Chapter 4 #4
Rio leaned in slightly, his voice low and smooth. “I want you to come to our after party. I’ll send a driver to pick you and Kelly up. Yall are rolling out in style tonight.”
Kylee blinked, trying to process. “Wait … you mean, Like a limo?”
He grinned, that trademark half-smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, nothing but the best for a smoking hot lady like you.”
Kelly elbowed Kylee playfully. “This is insane. I can’t believe we’re actually here, with him, like this.”
Kylee laughed nervously, still feeling like she was living someone else’s dream. “I know. One minute, I’m just a mom from Idaho, and the next I’m backstage with the lead singer of my favorite band.”
Rio’s driver was waiting just outside, to take them back to the hotel to freshen up. Kylee and Kelly climbed in, the doors closing with a quiet thud that sealed them off from the buzzing crowd behind. The leather seats were cool against their skin as the city lights blurred past the windows.
Kelly let out a breath, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Well, this is fancy.”
Kylee smiled, the thrill of the night settling in her chest. “Perfect spot to catch our breath and get ready for whatever comes next.”
The limo glided smoothly through the streets as the sisters talked softly about the concert, replaying their favorite moments and laughing over shared looks. Ahead lay the after party and a night full of possibilities.
The driver pulled up to the curb of their hotel and opened the door with a courteous nod. Kylee stepped out first, Kelly followed close behind, practically bouncing with energy.
As soon as they entered the room, Kylee kicked off her heels. “We’ve got, what like twenty minutes before the limo comes back?”
Kelly glanced at the clock and laughed. “Yes! So Hurry the fuck up!”
They moved quickly, buzzing with adrenaline from the concert and the surreal turn the night had taken.
Kylee stood in front of the mirror, touching up her makeup and smoothing her freshly curled hair. Kelly was in the bathroom applying a bold red lipstick. “You realize we’re about to go to an actual rockstar after party, right? Like... this is real life.”
Kylee laughed softly, adjusting her earrings. “It still feels like a dream. But if I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up.”
They both grabbed their bags just as the hotel phone rang notifying them their ride was downstairs waiting.
Kelly squealed. “Let’s go, groupie.”
Kylee rolled her eyes, grinning as they headed for the elevator, hearts racing and heels clicking across the marble floor.
Tonight was about to get even more unforgettable.
They jumped into the limo outside and it drove to a private venue tucked away just off Bourbon Street.
The bass from inside thrummed through the pavement, and the line of people out front parted instantly when the driver stepped out and opened the door for Kylee and Kelly.
Kelly’s jaw dropped. “This is not someone’s house party.”
Kylee took in the velvet ropes, moody up lighting, and well-dressed crowd.
“Nope. This is a rockstar’s playground.”
The moment they stepped inside, the energy shifted.
Music pulsed through the air deep, sultry, and loud.
The room glowed with low amber lights, casting shadows that made everything feel a little more electric.
People danced, drank, and laughed in corners of the room filled with leather couches, crystal glasses, and smoke curling from designer cigars.
A familiar voice broke through the hum.
“There you are.”
Rio emerged from the crowd in a black button-down, sleeves rolled up, and tattoos peeking out along his forearms. His silver rings glinted under the lights as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. His eyes flicked from Kelly to Kylee and lingered.
“You look amazing,” he said, his gaze dropping for a second before meeting hers again.
Kylee smiled, feeling the slow, dangerous curl of heat under his attention. “So do you.”
Kelly nudged her with a smirk.
Rio turned to Kelly, giving her a nod. “Glad you came too. My drummer won’t shut up about you.”
Kelly laughed. “I’ll drink to that.”
Rio motioned them toward a reserved lounge area roped off from the rest of the chaos. “Come on drinks, music, whatever you want. Tonight’s yours.”
Kylee let herself be led by the hand, Rio’s palm warm against hers. She could still feel the phantom thud of the concert in her chest, but it was nothing compared to the rhythm starting to build now. Her life had been so small, so structured but tonight? Tonight was wide open.
The place was dimly lit and plush, with low leather seating and bottles of top-shelf liquor already waiting on the table. A server brought over two crystal glasses filled with something golden and smooth before either of them had to ask.
Kelly was instantly swept into conversation with Rio’s drummer, a tall, tattooed guy with a wild grin and a whiskey laugh leaving Kylee and Rio alone on the velvet couch.
