Billionaire's Blackmail Bride: Billionaire Brothers Kent - Ridge's Story (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (15 page)

His final garment gone Lani was just about ready to climb back up
his body but then she changed her mind. Why not take the scenic route?

And so she paused to plant a soft kiss on top of his foot, smiling
when he did a little squirm in response. Next she moved up his legs, the soft
hairs tickling her lips as she covered his shins, his knees and then his thighs
with butterfly kisses, his soft sighs giving her ample reward.

She moved up along his side over the smoothness of his hips and up
to his waist and then she reached up to capture his nipples between her
fingers, pinching and taunting them until she had him writhing from the
pleasure of it all.

Before he could recover she was back on top of him, straddling his
hips but never releasing his stiff buds and as she felt the heat of his
hardness pressing up against her moistened core she sank down onto it, impaling
herself.

“Aah.” Like he’d just been dropped into a vat of hot oil Ridge
gasped out loud and his body jerked up, his back arching, his hips rising to
drive him deeper inside. “Oh, Christ, you feel so good.”

At her husband’s strangled cry Lani’s mouth went dry and she began
to move, rocking her body on his, watching his chest heave as he sucked in air.

And as she moved Ridge began to move with her, meeting her stroke
for stroke, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in air, his eyes never leaving
her face.

Her hands splayed on the broad muscles of his chest, Lani rode him,
taking all the pleasure she’d denied herself for so long.

Then, just as she approached her peak Ridge began to pant then he
groaned out loud. “Lani, are you sure? I can’t stop-” His voice broke off
because instead of slowing down she quickened her pace, driving him on to that
point where there would be no turning back.

Taking full control, Lani pushed until she was over the edge,
tumbling down into a whirlpool of ecstasy, dragging Ridge along with her.

As he found his release Ridge uttered a groan so deep and then he
was reaching for her, pulling her down and clutching her to him, crushing her
against his chest.

For a long while they stayed like that, clinging to each other,
their bodies shuddering in the final throes of ecstasy. And then, as the
seconds passed into a minute and then two, their breathing calmed and they
relaxed into each other’s arms.

As Lani lay on top of Ridge, her cheek resting against his chest, he
reached his hand up and gently stroked her hair. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“That was out of this world.”

And as she listened to the words as they rumbled in his chest she
didn’t lift her cheek from where it lay just over his heart. Instead, she snuggled
even closer, tightened her arms around Ridge, and smiled.

CHAPTER TWELVE

When Ridge awoke next morning, the memory of his pleasurable night
with Lani still fresh in his mind, he smiled and reached out for her. He came
up empty-handed. All he felt on the sleeping bag beside him was air.

Frowning, he opened his eyes. And then he smelled it – the familiar
fragrance of fried eggs wafting into the tent. He smiled and relaxed back onto
the padded surface of the sleeping bag. Lani had gotten off to an early start.
She was busy making breakfast, playing little wife. He liked that. It actually
made the tent and this wild environment feel like home.

Ridge rubbed the sleep from his eyes then got onto his hands and
knees and crawled out of the tent. The earth was still damp from the rain but
the sun was out and burning bright. The heat would be drying up the moisture in
no time.

“Hey, honey. We’ve got breakfast ready for you.”

Ridge looked up to see Lani looking fresh as a daisy in khaki
trousers and white T-shirt, waving to him and smiling. Like she’d timed him
perfectly she was holding a tin plate piled high with powdered eggs, strips of
beef jerky and slices of bread she’d probably toasted over the open fire.

Ridge couldn’t have asked for a better breakfast. Smiling, he got to
his feet and lifted his arms in a leisurely stretch. “I’m so hungry I could eat
all of that plus the plate it’s on.”

Lani laughed. “The food, you can eat, but not the plate. We’re going
to need it for later. Now go clean up then come get your breakfast before
Aurelio and I gobble it down.”

