by Judy Angelo
Why else would his shoulder muscles flex as he clenched his hands around his elbows? Why else would his nostrils be flaring like that? Why else, for goodness gracious sake, would he have a rapidly rising mound tenting the front of his pants?
And then just as she settled onto the pillow beside him Ridge gave a groan fraught with frustration then rolled away from her and got out of the bed. Without warning he walked away into the bathroom and she didn’t hear anything else until the shower started.
Ridge was mad all right, but he’d asked for it. She chuckled as she remembered his reaction. “Be careful what you wish for,” she murmured. “You might just get it.” ***
It was early, barely six o’clock in the morning but Ridge was up and jogging on the cool sand of Papohaku Beach. If he’d spent another minute with Lani’s warm, sweet-smelling body curled up against his he’d have gone mad.
That is, if he wasn’t already. Who but a mad man would put his own damn self in a prison of torment, living with a desirable woman but not able to touch her, then worsen the torment by bringing her into his own bed? No, you had to be crazy to willingly put yourself in such a fix. And that was exactly what he was. Crazy.
Exhausted from pushing himself hard, Ridge jogged over to a rock jutting out of the sand and dropped down onto it. Still panting, he raised his head to stare at the low-lying clouds tinted red and gold by the emerging rays of the early morning sun, a picture so serene it was in direct contrast to the turmoil that raged within him. Last night he’d had to resort to a quick, cold shower just to get his body to calm down. After enduring a sleepless night listening to Lani’s gentle breathing, conscious of her lying next to him, he’d had to leave her there and escape to the beach just so he could breathe again. And think.
And as he sat there on his rock, a solitary figure on the stretch of beach, Ridge came to a decision. None of this made any sense. The only way he’d be able to preserve his sanity was to put a stop to it.
When he got back to the suite he didn’t even enter the bedroom. That kind of sweet torture, he could do without. For the next couple of hours while Lani slept he hung out in the living room watching reruns of classic comedy shows. He’d always been a fan of ‘The Honeymooners’ and ‘I Love Lucy’ and he welcomed the distraction.
Contrary to what he’d expected, though, after sitting through four episodes of comedy he was in no better mood than when he’d left early that morning. In fact, when Lani finally emerged from the bedroom, scantily clad and making him even more aware of her as she spread her arms in a languorous stretch, his mood got even worse.
He didn’t mince words. “We’re leaving,” he said. “Today. You can start packing right now.”
Lani froze mid-stretch then she lowered her arms to her sides and frowned. “So soon? I thought this was supposed to be a week-long honeymoon.”
“I’ve had enough,” he said, his voice terse. “It’s time for me to get back to the real world.”
“Well.” That was all she said – no protest, no nothing – then she shrugged and headed back into the bedroom.
Ridge grimaced then let out the breath he’d been holding. The truth was, he’d expected a fight, maybe even an all-out war. The last thing he’d expected was for her to accept his sudden change of plans without demur.
But he was thankful. He was looking forward to getting back to Houston where he could lose himself in the day-to-day problems of work. With all that distraction maybe he would be able to deal with his dilemma. This romantic setting was definitely not working in his favor.
But, back in Houston Ridge soon found out that losing himself in work was not going to be the answer. Each night he still had to come home to face a bride, now a wife of over one week, who proved a constant distraction. And as if that weren’t bad enough she was a constant cause for vexation. The woman would not listen to him.
As soon as they’d arrived back in Texas the woman decided she was going back to work the very next day.
“You already told your staff you’d be away this week,” Ridge told her. “Why don’t you just stay in and relax?”
Instead of seeing reason Lani had a ready response. “So you rush us back here so you can get back to work but I should sit in the house for the rest of the week, bored out of my mind? Nothing doing.”
“You were the one who complained that you hadn’t had a vacation since taking that job.”
“I didn’t complain,” she retorted. “I merely stated a fact. But that’s beside the point. The important thing is, we’re back in Houston and I’m certainly not going to waste time sitting in your big old house, twiddling my thumbs when I could be getting some good work done.”
“Just like I thought,” Ridge said, his lips twisting in annoyance. “You’re nothing but a workaholic.”
“Says the man who cut our honeymoon short so he could get back to work.” Her laughter told him she was not intimidated by him, not in the least.
And that was the pity because if she would only listen to him then she wouldn't keep doing things that pissed him off… except that she seemed to take pride in her ability to do just that.
They’d been living together a little over a week in this ranch house – the one she’d called his big old house – when he came home much later than usual, almost nine o’clock that night, to find that she wasn’t there. It was the first time he’d come home and she hadn’t been there.
Frowning, he threw his jacket onto the sofa and fished his cell phone out of his back pocket. He dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail. Not what he wanted to hear.
A twinge of worry made his frown deepen but he sucked it in. Maybe he was overreacting. Lani was probably working late. He would give her another ten minutes and if she didn’t get home by then he would try her phone again.
The second the clock told him the time had passed he tried her number. Voicemail again. What the heck? What reason would she have for turning off her cell phone? If she had to be in a meeting all she had to do was put the darned phone on silent mode. At least then she would know he was trying to reach her. With a growl of frustration Ridge went and retrieved his wallet from his jacket pocket then dug around until he found her card. Not caring what meeting or experiment he might be disturbing he dialed the number to the research lab. No friggin’ answer.
