The half-prepared meal was instantly forgotten as Ridge enveloped Nicolette in a tight embrace and sealed her lips with a long, simmering kiss.
As the heat of his body spread into hers, she abandoned the last niggling reservations in her mind and quickly slipped her arms up and around his neck. The silent response caused his kiss to deepen until the urgency to get closer turned into an intangible need for both of them.
Easing his lips from hers, he whispered, “Let’s go to the bedroom.”
By then Nicolette’s senses were so drugged with desire for him that all she could manage was a slight nod. The signal was all he needed, and he quickly slipped his hand around hers and led her out of the kitchen.
His was a small room with a bed of dark oak pushed into one corner, a matching dresser at the opposite end, and a tall chest of the same wood positioned a few steps from the head of the bed.
The floor was oiled parquet with a huge braided rug at the bedside. The unbleached muslin curtains were closed, shutting out the lingering twilight of the evening.
For a brief moment, as her gaze skittered around his intimate sleeping place, Nicolette asked herself if she’d gone crazy. It wasn’t like her to behave in such a reckless, impulsive way. But then, she’d never felt so aroused, so full of need for any man. She couldn’t hide or run from her feelings now. Her throbbing body wouldn’t let her.
Ridge brought them to a stop on the braided rug, but he didn’t immediately lay her on the bed. Instead, both his hands carefully cupped her face and then he bent his warm mouth back down to hers.
As his kiss heated her blood, his fingers went to work with the belt around her waist. Once he had it unbuckled, he allowed the wide piece of leather to fall away. The belt hardly had time to hit the floor when he reached for the buttons on her white shirt.
His fingers dispensed with the tiny fasteners one by one, while the brush of his hands against her breasts sent shocks of hot pleasure dancing along her veins. As soon as he peeled the white cotton from her shoulders, his head bent, and she groaned out loud when his mouth planted itself in the hollow between her small breasts.
He kissed her there, then licked and nibbled his way across the flesh spilling over the lacy cups of her bra. While his tongue danced over her skin, his fingers reached between her shoulder blades and unfastened the scrap of lace covering her breasts.
Nicolette stood motionless, her heart beating in her throat as he pulled the shirttails from the waist of her skirt, then pushed both garments off her shoulders to send them tumbling to the floor at their feet.
She watched those brown eyes of his fasten on her pert breasts and was amazed to see him smile as though he’d uncovered a precious treasure.
“Beautiful.”
His one murmured word was enough to send a warm, embarrassed flush over her entire body. “I’m not twenty anymore,” she countered in a strained voice.
His smile deepened. “Neither am I.”
His quirky reply very nearly made her laugh. But the sound died in her throat as he suddenly dipped his mouth to one hard, chocolate-colored nipple. As he rolled the sensitive bud between his teeth and tongue, her head fell back, while a moan sounded in her throat.
Desperate to hold on, to keep him close, she thrust her hands in his hair. Moist, aching heat burned between her thighs, shocking her, thrilling her with the ultimate pleasure of being a woman.
She didn’t know how long his mouth made a lazy foray of her breasts. Time had ceased since they’d entered the room and she was only aware of feeling the cool quilt beneath her back.
Brown high heels teetered on her toes, then fell to the braided rug with a muffled thump, thump.
Ridge placed one last kiss on her mouth, then stood to remove his own clothing. While he dealt with his slacks and shirt, she wiggled out of her skirt and draped it over the footboard.
Once he was standing naked, gazing down at her he said in a low, husky voice, “I hope you’re protected because I don’t want to have to use a condom. I want to feel every inch of you against me.”
She’d not been expecting him to say anything so erotic. She was embarrassed and aroused at the same time. Thankfully the room had grown dim enough to hide the blush on her face.
“I’m on the Pill,” she said lowly. “For regularity reasons.”
Smiling wickedly now, he joined her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. Nicolette sighed with abandon and turned her face to search for his lips.
He rewarded her with a kiss so consuming all she could do was grip his shoulders and try to match the wild, slanting search of his lips, the hungry thrust of his tongue.
Like dust picked up by a slow-moving whirlwind, her senses spun round and round, up and up into a tight funnel of aching need. She’d never felt so out of control, so desperate to be possessed.
His hands were everywhere; his fingers warm bands exploring her back, trekking across her belly, gliding over her breasts. Between his thumb and forefinger, her nipples tightened with pleasure and anticipation. His mouth eased against hers and he nibbled and chewed at her lower lip.
Raw passion was digging, building deep within her, slicking her body with sweat and shortening her breath to quick, silent sups of air.
“Ridge—” She gasped his name while her head twisted from one side to the other. “This is—I want you. Really want you!”
