You're Busting My Nuptials (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 2) (19 page)

“That’s funny, because I did the same thing with you.”

“Really?”

“Hell yeah. I told you, no woman ever got my heart going like you did the first time I laid eyes on you.” Ridge trailed a finger down her cheek. “And now you’re mine. My wife. Tizzy Cooper. I love the way that sounds.”

“I do too. Wasn’t Gracie cute at the wedding?”

“Yeah, those brown eyes as big as marbles and her asking after each I do, ‘are you my daddy now?’ She’s exactly like you. Beautiful. Funny. Strong-willed.” He pulled Tizzy down for a kiss.

“That’s a nice way of saying stubborn, right?”

“I’m glad you’re hard-headed. A lesser woman left at the altar would have fallen to pieces, but not you.” He pulled her close and hung on to the kiss this time.

Tizzy leaned away from him. “So, are you really going to work your own case?”

“Smooth move, Darlin’, changing the subject when I was getting serious.”

“You need to remember where we are. You shouldn’t be getting serious here.”

Ridge smiled and loved her even more than he did the minute before. “Yeah, I’ll investigate the case. I have the most interest in solving it.”

“You don’t have any idea who took you or why?”

“None. I thought I was dreaming. I’m unable to give a description. I can’t recognize voices because everything was jumbled in my head.” Ridge placed his fingers to his temple.

She ran a finger above his eye and traced the stitches. “Do you know how you broke your wrist or got these cuts on your face?”

“I’m not sure. I think a door slammed on my wrist and I remember falling, but everything is fuzzy. When my brain cleared, I was gagged, blindfolded, tied up, and inside the box. That’s all I got.” Ridge leaned forward. “Oh, I do recall the odor of sweet perfume.”

Tizzy rested her hand on Ridge’s chest. “I don’t understand. If you were the target, why are you still alive and Tawny’s dead? And, where the heck is Gwynn?”

“This is strictly guesswork on my part, but I think the plan was to take me somewhere. Why they didn’t deliver me, I don’t know. That’s one of the things I’ve got to sort through. Jinx filled me in on everything y’all found out, so I’ll be looking at that too.”

Ridge hooked his finger in the V-neck of Tizzy’s shirt, tugged her down to him and took her mouth. When he circled her lips with his tongue, she kissed him back and he knew he had her.

She broke the kiss and gazed down at him. Her eyes were dark and full of desire. When she sucked in a ragged breath, all the blood in his body pooled between his legs. He flung the clunky cast above his head and slid his other hand under her skirt. The smooth line of her leg made him shudder with anticipation, but as he neared his destination, she scooted away from him.

“We can’t do this, Ridge.”

“Why not?”

“We’ll get caught. We’re in a hospital for goodness-sakes. Anybody could walk in.”

“Darlin’, visiting hours are over and the nurses won’t be back to check on me for at least an hour. I promise I’ll be done long before then.”

She stood and backed away, shaking her head. “No. We can’t. I’d be so embarrassed if someone walked in on us having sex. Three of the nurses working this shift know me. It’d be all over town.”

“You see this,” Ridge said, pointing to the rise under his gown. “This is serious and something has to be done about it. So, put a chair in front of the door, take those panties off, and mount up.”

Tizzy sat back down on the bed. “Damn, I love it when you talk cowboy.”

He curled his lips into a sly grin. “Dosey-doe, yippee-ki-yay, get along little doggies.”

Tizzy placed her hand to his mouth. “Okay, now you’re just ruining it.”

“Sorry, I’m anxious. C’mon Tizzy, surely you’re not going to withhold sex on our wedding night.”

“Damn you, Ridge. That’s not fair.”

He pulled her close again and whispered against her lips. “When it comes to you, I’ll never play fair. Give in to me. I know you want to.” He covered her mouth again and felt her surrender.

She broke the kiss, moved to the door and slid a chair in front of it. Ridge’s heart kicked up another notch and when she shimmied out of her panties and dangled them in mid-air, he thought his chest would explode.

He didn’t remember her approach. His mind went straight from dangling panties to her straddling him. He slipped inside her with such ease his brain spun around like a carousel, complete with flashing lights and music.

She leaned in and kissed him again and her mouth was even hotter than before. “These doctors can pump me full of drugs, but all I really need is a good dose of you,” he said.

He moved his hand to her hip and rocked into her. “I can be quick, if you want me to,” he said, hoping she declined the offer, because he felt so good inside her he wanted to stay forever.

“No, go slow. Oh God, I’ve missed you.”

“You’re my purpose, Tizzy. I was put on this earth to love you and I always will.” He let her do all the work as she moved against him.

She unhooked her belt and dropped it to the floor.

His hand slid from her hip to under her shirt and caressed her breast. “Get rid of the bra.”

She unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it off her shoulders, then unhooked the lacy undergarment.

“Damn, I love these front hooks,” Ridge said, and buried his face in the valley between her breasts.

Suddenly, she stopped, stiffened, and looked toward the door. “Did you hear that?”

Ridge groaned. “What?”

“I thought I heard something.”

“Baby, I can’t hear anything for the blood pounding in my head.” He moved his mouth to her breast, circled the nipple wit
h his tongue, and she trembled.

“Take this off,” she said, pulling at his gown. Within a few seconds, she stripped it off him. “Raise the bed,” she breathed and he did, so damn glad to have her attention again. He rocked into her again, deeper this time, and thought he’d lo
se his mind from the sensation.

Her fingernails dug into his shoulders. She matched his pace. Her hands moved to his chest, then his waist. She grabbed on, arched back, and pulled him even deeper. The heart monitor picked up its beat. Ridge pra
yed it didn’t bring the nurses.