By this time, the twinge of worry had turned into a knot inside his gut. What if something had happened to Lani? He didn’t want to make a big thing out of what was probably nothing but after nine o’clock at night was not the time for a man to be wondering where his wife was. And rather than just sitting there, wondering, he decided to make a move. If he couldn’t get Lani on the phone then he would have to go to her office.
Ridge shoved his phone into his trouser pocket, grabbed his keys and was just heading for the door when he heard a car pull into the driveway. Lani was home. Finally. A wave of relief washed over him but within seconds it had morphed into anger. She’d better have a damn good reason for coming home at this hour.
When the front door opened he was standing there in the foyer, waiting for her. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Lani jumped but as her gaze fell on him she smiled. “You startled me,” she said, coming in and closing the door behind her. “That’s not nice.”
“And it’s not nice to have your husband at home wondering where the hell you are.”
At his biting retort Lani frowned. “I’m a grown woman. I can come home whenever I want to.” She dropped her bag onto the hallway table and made as if to walk away but he stepped in front of her, bringing her to a sharp halt.
“You may be a grown woman,” he said, his tone cold, “but you’re a married woman now. You’ve got a husband to answer to, and don’t you forget it.”
“Well, excuse me.” Her words dripping with sarcasm, she glared at him. “Just in case you missed the memo, this is the twenty-first century. Being married to you doesn’t mean you own me.” She folded her arms across her lab coat covered frame, lo
oking ready for a fight.
Pissed that instead of apologizing she was being combative he hit back just as hard. “I may not own you but as long as you’re my wife you check in with me or-”
“Or what?” Now she’d loosened her crossed arms and had them curved outward, looking like a teenage street thug fixing for a beat-down. He would have laughed if he weren’t so mad.
“Will you shut up and listen to what I have to say? All I was saying was you-”
“No, I will not shut up. No man’s going to tell me to shut up, husband or no husband.”
“Lani, I’m warning you. Be quiet or else-”
“Oh, so you’re threatening me now? You think because I agreed to marry you I signed over the rights to my freedom? Well, you got it wrong, buster.” And then she did that jerky thing with her neck that feisty women do when they’re telling you off.
“You asked for this,” he muttered and before she could make another move he’d reached out, clamped his hands on her shoulders and hauled her toward him.
Lani gasped but it was too late. She’d had her chance to shut up. Now it was up to Ridge to do it for her.
Pulling her smack against him he reached his hand up to cup the back of her head then he tilted her so she was perfectly positioned for his kiss. As he lowered his lips she closed her eyes tight but her mouth softened and he could tell she wanted this. Her body would not lie.
Taking his cue from her response Ridge covered her lips with his own, exacting her silence with his kiss, not letting up until her body melted against him, her will yielding to his.
When he finally withdrew and gazed down at her face her eyes were still closed. Slowly he released her so she could again stand on her own.
It was only then that she opened her eyes. Her wide-eyed gaze never leaving his face, she drew in a shaky breath. “I thought you said you wouldn’t force me…to do anything like that.” Her voice had a breathless tone that told him she’d been shaken by his move.
“No,” he said, watching the erratic beat of the pulse at the base of her neck. “I said I’d never make love to you, not if you didn’t want me to.” He gave her a crooked smile. “Now kissing, that’s another matter altogether.”
Her answer was a scalding look which made Ridge laugh as he stepped away, giving her the freedom to move.
As she stepped past him he gave in to the temptation for one last jab. “I think I’ve found the perfect punishment for you so you’d better stay in line.”
He wasn’t surprised when, instead of answering, she flounced off. He only chuckled. Then, as he watched her head off to her room, he muttered under his breath, “Yeah, you’d better watch it, sister. I’d be only too happy to punish you every day of the week.”
CHAPTER SIX
Damn, the man could kiss.
Over a dozen hours had passed since Ridge grabbed her and kissed the anger out of her but Lani could still feel his muscled body stamped on hers and his lips taking full control. She had a test tube in one hand and a pipette in the other but her eyes were staring blankly out the window as she relived those super-hot blazing seconds he’d held her in his arms.
She’d been dead tired when she’d arrived home last night and then he’d gone and annoyed her with his reprimand. And then, in the midst of it all, he lit a fire inside her which raged all night, making her toss and turn into the wee hours of morning. His kiss had awakened a thirst inside, one which could not be quenched until she'd had more of him. All of him. She knew that now.
“I’m beginning to worry about you.”
At the sound of Chris’s voice, Lani turned. “What’s there to worry about?”
“You’ve been standing there, staring out the window for at least five minutes. You on drugs or something?”
“What kind of question is that to ask your boss?” Lani burst out laughing. “You’re something else, do you know that?”
Chris laughed back. “No, I’m just a guy who’s glad he’s got a boss with a sense of humor.” Then his face sobered. “But seriously, though, are you okay? Your mind’s still on that stack of bills that came in before your vacation?”
