4. Chapter 4
Chapter four
R issa had very little idea how much time had passed when she finally slowed the truck and pulled off the road into the cracked parking lot of a small, rundown motel—the second of its kind at which she and Elio had spent a night. The wave of terrified energy that she had ridden thus far petered out several miles earlier, and her eyelids were suddenly too heavy to keep open.
Stopping was a risk, but so was continuing to drive in her condition. Just like every other choice she had been thrown in the past hours, neither option was good. She just had to make the best call she could.
Idling at the edge of the lot, Rissa did as Elio had done for their first motel and called the front desk to reserve a room. She used the fake name she had been staying under at the resort—Laura Presley—hoping that it wasn’t yet known to whoever was after them.
Elio was quiet in the passenger seat, but he didn’t seem to be zoning out the same way he had been before. He alternated between watching her with an unreadable expression and glancing out the window around the dark parking lot.
Did his increased alertness mean he was recovering? Rissa desperately wished that she knew more about head trauma or that they could risk visiting a hospital to get him the care he needed.
Is that what I should be making a priority? she wondered. His health over his freedom? What if he’s seriously injured and I just can’t see it? What if— she let herself think it for the first time— what if his memory loss is permanent?
The thought brought a heavy emptiness to her heart that almost caused her to give into the temptation to lie down and give up then and there. With long-term amnesia, she realized, he couldn’t even be held liable for the crimes for which he was wanted. He could plead insanity or whatever it was people pled when they weren’t in their right minds to stand trial. Maybe she made the wrong decision when she decided to run from the store.
Still, she again found herself blinking back tears as she imagined officers storming in and taking Elio from her. She waited until she regained her composure before she told Elio she would be right back and jumped out of the truck to go pick up the key in the front office. To her relief, the girl behind the desk barely glanced up as she handed it over.
A moment later, Rissa led the way down the row of numbered doors, unlocked their motel room, and stepped inside. Elio followed her, as he had almost without question since they both realized he had no memory. He trusted her, which made every decision doubly hard to make.
Rissa wondered how much rest they could get before the stolen truck was reported and found in the motel lot, although she had not parked in front of their room. Their time was running out even now, but she needed rest, and she was certain Elio did as well. It was late, and they were both drained from multiple adrenaline rushes and runs for their lives. They needed to eat, drink, and sleep for at least a couple of hours before they were on the move again.
Or turned themselves in.
After flipping on a light and glancing around the room, she turned to find Elio watching her with deep concentration. She didn’t know how her heart could break all over again every time she looked into his eyes and saw no recognition, no hint of the deepening connection they shared over the past few days. But somehow, it did.
“Hey,” she said gently, trying to imagine how overwhelming this must all be for him. “Are you okay? What are you thinking?”
Slowly, he dropped the bag onto the floor and sat on the hotel bed. His muscles rippled, his golden eyes held hers, and Rissa cursed herself inwardly for the heat that rose in her belly. Now is not the time.
Elio paused for a moment before speaking. “Back at the store,” he said, “you called me your boyfriend. Is that true? Am I really your boyfriend?”
Rissa felt a lump rise in her throat as she considered how to answer. It was a question she had asked herself a few times over the past few days. In some ways, Elio felt like more than a boyfriend. It seemed too simple and tame of a word for what existed between them. And yet, at the same time, it felt too big of a word. It assumed things they had never been able to assume.
And now, it just felt unnecessary. Inadequate. A discussion for another time—if he ever remembered for himself what they had shared.
Abruptly remembering the diamond ring that he had slipped onto her finger, Rissa glanced down to find that it had been lost at some point in their flight, like so many other things.
Elio was quiet, waiting for an answer, so she finally sank to sit beside him.
“No,” she said softly. “You’re not my boyfriend.” It seemed the truest of the various answers she could give him, and it was the simplest.
Elio chewed his lip, his brows lowering slightly.
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice husky. “I kind of feel like I am.”
Rissa’s breath caught as he suddenly twined his hands around her waist, pulling her toward him. She did not resist though, her body already tingling with the desire to be closer to him, as close as she could get. His memories may have been gone, but he was still here. And it was obvious that he somehow still wanted her as much as she wanted him.
It was messed up and confusing, and yet, if she shut the complexities out of her mind, all that mattered at that moment was that he continued doing exactly what he was doing now.
His hands slid under her thighs as he pulled her closer, lifting her onto his lap. Immediately, she could feel his erection through her thin gown and underwear. He kept pulling her closer until they were chest to chest and her thighs were spread wide, encompassing his hips, her knees bent atop the bedcover.
His eyes were fixed on hers, mesmerizing, making her forget everything except the contact between their two bodies and how she wanted it impossibly closer until even the slightest atom of air was forced from between them. He put a hand to the back of her head and tipped his face toward hers, both their eyes fluttering closed as he kissed her.
This kiss was unlike the slow, gentle yet passionate caresses they had been exchanging while on their faux pre-honeymoon. Elio’s lips were firm and authoritative, reminding her of the first kiss they had shared on the concrete floor of the parking garage, her arm twisted behind her back, his body pressing her into the hard floor, his lips and tongue desperate and demanding.
His hand closed firmly around the back of her head, forcing it back, his fingers twisting through the thick waves of her hair. He deepened the kiss, hardly giving her time to breathe, his teeth against her lips, his tongue thrusting into her mouth as his hips lifted between her legs, pressing them together.
