Billionaire's Blackmail Bride: Billionaire Brothers Kent - Ridge's Story (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (4 page)

He had no idea he would have gotten so nervous just because he was
attending a little old wedding. His own, but still. If he’d known it would be
so nerve-wracking maybe he would have ditched the whole idea and just gone in
front of a judge with a couple of witnesses. But the really weird thing was, he
had no idea what he was so nervous about. After all, it was just Lani, right?

And then he saw her. She was standing there at the entrance, her
hand on the arm of a stately-looking gentleman with graying hair. The look in
the man’s eyes told Ridge that he was the proud ‘give-away’ father. But it
wasn’t that gentleman who made Ridge’s heart jerk in his chest. When Lani
looked away from her father and turned to face front Ridge’s breath caught in
his throat. She was more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. Even through the
diaphanous veil that covered her face he could see the soft petals of her
rose-red lips and the brilliant sparkle of her onyx eyes. The veil she was
wearing was held in place atop her head by a circular band decorated by a
garland of tiny white flowers. As tiny as she was beside her very tall papa it
made her look like a bewitching little fairy, so exquisitely beautiful he
couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Then, as if she hadn’t entranced him enough, she started down the
aisle on her father’s arm, moving with such style and grace that he couldn’t
have pulled his eyes away if his life depended on it. Since the day he met her
Ridge knew Lani was beautiful but was this the same woman who seemed to wear
nothing but slacks and loafers? In heels that were so high he feared for her
safety Lani practically floated up the aisle, her poise making all heads turn
in obvious admiration.

And then she was standing there right in front of him, so close that
he was soon losing himself in the shimmering dark pools of her eyes. Like she
could see the tension in him, her lips curled in a smile that had him drawing
in a deep breath. God, he wanted to kiss her. So bad.

But like a good little boy he didn’t pull her into his arms and kiss
her breathless like he wanted to. Instead he smiled down at her and then
reached out and lifted the veil from her face, exposing her loveliness to his
eager gaze. Close up she was even more beautiful. He must have been staring at
her too long and too hard because Lani took his hands and gave them a gentle
squeeze, bringing him back to awareness.

The officiant cleared his throat and with that the ceremony began.
“Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union
of Leilani Isabella Donatelli and Coleridge Martin Kent.” The man’s voice rose,
filling the room, and as he spoke the words Ridge held Lani’s hands and gazed
deep into her eyes.

“Today you enter as individuals but you leave as man and wife,” he
continued, “blending together, becoming as one, moving on to the greatest of
all social interactions, the uniting of body, mind and spirit.”

As the words flowed from his lips the minister waxed loquacious,
moving on from celebrating the union of the couple to dispensing advice on the
keys to a successful marriage.

And all that time Ridge was dying for him to get to the best part.

It wasn’t going to come that fast, though. First, he had to suffer
through a series of readings. “Marriage is not just the joining of hands,” the
man admonished. “It is the joining of hearts. It is a union built on commitment
and support.”

Even as he smiled down at his wife-to-be Ridge gritted his teeth,
wanting the man to get on with it. The readings were meaningful but there were
so many of them. Two he could stomach, but five? Ridge could only hope Lani
wasn’t picking up on his agitation.

And then it was time for them to exchange vows. Ridge almost
breathed an audible sigh of relief.

“Do you, Coleridge Kent, take Leilani Donatelli to be your partner
for life, promising to care for her, honor and respect her, to console her in
times of sorrow and support her in all her endeavors?”

Without hesitation Ridge gave his response. “I do.”

“And do you, Leilani Donatelli…”

As the words were repeated Lani lifted her face to Ridge, her lips
curling into a soft smile. “I do,” she said, her voice bold and clarion-clear,
carrying throughout the church.

“The ring, please.”

Now it was time for Ridge to put his seal on the woman who’d started
by turning him down flat. Thank goodness she’d come around.

And then, finally, came the part Ridge had been waiting for the
whole time.

“By the power vested in me by the State of Texas I now pronounce you
husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Smiling in satisfaction, Ridge looked down at his bride and then he
reached for her, eager to taste her lips. This first kiss would be in front of
an audience but he wasn’t complaining. He would take it any way he could get
it. Knowing Lani, he might not get another chance for a while.

Bending low, Ridge captured her lips in a kiss meant to show her she
was his, body and soul. He’d thought she would be shy, would even resist, but
she surprised him by responding willingly, even eagerly. The fact that she had
an audience didn’t seem to bother her, not one bit.

When he finally let her go Lani came off her tiptoes and settled
back down on her heels but she did not release his gaze. She was smiling and
she was staring boldly back at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

And, for some strange reason, at the look in her eyes a tiny tingle
of worry ran up his spine.

CHAPTER FOUR

Tonight was Lani’s wedding night and she could hardly wait. But it
was not for the reason most people would imagine. No,  she had plans for a
night that promised to be a lot of fun. Fun for her, anyway. For Ridge Kent,
not so much.

Ridge had blackmailed her into marrying him and she’d ended up
accepting his proposal, if you could call it that. It was like no marriage
proposal she would ever have expected. In fact, she’d pretty much given up on
being proposed to at all. Her work had been her life for so many years. She’d
hardly had time to include a man in the middle of that. And then, before she
knew it, she was pushing thirty and her mother had begun harassing her for
grandkids.

Now her mother finally had her wish. Her daughter was a married
woman and no amount of explaining would make her see there was really no cause
for celebration. Her heart was set on grandkids, temporary arrangement be
damned.

But that wasn’t going to happen, not if Lani had anything to do with
it. And she did. A lot.

She smiled as she thought back to the conversation she’d had with
Ridge just days before the wedding.

