“Harder, Ridge. Fuck me harder.”
A growl roared from his chest as he spread her legs wider and increased his speed, his hips driving against hers, pushing her farther back on the bed. Ridge reached out and spread her legs, pinning her body in place as he propelled his cock inside her sex.
Waves of pleasure began to build in her abdomen and River knew that her body was inching toward its peak again. Ridge must have sensed her coming release by the way her body tightened. He reached down and began to rub the stiff bundle of nerves just above their joining.
“Yes!” she shouted as her body careened over the cliff of pleasure. River felt as if she had drifted away from consciousness, missing Ridge’s own release into her body.
Her limbs were weak and she felt weightless until River felt a warm cloth press between her legs. The sensation of the wet towel brought her back to the moment and she leaned up on her elbows as Ridge wiped away his essence from her center.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she told him, her voice hoarse and dry.
“I didn’t mind. Would you like a glass of water?”
She watched him curiously, wondering why he was being so polite, something she wasn’t used to from past lovers.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.” She thought he’d turn and immediately leave the room, but he surprised her again as he tilted his body toward hers and kissed her sweetly on the mouth.
From her perch on the bed, River watched his firm backside as he strutted from the room.
While he was gone, River wondered what she was doing. She was in no place to start a relationship, but she was drawn to Ridge in a way that she couldn’t comprehend. But his own life was a tangle of mess with his job and his ex-wife. Not to mention, he had a daughter that he needed to put first all of the time. River had never been a priority to any of her past boyfriends and she felt that it was past time to find that for herself.
Ridge walked back into the room and handed her a fresh glass of cool water, which she eager gulped down as he searched for his boxer briefs. She was a bit disappointed to watch him cover his cock with the material.
“What were you thinking about so hard when I came in?” he asked her. River wondered how she should answer. Should she lie or tell him what had been on her mind.
Ridge continued to watch her curiously as she moved across the bed, set the glass on her nightstand, and then turned down the bed covers for both of them. Regardless of how she felt about a relationship with Ridge, she wanted to savor the time she had with him.
He slipped between the sheets beside her and then turned his body in her direction, resting his head on his bent arm. Leisurely he reached out and ran his finger back and forth across her waist. It seemed he wanted the connection with her too.
“It’s nothing,” she said as she moved to mimic his position.
“Don’t lie to me, sweetheart.”
Damn, he had her.
“I was just wondering what we were doing, what this all meant.”
“What do you want it to mean?” River wasn’t surprised he turned the question around on her. The problem was that she didn’t have an answer.
Quietly she told him, “I don’t know. A part of me wants to see where this could go because we obviously have an attraction. But the other part of me knows that I deserve more than I think you can give and maybe we should just do something casual.”
He seemed to ponder what she expressed and River worried that his silence was his way of forming the words to completely break things off. She wouldn’t blame him, though she would miss the chance to experience more nights like this one. Why she had been hesitant to accept his date in the first place, she would never understand.
“You’re right. You do deserve more. My life is complicated and I can’t offer you any guarantees. And I am sorry about that. My daughter is my priority and fighting fires is all I’ve ever known. Those two things are what define me.”
“I know that and I admire those things about you. And I would never want to diminish those things in your life. I guess. . .for the first time in my life I want to be a bit selfish, that’s all.”
“I get it. Believe me. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. I have the divorce to prove it.”
She knew he was trying to make light of the intensity their conversation had taken, but River could see the hurt that lingered in each word.”
“Ridge, I-” she began, but he chimed in, saying, “How about we give the casual thing a try and we’ll just have to be honest with each other? I won’t stand in your way of happiness, River.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“Great. Now, get over here,” he said with that sexy smirk that she had grown to love. “I’m not through with you yet.”