Rio’s hand reached across the leather seat, finding Kylee’s without asking. She let him take it. His grip was warm and firm, fingers lacing through hers like they’d done it a hundred times before. She stared out the window, heart thudding with that familiar blend of guilt and longing, her thumb absently stroking the side of his hand.
Kylee gave a small smile, but didn’t speak. It was getting harder to pretend her body wasn’t screaming at her to stay.
Rio’s thumb brushed over her knuckles as he added, voice softer now, “I hope you change your mind.”
“I hope you stay longer, even just one more night.” He said simply
Her breath caught. His eyes searched hers, not with pressure or demands, just quiet, honest hope.
“I wish I could,” she whispered.
He nodded, his jaw tightening slightly. “You can. You just won’t.”
Kylee’s heart twisted. She looked back out the window again, not pulling her hand away.
Not yet.
As the hotel came into view, the car slowed to a stop under the glowing entrance. The valet opened the door, but neither of them moved at first.
Rio leaned in, his forehead brushing lightly against hers, his voice rough with restraint. “If this is the last night I get with you… I’m not wasting it.”
He kissed her forehead and gave her a very sexy seductive smile.
Kylee stepped out of the car on shaking legs, her body at war with her head. One more night…Could change everything replayed over and over in her head.
Kylee stepped out of the elevator, her heels clicking against the polished floor as she made her way down the quiet hotel hallway. Her heart still raced from the car ride, from Rio’s touch, from everything this weekend had stirred inside her. The key card clicked, and she opened the door to their suite.
Kelly was already there, sprawled across the bed in one of the hotel’s fluffy white robes, her hair damp from a recent shower and a daiquiri in hand like it was still mid-party.
“Finally,” Kelly said, sitting up. “So? What happened? Don’t leave me hanging.”
Kylee closed the door and let out a breath as she leaned against it. “This whole trip has been insane. Kylee laughed, finally kicking off her shoes. “Rio wants me to stay longer. He said he has a break before the next stop and he wants to spend it with me.”
Kelly’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, what? That’s huge. And amazing.”
Kylee shook her head, walking over to the mirror and pulling her hair out of its clip. “It’s crazy. I have to get back to Idaho. School starts. The kids need me. And this? This whole thing it’s not real life.”
Kelly rolled her eyes and took another sip. “So what if it’s not? That’s why it’s magic. Come on, Kylee. You’ve been playing perfect wife and mom for years. Just soak this in for once. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Kylee turned, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “This is what these famous guys do. They find the bitch of the weekend, they sleep with her, maybe fly her out once if she’s extra fun, and then poof onto the next one. I’m not that type of girl.”
Kelly blinked, mock-offended. “Damn. That’s what you think of me?” She snorted, then started laughing. “Well shit.”
Kylee’s eyes softened. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Kelly waved her off with a smirk. “Relax. I’m not offended. Honestly, this weekend? Worth every second. Plus I now have the best two truths and a lie. ‘I fucked a famous rock star drummer, I stayed sober for Mardi Gras, and I got arrested in New Orleans.’” She wiggled her eyebrows. “No one’s ever gunna guess right.”
Kylee couldn’t help but laugh, her shoulders finally relaxing as she fell back onto the bed beside her. “This trip…” she said softly, looking up at the ceiling, “has completely wrecked my reality.”
Kelly chuckled “Good. Maybe it’s about time.”
Kylee stood at the bathroom sink, slowly removing her makeup under the soft hum of the hotel fan. Her reflection stared back at her smudged eyeliner, flushed cheeks, lips that still tingled from almost kissing Rio. She dabbed gently at the corner of her eye, then sighed.
The room behind her was quiet now. Kelly had passed out mid-scroll on her phone, one leg kicked over the comforter, snoring. Kylee padded quietly to her bed, pulling the sheets back and sliding beneath them, the cool fabric brushing her bare legs.
She stared at the ceiling, her mind a mess of emotions. “What a weekend.” she mumbled She should be exhausted, but her thoughts raced, spinning between flashbacks of Rio’s smoldering eyes watching her in the crowd, the way his hand had felt in hers on the ride back, the smoothness in his voice when he asked her to stay.
And still… Jake had her stomach twisted.
