It wasn’t long before their meal arrived and River surprised herself as they took turns sharing each other’s plate. His filet mignon had looked divine and her scallops had been the perfect sea marshmallows that she insisted he try them.
They were on their second glass of local red wine when the server asked if they wanted to order a dessert and she was torn between wanting to spend more time with Ridge and finishing the night on a high note.
An idea struck her suddenly and she coyly smiled at Ridge as she answered the server. “I think we’re okay for now. I have a fresh pie back at my place.”
The server quickly walked away with Ridge’s credit card, but River never tore her eyes away from Ridge’s. His had grown dark and heated at her statement, and she was almost certain that a low-pitched growl was coming from his side of the table.
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I simply made a suggestion," she said as she lifted her glass to her lips and swallowed the last remaining drops of the succulent red wine.
“Do you know how many nights I’ve dreamt about you and that damn pie?” he rumbled, sending shivers over River’s skin.
She didn’t know the exact number, but she’d had many of the same dreams over the last few weeks. Sometimes they were just eating pie. Sometimes he had used the pie filling and painted her skin with it. Other times the pie was left abandoned on the table. They were good dreams, regardless of the scenario.
The server returned with Ridge’s card and he broke their stare to place the card back into his wallet.
“You ready to get out of here?”
Her nerves grew in strength and River could only nod in agreement. As she stood from the table, Ridge helped ease her into her coat, then pressed his hand at the small of her back to guide her from the restaurant. The heat from his palm seared her skin even through the thick material that she wore. She wanted to feel the warmth of his hand against her bare skin, which freaked her out. It had been so long since she had been intimate with someone
that she didn’t know what his expectations for the evening were. She didn’t even have her own expectations, just that she didn’t want the night to end.
Back in the truck, Ridge pulled onto the road, the radio being the only noise in the vehicle. It wasn’t until they approached the downtown of Carson that Ridge broke through the silence.
“I really enjoyed dinner with you, but I don’t want you to think that I anticipate anything happening when I bring you home. I’m happy with walking you to the door and going on my merry way.”
“I know, Ridge. I enjoyed dinner too, which is why I invited you for dessert. Neither of us needs to feel any obligation. It can be no different than sharing dinner on a night that I watch Delilah.”
In the darkness of the night, she watched as Ridge nodded his head in understanding.
Now she just had to make sure her head and her heart understood the ramifications as well.
Chapter Nine
Ridge was torn at how to proceed. In his mind, he had all of this gumption to take what he wanted and what he wanted at that moment was River. But the chivalrous side of him silently opened the passenger door of his truck when they arrived at River’s house and followed her to her front door to make sure she arrived safely. He didn’t even want to press her for a kiss, though feeling her mouth against his would end the night better than he could have ever imagined.
“I enjoyed dinner,” he said as she stood under the glow of the porch light.
“Me too. Thank you for inviting me.”
She turned and unlocked the door to her house and stepped over the threshold, leaving him on the porch. River had taken four steps into her house before she peered over her shoulder, looking toward him.
“Are you going to join me?” she asked with a demure smirk before continuing her trek inside the house, removing her jacket along the way.
It only took Ridge another second of standing on the porch in the chilled fall air before he sighed in a heavy exhale and stepped inside her house, closing the door behind himself. In the time it took him to come to his senses, River had already plated the slices of cherry pie.
“If you want to find a movie, we can eat this in the living room.”
Shrugging off his jacket, Ridge made his way to the coffee table where the remote laid. “Any particular request?”
“Anything is fine. I’m not picky.”
Ridge took his typical seat on the couch and flipped through the channels until he found an old Mel Brooks comedy. River carried the two plates over, placing them on the coffee table as she sat down.
“Good choice. I haven’t seen this one in a while.”
They ate their dessert in silence, the only noise being their small bouts of laughter. Ridge watched as she brought the fork topped with the delectable sweet to her lips from the corner of his eye. He wanted nothing more than to be the cherry filling as it brushed against her tongue.