Page 20 of Rio (Knight Empire #3)

I’m suddenly conscious of the powder soft sand under my feet, and the rays of the sun on my skin.

I take a shaky sip of rum. Still feeling conscious and still wondering if he’s looking my way.

I’m barefoot, and wearing a sundress—not my usual work clothes.

Maybe that’s what he sees that’s different.

Vilma laughs, then jumps up and joins the football game. I turn to look at Rio again, but he’s gone, and a tidal wave of disappointment washes over me. But then he reappears in front of me, looking entirely comfortable in a chair that isn’t his.

Just like he did at the Miami restaurant.

“Let me guess, you had a meeting across the street and you happened to see me.”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you.” He gives me a cheesy grin. “But you still remember that night, huh?”

“It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.”

He slides out his long legs, making himself even more comfortable than he has any right to be. Edwin and Vilma come back, hot and breathless after their game of football. I don’t bother to make introductions, but he does.

“Rio.” He offers his hand. “I’m a friend of Raquel’s.”

Edwin and Vilma introduce themselves and sit down, reaching for their paper cups.

“I didn’t think this was your scene,” Rio says to me.

“This?” I wave my hand around. “Friends, food, drinks, gorgeous scenery. It’s very much my scene. Shame you had to crash it, again .”

“This is a small place, and my hotel isn’t far from here. I’m staying on the Placencia Peninsula.”

“You’re staying there?” Vilma asks.

Edwin looks impressed. “Nice string of hotels along there.”

I can’t help myself. “Only the best for—” I’m about to spurt off something when I stop.

Edwin and Vilma don’t know who he is. They don’t know that he’s on the other side.

I shouldn’t be seen with him. I need to be professional and keep my distance as much as I can.

“I didn’t think street stalls and fairy lights was your scene,” I say, instead.

“It’s not so bad.” His eyes rove over my sundress. “You don’t look very lawyerly today.” His gaze burns into my skin and I take another long sip of my rum punch. The music pushes up a notch, and Edwin and Vilma get up and join a group of people who have also suddenly jumped up and started dancing.

“Why don’t you show us your moves?” I dare Rio.

He sits back into the chair, crosses his ankles, and laces his hands behind his head. “I can’t dance on sand. I’d rather just sit here and admire the view.”

“Come on.” Vilma holds out her hand for me to get up.

The rum has loosened me up, and I don’t feel like it’s the end of a normal working day.

It feels more like being on vacation. With a dash of daring, I get up.

The vibe, the crowd, the music, it pulls me, but the way Rio watches me is what tips me over the edge.

His gaze slides over me, and suddenly, I want him to see me like this, unapologetically wild and free.

The shackles of my usual work day restraint undone.

I jump up, accepting Vilma’s request. The rum has gotten to my head, because I wouldn’t be so eager to get up and dance on the sand otherwise.

It’s not easy, but the rum punch courses through my veins, and with the sun starting to dip seemingly into the sea, my carefully constructed guardrails fall away.

Buoyed up by being a million miles away from Pierce, and being with people who are easy to get along with, where I don’t need to dodge comments rife with sexual innuendo, I’m swept up in a wave of gratitude.

I’m basking under Rio’s intense, watchful gaze.

Something about me and him, running into each other unexpectedly, on so many occasions, feels strange, and yet familiar.

I can’t get a handle on it, but it’s there, an invisible force that connects us and becomes stronger with each meeting. Building, to what, I don’t know.

I start to dance, swaying my hips, moving my arms, feeling unashamedly free.

laughing and feeling free. Dancing with abandon.

Vilma and Edwin are letting loose beside me, their smiles wide and unfiltered.

The crowd is alive, pulsing with heat and rhythm.

There’s a buzz in the air—maybe it’s the rum punch, or the beauty of the setting sun, or just the pure joy of being barefoot on the sand, surrounded by strangers who feel like friends.

A group of young guys join us. Loud and raucous, they look like tourists.

Someone grabs my hand, reeling me towards him.

I don’t like it, and wrench my hand free.

He puts his hands up, in a surrender pose, and steps back.

He’s cute, too young for me, and now he looks genuinely alarmed that he might have offended me.

“Sorry,” he shouts, over the music. “Feels like a carnival, ya know.” His twangy accent makes me think he could be Australian. I nod, and continue dancing. He doesn’t reach for my hand again, and maintains the distance between us.

