Page 49 of Hers to Claim

“I can also walk,” she said matter-of-factly, though their care of her made her feel cherished.

Rio scoffed. “Also no.” He nuzzled the side of her face. “I need some cuddle time to soothe the cat.”

Mari laughed, starting to feel better finally now that both of them were in sight and safe. “Well, if it’s for my gato then by all means.”

He resettled her against his chest with a smug smile and started to purr. “Everyone is accounted for except Luis and the hellhounds from the top floor. Nobody remembers when they saw Luis last, so it could be that he got away somehow.”

Cisco looked thoughtful. “Any of them know where Vincent was heading?”

Rio shook his head. “They didn’t know where he was taking them, just that they were headed out of town tonight.”

Mari looked across the large garage to where the people who had been held by Vincent were gathered. A few huddled together where Karma was talking with them and the rest were spread out and seated on the floor with their hands behind their backs under the guards’ watchful gazes. “These are all people from the top floor of the club?”

“Yeah, we all started out as Basilio’s guards and over time they split us up to better keep control of us.” Rio glanced over the people on the floor. “These guys hadn’t even heard that Basilio was dead. Vincent kept them locked down tight.”

“Dancer and Dasher are in charge of questioning them since they have almost as good noses for lies as you do,” Cisco said.

Rio nodded. “That seems reasonable. Some of them might want to come work for us, but I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t.”

“Me either.” Mari rested her head against Rio’s shoulder, feeling tired again. “But we should take care of them either way. We owe them that much.”

“Good point.” Cisco rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I’ll have them brought to the club once they’re cleared. I’ll call Esmé and let her know there are some folks on the way.” He pulled out his phone and turned away from them.

“That was a nice thing you did for them.” Rio nuzzled the top of her head. “You feel like you’re running on empty. Do you want me to bring you back the car?”

“Yeah, if everything is okay here that would be great.”

“Mmhmm,” he murmured into her hair. “Just relax. I’ve got you.”

She closed her eyes and snuggled down against him, her trust in him absolute.

* * *

A pulse of heat between her legs jolted Mari awake the next morning. Without even opening her eyes, she knew it was Rio. No one else had a tongue like that.

Following the night Dohal had visited her, they’d had a conversation about waking each other with intimate acts because it had seemed prudent. Cisco was a no on all counts. Rio was an enthusiastic yes to everything. Mari hadn’t been sure so she had agreed to oral only. Until now, no one had taken her up on it, but she was not at all surprised that Rio was the first. Healwayswoke up horny, no matter what they’d gotten up to the night before.

As arousal wound its way through her body, she was really pleased with the choice she’d made. She sighed pleasantly and looked down to where Rio had made himself comfortable between her thighs. He held her open with his thumb and forefinger and slowly lapped at her clit with the most satisfied feline grin she had ever seen.

“Well, good morning to you, too,” she said with a throaty laugh.

In response he purred against her, which made her cunt tingle in an extremely distracting way.

“Are you taking requests?” she asked a while later, when she was buzzing all over with pleasure and he didn’t seem to be showing any signs of tiring or escalating.

Without pausing, he chirped in a way that she took to meanit depends what you ask for.

“Hold me down and make me scream.” Mari raised her hands to curl her fingers around the headboard rail.

A twinkle of mischief lit his eyes as he adjusted his grip, spreading her thighs wide with both his hands. He sucked herclit into his mouth and pulled hard, flicking her piercing with his tongue at the same time. And in moments, she was panting for breath.

She couldn’t move at all the way Rio held her, though her hips wanted to lift into the sinful heat of his mouth. His fingers dented her skin where he held her open. When she was perilously close to coming, he eased back and flicked her clit gently. Much too gently. She whined in irritation, but didn’t move.

Once her breathing returned to normal, he started over again, but this time he bit down, tugging her piercing between his teeth. He kept on that way for a while, alternating softer kisses and firmer bites with luxurious laps of his tongue at random so that she never knew what to expect.

Soon she was constantly on edge but couldn’t come because he knew every quiver of her body intimately. Her magic soared so high that she worried she might shatter the windows when the dam finally broke.

“Please, Rio,” she begged.

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