He smiled against her mouth. “Good. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Against her thighs she could feel the soft abrasion of his hairy legs, the brush of his rigid manhood. The idea that she’d lifted him to such a state of arousal was as intoxicating as a swift shot of whiskey. She’d never thought of herself as sexy, but Ridge was definitely making her feel that way.
Lifting his head away from hers, he looked down at her body. Night shadows were drifting into the room, mottling her skin, painting the dips and valleys with soft gray. He trailed his knuckles down the crease of her midriff.
“I knew you would look this way,” he said thickly. “Soft, smooth curves just waiting to be touched. You feel like a piece of satin, my darling Nicci.”
Bending his head, he brushed his lips along the trail his knuckles had taken. Nicolette’s eyelids fluttered down, her teeth bit into her lower lip as pleasure invaded every cell of her body. A sigh whispered past her lips then turned into a needy groan as his mouth dipped lower and lower.
Gripping his shoulders, she waited for the exploration to stop and the coupling of their bodies to begin. She had to feel him inside her, possessing her. Otherwise her body was going to go up in flames.
“And you make me feel—glorious—too glorious. Oh, my. Oh Ridge—” she choked. “Make love to me.”
Her plea sent his fingers to the juncture of her thighs. He touched the moist folds, teased them with the gentle brush of his fingertips until Nicolette was writhing with need.
She was arching against him, her body straining for release when he finally dipped his head even lower and separated the folds of her womanhood with his tongue.
The totally erotic contact was more than Nicolette could bear. He’d barely had the chance to taste her when bright stars exploded behind her eyes and she cried out his name.
When her senses finally drifted back to earth, her eyes were misty, her body limp. “Ridge—you—I didn’t know. Until now. Until you.”
The wondrous look in her gray eyes not only surprised him, it swelled his chest with an emotion too big to understand. His throat was thick when he tried to speak. “Darling, Nicci. I want to please you. That’s what makes me happy—very happy.”
Her eyes were full of tenderness as they slipped over his face and then, with a helpless groan, she pulled him down to her.
Ridge felt his body spiraling out of control as her soft hands skimmed his back, his shoulders and chest, then caught his hips and guided them to hers. He’d wanted to wait before he joined his body to hers. He’d wanted to prolong the exquisite moments of touching her, of watching the rich expressions of desire cross her beautiful face. But the fierce need to have her warmth surrounding him, caressing him, was even greater.
Somehow he managed to enter her slowly, but by the time she began to move against him his head was reeling, his loins on fire. Her legs wrapped around his as their bodies rocked to a rapid, hungry rhythm. Sweat covered him as he fought to stay afloat, to hold back the rush of need building inside him.
Her soft whimpers eventually turned into urgent cries and when she raised her head to search for his mouth, he fastened his lips over hers and let his warm seed spill into her.
Ridge didn’t know how long it took his wilted body to collect enough strength to roll away from her. For the first time in his life, he’d lost all sense of time and place. Making love to Nicolette had sent him somewhere else, and the journey back had left him shocked and disoriented.
The cool air separating their bodies had him reaching for her again. He groaned with utter contentment as she rolled against his side and rested her head on his shoulder.
“That was beautiful,” he murmured, yet even as he said the words he realized they were too trite to describe what had just taken place between them. Beautiful, glorious, mind-bending. None of those came close to the euphoria he’d felt.
His chest was still rising and falling at a fairly rapid rate. Nicolette’s small hand lay against the beating of his heart, until he lifted it to his lips and kissed each slender finger.
“I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered.
Her remark had him tilting his head so he could see her face. “Why?”
“Because—” Her head stirred and she brought her eyes up to his. “I thought I knew what being with a man was all about. But you’ve shown me that I didn’t know…it wasn’t like this before, Ridge.”
The confusion and honesty he heard in her voice pierced him in a way that was both sweet and painful. He stroked her damp hair. “I guess I should be telling you that I’m sorry your sex life was lacking. But I’m too selfish a man for that. I’m glad it was better with me, Nicci.”
Nicolette was also glad, yet there was another part of her that was terrified. No man had ever made her lose control as Ridge just had. She’d always been a methodical woman, one who tried to keep careful control over her emotions. But he’d just stripped away all of that, and she was afraid of the reckless, needy woman he was exposing.
“I didn’t plan on this happening between us tonight,” she confessed.
“I honestly wasn’t planning on it, either,” he admitted, then added with a wicked chuckle, “but I’m damn glad it did.”
Rolling toward her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, then slid it to her bare hip. The simple touch was enough to stir her remnants of desire and push away the doubts she knew would come later.
“So am I,” she whispered, then brought her lips against his. “Are you ready for supper?”