But in the next moment, Rio steps in. His face is like thunder. He eyeballs the other guy, scaring him off until he’s forced to turn his back to us, and move back to his friends.

“Thought you didn’t dance, Tarzan,” I shout, while still dancing. Rio cups his hand to his ear, like he can’t hear. I lean forward. Without my killer heels I have to tiptoe to reach his ear. “I thought you didn’t dance, Tarzan.”

“I’m not dancing.” He stands there, arms folded, territorial and possessive, like I’m his property, and he’s watching over me.

Ordinarily, this would set off alarm bells.

Piss me off, but it’s Rio. We have a history now, sort of.

And I like him being possessive, even though it goes against my grain.

Everything about this man goes against my values, and yet, I find myself drawn to him in ways I can’t explain.

He doesn’t even attempt to dance and stands there, arms still crossed, like he’s immune to the music thumping through the crowd.

“You just going to stand there like a statue?” I shout in his ear again, the beat thudding in my chest. I accidentally bump into him, and his arm wraps around me like a reflex as if he’s scared I was going to fall.

“Steady there,” he murmurs, his voice low, his breath grazing my cheek as he loosens his hold on me.

But the touch has already left an imprint during those few seconds that our bodies brushed. A current rips through me and my heart somersaults inside my ribcage. Heat curls low in my belly, fanning out slowly, electrifying every cell in my body.

My body remembers.

It misses him.

I play devil’s advocate. “You got rid of my dancing partner. Why did you go and do that?”

This time he leans down, and into my ear. “Why do you think?”

Fire flashes through his eyes. In this moment, the music and surroundings blur into the background. In this moment, it’s just me, and him. My heart beats furiously, and a trail of heat licks my skin, warming my body as it moves south. A throbbing begins between my legs.

He likes me.

He wants me.

Every ounce of resolve I had, to keep this man at a distance, has vanished.

The music pauses for a bit. Edwin and Vilma tell me that they’re going to get more food and ask if I want to come along. I shake my head. The crowd breaks up and Rio and I stand there, facing one another, unsure, and hungry for something, but it’s not for food.

“Walk with me,” he says. I can’t read his expression.

I can’t tell if’s he annoyed, or calm, or bored.

We slip away from the crowd, and along the shoreline, moving further away from the crowd, leaving the colorful array of vendors and DJs and lights behind us.

It’s quieter here. The sand cooler, slightly damp beneath our feet.

The sun dips low, almost sinking into the ocean, its hues of gold and orange looking resplendent as it touches the horizon.

The balmy air is a mix of salt, and rum, and the aroma of grilled food.

We walk side by side, not speaking, yet it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It feels … normal. There are no barbs, no digs, no sarcasm. Only me and him, and the sound of waves lapping against the shore as we leave footprints in the sand.

He seems pensive, and the adrenaline rushing through me is finally calming down.

“He came onto you. I didn’t like that,” he says, finally.

It takes me a moment to figure out what he’s talking about.

“Why?” I ask. A hundred thoughts run through my head. Who are we? What are we? We’re not seeing one another. We’re not even friends. We’re just two people who keep running into each other. Two people who are attracted to one another.

“I just didn’t.”

No explanation. But I understand it. I’d feel the same if some young beautiful woman made a move on him. I wouldn’t like to stand by and watch that.

“I came here to get away from you,” he says. “But everywhere I go, I see you.”

“I came here to get away from you,” I say. “And everywhere I go, I see you. ”

“And yet, here we are.”

“Here we are.”

He stops. “Are you drunk? You’re repeating everything I say.”

“I’m a little tipsy. I’m mostly having fun, though. You don’t though. You don’t look like you’re having fun.” I don’t recall him eating any food, or having any punch. He didn’t dance. He stood by me. “What were you doing here?”

“I saw some fliers at the hotel. Thought I’d check it out.”

“And there’s me thinking you came out here looking for me.” I look up at him, feeling flirty.

“That was the real reason I came out here.” His expression is so deadpan, I can’t tell if he’s joking or not.

I swallow. “Did you really?"

He looks at me in something that looks like disbelief.

Caraca.

He played me.

"I didn't, but it was a nice surprise, seeing you, once I got over the shock of it."

He's saying that to make me feel better. My heart pounds and I try desperately to say something witty and clever. And I fail.

“We have unfinished business," he says.