The familiar short shuddering breaths Tizzy took, told him she was close. She clutched at his waist, and he braced her with his hand as she arched back one more time and pushed him high inside her.

Every nerve in his body caught fire. Each muscle stretched to its limit. All thoughts left his head. The universe fell away and there was nothing but her. Sweet, sexy, desirable Tizzy. The one woman who could make everything in his world perfect.

She pressed down hard into him and tightened around him affirming her climax. “Yes, yes,” she breathed. “Oh God, yes.” Her body surged against him and he went mindless.

She fell forward onto him and he kissed her again to drown out his moan. And when he was empty, he felt incredible. “That was unbelievable,” he said.

“Yeah,” she gasped. “That’s how a wedding night should be.”

“Thank you, Baby.”

“I should be thanking you.” She giggled.

“I’m not talking about sex. Thank you for believing in me. Loving me. Not giving up until you found me.”

“Believing in you and loving you is easy. Finding you . . . not so much. I couldn’t have done it without Jinx, Rayann and Synola.” Suddenly, she sucked in a deep breath. “Oh God.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ridge, the green light is on.” She pointed to the bedrail.

“Whataya mean?”

She sat straight up. “I mean, the damn call button is on. Oh my God! Everyone at the nurses’ station heard us! Oh my God! Turn it off! Turn it off!”

Ridge started to laugh, then stopped. “Hello?” he said toward the speaker resting next to his cast.”

“Yes?” the nurse answered.

“Who is this,” Tizzy asked.

“It’s Martha.”

“Martha,” Tizzy repeated. “How long . . . has the speaker been on?”

“Let’s just say, if you hadn’t given it up, there are six of us down here who would have,” Martha said.

“Oh dear God,” Tizzy said, and laid her head over on Ridge’s chest.

Ridge reached for the remote. “Well ladies, I’m turning you off now.”

“Honey, it’s gonna take more than a push of a button to do that,” Martha said.

For the last two days, Ridge followed the doctor
’s orders by taking it easy. But now, he leaned back in his home office chair, stretched his long legs out, and wiggled painted toenails.
Gracie. Pretend spa day.

Man, if anyone had told him six months ago he
’d be letting a four year old polish his toenails, he’d said they were crazy. Funny how life changes, and all for the better.

He tightened his fingers around the tennis ball, pitched it in the air, caught it, then repeated the movement several times, staring at the crime board in between lobs. The process helped him think.

He’d cleared entries from Tizzy’s investigation, transferred some to a legal pad and combined a few with what he knew about the abduction, which wasn’t much.

Written at the top in large letters:
WHO AND WHY?

Ridge smirked.
Yeah, if he had those two answers, case solved. He decided his best bet was to focus on Gwynn, currently MIA. Which brought him to the next question, why? Why go to the trouble of kidnapping him, keep him alive, packed in a box and do nothing with him. What was the motive?

What part did Gwynn play? Was she a pawn? Where the hell was she . . . hiding or out of the picture permanently?

He took Gwynn’s journal from the bag. The book had been run for prints, so he didn’t have to be careful. He read a few entries, then scanned some more. Nothing jumped out at him. Nothing to do with the case. Mostly just Gwynn’s personal feelings about her shitty life and how she wanted out of it.

Maybe reading the diary would be a good job for Tizzy. He anticipated trouble from her. She was a stubborn woman. He loved that about her, until it crossed over into something he didn’t want her to do.

He pitched the ball into the air again. He could always redirect her focus. There was that thing with Gracie he’d been keeping from her. That would certainly get her mind off investigating.

The office door squeaked and Ridge spun around. Tizzy stood in the doorway.

She crossed the room to him and sat down in his lap. “You’re up early. What’s wrong, couldn’t wait to get started on the case?”

He kissed her neck. She smelled good and felt even better. Still warm from crawling out of bed, her silk gown slid across smooth skin as he moved his fingers up her leg.

“Yeah, heavy on my mind, among other things. I think the logical place to start is Gwynn. I’m going to talk to her sister and check the house out again.” Ridge moved his hand around to her hip and pulled her closer.

“Smith County Sheriff obtained video from the storage facility. I’ll get the results from processing the truck tomorrow or the next day. The video should show the entry and exit. Depending on the driver, the case may be over quickly.” He pushed the gown strap off her shoulder and stroked bare skin.

“I could help with questioning Ramona, Gwynn’s sister. She won’t talk to just anyone,” Tizzy said.

“I understand, but I don’t want you involved.”

“Oh, come on, Ridge. I’m the one who investigated from the beginning. I really want to close it. You owe me that.”

He twirled a lock of her hair and nuzzled beneath her ear. “Baby, you did finish. Your investigation was to find me and you
did a damn good job.”

Tizzy shrugged away. “Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Try to dismiss me with positive reinforcement. I’m not buying what you’re selling.”

“I’m not trying to sell you anything. Besides, I need you to do something else for me.”

“Really? What?”

“I want to follow through with what we discussed before the wedding, adopting Gracie. I’d like for you to get the paperwork started. I’m fine with her keeping the Donovan name. I don’t want to take her birthright.”

“So, she’ll be
Grace Ann Donovan Cooper?
That’s a lot for a little girl.”

“I said keep the name, not use it. Legally, Donovan will be a part, but I want her to go by Cooper. Is that okay?”

Tizzy kissed him sweetly. “Perfectly okay.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Hey, don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so lucky to have found a man like you. I love you so much and when I think of how close I came to losing you, I get emotional.”

“I love you too, and I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to
you.”

Tizzy leaned back, sniffed, and blinked at him. “Damn, you’re good. You almost had me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know good-and-well what I’m talking about. You’re giving me a task, so I won’t get in the way. Really, Ridge, that’s not fair. I started this case, and I’m going to finish, if you like it or not.”