Billionaire's Blackmail Bride: Billionaire Brothers Kent - Ridge's Story (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (8 page)

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.

“We owe it to our children and grandchildren,” he was saying, “to do
all we can to protect and preserve the environment. I feel strongly about this
and that’s the reason why I support research that will help us find viable
energy alternatives.”

Lani tilted her head, curious. “Seriously? But you’re in the oil
business. How do you reconcile the two?”

He shook his head. “Being in the oil industry doesn’t stop me from
being concerned. Right now I satisfy the community’s energy needs but I also
recognize that we need to find alternatives. And trust me,” he smiled, “as we
transition to those alternatives I’ll be the first to jump on board. Where the
business goes, I go.”

She smiled back. “Spoken like a true capitalist.”

He chuckled. “Did you expect anything less?”

After that their conversation moved to her research and the progress
she was making in sourcing plant supplies for her experiments and trials. “Thanks
to you,” Lani said, “I don’t have to be distracted by mundane matters like
leases and bills. It’s such a relief to be able to focus on what matters.” She
gave a soft sigh of contentment. “We’ve made quite a bit of progress and right
now we’re just waiting for a shipment from South America. Once that arrives
we’ll be able to complete phase one of the study.”

“Sounds good,” Ridge said. “I’m glad I was able to help.”

And then Lani remembered. She was grateful for his help, of course,
but it had come at a price. She’d had to leave her apartment and move into his
house, sacrificing her freedom so she could get the funding she so desperately
needed.

And so Lani was torn. On the one hand she recognized that if Ridge
hadn’t come to the rescue the landlord would have probably locked them out of
the building by now. On the other hand, she was more than a little peeved.
Ridge could have given her that money, easy. Why did he have to tack a
condition onto it?

And so as he smiled at her she smiled back but her mind was ticking
away, busy contemplating her next step. She’d started the evening with all
kinds of good thoughts about Ridge. She’d wanted to show him she could be nice.
More than that, though, she’d wanted to tempt him just a little, to see if she
could get him to kiss her again. She’d tasted his kiss, not once but twice, and
she wanted more.

But how could she divorce her desire from her displeasure? He’d
blackmailed her, after all.

“You’re still with me?”

Lani blinked and turned her gaze to Ridge who was watching her with
interest.

“You looked like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders,”
he said. “What’s up? Got something on your mind?”

Ignoring all the reasons why she shouldn’t, Lani decided to be bold.
She would go for what she wanted and be damned with discretion. Slowly,
deliberately, she laid her napkin on the table then reached out and lifted her
glass to take a fortifying sip of wine. Then she turned to face her friendly
foe, deciding on a full frontal attack.

“I want to kiss you,” she said, abandoning coyness and getting
straight to the point. And she might be mad that he’d forced her into this
situation but that didn’t mean she didn’t want him. She’d thought she could
ignore him for a year but his kiss taught her otherwise. Now she would take her
pleasure and deal with her vexation later.

“I’m all yours,” Ridge said and made as if to get up but she dropped
her hands on his shoulders, preventing him from moving.

Cupping his face in her hands she bent her head to rest her lips
against his, reveling in the warmth of his mouth against hers. Then she pressed
harder, forcing him to yield to her, allowing her entry. As he groaned and
opened to her she took full control of the kiss, holding his face captive as
she stood over him, tasting him, devouring him to her heart's content.

When she finally pulled away Ridge gazed up at her, his eyes all but
glazed over. “God, you taste so good,” he groaned and licked his lips like he
meant it.

Instead of answering, Lani turned and sat on Ridge’s lap and when
she felt his hardness pressing up into her she smiled. Emboldened by this
obvious sign of his ardor she reached her hand up to cup the back of his head
then she pulled his face down toward hers and captured his lips again, showing
him with her kiss that she was in control. Maybe it was the mixture of passion
and indignation that raged within her or maybe it was because she’d held it in
too long but she put everything in that kiss so that when she released him he
looked stunned.

Before he could recover she gave him another shock when she reached
down and ripped his shirt open, popping buttons, sending them flying.

With his shirt wide open, his muscled chest exposed, she slid off
his lap but only to get back on top of him, this time with her legs straddling
his. Facing him, she had full access to his bare and beautiful body. Without
hesitation she leaned forward to capture a turgid nipple between her teeth. She
nibbled and nipped, punishing his sensitive bud till he sucked in his breath
and clenched his eyes shut but when she began to lick and soothe him with her
tongue he flung his head back and moaned.

He lifted his hands like he wanted to touch her, hold her, but Lani
slapped them away. Ridge might be bigger than she was but as long as she kept
him in his chair she could control whatever happened and she planned to keep
things that way. She would keep him entertained. That way he would have no need
to rise. As long as the only rising he was doing was in his pants she was a
happy camper.

Moving swiftly before he had the chance to wonder what would happen
next Lani loosened the bow at her right shoulder and let the top of the shift
fall forward, exposing her lace-covered bosom. His eyes still closed, Ridge had
no idea what was going on but it didn’t matter because in one fluid movement
Lani stood, her hands pulling the clasp at the front of her bra as she moved.
Now, with her breasts free, she leaned over Ridge’s upturn face and nudged her
nipple between his lips, feeding him the puckered fruit, feeling a thrill run
through her body as he started then tasted then sucked it in.

