Chapter Thirty-Two

Bryn

The sunshine and salt water had been the perfect way for us to spend our Saturday. However, the sandwiches I’d made were eaten by eleven, and our water was gone. Glancing at Cullen, who was slowing down, I knew it was time to pack it up and go home.

I looked back toward the farmers market and thought about going and getting an ice cream for Cullen. I had debated that several times since we’d arrived. However, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I wasn’t ready to face going there just yet. Maybe in a few weeks, if this thing with Rio was still working out and he hadn’t moved on yet, I would go there.

Today was just too soon. Besides, Cullen didn’t need an ice cream.

I stood up and dusted the sand from my body, then reached into my bag to get the cover-up I had worn over my swimsuit. When I stood up, someone was behind me, and a large hand slid around me to splay flat over my bare stomach, then pushed me back against him.

“You didn’t come see me,” Rio said close to my ear.

“Rio!” Cullen said, jumping up from the sand castle he had been building. “Why didn’t you come swim today?”

Rio dropped his hand from me and moved to stand beside me. “I wish I could have, bud. But I’ve been working,” he said to Cullen. “But I was hoping you and Bryn might come over to the market and get an ice cream.”

Cullen clapped his hands together, then looked up at me. “Please, oh please,” he begged me.

It looked like we were going to the farmers market after all.

“Okay,” I said reluctantly.

“Did you drive?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “No, we walked.”

He grinned then, flashing me his dimple. “Good. I’ll tell them I’m done for the day. We will get the ice cream, and then I’ll drive you home.”

“Thanks,” I said.

Cullen ran to him and grabbed his hand, then began asking about his Jeep and if the top was off. I collected the rest of our things, but when I picked up the bag, Rio took it from me. He walked ahead of me, holding Cullen’s hand on his right and carrying my bag on his left. It was the kind of thing that seemed more fantasy than reality.

Cullen was chatting away, and Rio didn’t seem to mind. How long would it take before the package deal was too much for him? Would I continue to crave him and be so easy? How long before that got boring for him?

I was ruining a perfect moment with my dark thoughts, and I tried hard to push them away. We reached the side entrance of the farmers market, and Rio turned to me.

“I need to go let them know I’m leaving. You take him to the ice cream stand, and I’ll meet you there.”

Rio headed to the back, still carrying my bag.

Cullen came over to take my hand, and then he pulled me. “Come on!”

We walked over to the ice cream stand, and Cullen began studying the different colors and asking me about flavors while we waited in line. He finally decided on blue raspberry with red sprinkles when it was our turn.

I looked from Cullen to the girl taking orders. “Hello,” I said in greeting. “We need—”

“I know who you are, and you aren’t welcome here,” she said with a nasty grin.

She looked somewhat familiar, and I realized she must have been working here when I had been fired. Cullen’s hand was in mine, but he moved closer until he was pressed against my leg. This was something he had heard before, but I had hoped he’d never hear it again.

“I, uh …” I paused, unsure of what to say. Did I explain this to her or just go to the back and wait for Rio?

“Is there a problem?” Rio asked, and I turned to see him walking toward us. He frowned, looking down at Cullen almost wrapped around my leg. Then, he lifted his gaze to meet mine.

“Yes, sir. I told her we wouldn’t serve her here,” the girl told him.

Rio’s scowl, however, took the smirk off her face, and she glanced back at me, as if to make sure she hadn’t made a mistake.

“Whatever she wants, make it for her. If she is ever in this market again, you give her what she wants,” he said, coming to stand on the other side of Cullen and putting a hand on his head, then ruffling his hair.

The girl nodded. “Yes, sir. I didn’t know. I thought—”

“I know what you thought. I will make sure everyone here understands that Bryn and Cullen are welcome here.”

The girl nodded, then looked at me nervously now. “What can I get for you?” she asked.

“Blue raspberry with red sprinkles,” I said.

Cullen’s arms released me, and he smiled up at Rio.

“Bryn!” Hazel’s familiar voice called out, and I turned to see her making her way to us.