Ridge took her warning seriously. With a grin he headed off toward
the stream but within minutes he was back and reaching for his plate. Then he
found a comfortable seat on top of a rock and settled down to enjoy the meal
his wife had prepared.

He’d gobbled down almost half the plate of food when he realized
that Aurelio and Lani were just sitting there watching him, the same weird
expression on each of their faces.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice muffled with the piece of
toast he’d just bitten into. He swallowed. “Were you guys supposed to get some
of this?”

“No, we ate. Waiting on you.” Aurelio gave him a grave look.

“Oh.” Ridge said the word, which made it seem like all was clear to
him but he was more confused than anything. “Waiting on me to finish eating?”

“Yes,” Aurelio said, “so we can go.”

Ridge nodded. “Okay, cool. I’ll hurry up. I guess you guys want to
get back to civilization just as badly as I do.” He tucked in, not wanting to
hold up their departure from the campsite.

“Uh, Ridge,” Lani said, her voice sounding strangely hesitant,
“about that…”

As her words trailed off Ridge frowned then he lowered the forkful
of eggs he’d just been about to put to his mouth. He had the sinking feeling he
wasn’t going to like what she was about to say.

She bit her lip then flashed him a guilty look. “We’re not leaving
camp today.”

“What?” Ridge frowned and lowered his plate. “Why not?”

Lani clasped her hands behind her back, which made her look like a
child caught in the middle of a naughty act. “Well, we decided to stay here a
while longer and do some more exploring.”

“We decided?” By this time Ridge’s frown had descended into a full-fledged
scowl. “You and Aurelio?” He didn’t say the rest of what he was thinking but
from the look on Lani’s face he could see she knew exactly where he was going.
She could read that he was pissed that their decision hadn’t included him. “Not
we,” she said quickly. “I. I was the one who decided we should stay longer.”

Ridge’s eyes narrowed as he watched her. “May I ask why?”

Maybe Lani thought his question meant he was willing to have a
discussion because her stance relaxed and she loosened the clasp of her hands
and reached out to pluck a leaf from the bush beside her. “Aurelio was telling
me about another plant,” she said, “one I’d never heard of before. He said I
can get some not far from here. If we just hike for eight miles east of here
we’ll get to the grove-”

“Are you out of your mind? After we risked our lives to get your
plant samples you want to find more? You’re a sucker for punishment or what?”

Eyes wide and her look earnest, Lani shook her head. “You don’t
understand, Ridge. Aurelio told me it’s a healing plant, known in Brazil for
ages. What if it’s the answer to some of the diseases running rampant in our
country?”

Ridge gave her a skeptical look. “I thought those other ones you got
were the answer.”

“We don’t know. Don’t you see? It could be anything. It could be the
one Aurelio’s telling me about.”

As she called his name Aurelio stooped down, sat back on his
haunches and began poking at the almost dead fire with a stick. He looked like
he wanted to be anywhere but there right at that moment.

“Sounds like a wild goose chase to me,” Ridge said with a snort. “If
you ask me, the best thing we could do is pack up camp and head on out of here
before more bad luck befalls us.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you,” Lani shot back at him. “And what kind of
bad luck are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you say those bushes you got were bad luck? I got cracked on
the head, didn’t I?”

Lani gave him a look of pure exasperation. “That had nothing to do
with it. You didn’t look where you were going and you slipped. Now if you’d
only paid attention-”

“So you’re calling me careless now?” The rest of his breakfast
forgotten, Ridge put the plate on the ground and stood up. “It was dark in
there, and slippery. It could have happened to anybody.”

“And that’s exactly my point. It could have happened to any of us.
It had absolutely nothing to do with bad luck brought on by my plants.” By this
time Lani was getting so worked up her chest was heaving.

But if she thought her show of emotion would sway him she’d better
think again. “We’re leaving,” he said, "and not to go traipsing through
the forest again. We’re going back to the city. Today.”

