Billionaire's Blackmail Bride: Billionaire Brothers Kent - Ridge's Story (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (7 page)

“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, looking 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 already.”

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.”