Page 26 of The Road Ahead
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Rio was good at this. They were good ateverythingthey did. I was so worked up that it took hardly any time at all before I was biting down on my hand to keep quiet as pulses of pleasure shot through me as I came.
“Fuck. You’re so hot,” Rio said as they pulled away when I finally finished coming.
“Ungh,” was my articulate reply.
They laughed quietly as they set about removing the condom and wiping me down with a tissue.
“Wait, I’m supposed to be doing cleanup,” I said. “It was part of the deal.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t lodge a formal complaint with your head office,” they teased. “You can make it up to me next time.”
“So long as I haven’t lost you as a repeat customer,” I joked right back.
“Not at all. I’m very impressed with your level of customer service here. I’ll have to come again.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” I promised.
We giggled together as we finished wiping off, and I reached over to grab the now crumpled pajamas from the other side of the bed. “Oops. I hope I didn’t ruin them.”
Rio raised a brow at me. “Cooper, they’repajamas. They’re meant to be worn to bed. If they got ruined because they got a few wrinkles in them, they’d be pretty crappy at their job.”
“Fair,” I conceded. “Do I still get to dress you?”
“You’d better. Where do you want me?” they asked.
“Stand up for me.” I got off the bed and stood back to give them room to join me, and I took a moment to simply look at them. Their bronze skin shone under the overhead light, and a light flush was still evident on their throat and chest from our exertions. Their curls were a riotous mess, and I couldn’t help but reach down and tuck one especially rogue lock behind their ear. They’d not washed off their makeup as yet, and the eyeliner they wore had smudged making their eyes look extra smoky. Their lips were kiss swollen and perfect, and I couldn’t wait to kiss them again. So I did.
“I thought you were getting me ready for bed,” Rio asked archly as I pulled away.
“Got distracted. Sorry.” I really wasn’t.
Rio held their arms out to the side. “Come on. Get me dressed. It’s getting a little awkward now that you’re the only one wearing something.”
I looked down at my body and only just realized how stupid I must look. I was in my yellow and black checked shirt and white socks, and that was it. It wasn’t exactly sexy. I took hold of the lavender shorts and held them out.
Rio looked at me, again with a brow raised. “Um, Coop?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m flexible, but I’m notthatflexible.”
I was confused. “Okay . . . ?”
Rio rolled their eyes and pushed down on my hands, making me hunch over until it was easier to just drop to my knees. “Not all of us are giants,” they grumbled, and then held onto my shoulders as they placed first one leg then the next into the shorts.
“Oops. Sorry,” I said, then gently shimmied the shorts up their legs. I let my hands linger on their hips, enjoying that when kneeling I was only a little shorter than Rio. Leaning in, I pressed a kiss to their throat, and then reached over to snag the cami from the bed. I maneuvered Rio’s arms into the top and pulled it down their torso, smoothing the silky material against their skin. “There. All done,” I whispered.
Rio kissed me, then said, “Thank you. I’m just going to go and wash my face and brush my teeth. Back soon.”
I nodded, watching them go, feeling my heart thump loudly against my chest. Yep, they were definitely it for me.
We had a lazy morning. Rio and I had awoken with me wrapped around them once more, and this time it wasn’t simply so I could fit comfortably on the bed. I enjoyed holding them in my arms and had slept more peacefully than I had in a long time. We’d risen and gone for a leisurely jog, not pushing it and taking the time to stop and exchange lingering kisses. By unspoken agreement, neither of us brought up the discussion we needed to have. It was inevitable, but it could wait for tomorrow. Today we could simply let ourselves enjoy the warm glow of our newfound intimacy.
We got back to the cabin and cooked another full breakfast for everyone. I didn’t have much time in the mornings before work,so I was enjoying the change from my usual overnight oats. We then took turns in the shower, and I made a little extra effort with my outfit for the day. I was never going to be as fabulous as Rio, who looked positively sinful in wide-leg black pants with rows of diamantes up the side and a skin-tight pale pink tank top that, as was the norm for them, ended just above their belly button. I pulled out a pair of blue jeans that fit me like a second skin, which I rarely wore because they didn’t leave much to the imagination. A white tee that was a size too small completed the outfit.
Okay, so maybe it wastwosizes too small. The way Rio’s eyes widened when they took in my appearance made it all worth it. I might have a little trouble breathing, but I could handle that.
While we waited for Teresa and Brad to get ready for our final day at the festival, I pulled out my balloon kit. Rio watched with rapt attention as I fished out three balloons—one black, one white, and one orange. I pumped them up and tied them off, then quickly began assembling the body of the penguin.
