1
" The man glared at the sphere, then a gleam entered his eye. “All right, you hunk of junk, come get me.”
He sounded elated, like he was having fun.
A man who had fun fighting an assassin bot?
He led the bot backward, step by step.
It followed him, and he laughed, one of the finest sounds Nella had ever heard. A woman could fall in love with that laugh.
But any moment now, he’d fall over Nella’s hiding place, and the bot would get them both, which meant death for her.
She held her breath.
At the last minute, the man stepped through a narrow doorway into an empty warehouse. The bot skittered into the shadowed opening, then it stopped, confused. The man ducked out and slapped his hand against the wall. A huge metal door slammed down, carrying the startled bot with it. The heavy slab of metal smashed the bot into the floor. Plastic and metal and gold bits flew every which way, clattering against the rusting walls. Then with hiss and a pop, the pieces disintegrated.
The man laughed again. “There. See how you like it.”
But the bot was programmed to kill, no matter what. At the last moment, it released one of its darts, lightning fast, straight at Nella, programmed to seek and find her DNA signature. Nella felt the sting in her bare leg.
The poison acted swiftly, and her vision blurred.
Through a fog, she saw the big man standing over her, concern in the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. He pulled out the dart and stood holding it in one large hand.
She heard him say, “Shit, are you all . . . ?” and then, there was nothing. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
2
" Nella swallowed. “Who are you?”
“Rio,” he said. “Who are you?”
His voice, soft and seductive, held a hint of hidden wickedness.
With difficulty, Nella clamped her lips shut. She could not reveal her true name— not yet, until she was certain who he worked for.
“I’m . . .” She stopped, her mouth trying to form the right name anyway. Her brain felt thick, as though perfumed tendrils wove through it. “Yours,” she finished.
Rio’s eyes flickered. “That’s dangerous, beautiful. Very dangerous.”
Nella didn’t care. Right now, she wanted every inch of danger he could give her. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
3
" Rio lowered his head and licked Nella from her shoulder to her neck. “You feel it,” he whispered. “You feel her wanting him. I can feel you feeling it.” He chuckled. “You can feel me feeling you feel it.”
His leggings stretched over his cock, huge and stiff, the length of it pressing her backside. “You want me there,” he said.
“Yes.”
“You don’t know why, and you are not ready to take me. I’d hurt you if I took you now.”
Nella dragged in a breath. His tongue moved to her ear, tracing the shell of it, breath burning.
“It would hurt,” he said. “And you’d love it. I’m Shareem. I could make you love it.”
“Yes,” she gasped.
“But I won’t.” He teased the tips of her breasts with slow touches. “I’ll never hurt you. I’ll give you only the good kind of hurt. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
4
" Why should you be a prisoner?” Rio reached again to the burning red of her hair. “’ Course, you can be one if you want to be. I could wrap you in chains and promise to let you go after I’ve pleasured you countless times. The more you begged me to release you, the longer I’d keep you bound.”
Her eyes were round, caught between panic and desire. Her breath smelled good, spicy and salty. She probably tasted just as good.
Rio leaned down and gently brushed his tongue across her lower lip.
She gasped and jerked back, and he sensed her body sending her conflicting messages. Be afraid of this man, it was telling her, at the same time it urged her, Let him do as he likes.
She wanted him, and she didn’t want to want him.
“Rio,” Dr. Laas’ wry voice came from across the room. “The poor woman just got over alkaloid poisoning. Give her a few minutes. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
7
" Nella had the sudden flash of seeing Rio, in his leather leggings, kneeling with thighs spread, his hands behind him, his brawny wrists encircled by wide cuffs with a chain between them.
Rio’s gaze locked to hers, his eyes nearly filling with blue, as though he knew what was in her head.
Then she noticed Rees. He’d stilled, his irises also widening. His large hand moved to cup Talan’s waist and pull her toward him. The tunic couldn’t hide the fact that his cock was stiffening and lengthening.
“Better stop whatever you are imagining,” Dr. Laas said to Nella, amusement in her voice. “You have two Shareem males erect and randy in front of you, and you’re only wearing a sheet. Who knows what the consequences will be?”
“Can they read my mind?” Nella asked in surprise.
“No,” Rees said, his voice rumbling and low. “Your pheromones.”
“They pour over us like water, sweetheart,” Rio said. “When your body is craving us, we get all hot and bothered. We can’t help it.” He moved to her. “Later, I’ll make you tell me what you were thinking about.”
Bad idea. A very bad idea.
Talan seemed the only one able to take the situation in stride. She broke away from Rees and came to Nella. “You poor dear. I imagine you are quite confused. Come and sit.” She glanced at Rio. “Couldn’t you find her any clothes?”
Rio shrugged. “I like her the way she is. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
11
" With effort, Nella shoved the vision aside. “Never.” She drew herself up. “I am a princess of Ariel. I would never—”
“Yes, you would. You will. But I’m glad to hear you get mad at me. That means whoever is chasing you, whoever is trying to make you his slave didn’t break you. You’re whole and strong.”
“Then why do you want to break me?”
“I don’t.” Rio stepped closer to her. “I want you to submit to me.”
“What is the difference?”
“There’s a big difference. Submission is complete trust. It’s giving yourself and your pleasure to the hands of your lover. You’ll free yourself, and give yourself entirely to me.”
“If it is so freeing, why do you not submit yourself?”
Rio laughed, a sound so filled with mirth it made her want to smile along. “Tell you what, beautiful. You submit wholly and completely to me— let me train you to be my sub— then I’ll submit to you.”
Nella gave him a suspicious look. “Would you?”
