“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered. “Just stay. Please.” As she spoke she reached around to slide her hands up and down his back, his answering shudder all the reward she needed.
His face pressed against the side of her neck, Ridge slumped over her. “Lani, don’t do this to me,” he said, his whisper sounding so broken and desperate that it made her heart ache. “I beg you, don’t torture me like this.”
Feeling guilty as hell, Lani slid both arms up to gather him to her. “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’re doing this.”
He went stiff in her arms. “How?”
She stroked his back. “Ever heard of the withdrawal method? It’s not the most reliable but whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. Now come on. Make love to me.”
His face still pressed against her, when he spoke his lips tickled her neck. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Absolutely.”
It was only after that reassurance that Ridge moved again. He shifted his body, settling it back over hers, positioning his h*ps so they rested between her legs.
Lani relaxed under him, opening to him, and when Ridge pressed his manhood against her moistness she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, letting him slide deep inside.
And then he began to move, slowly at first, as if testing her, seeing how much she could take. But then when she did not pull back he moved faster, sliding into her, moving with a smooth and steady rhythm that picked up speed as he stroked. Soon he was thrusting into her, his body seeming to move of its own accord, his eyes clenched shut, his breathing tight and labored, his grip tight on her shoulders.
And Lani was moving with him, her body rocking, her h*ps thrusting up to meet him. The heat in her body climbed till she was burning up with the passion that raged between them.
Lani was so caught up in the heat of the moment that when Ridge pulled away and out of her she gasped. “What?” Her eyes flew open as she reached for him but he’d rolled away, panting, eyes clenched tight, trembling like he had the ague.
“Please come back.” She was reaching for him but he put up a hand, stopping her cold.
“Don’t move.” He spoke through clenched teeth. “Don’t…move.” He was sucking in deep breaths, looking like he was struggling to stay in control.
How could she have forgotten? Ridge had withdrawn just in time and she’d been there, like an idiot, calling him back, putting him under even more pressure.
With effort that seemed almost super-human Ridge drew in a long, shuddering breath and then he opened his eyes. “I need a shower,” he said, his voice choking. “A real cold one.”
And then, before she could move, he was up and out of the bed, leaving her cold and lonely as she lay there, watching him head once more for the bathroom.
And as she lay there, feeling ashamed at what she’d put him through, Lani knew in her heart that something had changed, something on her side, at any rate. She’d opened herself to taking a chance with Ridge, the biggest chance of all. Right at this moment there was the chance that she was carrying his baby and, as far as she was concerned, there would be no regrets.
And next time, when they were ready to make love again, things would be different.
The question was, after she’d made Ridge suffer so, would there be a next time?
CHAPTER EIGHT
One week and counting.
For the past week Ridge had made sure to stay out of Lani’s way, even going so far as to deliberately get home late at night after she’d gone to bed. It was better that way. After the taste she’d given him of her delectable body, coming home to see her was nothing but torment. How did she expect him to go on living in the same house with her, see her each night, and not be able to touch her?
Okay, so he’d touched her, as intimately as you could get, but she’d put restrictions on him, denying him the ultimate pleasure, taking him ninety percent of the way and keeping him from that final release. He’d had a hell of a time holding it in. She couldn’t have known how close he’d come to exploding inside her.
Thank the stars he hadn’t, but he could make no promises for next time…if there ever was a next time. And the way she had him climbing the wall in frustration there’d better not be, because he knew he would never be able to hold back.
Ridge glanced at his computer screen. After seven o’clock. He was dead tired but he was too scared to get in the car and drive home. Yes, he wasn’t going to tiptoe around it – he was running scared, and it was all the fault of that petite pixie with jet-black hair and ruby lips, the same one with the slim waist and full br**sts that were so hard to resist. Even as he sat staring at the computer screen he could taste the strawberry tips-
Ridge jumped. The phone. His cell phone was buzzing in his trousers. He snapped his attention back to the present and dug into his pocket. When he glanced at the screen he saw that it was Lani.
He tapped the screen. “Yeah, Lani. What’s up?”
“Ridge, are you going to be home soon? We need to talk.” Her voice was breathless, like she was excited. Or was that worry he was hearing?
“Is everything okay?” he asked, straightening up.
“Everything’s fine,” she said. “In fact, everything’s perfect. That’s why I want you home so I can tell you about it.”
Everything is perfect. That was the last thing he’d expected her to say, under the circumstances. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“I’m not going to tell,” she said, her voice turning cheeky, “until you get here. Now pack up your work and get your butt home.”
Before he could answer she hung up the phone. Well, the lady had spoken. There was nothing to do but head on home and hear the great news she had to share.
As soon as he walked into the house Ridge called out her name. “Lani, I’m home. Where are you?”
“I’m down here,” she called back and as he turned he saw her coming from the kitchen. She was all smiles which, for Lani, was not the norm.
“So what’s the great news?” he asked, deciding to cut to the chase. He was never one for suspense.
“You won’t believe it,” she said, coming to stand right in front of him. “I found the source for a rare plant I’ve been hunting down for ages.” She grinned up at him. “I’m leaving for South America in two days.”
***
So this was Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas region. Lani flung her arms wide and twirled around and around in the hotel room. She was finally here in Brazil, home to a big portion of the Amazon jungle, the habitat that would provide her with the secret plant potions she craved.