With a pleased chuckle, he rolled onto his back and pulled her along so that she was sprawled over the top of him. “Forget about supper. We’ll cook some eggs and add it to the steaks for breakfast.”
The next morning Nicolette was sitting at the long pine table in the Saddler kitchen as she absently slathered peach jam onto half of a buttermilk biscuit. Across the way, Cook eyed the bird-size portions on Nicolette’s plate and scolded her soundly.
“You’re gonna wind up having to doctor yourself, Miss Nicci, if you keep up that sort of eating. I’ve never seen such silliness in you young women today. Trying to starve yourself down to bones. Now just look at me.” Not bothering to put down the dishtowel or stewing pot she’d been drying, she held out both arms. “I ain’t fat and I ate three times the breakfast that’s on your plate.”
“I’m not sick, Cook. I’m just not hungry,” Nicolette told her. How could she be, she thought wryly. It had only been a few short hours since she and Ridge had finally gotten around to eating the steaks he’d cooked. She was still full from the meal, not to mention groggy from lack of sleep.
Ridge had tried his best to persuade her to spend the night with him, but Nicolette had refused to take things that far. In the first place, her mother had known she was going to have dinner with Ridge. If she hadn’t come home to the ranch last night, her mother would have easily put two and two together, and Nicci wasn’t ready to deal with Geraldine’s suppositions. Secondly, she’d not wanted to give Ridge the impression that she was handing her life over to him. Because she wasn’t. She couldn’t. Being his lover was one thing, but being anything more was out of the question. He was too young. And she was too warped to ever be the wife he wanted and needed.
Forcing her attention back to Cook, she said, “You’re naturally slim and beautiful. Some of us just have to work harder than you do. Now quit scolding me. I’ll have a big lunch later today. I promise.”
“Flattery like that don’t cut any ice with me, missy,” she said with a snort before she turned back to her task at the kitchen counter.
“Good morning, ladies! Glorious morning, isn’t it?”
Both Nicolette and Cook turned at the sound of Geraldine’s cheerful voice to see the matriarch of the Sandbur ranch saunter into the kitchen.
She was dressed in slim blue jeans and a starched yellow shirt with a brown bandanna tied at her neck. Coral and silver earrings dangled from her ears, and her silver hair was brushed into a sleek style that swished against her shoulders. Any signs of the bronchitis that had nearly hospitalized her a few weeks ago were now totally gone.
“Well, don’t you look spiffy this morning,” Cook commented as the other woman filled a plate from bowls of food laid out on a buffet table.
“Are you going somewhere, Mother?” Nicolette asked curiously as she watched her mother push the plate of food into a microwave.
Geraldine’s smile was faint and just a bit secretive. “I am. Wolfe is taking me to the horse sale up at Seguin today.”
Nicolette’s mouth popped open. “The horse sale! Cordero says we need to be selling horses not buying more of them.” Then her eyes narrowed with interest as the other part of her mother’s comment connected with her brain. “Wolfe. You mean Wolfe Maddson? The state senator here in Goliad County?”
“That’s right. You met him at Matt and Juliet’s wedding. Tall, good-looking man.”
Geraldine took a seat at the table and began to eat. Nicolette exchanged a curious glance with Cook before she turned to her mother.
“Uh, I thought the senator was married.”
“His wife passed away last year from a lingering disease. I’ve been urging him to get out and do something—other than his work up at the Capital.”
“Hmm, well it sounds like he’s finally taking your advice. I hope you two enjoy the day,” Nicolette said and meant it. Even though she really didn’t know Senator Maddson all that well, she trusted her mother to use common sense in matters of men. After all, Geraldine had chosen a wonderful mate and father to her children. She’d had the good judgment to marry a man capable of loving her deeply, who had stood by her side until his untimely death. Whereas Nicolette had allowed her heart to be carried off by a man who’d been as shallow as the San Antonio River in the middle of a drought. No. She didn’t have to worry about her mother. Geraldine Saddler knew her way around a man. It was her own heart that Nicolette needed to worry about. And after last night she was beginning to wonder if she’d left it with Ridge.
“What about you, honey? How did your supper with Ridge go last night?” Geraldine asked.
Nicolette started to drop the last bite of biscuit onto her plate but, fearing Cook was watching, she tossed it into her mouth and dutifully chewed.
“It was fine. Nice,” she eventually replied.
Picking up her coffee cup, Geraldine tossed her daughter a faintly annoyed look. “That’s all? Nice?”
Nicolette shrugged. “Well, what do you want me to say?”
“I was hoping I’d come in here and find roses on your cheeks.” Reaching over, she caught Nicolette by the chin and angled her face one way and then the other. “Instead, you look pale and drained.”
