Chapter 6 #6
Her skin prickled.
He kept singing, eyes closed now like he was spilling something he couldn’t say to her directly:
"You're the calm, the fire, the crash of rain,
I’d give up the world just to taste your name.
Living two lives mine and his,
But you belong in mine. You’re built for this."
Her heart hammered in her chest. Her legs threatened to buckle. It wasn’t just a song, it was a confession. A challenge. A plea.
"Let the world burn, babe, I’ll hold the flame,
Just say the word, and I’ll scream your name.
You were never his to lose, or mine to win
But you could be my top, my sin, my skin."
Kylee’s breath hitched. Her thighs clenched involuntarily. The memory of Rio pulling her into his lap in the pool, the tension over dinner, the smoldering glances, the way he walked in on her in the shower all of it flashed like wildfire.
No one in the arena knew the weight behind those words but Kylee did. Every lyric was a veiled kiss, a finger down her spine, a dare whispered against her neck. Standing alone in that glass-walled suite, she was completely undone.
The concert ended in a roar of applause, screams echoing through the stadium like thunder.
But Kylee didn’t hear any of it. She stood frozen in the suite, her fingers gripping the railing, her heart threatening to leap out of her chest. He sang that to her.
He basically undressed her in front of twenty thousand people with words.
Before she could even process what to do next, the door behind her creaked open. Heavy boots stepped inside. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. She could feel him before he even spoke.
“Hey,” Rio’s voice was low, raspy from performing yet still impossibly soft when he said, “Did you like the song?”
Kylee turned, slowly. Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her pulse thundered in her ears.
He moved closer, sweat still slick on his neck and jawline, hair wild from the stage, tattoos gleaming under the soft suite light.
“I meant every word,” he said. “Every single fucking one.”
Kylee swallowed hard. “Rio…” Her voice was weak, too breathless to sound real.
He didn’t touch her yet but his eyes devoured her. “The way you looked standing up here… knowing you were watching me, knowing it was you I was singing to…” He exhaled like it physically pained him. “I almost lost it on stage.”
Her mouth was dry. Her fingers trembled slightly against the glass. “You called me Mrs. Riot earlier…”
He stepped closer, close enough for her to breathe in his cologne, his skin, his raw adrenaline. “And? You didn’t like the sound of it?”
She blinked, forcing herself not to let her knees give out. “I didn’t say that.”
His lips curled. “Then say it.”
“What?”
“Say it. Say Mrs. Riot.”
She laughed under her breath, shaking her head but it wasn’t a denial. It was because she could barely believe this was her life right now. “Rio…”
He finally moved. His fingers touched her jawline, tracing lightly under her chin, lifting her face to his. His voice dropped even lower.
“I want you. I’m not playing anymore. You know how I feel. But I’m not going to be your secret forever.”
Kylee’s stomach flipped. She should’ve pulled away. She should’ve said something responsible. But all she could do was stare at him, his lips, his eyes, and the raw honesty bleeding from him.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.
She didn’t. She didn’t say a word. She just stood there her body pulsing, her thoughts a tornado and then she leaned in. Her lips brushed his.Soft. Hesitant. Testing.
Rio’s breath caught, and for a split second, everything around them went completely still. No music. No crowd. Just that first taste.
But then he grabbed her. Not roughly but with an urgency that said he’d been dying for this moment. His hands cradled her face, his thumbs sliding along her cheekbones as his mouth met hers fully this time. Deep. Demanding. Honest.
Kylee didn’t pull away. She melted into him months of tension, guilt, longing, pain, all exploding between them.
Her fingers tangled in his shirt, gripping tight like she was afraid she’d wake up.
He groaned softly against her mouth, pulling her closer, one hand sliding around her waist, anchoring her to him.
His lips moved down to her neck, grazing that one spot he already knew made her shiver. “God, you taste like everything I’ve ever wanted,” he murmured against her skin.
She whispered his name “Rio…” like it was a confession, an apology, a plea all in one.
He rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathless, eyes locked. “You don’t know what you just started, Kylee.”
Her lips were swollen, cheeks flushed. “Maybe I do.”
“You sure?” he asked, voice thick. “Because if I kiss you again… I’m not stopping.”