Rissa’s moan against his mouth was pleading, both for more and for less. Her heart was thundering in her ribcage, and her panties were already soaked. The hard expanse of his chest against her breast awoke her nipples, bringing them to attention and causing the fabric of her bra to feel almost unbearable against their sensitive tips. Her arms circled his back, clinging to him as his hand against her butt pressed her further into his hard dick, a groan breaking from his lips.
Abruptly, he broke the kiss, leaving them both gasping for breath. Immediately, Rissa felt the loss of contact between them as he lifted her off his lap and flipped her onto her back on the bed beside him. He stood up, pulling his blood-stained shirt over his head in one smooth movement. Unbuttoning his pants and sliding them and his briefs off with equal speed, he stood naked before her, his erection tall and proud, his lean stomach rising and falling with his steady breathing.
Rissa still felt breathless as he stepped forward. She had been in the middle of unzipping her dress and letting it fall from her shoulders, but the sight of him advancing with such power suddenly had her hands dropping helplessly to her lap. The twinge of almost trepidation that zipped through her at the raw desire in his eyes only heightened her arousal.
She was letting him have complete control, and there was an aggression to his advances that she had rarely seen in him before. He doesn't even really know me , she thought distractedly. But she knew him and she trusted him, even as he pushed her down on the bed and yanked her dress the rest of the way off. Her bra and panties followed with a speed that left her head spinning and her skin tingling.
Only then, as she lay naked on the bed before him, his own magnificent body bowing over her, did Elio pause.
“Is this okay?” His voice came out deep and hoarse as if strained with the effort of holding himself back. Rissa took less than a second to consider. They had no condoms. He had no memory. She had no idea what to do when all this was over.
But she wanted him to continue. More than anything, with her entire body and soul. Even as he hesitated, hovering over her without touching her, her body was straining toward him and she ached for his penetration.
“Yes,” she managed to gasp. “Please, Elio. Please fuck me.”
A rough chuckle broke from his lips at her words. But he didn’t immediately dive back in with the furious speed at which they had started. Instead, he grabbed for her hands, which were caressing his rippling sides. He crossed her forearms above her head, pinning them in place with one hand, stretching her beneath him.
Helpless in his grasp, Rissa gasped and moaned as his head came down and he kissed and then sucked her neck, his tongue hot and smooth against her skin. He moved to her collarbone, kissing and sucking, and then to her breast. His free hand was suddenly between her legs, two fingers grazing the hot, slick place that was controlling her frenzy of wanting him. He paused just long enough that she was about to beg before plunging his fingers into her.
She jolted as he caught one of her nipples gently between his teeth, a cry of mixed delight and desperation tearing from her lips. He was everywhere at once, and her body writhed with longing and pleasure.
His fingers receded and then penetrated again, the rhythm just slow enough to keep her on the edge, delaying her orgasm. It was torture such as she had never known. A torture that drove everything from her except the yearning of her body.
“Elio, please,” she moaned. He lifted his head, his face looking back at her, and a groan escaped his lips as she arched against him, hinting at the effort he needed to hold himself in check.
“Please!” she cried again, and he suddenly released her arms, rolling her over on top of him as he fell back on the bed beside her. His hands moved to her hips, and he lifted her, lowering her onto his erect penis.
She grabbed his shoulders with both hands and looked down at him as he half sat, half reclined against the pillows beneath her. He began to thrust into her. Her thighs strained apart as his hands gripped her butt, squeezing her curves and pushing her firmly down as his hips thrust up, drawing another cry from her lips as he pressed more deeply into her.
His thrusts came quick and hard, and she threw back her head and rode him to ecstasy as he came beneath her.
When it was over, Elio rolled her off him and fell back against the pillows. She lay gasping beside him, his warm semen dripping between her legs, reality slowly reforming around her.
She turned her head to look at Elio, still trying to catch her breath. His eyes were closed as his chest rose and fell with exertion, sweat glistening on his tan skin. Slowly, his breathing slowed, as did hers. But his eyes stayed closed. She realized that he had fallen asleep.
Well, no wonder. She had never been taken as she had just now. She felt sated, heavy and light at the same time. Exhaustion overcame her as well, but Rissa did not succumb to it. Although her body was tired, her mind felt clearer than it had in a long time.
Sitting up, she watched Elio for a moment. He seemed to be sleeping normally, his dark lashes brushing the shadows beneath his eyes, his breathing regular, and his body relaxed. He looked innocent and trusting as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Quietly, she stood up and picked up the bag of convenience store items—all they currently had in the world. Going into the bathroom, she closed the door behind her. She took a few minutes to pee, clean up, and eat three breakfast bars all in a row—suddenly realizing how ravenous she was. All the while, she stared into nothing, her thoughts tumbling ahead full speed once again.
She had almost no doubt the cops would find them in the morning, if not before. As far as the mysterious attackers from the resort were concerned, she had no such guesses. All she could do was hope that nothing would happen until morning. She needed until morning to pull herself together and be prepared for the fallout of her decision.
Gulping from one of the water bottles, she set it on the counter and pulled the burner phone from the bag.
She did not need till morning to make her decision. She wasn’t sure when she had settled upon this course of action, but it was settled now, as surely as if she had already sent the text her fingers were tapping out on the phone screen.
Whether Elio’s memories returned or not, she knew one thing for sure. They could no longer do this on their own. It was time to stop running.