“I never go back on my word, sweetheart. We’ll get Rees to help out if you don’t believe me. He’d be happy to chain me up, although not for the same reasons. He thinks I’m a pain in the ass. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
12
" You have the most beautiful smile,” Rio said. His eyes had gone deeply blue, his irises spreading to blot out the white.
“You are putting thoughts into my head again.”
“No, darlin’. You’re putting them there all by yourself.”
“You are making me want to obey you.”
“Maybe giving you a little nudge.”
Nella wet her lips, which were so dry for some reason. “What exactly would you want me to do?”
Rio came closer, and she could smell the leather of his clothes, the musk of his body, feel the heat of his fingers before he even touched her. “Anything I can think of to make you do.” His temperature seemed higher than that of a normal human, as she’d observed before. Humans were actually a little cooler on Bor Narga, she’d learned— an adaptation against living in an extreme desert climate— but Shareem skin was hot. Especially Rio’s, especially now.
“And if I refuse to obey? You punish me?”
“Maybe. I’m not like some Doms, who reach for the whip every time their ladies disobey.” He leaned to her, his voice velvet smooth, his breath hot spice. “Punishment is so much sweeter when it’s begged for.”
Nella tried to draw a normal breath and couldn’t. She hadn’t felt normal since she woke up here. “I would never ask to be punished.”
“Beg, I said. And you will.” He touched the swirl of hair above her ear. “You will, sweet darling. I guarantee it. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
13
" How much will you change?” Nella asked, uneasy.
“Oh, not too much. Enough so that your signature won’t match the bots’ programming. Outwardly, you’ll never know the difference. Unless, of course, you’d like me to make some modifications.” She ran an eye up and down Nella, like a dress designer trying to decide where to put more pleats or frills.
Rio’s arms tightened around her. “Don’t you dare change a thing. She’s perfect the way she is.”
Nella’s face heated. “Not really.”
“You don’t believe me?” Rio said, his voice taking on a dangerous note.
“You’re very flattering,” she said.
His playfulness vanished. “Flattering? You mean I’m lying?”
“I didn’t say that. I . . .”
He confused her. All her life Nella had been taught to be banally polite, to have the correct remark for the correct person at the correct time, always. Everything she said to Rio seemed to provoke a reaction opposite of what she’d been taught to expect. But then, Rio was nothing like any male— any human being— Nella had ever met before. He did nothing as expected. Maybe that was part of his attraction— his unpredictability.
Abruptly, Rio spun Nella around and lifted her over his shoulder. She squeaked in surprise as her world went upside down, too startled to do anything but gape at his tight, leather-clad buttocks. “You’re still having a problem with trust,” he said. “One I’m going to have to cure.”
Planting his hand on her backside, Rio hauled Nella out of the room, completely ignoring her shout of protest. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
16
" A level three asking a level one for advice? What happened? Did your whip malfunction?”
“Stop it, I’m laughing so hard.” Rio set down his ale glass, licking the spicy ale from his lips. “Here’s the thing. I’m sexy as hell, I have women crawling at my feet, begging for me. I can make them orgasm by looking at them and telling them they want to. What I don’t know how to do is . . . touch them.”
“What are you talking about? You touch women all the time.”
Rio shook his head. “No, I fuck them. I tease them. I spank them. I don’t touch them.”
“Ah, I think I see what you mean. Who’s the woman?”
“A gorgeous, redheaded virgin.” Rio broke off. “I don’t know why, but she’s made me more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life.” No, he did know why. She was beautiful, sweet, lickable and he wanted to fuck her and fuck her until he couldn’t take any more.
“Uh-oh,” Aiden said.
“What uh-oh? And wipe that grin off your face. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
17
" It will relax her, make her pliable. Women love having their feet rubbed.”
“Most women beg me to rub somewhere other than their feet.”
“They like their toes nibbled,” Aiden said. “And suckled.”
“Rub feet, suckle toes. Got it.”
“Do it slowly, the strokes steady. Then move up her legs. Use her muscles as a guide. Not hard strokes— you want to soothe, not press.”
“How long before I can massage her pussy?”
“Gods, level threes are impatient. The trick is to go slowly. By the time you’ve reached her ass, she’s sighing with pleasure, but you don’t stop there. You do her entire back and arms while she’s longing for you to get to her pussy. Make her wait.”
“Now that I can get into. Holding back, making her beg.”
He saw Nella again, squirming on the sheets, her red hair tangled on the pillow, her hips lifting toward him. Please, Rio, she’d say.
Not yet, baby, he’d respond. I want you good and wet before I get there.
She’d whimper with disappointment, then he’d lift his strap and smack her sweet little backside.
Rio sighed and made the image dissolve. “Massage. Slowly. I’m not sure my programming will let me.”
“Like this.” Aiden moved his ale glass and pressed his hand to the table, thumb and last two fingers on the surface, the other two fingers held loosely. “Glide across her skin, pressing a little. Long strokes, following the curve of her leg.” He moved his hand across the table, slowly and sensually, his own eyes becoming bluer, as though he pictured a beautiful woman under his hand.
Rio copied his movements, trying to shape his hand the same way, trying press a little, but not too much.
It felt awkward. He gave up. “I gotta say, massaging this table does nothing for me. "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
20
" Rio caught her in his arms and pushed her inside, closing his eyes as he pulled her body against his, her scent filling him.
Her hood fell back, revealing her brilliant red hair, which glistened in the strong sunlight of Bor Narga before the door shut on them both.
Rio held her close, his heart thumping with joy and excitement and relief.
Nella was crying, tears streaking silently down her beautiful face from her bright green eyes.
He wiped away the moisture with his thumb. “Hey, baby,” he said, his lips grazing hers. She tasted so damn good. “Miss me? "
― Allyson James , Rio (Tales of the Shareem, #2)