That's when I remember something I’ve been wanting to ask him. "I heard that you were smitten by Dani. Couldn't take your eyes off her at the special evening your father hosted."

He opens his mouth, and his eyes start to widen, just a little. Just enough for me to know he's feeling uneasy because he hasn’t uttered a word .

"You even had a photo of her in your apartment," I add, watching his reaction like a hawk.

He swipes a hand across his beard. "I was wondering when you might ask me about that. I guess there are no secrets between you and Dani.”

"It's true, then?"

"Oh, princesa, you weren't sure?"

"I was sure. Dani wouldn't lie to me."

"You jealous?" he asks. And for the first time tonight, I feel a little of how he must have felt when that guy wanted me to dance.

I am jealous. Or, I was. I'm not now. I'm thankful, more than anything. I'm thankful that he didn't pick Dani. That his interest was only short lived.

"I wonder what your babies would look like, yours and Dani’s." What a stupid thing to say. I immediately regret it. He recoils in disgust, then gently wraps his fingers around my wrists.

"Dani is in love with Dex, and he's completely in love with her.

Me, princesa? I like the thrill of the hunt.

I like the chase. I like the flirtatious phase that comes before I fuck the only woman I have eyes for.

Our babies, yours and mine, if you ever give me the chance, will be beautiful and bold, charming and fearless. "

My mouth hangs open, my heart thumping, and my breaths quicken, shallow and uneven. Heat spirals low in my belly as the rough promise of his words spark a hunger I'm trying so hard to resist.

He loosens his grip but doesn’t completely let go. Instead, his thumbs stroke the insides of my wrists. It's one of my erogenous zones and I'm already feeling clammy between my legs.

"That time in Miami,” he says, his voice husky and low, making my insides heat, “that time when I showed up in the restaurant, allegedly unexpectedly …"

"You planned it?" I murmur. Each lazy brush of his thumb on my skin makes sparks shoot up my arms. My body betrays me each time this man is near me. I shouldn't want him this much, and yet, I always do.

"I sure did. I wanted to see you."

"And so you ... you had a meeting in order to—"

"No meeting. I just paid a guy in the bar across the street to say we did."

I sink back into myself. The levels of manipulation on these Knights is astounding.

Yet, I'm oddly touched, that he went to such lengths, just to see me.

A warmth unfurls in my chest, sneaky and uninvited, and I hate that it makes me smile.

This man is dangerous, and I know better, but the happiness bubbling up is impossible to ignore.

I can't deny that I feel something for him. I'd be lying to myself if I did. I want him, and he, it seems, wants me. He’d go to any lengths to see me. If I’m honest with myself, that terrifies me, too.

“We should head back,” I say, wondering if he’s going to make a move.

He lets go of my wrists, and I miss the touch of his fingers.

The flickering fairy lights look like fireflies in the distance and night is falling.

I don’t want to walk barefoot in the dark.

He starts to walk. I guess we are heading back.

When we return to our chairs, Vilma and Edwin are standing in a group of people.

“We’re going to the lagoon. Why don’t you come?” Vilma asks.

“You’re going where?” Rio asks.

“To the Anderson Lagoon.”

“What for?” He sounds cautious.

“To swim. It’s known for its bioluminescence. It’ll be fun,” Edwin says, starting to clear our plates from the table. I help him. Vilma picks up the empty paper cups.

“There’s a group of us going,” she says. “It’s the secret spot. Nice to go for a late-night swim under the stars.”

Edwin takes the trash from us and walks away to dispose of it.

Rio looks at me and I have a feeling he isn’t keen on going.

The crowd is mainly youngsters, early twenties.

Maybe he’s feeling a little old. I’ve never swum in a lagoon before, and especially not one that is bioluminescent. “I’m game. You?” I turn to Rio.

“How are you getting there?” he asks.

“Luis has a truck,” Vilma replies, then, sensing his concern, “It’s safe. I know these guys. Luis’s an experienced tour guide. He does tours like this all the time. This isn’t a tour. It’s just a chance for us to have a dip in the lagoon.”

Rio doesn’t look convinced, but I want to go. I don’t care what time it is, or that I have so much work to do. When will I ever get the chance to swim in a lagoon that lights up?

“Come along,” Vilma says. “You’ll like it. It’s so pretty.”

But it’s not the prettiness I’m thinking about. It’s about being in a lagoon, with Rio Knight, under the stars.