“Hello,” I replied.

It was nice to see her smile at me again. She had never been mean, but it had been awkward before.

“It’s sure good to see you here,” she said. “And who’s this?” she asked, turning her friendly smile toward Cullen.

“This is Cullen, my nephew,” I told her.

“Well, Cullen, is that blue and red ice cream yours?” she asked.

He nodded, and she took it from the girl, then handed it to him.

“We have a new litter of puppies out back. Would you like to go see them?” she asked him. Then glanced up at me. “If that’s okay with your aunt Bryn.”

He nodded his head vigorously and looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

“Sure, that sounds exciting,” I replied.

Cullen walked to Hazel without even a backward glance my way. He was getting braver with new people.

“Come with me,” Rio said close to my ear.

I fell into step beside him as he led me back to the private offices. I had been back here only once when I worked here. It was off-limits to employees unless they had an appointment.

Rio led us to the door on the left and took a key from his pocket to unlock it. He went in, and I followed him. The light came on, and I looked around the office lined with filing cabinets and a massive oak desk full of mail and notebooks. I turned to Rio to ask whose office we were in.

The door lock clicked, and he dropped my bag, then moved to me. I had little time to think or say anything as he backed me up against the wall, then covered my mouth with his. It wasn’t a sweet kiss. It was hard and demanding. I buried my hands in his hair and savored having this moment alone. Knowing he wanted to kiss me this much made my stomach flutter with excitement.

“You looked incredible out there on the beach. I like your bikini,” he said, trailing kisses down my neck to my collarbone. His hand slid under my cover-up, and he shoved it into my bottoms, groaning as his fingers felt my arousal. “I need to feel it,” he growled as my knees buckled, and I held on to his arms.

“I want inside you so bad,” he said, grabbing my left leg and pulling it up to his side. “For now, just a little taste.”

Then, he was on his knees, and my leg was over his shoulder. The crotch of my bikini bottoms was pulled aside, and I watched as Rio’s head moved between my legs.

The second his tongue slid inside of me, I cried out. Someone might hear me, and I needed to care, but right now, the pleasure I knew his mouth would bring me was winning. The tip of his tongue circled my clit, and my legs trembled.

“Oh!” I moaned, holding the back of his head there with both my hands.

He continued to tease me with his tongue before the sharp bite of his teeth took whatever strength I had in my legs, and my knees buckled completely. Rio’s hands grabbed my waist and kept me from falling. His mouth left me, and I wanted to shove his face back but didn’t. I managed to control myself. Tilting his head, he looked up at me.

“I was just going to get a taste, but I don’t want to stop until you come on my face,” he said.

His words alone made me tingle and pulse.

“P-p-pl-please,” was all I could manage.

He stood up, and I wanted to cry out. However, he picked me up and sat me in a chair, then pulled my bottoms off.

“Open your legs for me,” he ordered.

I did as told, and he placed a hand on each of my thighs, pushing them farther apart before putting my legs over his shoulders and pulling me to him.

“Damn, that’s a sweet pussy,” he whispered as he lowered his head back to where I wanted it.

With each touch of his tongue, I grew more frantic. My body arched and jerked beneath him as he brought me to another earth-shattering climax. I moaned his name several times as my orgasm pulsed through me.

How had I made it to be this old, not knowing how good this was?

His mouth moved down to my inner thigh, and he finished by kissing my knee before looking up at me. I was still struggling to catch my breath as my heart rate slowed.

“That’s addictive,” he told me.

I managed a laugh. “You have no i-i-idea.”

He flashed his dimple then and reached for my bottoms. I let him put them back on me and then stand me up.

“I told Hazel we needed twenty minutes. We might have taken more than that. Better go check on Cullen,” he said, then licked his lips. “I’ve been thinking about that all damn day.”

I was growing attached too quickly. We were moving so fast, but I couldn’t slow it down. I wanted the things he did to me. I craved them. Going back to work would slow us down. That would help. As much as I wanted to enjoy being with him, I had to keep my head and, dang it, stop being so easy to get.