Rio poured himself another drink and leaned back, his legs spread in that effortless, confident way. “You’ve got this… mystery to you,” he said, watching her over the rim of his glass. “Sweet. Composed. But something about you tells me there’s a storm under there.”
Kylee laughed, tipping her head slightly. “A storm?”
“Yeah,” he said, lowering his glass. “The kind that doesn’t just roll through. The kind that tears everything down and makes you remember what it means to feel alive.”
Her breath caught for a second, maybe it was the whiskey, or maybe it was the way his words touched something she hadn’t let anyone near in years.
“You’re poetic for a rockstar,” she teased, swirling the drink in her hand.
He smirked. “You’d be surprised what lyrics are born from pain.”
They were close now. Too close. The air between them pulsed with something unsaid. Kylee glanced around. Kelly was laughing, completely lost in conversation. The room felt hazy and electric.
Rio’s fingers brushed the edge of her knee casual, but intentional. “So….you got a man?”
Kylee’s lips parted, her heart skipping. “A husband.. He’s the one who got me the tickets.”
“Interesting,” Rio said, leaning in, his voice low. “He knows you’re at this after party?”
Her mouth went dry. She set her glass down slowly. “He told me to have fun so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind”
The music thumped louder, like the beat had synced with the tension in her chest. Kylee held his gaze, something stirring in her belly not just lust, but power.
She hadn’t felt truly seen in years. And now, under the amber glow of a private party, she was being devoured without a single touch.
Rio set his glass down with a soft clink, eyes darkening as he leaned in.
He didn’t touch her, not yet but his presence wrapped around her like smoke.
“You know,” he murmured, voice low and sinful, “you’re driving me insane sitting there like that.
Looking like you were made to wreck a man’s self-control. ”
Kylee let out a soft laugh, a breathy sound that barely masked her pulse quickening. She kept her posture relaxed, legs crossed, finger tips swirling lazily around the rim of her glass. “I’m just sitting,” she said, feigning innocence. “You might want to work on your control.”
Rio's smile was slow and devastating. “Oh, I have control, sweetheart,” he said, his gaze dropping briefly to her mouth. “But if you keep looking at me like you want to be kissed senseless, don’t expect me to pretend I don’t notice.”
Kylee bit the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling too much. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“Only when it comes to things I know,” he said, eyes locked on hers. “And I know chemistry when it’s this loud.”
She tilted her head, keeping her voice playful.
“And what do you plan to do with all that chemistry?”
Rio leaned in a little closer, close enough for his lips to almost graze her ear. “Right now? Suffer. Because the way you’re holding back… that’s the hottest part.”
A shiver ran down her spine, but she held steady.
“Good,” she whispered, standing smoothly.
“A little anticipation never hurt anyone.” She walked toward the bar, hips swaying with just enough intent to leave him stunned in her wake.
Behind her, Rio exhaled a rough breath and sank deeper into the couch, his eyes never leaving her.
She was going to be the death of him. And she wasn’t even trying.
When Kylee returned to the couch with two drinks in hand, Rio was still exactly where she’d left him sprawled back like a man on the edge of either surrender or detonation. His eyes tracked her every step, unapologetically hungry, but there was amusement there too.
She handed him a fresh drink with a sly smile. “Thought you might need something to cool down.”
Rio took it with a chuckle, fingers brushing hers. “You trying to be helpful,” he said, “is the cruelest kind of foreplay.”
She raised an eyebrow, sipping her own drink. “Foreplay implies something’s going to happen.”
“Oh, something’s happening,” he said with a grin, leaning forward on his elbows. “You’re just playing the long game. Drawing it out. Making me imagine things that are definitely illegal in some states.”
Kylee laughed, shaking her head as she sat beside him again a careful few inches of space between them. “You seem like the kind of guy who gets what he wants.”
“I usually do,” Rio said, his voice dropping a notch. “But something tells me you like to make people work for it.”
She met his gaze, unflinching. “I don’t give easy.”
He smirked, running his tongue across his bottom lip slowly.
“Good…. Easy’s boring. I like a woman who makes me earn it.”
Kylee tilted her head, her tone teasing. “And what exactly are you trying to earn, Mr. Riot?”
Rio leaned in again, just a breath away, his lips curving wickedly. “You’ll know when you feel it.”
Kylee’s heart kicked in her chest, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she sipped her drink slowly and looked him right in the eye. “I’m still deciding if you’re worth the trouble.”