Pink color swathed Nicolette’s cheeks, but thankfully it came after her mother had removed her hand and turned her attention back to eating.
“I look drained because I had a long day yesterday and I stayed later at Ridge’s than I’d intended.” At least that much was true, she thought. Much later. The clock had been close to striking two when she’d finally crawled into her own bed this morning. It was indecent. But for the first time in her life she felt sexy and wanted.
“What was his home like?” Geraldine persisted.
Nicolette smiled as she scooted forward on her chair. At least this was something she could share with her mother.
“I actually loved it. It’s small and homey and has two long porches with all sorts of furniture and potted plants. A huge pecan tree shades the yard and there’s an old chicken house in the back that Ridge is going to restore. He’s even going to get some laying hens. I told him to get dominickers. They lay the best. Isn’t that right, Cook?”
“That’s right,” Cook answered from her place at the counter. “But what’s he gonna do about coyotes? Does he know it’ll take one coyote about two nights to clear out a chicken house?”
“He has a German shepherd dog named Enoch,” Nicolette answered. “I’m sure he’ll keep the coyotes chased away.”
“Then he really is going to make this area his home,” Geraldine mused aloud.
A faint frown creased Nicolette’s forehead. “That’s been his intention from the start. But he—well, he can’t convince his parents, especially his mother of that. She’s badgering him to return to Houston. And his father will hardly speak to Ridge because he’s here rather than there.” Her voice softened as regret for him filled her heart. “Oh, Mother, he doesn’t say that the estrangement hurts him, but I can tell that it does. I wish his parents would understand what a fine young man he is instead of trying to bend him to their will.”
Geraldine glanced up and, after taking a moment to scan Nicolette’s troubled face, laid a gentle hand over her daughter’s. “It sounds as though you’re beginning to care for Dr. Garroway.”
Did she? After last night she felt foolish to even ask herself that question. From the first night she’d rushed to the hospital and found him treating Dan in such a personal way, she’d cared about him. But now that initial caring seemed to be growing, blossoming into something that made her feel like the world around her was bright and beautiful. She didn’t want to fall in love. That wasn’t in her plans. But her heart didn’t seem to be following her instructions.
Breathing deeply, she wiped her fingers on a napkin and then reached for her coffee. “I do care for him, Mother. But I—don’t want things to get too serious between us. He’s a man I enjoy being with, and that’s where it stops.”
“Why?” Geraldine persisted. “And don’t start in about Bill and all that bull he put you through. Ridge isn’t Bill. He’s far from it.”
“That’s sure saying a mouthful,” Cook spoke up, her voice full of grit. “I’d still like to take Bill out somewhere and scare the hell out of him with my shotgun.”
Ignoring Hattie’s comment, Nicolette said to her mother, “I’m nine years older than Ridge, Mom. That’s eventually bound to cause problems.”
“Not if you don’t let it.”
So Ridge had said, too, Nicolette thought wearily. She might as well forget that argument for the time being. “Okay, put that reason out of your mind and think about this. Ridge is a busy doctor and so am I. We’d never have time for much of a life together. He deserves more than that. He—” She paused as her throat thickened with emotion, and before Geraldine could spot the glaze of tears in her eyes, she turned her gaze to the windows looking out over the back patio and the garden beyond. She swallowed before she finally spoke. “Ridge wants a wife and children.”
“Well, hallelujah. At last. You’ve found a man who wants the same things as you,” Geraldine exclaimed. “I think that’s wonderful.”
Dismally, Nicolette turned back to her mother. “I thought Bill wanted the same things I did. Look what that got me. No, Mom, I’m not ready to put my trust in a man again. I just can’t do it.”
Scooting back her chair, she rose from the table to leave the kitchen. Her mother swiftly caught her by the forearm.
“Honey, you just agreed that Ridge is nothing like your ex-husband. So why can’t you trust him?”
Why couldn’t she, Nicolette asked herself. How could she explain that to her mother when she couldn’t even explain it to herself?
“It doesn’t matter, Mother. Ridge is hardly proposing marriage.” And if he did, she’d have to tell him no. Everything between them would have to end. It was something she couldn’t bear to think about.
Across the room Cook said, “Men are just like horses, Miss Nicci. Some are outlaws and others you can trust with your life. Cordero says a good horse can’t be picked by its conformation or whether it has high-toned breeding. It’s that soft look in the horse’s eye that tells him he’s a keeper.” She glanced over her shoulder at Nicolette. “I liked Ridge right off. Not because he’s mighty good to look at. He has that soft eye. And I’m thinkin’ he has it for you.”