned past Kenny to pick up Emma’s cup, before it started leaking. “You’re lucky you’ve just got one.”
He chuckled and ruffled Marcus’ hair, “Yea, he’s good. I got mad respect for you, Elizabeth. You’ve got your hands full.”
“Oh, I know I do.” She laughed, turning her attention to the waitress as she approached the table with the first tray of food for their table. “Can we get some more breadsticks too?”
“Of course,” The waitress said with a warm smile. “Would you like more salad too?”
Beth looked at her kids. “I wish.” She looked to Rio. “Do you want more salad?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “I ain’t even sure I’m gonna be able to finish my entree.”
“More breadsticks it is then,” The waitress said as she sat the plates down in front of the kids. “You two have a beautiful family.” She added as she picked up the empty baskets from the breadsticks.
Neither Rio or Beth bothered to correct her.
“You looked beautiful tonight, mama.” Rio told her as he leaned against the side of her van.
Beth smiled warmly at him. “Thank you.” It was remarkable that he could still make her blush, considering he’d had her bent over the sofa just a few hours ago. “I’d invite you and Marcus over, but it’s a school night.”
“Yea,” Rio looked towards his car, where he’d already loaded Marcus into it. “He’s already crashed for the night.”
“Mine too. That’s what you get when you stuff them full of breadsticks and food.” She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Call me when you get home?”
“Of course,” He nodded his head and pushed off the car. “I know I can’t kiss ya like I want to, but you think a hug is pushing it?”
Beth stepped towards him, far too quickly. “I think a hug between friends won’t be suspicious.” She slipped her arms around him, welcoming the way he pulled her to him, holding her tightly. It didn’t last nearly as long as she wished it would, but given the fact her kids were in the car right beside them, she knew better.
Rio squeezed her hand, “Talk soon, mama.”
“Talk soon.” Beth watched him walk across the parking lot, longer than she needed to.