Kylee’s heart pounded so hard it hurt. She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. “Then don’t.”
Rio didn’t hesitate. He kissed her again harder this time.
All the restraint he’d shown before was gone.
His hands roamed her body, hungry to relearn every curve he’d been dreaming of since New Orleans.
He lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist like instinct, and carried her down the quiet hallway behind the stage like she was weightless.
They didn’t make it far. A velvet-draped room, probably a dressing lounge, became their hideaway.
He kicked the door shut with his boot, never breaking contact.
Her back hit the wall softly as his lips trailed along her jawline, down the delicate slope of her neck.
Kylee gasped when his tongue flicked over the hollow of her throat.
“God, I’ve wanted this…” Rio growled into her skin, his voice thick with lust and reverence.
Her mind screamed she shouldn’t be doing this but her body was already lost to the rhythm they moved to.
“You’re unreal,” he whispered, his lips brushing her chest. “You don’t even know what you do to me.”
He pressed her gently against the wall of the velvet-draped room, but he didn’t push for more. His hands stayed respectful, yet aching with restraint, as if he was giving her all the space to stop him even though neither of them wanted to.
Her lips parted beneath his, and their kiss deepened slowly, sensual, and desperate in its tenderness. It wasn’t just lust, it was everything they’d been holding back. All the flirting. All the unspoken longing. All the nights they both replayed their first meeting.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless and flushed, Kylee’s forehead rested against his. Neither of them said a word. They didn’t have to.The kiss had said it all.
The drive to the after-party was a blur of flashing city lights and electricity humming between them. The SUV’s tinted windows offered privacy, but it was the way Kylee slid onto Rio’s lap that made the entire ride feel like it might combust.
He let out a low breath when she settled into him, her arms draped casually around his shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world.
But nothing about the way she moved was casual, not when she shifted slightly, grinding just enough to feel the very obvious evidence of his arousal pressing against her.
Her breathing was heavy, but she didn’t move. If anything, she leaned into him more, letting her cheek rest against his. He didn’t say a word, just slid a hand slowly along her outer thigh, his fingers tense with restraint.
By the time they arrived at the rooftop lounge, they were both burning. But Rio, somehow, pulled himself together for appearances. Kylee could tell it took everything in him.
The party was loud, filled with laughter, music, and glittering people. Kylee stood close to Rio, his arm resting around her waist. Everyone noticed, but no one said a word except his bandmates, who smirked when Rio told them he was heading out early.
"Calling it a night already?" one of them teased, raising a brow.
"Yeah," Rio said, unapologetic as his hand brushed lightly against Kylee’s lower back. “I’ve got… better things waiting for me.”
The guys hooted and made dramatic faces as Rio chuckled and waved them off. Kylee stayed quiet, but her heart was hammering. They were barely holding back. And whatever was coming next might be impossible to stop.
The ride felt like it would never end. Kylee’s hands were tangled in Rio’s hair, her lips pressed hungrily against his as the city lights streaked past the windows.
His fingers dug into her thighs, sliding dangerously high.
She shivered at the heat of his touch, her breath hitching as he nipped at her bottom lip.
The driver kept his eyes firmly on the road, but the tension in the car was palpable, thick with the promise of what was coming.
When the car finally pulled up to his place, they practically tumbled out of the door, laughter spilling from their lips as they stumbled toward the front porch.
Rio scooped her up effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her inside.
The door slammed shut behind them, and they were kissing again, frantic and desperate, their hands exploring every inch of each other.
Up the stairs they went, Kylee’s back pressed against the wall as Rio devoured her neck, his teeth leaving marks that made her moan. When they reached the bedroom, he tossed her onto the bed with a playful growl, and she landed with a soft bounce, her hair fanning out around her.
Rio was on her in an instant, his hands tugging at her bodysuit.
“Off,” he commanded, his voice rough with need.
She didn’t hesitate, reaching behind her to unzip the fabric and let it pool at her hips.
He took over from there, stripping it off completely and tossing it aside.
Her bra followed, his hands cupping her breasts the moment they were free, his thumbs brushing over her nipples until they hardened under his touch.