“No, that’s all taken care of.” This time her smile was full of relief. “The lease payments are up-to-date. In fact, where the bills are concerned, I’d say we’re good till at least the end of the year.”
“Holy…” Chris gazed at her in wonder. “Did one of those big drug companies finally cave and give you the money? What did you do? Hold a gun to somebody’s head?”
“Chris, Chris,” she shook her head, “you have such a low opinion of me. Could you even see me doing something like that?”
He gave her a look which was practically a roll of the eyes. “I’m sure you don’t want me to answer that.”
“Well, don’t.” She gave him a wry grin. “If you want to keep your job you’d better be nice.”
“Yes, boss.” With a grin and a salute he turned and headed back to his side of the lab, leaving Lani to daydream in peace.
And daydream she did, practically the whole morning and part of the afternoon. She wanted Ridge but after the big deal she’d made about him not touching her, how could she admit to the attraction?
After another hour of being less than her productive self Lani gave up. “I’m heading out,” she told Chris. “You’re good until Minerva gets here?”
“Sure. You go on home. You’re looking kind of tired.”
“I am?” Was her sleepless night that obvious? “Well, I guess I’d better go, then.”
“Yeah, go get some sleep, boss.”
Lani left but she had no plans to get any sleep. She was too revved up for that. That evening she decided to try her hand at the wife thing and spent a couple of hours in the kitchen fixing a meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Cooking had never been her strong point but she felt chastened enough to want to show Ridge she was making an effort. She really should have called him when she realized she would be home much later than usual. She knew she was at fault but at the time it hadn’t seemed like a big deal, especially since they’d spent the past week barely seeing each other, each lost in their own world of work. It had actually crossed her mind that he might not even notice she wasn’t home yet.
Wrong assumption. Based on his reaction Ridge had noticed, and in a big way, and the fact that her cell phone battery had died hadn’t helped matters one bit. She should have thought of that, too. Damn her for being so used to living on her own. She really had to remember that she was living with someone now, someone who might wonder why she hadn’t come home.
But that was all water under the bridge now and all she could do was show Ridge that she was sorry. She just hoped a hot home-cooked meal would do the trick.
Lani set the table and even went as far as to light the scented candles. Then, just as the sun began to set, she took her bath and dressed in a simple emerald-green shift and strappy sandals. She didn’t own many dresses since she was far more comfortable in cargo pants or jeans so, if Ridge knew anything about her, he would know he was a lucky man tonight. She’d gone all out, just for him.
Just as she walked back into the dining room she heard his car pull up. Perfect timing. She went into the kitchen and began sliding the trays from the oven. The aroma of the savoring meat pie filled the kitchen and she ladled the food onto the dinner plates, proud of her handiwork. She was smiling to herself when she heard him call out.
“Something smells good. Lani, is that you?”
When his head popped around the kitchen door, his brows elevated in surprise, she laughed. “Who did you think it was? Your fairy godmother?”
“It might as well be,” he said, stepping into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you made dinner. I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Don’t sing my praises just yet,” she warned. “Wait until you take a bite. I just hope I don’t send us both to the ER tonight.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you won’t. It smells so good my mouth is watering alre
ady.”
And Lani’s mouth was watering, too, but it wasn’t for meatloaf and potatoes. It was for the handsome hunk who stood before her, six o’clock shadow on his jaw, tie gone and stark-white collar open to give her a peek at the top of his broad chest. What would it feel like to run her tongue over the smooth silk of that skin?
Lani shook her head. She was thinking dangerous thoughts and she didn’t need to go there. Not now, not yet. “Go take a quick shower,” she said, trying to defuse the tension that was knotting in her stomach. “By the time you’re done I’ll have dinner on the table.”
Ridge nodded. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” And in a flash he was gone, his footsteps sounding in the hallway as he headed for his bedroom.
“Wow,” Lani whispered to herself. “He must be real hungry.” At least she could hope so. Maybe that was why he hadn’t even noticed the change in her attire. Didn’t she look different?
Fifteen minutes later Ridge walked back into the living room, looking fresh and frustratingly handsome in ink-black trousers and matching black shirt. He walked right up to Lani as she sat at the table waiting for him and surprised her with a kiss on the cheek.
“That color suits you,” he said. “You look stunning.”
Lani didn’t know which surprised her more - his kiss or his compliment. Her face broke into a smile. So he had noticed.
Ridge sat at the place she’d set for him across from her but then, like he could read her mind, like he could tell she was wanting him tonight, he got up and shifted his plate and utensils to the place right beside hers. “You’re too beautiful,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse, “for me to stay far away from you.”
Lani raised her eyebrows. Hello? Where had that come from? She wasn’t complaining, though, so she just smiled and said nothing.
After that Lani and Ridge enjoyed their meal which, to Lani’s surprise, tasted pretty good if she should say so herself. She had to admit, too, that she enjoyed her conversation with Ridge, the first real one they’d had since getting married. Who could have known that Ridge Kent had a complex personality? Ever since they’d met at that first board meeting she’d seen him as a wise-cracking troublemaker who was only too happy to shove his opinion down other people’s throats. Now, though, he was opening himself up to her, showing her a whole new side to his personality.
