Page 59 of Animal Beats

“Better.” He repeats his movements, slowly at first, with increasing force. He pulls back on my hips as his body surges to meet mine.

The sparks multiply.

Soon, my breasts swing with the force of his thrusts. I claw at the bedding, trying to keep my balance. A tingling begins in my toes and engulfs my entire body. Río’s hands caress my breasts. He kisses me with more erotic passion than before. Sweat pours from his torso onto mine. With a final pluck of my nipple, I scream as another climax rips through me.

An unheard of third time.

He keeps pounding into my body for a few more thrusts, then freezes and lets out a roar. He empties himself into me, then collapses on top of my back. I welcome his weight. It only proves this amazing coupling happened.

Sometime later, he pulls out of me and mumbles something about taking care of the condom. He disappears and I flip over, the back of my hand landing on my forehead. Río’s ruined me for all other men. Well, he’s certainly made those who came before even more forgettable. I allow myself another moment of bliss before sitting up. He’s had his fun. It doesn’t mean anything.

Standing, I’m checking my phone when Río strides back into the bedroom. He asks, “What are you doing?”

I glance at him. “Jet’s ready. Looks like we have ten minutes to return to reality.”

Although mine’s permanently been altered by UC’s drummer.

17

RÍO

I’m not ready to leave this amazing love nest, especially when the woman who’s blown through so many of my barriers is acting weird. “A lot can happen in ten minutes.”

She picks up her panties and puts them on, then grabs her pants. “Seems like it already did.”

Didn’t she enjoy it? Fuck. I almost broke my no face-to-face rule to be with her. I’ve never been that intimate with anyone before. With her, I almost did. “It was fantastic.”

“It sure was.” She bends over and retrieves her shoes, then leaves me alone and naked in the bedroom.

This is usually how I leave women, not the other way around. I grab my stuff and follow her, where she already has her bra on. “I like the blue.”

She faces me, her gaze skimming over my naked body. “Thanks.”

I drop my clothes onto the sofa where it all started and open my arms wide. “Don’t I at least get a hug?”

She smiles, and my entire being lights up as if I won another award. “I think we have time for one.” Hayden steps toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

As I bury my nose in her hair, I inhale her delightful orange scent. The need for honesty overwhelms me. “I’ve never felt so in tune with a woman before.”

She pulls me in tighter. “I can honestly say I’ve never felt anything like us before either.”

I kiss her cheek. When did I become such a pushover? I guess when Hayden walked into my world. “Me neither.”

She steps back. “No need to lay it on so thick, drummer boy.” She grabs her shirt.

“I’m not lying,” I argue. “You make me want to do things I’ve never done before.”

She snorts. “Something tells me you’ve done all this—and much more—about a million times.”

“Hayden, you’re wrong. Everything we’ve done is like a brand-new start for me. Sure, I’ve done the mechanics before, but you make it special.” I stride over to her. “You’re special.”

I kiss her mouth, her stiff body unyielding until my tongue plays with hers. When she relaxes into my embrace and her tongue touches mine, I confirm this woman is different from all the rest. Now I only have to convince her of this. Despite wanting to do it all again and again, I step backward. “Better get dressed.”

It takes her until I’ve put on my jeans to come back to herself. In a resigned voice, she says, “I’ll call for the car to take us to the airstrip.”

As she does that, I tie my sneakers and strategize ways to make her come around to my way of thinking. At least I have about eight hours onboard the flight to Madrid to persuade her.

Adifferent flight attendant offers us drinks, which we both decline. As soon as we reach our cruising altitude, I unbuckle my seatbelt and stand. I’ve been considering how to convince her she’s the real deal for me, and decided the best way to do this is naked. In the bedroom.