Page 47 of Scars of the Sun
Río jogged towards us with his board at his side, and I softly reminded Dahlia of how to use her toe-stop to slow herselfdown. I’d long since taken mine out, so I set my right foot perpendicular to and behind my left, dragging it until we met him in the middle.
Without a lick of shame, Río palmed the back of my sweaty neck and smacked a kiss to my lips. For Dahlia, he bent down and led her through their handshake that I still wasn’t allowed to learn. She wrinkled her nose up at him once they were done, “You kiss as much as Mommy and Daddy,” which, you know, made very reasonably sputter and grasp for something to retort with.
Río was as cool as ever, standing and pressing another to my brow for good measure. This time, he ended it with a ridiculous smacking sound that had Dahlia and I both chuckling. “What’s wrong with kissin’?”
She was doing her best to stay standing still, wheels moving back and forth in place. “It’s weird,” she said with a grin and arms stretched wide for balance.
“Huh. It is kinda weird when you think about it,” I said and was given a somehow brighter smile in return by both she and Río.
The three of us skated around for a while as the sky above continued to churn but refused to give rain. The resulting breeze and my insistence on multiple water breaks kept us from getting dehydrated. At one point, my niece and I sat on a ledge, feet swinging, while Río jumped a stack of concrete steps and practiced his grinds on a rail. We clapped each time he landed and hollered with every flip of his board that he threw.
After another round of Río’s showboating sent Dahlia into a fit of squealing laughter, I pulled out my phone to check the time. I responded to Delaney’s text, confirming our next coffee hang, and stuffed the phone back in my pocket. “All right, Dolly, time to go.”
Andthe whining started. From what I’d glimpsed at their school, this was a normal thing almost five-year-olds did, so I fought to gently stand my ground. She wasn’t actually that hungry, she said as I floated us back toward our stuff. She wasn’t ready to go and everyone else was staying, so it wasn’t fair, she cried.
And she turned her pouts and wide eyes at me, wielding them like a well-honed weapon, and I nearly caved. With a deep breath, I firmed my stance, “Dahlia, it’s time to go so you can have a bath and eat dinner. I promised your mommy and daddy that we’d leave at this time, and I told you the time before we got here. Remember?”
That got no retort, just more pouting and her holding still while I unlaced her skates and helped her out of her knee and elbow pads. She was able to get her helmet off herself, and I had to stifle a snicker at the very prominent helmet-hair she was now sporting.
Well, I took mine off, I guess that made two of us. While our braids were frizzy from the increased humidity today, the hair on our scalps was packed down tight.
“Hey, Princess.” I turned and immediately rolled my eyes at the amusement clear on Río’s face while he looked at my hair.
“What, Río.”
He remained unperturbed and pressed on, “We got rehearsal at Ty’s later tonight. Wanna come over and listen?”
I crossed my arms and kept my face impassive while my stomach fluttered at the prospect of spending more time with him. Meeting his other friends. “Uhm, maybe. What time?”
Warm, strong hands eclipsed my hips and pulled me into an even warmer chest. “Aw, don’t be like that,” Río’s teeth lightly teased my ear. “I know you wanna come over and see me play. Then maybewecan play. How’s that sound?” He stole a lick andkiss on the outer curve of my ear before I swatted him away, blushing. Río laughed and danced away.
“Fine. When?”
“Any time after eight is good. I’ll text you the address.” I didn’t voice my disappointment that he hadn’t offered to pick me up on his bike, just gave a tight nod.
“Sweet. See y’all later.” I let him pull me in for a lingering kiss that held the tease of tongue before hustling myself and Dahlia out toward the car.
That night, I pulled Sylvie’s car up the long, paved driveway that snaked between some trees and a pristine lawn. Very much not what I envisioned Tyler’s home would be, but sure enough, when I arrived at a black, modern house, his challenger that I recognized from the skate spot was parked out front. Along with Río’s truck and a few other cars I didn’t recognize.
My fingers curled around the strap of my backpack, and I forced myself out of the car with it in tow. Río had suggested that I bring a swimsuit. That Tyler had a pool, and we might as well make use of it.
On the way here, I’d run out to the nearest Target, hastily bought a suit, and pulled the tags off of it with my teeth. Because… I wanted to do this with him. To be able to get in as easily as everyone else, and feel Río’s arms wrapped around me while we floated in the deep end.
Couldn’t do that with a hoodie on, though. Still hadn’t figured that part out yet by the time I was knocking on the large front door.
Before I could come to a conclusion, it opened wide.
Río had showered since the skate park, wet hair pulled back in a bun. His sleeveless band tee displayed his toned arms that were as equally covered in tattoos as the rest of him.
Just like at the skate spot, he took charge of our reunion, pulling me in. I stumbled over the threshold as our lips met, and somehow, the door closed behind me as I sank into Río’s lips and tongue. I tickled the tip of mine over the barbell stuck through his, eliciting a moan that I gave back in kind. My backpack dropped with a shudder, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
My back pressed against the door, but that just allowed him to trap me against him. Something that I wasnotgoing to admit to him that I was all for.
But, how was I supposed to react when he pulled our hips together, demanding I take notice of how much he wanted me? I swept my thumbs against the shaved section of hair at the nape of his neck, feeling the soft and prickly hair and the twin thudding of our hearts.
“There’s a guest room down the hall.” Río planted himself at my neck, sucking and nibbling in a way that went straight between my legs. I was already nodding before he finished the sentence with his voice rough and low. Now that I’d experienced what it was like with him, the need I felt was ramped up even higher. Iwanted.
We’d had sex a few times since the first time at his house, and we’d had more conversations. Río had gotten tested, sending me the results this morning. I absolutely hated thinking about him with anyone besides me, but it was comforting to know that he’d been safe nonetheless.