Rio's Fire (9 page)

He was tempted to close his eyes, to indulge in the building need growing inside of him. But Fire didn’t want to miss one second of
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what Rio was doing to him. It was the most hypnotic, sensual, and mesmerizing thing he had ever seen.

Rio dropped the small packet onto the carpet, his free hand skimming up Fire’s side, his nails gently scraping Fire’s skin. Fire groaned and pushed back onto his knees, wanting more. With a firm hand, Rio directed him back to the floor.

“Not yet.” His tone was low, drugging, making Fire want to obey.

He wanted to tease his mate and play, not giving Rio everything he asked for. But Fire’s growing desire and need was burning inside him, refusing to allow him to say anything or do anything that would stop Rio from bringing him so much pleasure.

Fire became full, letting him know that Rio had inserted two fingers. His other hand was ghosting over Fire’s body, as if the man was trying to burn every dip and every flare of Fire’s body into his memory.

“Your pale body looks so damn good wearing my handprint.”

Rio’s hand skimmed of the flesh he had abused just moments before.

Fire sucked in his bottom lip and chewed on it, fighting not to push back, to take what his body so desperately wanted. His fingers curled into the carpet as his eyes flickered up to Rio’s in the mirror.

The man looked intense, his eyes riveted on Fire’s ass.

All of a sudden Fire felt exposed. He had never really paid that much attention to whoever was fucking him or what they were looking at. Now that he was gazing into the reflection of the mirror, Fire could finally see what others saw. He felt vulnerable, at Rio’s mercy in a way that shook him down to his foundation.

“Come to me.” Rio pulled his hand free and then rested both on Fire’s hips. Pushing to his knees, Fire’s arms began to tremble.

This was it.

Rio was claiming him.

There would be no other except the black panther in his bed from here on out. The thought hit him hard as he remembered Maverick’s
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words and knew them to be true. Fire had been skating through life, using his charms and good looks to get what he wanted.

He had known then what he knew now that the shallowness at what he had been doing was nothing more than him looking for acceptance.

Now that Rio was claiming him, Fire knew there would be no more searching. But a fear began to rise up inside of him. He really didn’t know Rio. What if his mate tried to change him just like everyone else in his life had fought to do? Fire was far from perfect, he knew this—Fire accepted this. But he really wasn’t that bad of a person.

His thoughts shattered and became forgotten when the head of Rio’s cock began to enter him. Fire gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists as he tried to ride out the pain. It had definitely been a while.

“Stop tensing.” Rio’s words barely penetrated the fog in Fire’s mind. He let out a long, silent breath, trying his best to relax his body and take his mate in. He wasn’t about to tell Rio it had been a long time or make any references pertaining to a past lover. He had learned his lesson when Rio had pushed him into the chalkboard.

Rio didn’t give Fire any time to adjust. He began to move, to thrust his cock in and out a Fire’s ass in a steady rhythm. His mate’s fingers tightened on Fire’s hips and Fire could hear a low growl rumbling behind him.

Soon, pain turned to pleasure and Fire became lost. He dug his hands into the carpet, pushing back, meeting Rio’s downward thrusts.

“Watch!”

Fire’s eyes snapped to the mirror, watching Rio’s body move in an exotic dance behind him as his mate plunged deep and hard. Fire’s cock swung freely in the air, the head grazing the carpet, giving him barely enough friction to gain any pleasure.

Fire wasn’t sure how Rio knew, but no sooner had the thoughts left his mind than his mate reached under Fire, encircling Fire’s cock with his fingers. The man’s coordination astounded Fire. He was
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fucking Fire’s ass in a steady rhythm, yet his wrist was twisting in a way that drove Fire’s body completely insane.

Pain and pleasure exploded in Fire’s shoulder when Rio sank his canines in. Tiny, colorful ribbons began to form, one pulling from Rio, the other from Fire. They swirled around, rising high above their bodies. The two small transparent forms were the exact likeness of him and Rio. Fire could see them in the mirror. Translucent, they danced around one another, melded together, and then split apart, Rio’s image entering Fire as Fire’s image entered Rio.