“There will be no love-making,” she’d declared, laying down the rule
before he got any ideas. “No sex or anything even close.”

He’d given her a sly grin. “What about something that’s just in the
ball park?”

“No, nothing. Zilch.” She chopped her hand down with force, showing
him just how much she meant the zilch part. “No hugging, no kissing, nada.”

“Hmm. Kinda harsh, aren’t we?” For some reason he hadn’t seemed
worried. Sort of amused, really. Did he think she didn’t mean it? “So,” he
continued, “for one whole year we’re going to live in the same house and not
touch each other? Do you really think you can manage that?” Then his grin
widened and he spread his arms wide. “How are you going to resist all this,
what do you ladies call it, man candy?”

“Ha. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ll resist you just fine. You
just give me your promise that we won’t make love.”

He’d come close, right up to her, and when he spoke his voice was
deceptively cool. “Here’s what I will promise you. I will make love to you,” he
said softly, “but not until you come to me, begging for it.”

"Never," she hissed, glaring up at him. "You'll never
live to see me begging you for sex, ever."

Instead of backing off he only laughed. “And one more thing. You
won’t get my promise that I won’t kiss you but you can rest assured that I will
never make love to you unless you come to me first. And trust me, you will.”

“You arrogant ass. Do you think you’re irresistible?” She was
breathing hard now, she was that angry.

“I know I am,” the conceited pig replied, so full of himself it made
her want to deliver a swift kick to his shin.

“We’ll just see about that.”

And that was where their conversation ended because she turned on
her heel and stalked off, the sound of his laughter ringing in her ears.

He’d laughed at her then but tonight, their wedding night, Lani was
going to have the last laugh. Tonight they would see who could resist who.

After the wedding Ridge had flown them to Hawaii in his private jet.
That night in the bridal suite of Grand MoloKa’i Hotel Lani made preparations
to be as alluring and seductive as she possibly could. Luckily, the bridal suite
had two bedrooms so, quickly claiming one of them then making sure to close the
door firmly behind her, she had no problem in doing her thing in private. She’d
always been the casual type, usually a make-up free, pajama-wearing kind of
girl. Tonight, though, she would go all out. She would make Ridge want her so
bad his teeth would hurt.

After a leisurely bath in the Jacuzzi tub Lani patted herself dry
then sat on the padded bench where she spent a good six or seven minutes
massaging rose-scented body oil into her skin. She finished by spritzing her
favorite perfume, Estee Lauder Pleasures, behind her ears and along the column
of her neck. Now it was time to dress.

Still nude, she left the bathroom and walked into the bedroom,
confident that Ridge would stick to his own quarters. He might be a cad but she
could tell he was not the sort to invade someone else’s privacy. At least he
had that one good quality.

In the bedroom she went straight to the chest of drawers and pulled
out her piece-de-resistance, a crimson G-string with black lace along the
waistband, a garment so tiny she had to wonder why they charged so much for such
a tiny scrap of cloth. Then she smiled to herself. It wasn’t the size, of
course, but the impact and with this bit of garment she planned to have the
maximum impact possible.

She stepped into the G-string and pulled it up her legs and over her
buttocks, making sure the tiny bow settled right at the top of the valley
between the cheeks. Turning, she glanced back into the mirror. Perfect.

Next, she went back to her stash of sexy secrets and pulled out a
diaphanous red teddy that left her shoulders and arms exposed. Dressing
carefully in the see-through lingerie, she made sure the neckline fell just
right, leaving much of her skin bare to the gaze. Not that her neckline was
what would hold Ridge’s attention. The sexy top was near-transparent, leaving
hardly anything to the imagination. If Ridge was like any other red-blooded man
his eyes would be glued to the curves of her breasts and the rose buds of her
nipples as they winked at him from behind their gauzy veil.

Last, she slid her feet into high heeled sandals, transparent like
glass to give him a nice view of her painted toenails, and with a feathery red
puff on top of each, giving the footwear a naughty flair.

Ready now, she glanced in the mirror again and smiled, satisfied
that she would have the effect she was aiming for. When he saw her Ridge Kent
was sure to stand at attention – in more ways than one.

Biting her lips to keep from grinning, Lani opened her bathroom door
and peeked out. Good. Ridge was in the suite living room, lounging on the sofa,
a glass of wine in hand. There was another glass on the table in front of him,
like he’d been waiting for her to emerge from her room. He was sitting there,
staring off into space, and he looked lonely. Well, he wouldn’t be lonely for
long. Like it or not, he was about to be entertained by Lani Donatelli.

When she stepped into the living room Ridge’s head jerked up, his
eyes widening instantly as he took in her garb. She saw him suck in his breath
and then he sat forward and rested his glass on the coffee table. His gaze
fixed on her, Ridge’s stare was unwavering but still he said nothing. Maybe
he’d been shocked into silence.

Encouraged by his reaction, Lani’s lips curved in a smile and, doing
her best Marilyn Munroe impression, she pouted her lips then sauntered toward
the man who sat watching her, obviously stunned.

She came to a halt just a few feet in front of him and, hand on her
right hip, she struck a provocative pose. And just to make things that much
sexier she glanced at the extra glass of wine and pointed with her ruby-red
lips. “Is that for me?”

Ridge blinked. Then he cleared his throat. “Er, yes. It’s…for you.”

“Thank you,” she purred and then, taking her own sweet time, she
sashayed her way around the table, making sure he had enough time to check her
out – the way the high heels elongated her legs, the peaks of her breasts
beneath the sheer fabric and the red bow adorning the top of her behind.

When Ridge slid back in his chair, eyes glued to her
gossamer-covered torso, he swallowed. Hard. It was no secret she was having
just the kind of effect she was hoping for.