Page 39 of Coulda

“Fun places?” she asked.

“Is Paris fun?” he asked, then balanced her skillfully when she stumbled over her steps.

“Yes. Paris would be fun.”

“Then you’ll go with me on my next trip. I would be delighted to show you such a beautiful city.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” Amber murmured, trying to look like she wasn’t completely flabbergasted. “I have so much to learn about you.”

“And I you. The next twenty years should be interesting, hmm?” he suggested, drawing her into a beautiful turn to finish the music.

CHAPTER14

When they walked into Rio’s beautiful house after dinner and dancing, Amber collapsed to the couch to take off her shoes as Rio slung his jacket over the back of a nearby chair. Kneeling at her feet, Rio shooed her hands away and lifted her leg to slide the stiletto from her foot. He rubbed her instep, easing the tension away from standing on the high heels before repeating his attentions to the other foot as Amber tried to control her moans of delight.

“I’ll give you a few hours to stop that,” Amber joked as he settled on the couch next to her with her feet in his lap, obviously meaning to continue his attention to her.

“Maybe I need to add another guideline to our list. Should heels be outlawed? Little girls don’t need to wear them.”

“No, Rio. I need some big girl time, too. I promise I won’t prance around in them every day. Just like I won’t wear this fancy dress or this shapewear for a long time,” she said, reaching under the hem to snap the restrictive garment underneath.

Without saying a word, Rio stood and tugged her to stand in front of him. Deftly, he stripped off her dress and undergarments. “This is unacceptable,” he murmured, tracing a red mark on her skin.

“You’re going to go crazy when you see what happens to me working at the hospital,” she told him, trying to distract herself from being self-conscious as she stood in front of him naked.

“You will be careful,” he warned.

“I promise.”

Without another word, Rio scooped her into his arms and carried her through the house to the large master bathroom. After setting her feet gently on the soft rug in front of one basin at the vanity, Rio turned on the faucet to let water gush into the bathtub.

Amber reached for her toothbrush in the holder that held his as well. It seemed very intimate to have something so ordinary together. Only one thing remained in her suitcase. Amber wondered if she’d be brave enough to get him when it was time for bed.

She brushed her teeth as she watched Rio unbutton his dress shirt and remove his cufflinks before shrugging out of the garment and tossing it into the basket for dry-cleaning. Scanning his powerful body, Amber tried to tamp down her arousal. When he removed his slacks and boxer briefs, she forgot to move the toothbrush in her mouth. Catching herself, Amber quickly finished and rinsed her mouth.

Approaching the bath to see if the water was deep enough to sit down in and to stop herself from staring at him, Amber discovered she could see his reflection perfectly in a mirror positioned over the tub.Damn, he’s pretty.

“Thank you, Ella.”

Embarrassed that she had actually said that aloud, Amber stepped one foot quickly into the tub and then hopped out, dancing in discomfort with one red foot. Rio knelt at her feet within a fraction of a second to make sure she was okay.

“It’s fine. I should have noticed the steam rising from the water,” she told him.

“You need to learn to wait for Daddy’s permission, Little girl. Your bath was not ready,” he scolded her.

“Rio, I’m not used to asking for permission to get in the bathtub,” Amber said mockingly.

“Daddy,” he corrected her with a stern look before reaching up to adjust the water temperature.

“I suppose I get spanked,” she said flippantly.

“No bubbles,” he announced.

Inside, she regretted losing them even though the idea hadn’t popped into her mind. How did he know that would be a negative consequence? “Fine,” she answered as if that were nothing.

Rio didn’t answer but checked the bathwater. “It’s safe now. Do you want me to get in first to make sure?”

“You’re taking a bath with me?”

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