Lani’s brows fell. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Ridge gave her a cool stare. “You can’t go if I don’t let you.” Then
he gave her a mirthless smile. “You’re not going into the woods unless I go
with you. And I’m not going with you.”

“I’m going,” she snarled, “and you can just sit here and grow moss
till I get back. I don’t care.” With that she stalked off, heading in the
direction of the stream.

“I’m packing up,” Ridge yelled after her. “When you get back we’ll
be ready to go.”

She didn’t bother to answer but just kept walking.

Ridge shook his head. Hothead, that was what she was. Why did she
think she should always have things her way? He glanced over at Aurelio who
still stooped by the fire, looking uncertain. “She doesn’t understand that I’m
doing this for her own good,” he said, trying to downplay the quarrel and
reassure their guide. “This place is dangerous. She got what she came for so
it’s best to just get on out of here before anything else goes wrong.”

Aurelio nodded. “We go now,” he said solemnly. “Don’t push our
luck.”

“Now you’re talking.” Ridge gave him a nod of approval. If only his
woman would get the point as easily as Aurelio did. Muttering to himself he
strode toward his tent, ready to dismantle the thing and pack it into the Jeep.

And that was when the second stroke of bad luck befell him. Just as
he went around the boulder to which they’d secured the tent Ridge stepped down
onto a pile of pebbles. Loosened by the pounding rain of the night before, they
shifted under his feet, making his ankle twist under him, sending him tumbling
to the ground.

It was his yell that brought Aurelio hurrying to his side. “What is
the matter? You are hurt?”

His face contorted in pain, Ridge looked up from where he’d fallen
to the muddy ground. “God, this hurts. It feels like I sprained my ankle.”

“Not good.” Aurelio clucked his tongue, looking worried. “Not good.”
Then, like he was forgetting he was a hundred pounds lighter than Ridge and
twice his age, he tucked his shoulder under the injured man’s armpit and
reached his arm behind his back to hoist him up.

“No, that’s okay.” Ridge pushed him off, but gently, and then he
rolled over and onto his knees. “I’ll crawl if I have to.”

“No, you stay there.” Aurelio got up. “I will go and find the
doctor.”

Ridge groaned and he was just about to tell Aurelio not to bother
but the man had already disappeared into the brush. He could just imagine what
Lani would say when she came back and found him like this. Clumsy, that’s what
she would call him, and careless. And if he answered her like he wanted to,
then that would be the start to yet another argument.

By the time Aurelio came back with Lani, Ridge was back inside the
tent, lying on top of the sleeping bag. His ankle hurt so much he had to grit
his teeth to keep from groaning out loud.

He was in the middle of a suppressed moan when the flap of the tent
was flung open and she tumbled in. “What happened?” she asked, looking more
concerned than he’d expected. “Are you hurt bad?”

Ridge drew in a slow breath. “Aurelio told you what happened?”

"He said you slipped and fell.”

He grimaced. That sounded more embarrassing than how it had actually
happened.  "I stepped on some loose rocks and they shifted. Made me twist
my ankle.”

“Oh.” She didn’t sound too impressed by his version of the story.

“Anyway,” he said, eager to cover his embarrassment, “you know what
that means.”

“No. What?”

“It means I couldn’t go on that eight mile trek with you even if I
wanted to. And if I’m not going, you’re not going.”

That got him a glare from Lani. “You didn’t want to go on the hike,
anyway.” Then she knelt down on top of the sleeping bag beside him. “You’re
right about not being in any condition to go but I’m sorry. That’s not going to
stop me.”

“What are you saying? You’re planning on leaving me in this
condition and going into the jungle all by yourself?”

“I won’t be by myself,” she reminded him. “Aurelio will be with me.”

“I already told you,” Ridge said through gritted teeth, “you’re not
going anywhere.” He didn’t know which was more annoying now, the throbbing ache
in his ankle or Lani and her stupid insistence.