“Well,” Kelly smirked, popping open the champagne. “You’re in the back of a luxury SUV with flowers and a half-naked memory of last night. Let’s not pretend danger isn’t your middle name today.”
They clinked their glasses, and the car pulled off, weaving through the French Quarter. It wasn’t long before they pulled up to their first stop, a historic garden tucked away just off Esplanade Avenue, where Rio stood waiting in all black, sunglasses on, tattoos glowing under the morning sun.
He turned, smiling slowly when he saw them.
“Told you I had a day planned,” he said, stepping forward. “And this is just the beginning.”
Kylee stepped out of the car, pulse quickening as Rio’s eyes locked onto hers like no one else existed.
Maybe today, she’d stop holding back. Or maybe, she’d make him really work for it.
They strolled through the garden path, the heavy perfume of jasmine swirling in the warm air around them. Spanish moss hung from the trees like a veil, softening the edges of the morning light. It felt like they’d stepped into a dream or maybe out of real life entirely.
Kelly vanished almost instantly, swept away by Mason with a grin and a wink. Kylee didn’t even try to stop her. “Classic Kelly,” she muttered.
Rio laughed beside her. “She moves fast.”
“She always has,” Kylee said with a smile. Then, quieter, “Unlike me.”
Rio glanced at her as they walked. “Is that what last night was about?”
She exhaled, keeping her eyes on the path ahead. “I’m married, Rio.”
“So?” His tone was soft but sharp, challenging. “You think that scares me off?”
Kylee stopped in her tracks, turning toward him. “It should.”
He moved closer, slow and deliberate, but didn’t touch her. “You think I haven’t met women in marriages before? I’m Rio Riot, sweetheart. I don’t wait for green lights, I blow through them.”
She tried to hold onto her composure, but her breath hitched. “That’s reckless.”
“That’s real,” he said. “Live your life now. Ask for forgiveness later.”
Kylee shook her head, half in disbelief, and half in awe. “That’s not how normal people think.”
“I’m not normal,” Rio said with a slow smile, his voice almost a whisper. “And neither are you. Not anymore.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. A part of her wanted to keep walking, keep pretending, and keep control. But another part, a louder, wilder part leaned in toward the heat of him.
“You don’t even know me,” she said.
He grinned. “Maybe not yet. But I know that fire in your eyes. I know what it means when a woman like you gets a taste of freedom.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He was too close. Too intoxicating.
And still… she turned away.
“Let’s keep walking,” she murmured, more to herself than him. Rio didn’t argue. He just followed, the space between them crackling with everything left unsaid.
They continued down the winding path, Rio a step behind her, hands tucked into his back pockets like he wasn’t in any rush. Kylee could feel the weight of his gaze without even looking at him. It pressed into the bare skin at the nape of her neck, crawled down her spine, made her hyperaware of every sway in her hips.
“So,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Is this where you pretend I don’t exist for the rest of the day, or...?”
She smirked, glancing at him over her shoulder. “That depends. Are you going to keep being so full of yourself?”
He held up both hands. “Guilty as charged. But I also happen to be charming. Devastatingly, according to America's Hottest Rock star magazine.”
Kylee laughed despite herself. “You’re impossible.”