Rio’s canines latched harder onto Fire shoulder. Fire’s eyes snapped to his mate’s, knowing that Rio had watched through the mirror as well. His pupils were dilated, making Rio look savage as he pounded his cock harder into Fire’s ass.

With one hard twist to his wrist, Fire cried out. Rio continued to stroke him as Fire’s seed spilled to the carpet below him. His mate licked the wound and then reared back, pistoning so hard that Fire knew he was going to have rug burns.

And he didn’t give a shit.

Rio came, his face twisting in pleasure as Fire watched, fascinated at what he was seeing. Rio was so goddamn gorgeous when he came.

Letting his eyes flutter closed, Fire was weary, boneless, and still reeling from what he had seen in the mirror when their souls intertwined. Fire had heard what happened when feys mated, but to see it with his own eyes, firsthand, was truly magical to him.

“Amazing.” Rio kissed where he had bitten. The man wrapped his arms around Fire and pulled him up into a kneeling position. Fire stared at their image, seeing how powerful Rio looked behind him.

“Truly amazing.”

“Say that to my knees.” Fire grinned.

“I was referring to how you felt in my arms.”

Fire wasn’t sure what to say to that. The passion in his mate’s voice left Fire speechless. Lifting his hands, Fire wrapped his fingers
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around Rio’s strong arm as he prayed that he had finally found his safe harbor.

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Once the last student had gone, Rio walked over to Fire’s classroom. He found his mate pacing back and forth, talking to himself. Fire’s voice was so low that Rio couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he could see agitation in every move the man made.

“Need a ride?”

Fire’s head snapped up as his eyes grew a little round. The expression made Rio’s teeth grind. His mate had been acting the same way at lunchtime but wouldn’t say what was wrong. He was getting really tired of the man’s secrets.

“Yeah, okay.” Fire moved stiffly over to his desk and grabbed his light jacket from the back of the chair.

Just as they were walking out of the room, Mr. Fishman appeared.

Once again his eyes zeroed in on Fire. “We need to have a talk, Mr.

Veneto.”

“He can’t,” Rio said before he knew the words were going to leave his mouth. “Fire has an appointment with the mayor.”

Mr. Fishman’s face mottled with anger. He could tell the man wanted to argue, but knew better of it. The mayor was a very influential man in this town and anyone with half a brain knew not to step on Maverick’s feet…including Mr. Fishman.

What a douchebag.

“You
will
meet me in my office after school tomorrow, Mr.

Veneto.” Mr. Fishman turned and walked away, leaving Rio standing there wondering what the hell was going on.

Turning to his mate, he asked, “What was that all about?”

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Fire shrugged. “Hell if I know. If you haven’t noticed, the man is a little nutty in the brain.”

“Come on, darlin’, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”

Rio walked from the classroom, Fire following. Once again he thought about how bizarre Mr. Fishman was acting toward Fire.

Notably, Fire’s classes had improved. It no longer sounded like a zoo, and Fire was getting the knack of planning the activities for his classes. If anything, Mr. Fishman should be backing off. Ever since the conversation Rio had with the principal in his office, Mr. Fishman had not asked him again about Fire.

The principal may not think Fire the right man for the job, but no parents had complained and the children seemed happy. They were behaving and listening. What more did the principal want? Rio still thought the guy homophobic. The guy was a little too high on his horse for Rio’s taste.

They both got into Rio’s truck, and then Rio pulled from the parking lot, heading toward the diner. “Care to tell me why you’ve been unfocused all day?”

Fire’s hands fluttered to his throat as he gazed out of the passenger window. “There’s nothing wrong. I’m just trying to get the hang of this teaching thing.”

Rio knew a lie when he heard one and it pissed him off. “I refuse to be mated to someone who doesn’t trust me.” His statement was blunt, harsh, but the bold truth.

Fire’s eyes seem to blaze as his head slowly turned toward Rio.

The man looked demonic. “I don’t even really know you, do I, Mr.

LeBlanc?”

Rio slammed on the brakes, his fingers twisting so tightly around the steering wheel that he was surprised he didn’t break the damn thing off. He threw the gear in park and turned toward his mate, unbuckling his seat belt. “Either you tell me what your fucking problem is or I swear I’ll strip your jeans off right here and swat your ass until you can’t sit down for a week!”

