Slowly, Ridge approached her, as if she was a fawn fearful of her surroundings. He was close enough that sh
e could smell his manly scent of cologne, sandalwood and musk, and her mind sought some sort of retreat from the hypnotizing scent. But she was lost as he stood a mere few inches from her.
“Thank you for last night,” he said as he rested his hip on the counter next to hers. “I’m not sure what I would have done without your help.”
“Oh, it was no problem. She’s a delight. Didn’t wake up once. Really, if you need any help at night, I’d be happy to step in.”
“Really?” he asked, surprised.
“Sure, Delilah is a great girl and I don’t have much going on.”
“Why?” he questioned and River didn’t know how to answer. She wanted to tell him that it was because she was a generous person that had years of experience working with kids or that she genuinely enjoyed being with his daughter. River didn’t dare blurt out that she had an attraction to him that she couldn’t seem to shake despite spending a week apart.
“Because. . .I. . .” River’s words trailed off as Ridge took a step closer to her. Their bodies were close enough now that she could feel the warmth of his body. Her brain shouted at her to retreat, but her heart kept her feet firmly in place.
“Because you want to help my daughter and me?” he prompted and River quickly confirmed with the nod of her head.
“Can you start this week? You’ll have to let me know your fee.”
“Okay,” she whispered in a trance as his hand reached up and cupped her chin. Her body shook beneath his touch and she feared he could sense her nervousness.
She knew he was going to kiss her by the heady look that grew in his eyes, but she was still unprepared for the feel of his lips against her skin. He pressed the softest of pecks against the corner of her mouth, testing her acceptance. River couldn’t push him away if she tried. She was lost to him and had been since he swooped in during the rainstorm.
Her eyes closed on instinct as Ridge pulled back slightly, then bushed her mouth fully with his. The softness of his kiss was mirrored by the gentle caress of his hand against her waist, holding her to him. Without a second thought, River reached her hand onto his shoulder, guiding her fingers into the soft strands of his hair that she had been admiring earlier.
His tongue begged for entrance against her mouth and River willingly obliged, opening her lips to him. Ridge’s tongue explored the depths of her mouth, pulling her further and further into the seductive trance he had initiated. She was lost to him. Completely and utterly lost with no way to pull herself free. River had never been kissed in such a way that left her forgetting her surroundings. She only knew that her body didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Time seemed irrelevant as she met his tongue’s intoxicating dance, gripping his hair in her fist for something to keep her grounded to the earth.
A cackling noise broke through their daze, the sound of a whimper from a child the only thing that could break Ridge and River apart.
“Fuck,” he whispered as he pulled his swollen lips away from hers. River was sure that her mouth mirrored his – soft, pink, and puckered. His hair was in disarray as she pulled her hand away from his scalp, the strands sticking out in various directions.
Delilah was growing in impatience as her wail continued to increase in volume.
“I. . .ugh. . .don’t move,” Ridge commanded as he hurried away, leaving River standing in the kitchen trying to piece together what had just happened.
Turning to face the window, River braced herself against the kitchen counter, her lungs gasping for air as the moment with Ridge flickered back into reality.
She had kissed one of her clients, one of the rules that she never ever broke, and now she was reeling from the admission to herself.
What was it about him that left her wanting more? Left her craving him?
She wasn’t sure what the answer was, and just as she came to the conclusion that maybe she couldn’t help him after all, Ridge came back into the kitchen with a sleepy Delilah resting her head on his shoulder. His daughter perked up when she found River standing at the kitchen sink and River knew immediately why she couldn’t turn away from them. They needed her. That little girl needed her. And if there was one thing she was good at, it was giving a piece of herself to someone else.
Chapter Seven
Ridge had gone almost a week without feeling the press of River’s lips against his or feel the way her body quaked beneath his touch and he was afraid he was going to go insane soon. Even after he had mauled her in his kitchen, she had agreed to watch Delilah during his evening shifts at the fire department. Considering the way he had acted, he was completely surprised that she had agreed.
They had set up a routine of sorts during the last few nights. Ridge would make them dinner at his place and then River would watch Delilah the remainder of the night. She had long since given up fighting him against sleeping in his bed when he wasn’t there. And he wasn’t too masculine to admit that he enjoyed coming home and finding her wrapped in his sheets. Ridge had almost caved a couple of nights ago and crawled into bed with her after an exhausting night fighting back a brush fire on the edge of town. Luckily, it had been contained quickly, but his uncle confirmed that they were having to monitor the area for the next few weeks.
Carson had been dry and barren as fall arrived, and Ridge couldn’t help but compare the weather to his own love life. The similarities were remarkable.
Walking through the front entryway to his home, he was surprised to find River and Delilah both awake and eating cereal at the kitchen table. His heart, which had long since given up on love, beat with an intensity he had never felt before.
“Good morning,” River said as she stood from the table. “Can I get you anything to eat? You look like you’ve had a rough night. Or maybe you want to get a few hours of sleep?”
Approaching his daughter, Ridge leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, relishing in her childish scent. “I’m okay, thanks. I caught a few hours at the fire station.”