Now, with that sensitive bud between his lips, it was Lani’s turn to
moan. As he drew it in, teasing it with his tongue, nipping it with his teeth,
massaging it with his lips, Lani closed her eyes then threw her head back and
moaned. She arched her back, pressing into him, wanting more of the molten
pleasure that flowed from his lips. And even as she moaned she felt the liquid
warmth between her legs, testament to the effect Ridge was having on her.

Lani shifted, ready to feed the other bud to the ravenous rogue
beneath her, when he lifted his hand to span her waist and lift her off him.

Eyes so intense they blazed, he got up and took her hand then jerked
his chin toward the stairway. “Come on,” he said, his voice raspy. “Let’s do
this right.” He took her hand and turned, ready to finish what she’d started.

But it was too late. He’d broken the spell, dragged her out of her
dreamy fantasy, the one where she’d orchestrated the whole thing. Now it was he
who was calling the shots, just like he’d done when she’d turned to him in
desperation. It was a jolt of reality that knocked the ‘horny’ right out of
her. It was a reminder too stark, too strong for her to ignore. No matter how
much she pretended, Ridge was the one in charge.

She pulled her hand from his grasp. “No.” She shook her head.
“That’s it. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Ridge pulled up short, his eyes filled with confusion. “What the
hell? You started this.”

“I know,” she said, her voice terse. “And now I’m ending it.” She
stepped back, covering herself as she moved, then began to redo the bow that
held the top of her dress in place.

“What? Why?” Ridge looked like he’d lost his bearings, like he
didn’t know if he was coming or going.

Too bad. The way she was feeling right now she had no sympathy for
him. “I changed my mind,” she told him with a shrug then moved away and began
to stack the dirty dishes and bowls in the middle of the dining table.

“What the f-”

“Don’t you dare.” Lani fixed him with a glacial glare. “You don’t
need to sink so low.”

“The hell I don’t. What kind of friggin’ game are you playing?
You’re trying to mess with my head?”

Lani shrugged then lifted the stack of china. “Let’s just say,” she
murmured, “I can play games just as well as you.” Not waiting for an answer she
walked away, leaving him to stew in the sauce she’d served.

In the refuge of the kitchen she dropped the dishes into the sink
and let out the breath she’d been holding. Thank goodness he hadn’t followed her.
He must be pissed as hell, with her leaving him high and dry like that.

But she couldn’t help it. It was the memory of how she’d gotten here
in the first place that had been her undoing. She just couldn’t reconcile
herself to the fact that he’d been all-powerful and she, so powerless.

And if the only way she could wield what little power she had was to
withhold sex, then so be it.

The only sad thing about the whole affair was, in punishing him she
was darned well punishing herself, too. And Lani had no idea how long she could
hold out. 

***

Not again. How could he have fallen for that again? Ridge slammed
his palms down on the bathroom counter and glared at his reflection in the
mirror.

He was a friggin' idiot, that was what he was. How could he let her
play him like that? The woman was nothing but a little tease, a witch ready and
willing to yank his chain. Drive him crazy. Torment him with want and then walk
away. Damn!

Ridged slapped his hands down again but what he really wanted to do
was drive his fists through the mirror. Pissed could not begin to describe what
he was feeling.

That night, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. He was so
wound up it wasn’t until the wee hours of morning that he finally drifted into
a fitful sleep. At the sound of a car engine he woke with a start and that was
when he realized it was morning and Lani was driving out, heading for work.

It was a grumpy and groggy Ridge who showed up at the office that
morning. When he walked in he tried to fake a smile but his assistant could
read him like an open book.

“You look terrible,” Miss Poole said, giving him a stern once-over.
“I would suggest you save the partying for the weekend.”

Ridge just gave her a noncommittal grunt and kept walking until he’d
entered his office and closed the door behind him. In the privacy of the room
he relaxed his clenched teeth and gave way to a groan. He was exhausted and he
was in the same bad mood Lani had put him in the night before. It was only because
he had an important board meeting that afternoon that he’d even ventured out in
public. He was in no condition to mix and mingle with anyone. Not today.

When Miss Poole buzzed to tell him it was time for his meeting he
put on his game face and headed off to the conference room. It wasn’t going to
be easy but like any professional worth his salt he was going to have to push
his personal problems to the distant corners of his mind and deal with the
issues at hand.

It was a long four hours but Ridge made it to the end of the
meeting. Unfortunately, it was not before he’d nearly chewed off the head of
his CEO for making a costly blunder. For the most part he’d kept his anger
under control but this wasn’t one of those days when he was going to play nice.

When the meeting finally ended and he got up to go he could see the
flash of relief that crossed the face of his second-in-command. Suddenly
feeling guilty that he’d been so harsh, Ridge gave Jeff Bentley a curt nod.
“We’ll talk about this tomorrow,” he said, his voice calm, the very opposite of
what he’d been just minutes before. “We’ll find a solution to this.” With those
words of reassurance he left the conference room and, not stopping, he left the
office building and went straight to his Jaguar in his reserved parking spot.
He was going home. There was something he needed to do and the sooner, the
better.