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To his utter amazement, Fire unbuckled his seat belt, opened the truck door, and slammed it shut behind him. His mate began to walk down the road, his fists balled tightly at his sides.

Oh hell no!

Rio got out and went after his mate.

Fire ran.

Rio ran faster.

He pulled Fire off his feet and held on as the man went psycho in his arms. Rio couldn’t understand why Fire was acting this way.

They’d had a great evening the night he had come over and claimed his mate. Nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary had happened at work. He was at a loss to understand why Fire was being so combative.

“Let me go!”

“Not until you act like you have some sense.” This only seemed to enrage Fire. The man began swinging his arms around, nearly striking Rio in his face. Rio locked his arms around Fire’s frame, holding the man’s arms in place. “Calm down.”

His mate stopped fighting him, his body still rigid in Rio’s arms.

He thought Fire had finally come to his senses until he heard soft sobs.

Rio was baffled. He lowered them to the ground and curled Fire into his lap. He didn’t care that they were on the side of the road. The only thing that mattered to Rio was finding out what was wrong with his mate. “Talk to me, darlin’.” It pained Rio to see Fire falling apart like this. He felt helpless.

The only thing Rio wanted to do was take Fire’s pain away. He ran his hands over his mate’s forehead, pushing back his pretty brown hair. The tears continued to stream down the man’s cheeks, his eyes avoiding Rio’s.

“I–I can’t.”

Rio gently cupped Fire’s jaw. “Why do you feel you can’t talk to me?”

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“Because you’ll hate me.”

Rio felt his gut clench at Fire’s words. What exactly had his mate done that he was so ashamed of? All sorts of scenarios were playing inside Rio’s head. The only thing that would ever turn Rio’s feelings against Fire was cheating. Somehow he knew that wasn’t the reason.

Fire was a hot mess, but a cheater Rio knew he was not. “Try me.”

His hands tightened around his mate when Fire buried his face in Rio’s chest. He pressed the side of his face into Fire’s hair, wondering what was so bad that Fire was acting this way. Finally, the crying ebbed. “I let everyone down.”

“Can you be a little more specific?”

Fire wouldn’t look at him. “I’m a gambling addict.”

He remembered the day Fire had taken off and was found outside The Café.

“My addiction had gotten so bad that I was in over my head.

Some bookies had not only threatened my life, but my brother’s as well. They said if they couldn’t find me, they were going to start taking out the people in the Den.”

Rio also remembered Maverick’s warning, and how his mate was on lockdown. It explained so much.

“Melonee got me out of debt, and now I owe the timber wolves.

I’ve been working my debt off with odd jobs for the wolves, but Maverick thought teaching would help me find direction.” Fire’s breath hitched. “I’m so screwed right now, Rio.”

“You placed a bet and lost.” It was a statement. Not a question.

Fire pulled his head back, his brown brows furrowing. “How do you know I lost?”

Rio gave him a daft look. “Because you would not be acting this way if you had won. Although I would hope to think that you would be acting this way out of guilt. I’m going to take a stab and say your behavior is from my first guess.”

Fire’s breath stuttered as he laid his cheek against Rio’s chest. “I tried to stay clean. I tried to do the right thing. But…”

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“But you’re an addict.” Rio tightened his arms around Fire once again. “You need help, Fire. More help than I can give you.”

“I know I need help. It finally sank in when I left you that day at the diner to go place a bet. I felt like the worst person in the world at that moment, and I knew that I was a gambling addict. I mean, I knew it before, but I foolishly thought I could stop anytime I wanted to.”

Fire gazed up at him. “I can’t stop, Rio.”

“There are plenty of support groups who can help you, darlin’.

You’re not alone in this.” Rio was glad that the truth was finally out.

Now he knew what he was dealing with.

“I’ve been waiting for the bookie to show up all day and praying he didn’t come to the school. I really don’t know him, just his face.

There’s no telling who he is going to send after me.”

Rio was afraid to ask. “How much do you owe?”