Chapter 13
Islid down the bed, my knees cushioned on a pillow as Ridge ran his fingers through my hair. When I gripped the base of his shaft, he groaned, tugging on my hair gently.
“This is a nice way to wake up,” he growled, and I smiled against his cock before I opened my mouth and hovered over the tip. He kept his hips in place, not pushing forward, and from the way his thighs strained I knew he wanted to. So I filled my mouth with him, letting my tongue tease along the bottom of his cock as the head touched the back of my throat. I couldn’t swallow him all, so I gripped at the base and squeezed.
“Aurora,” he growled.
I hummed along him before I pulled back, scraping my teeth against his shaft as I went.
“Jesus Christ,” he grumbled, and I kept going, sucking on him, taking him. I was in control here, I needed the control.
It had been so long since I had done anything like this, it was almost like I was having to relearn how to do this correctly, how to enjoy this. But it was everything. It was exactly what I wanted, what I needed.
I hadn’t realized that I had been missing moments like these, when I was the one who held him in place.
But this was everything.
He pulled at my hair again and I looked up at him, licking my lips. He reached down and slid his thumb over the wetness of my mouth.
“So fucking beautiful. You want me to come down that throat of yours? Or maybe all over those pretty tits.” He slid his thumb in and out of my mouth, mimicking the action I had just done, and I rounded my lips, sucking hard. He smirked at me before sliding his thumb out.
“What do you want, baby?”
“You.”
A simple answer with so much hidden beneath the words.
Because here there was power, here there was need. Here there were moments for just the two of us.
Instead of letting me go down on him again, he tugged at my shoulders and cupped my face. He was so gentle, so sweet. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had nearly broken us when we reached for each other throughout the night and fell off the bed in laughter as we succumbed to each other.
This wasn’t what I had expected when I had started working here. Nor had I thought this was where a social media post would lead. And yet I couldn’t imagine myself any other place.
This was fun, this was lovely, and this was probably becoming too much.
I didn’t want to fall for him. Not so soon, not when I didn’t even know what I wanted. I just wanted to live in this moment.
He flipped me onto my back, spread my legs, and I watched his head dive between my legs as he spread my folds and began to lick.
My back arched and I covered my breasts with my hands, pinching my own nipples, playing with myself just like he liked.
It shocked me that I already knew him so well. So quickly.
And yet, in the end, maybe we had always been meant to be here.
I didn’t want to think about that, I couldn’t. I couldn’t let this be more than it was.
Then I couldn’t think about anything anymore because he was licking me, spreading me, and I was coming, my toes curling over his shoulders, his palm on my stomach to keep me pinned as he kept licking me through it.
“Your whole body turns this rosy pink when you come. It’s so fucking hot.” He licked my wetness off his lips and reached for the condom. I helped him slide it on, and we moved so he sat at the edge of the bed and I straddled him. With his feet planted on the floor and mine planted on the bed behind him, I sat on his lap and he lifted me by the hips, and slowly slid me down over his cock.
“So fucking tight,” he gritted out. I didn’t have any words because he was so damn big.
“Keep going. Just for me. Keep going.”
I smiled, lifting myself up with his help as he rocked into me. In this position he was so deep it was hard to even think, but we kept moving, and I tried to keep my breath, and then suddenly I was coming, my body shaking, as I clamped down around him.
He met my gaze and groaned, my name a whisper on his lips as he came, keeping me steady over his cock as we both tried to come down from our orgasms, but I wasn’t sure if I would ever be the same again. Not after last night, and not after this.
He pushed my hair back from my face, neither of us moving from our position. He smiled at me softly, and I thought I saw a newness there. A gentleness underneath the harsh growls of Ridge Wilder.
“Good morning.”
I smiled wide, sweaty and somewhat sore, but in the best way possible.
“Good morning.”
“Well, that’s probably my favorite way to wake up. Though I think we’re both running late.”
My eyes widened as I looked over his shoulder at the clock and tried to scramble off him, though it was kind of difficult with us in this particular position.
“We’ll get there. It’s okay. I am one of the bosses.”
“But not my boss.”
“Only last night.” He winked, then bit my lip before we were laughing and falling on top of each other.
Needless to say, we were late for work.
But only a little bit.
At the end of the day, I had finally gotten the last bits of frosting out of my hair and glared at my reflection in the mirror.
“Well, I’m so glad that I did my hair today. What’s a little frosting between friends.”
Kendall snorted from behind me. “Once I ended up with bouillabaisse on me, and I’m still not quite sure how that happened. But it went everywhere, and I was so mad because it took so freaking long to make the damn thing.”
“Oh, I can only imagine. At least frosting is ready to be eaten. Albeit not out of my hair.”
Kendall reached over and wiped more off my chin and I cursed.
“Is your family going to be okay that this is how I look for the girl time wine-and-cheese extravaganza?”
I sounded high-pitched and excited, but I was so damn nervous, because this was Ridge’s family. These were the women who married into the Wilders.
And now I would be hanging out with them, having wine, cheese, and pretending somehow that I fit in. Because apparently the entire family knew that Ridge and I were dating?
Dating worked. That was a good name for what we were doing. We were together. Nothing serious, nothing where we would actually discuss our feelings and futures, but enough that now I was having wine and cheese with the girls before I had to head out for my errands. Just a quick hour break with the women that I worked with, and Ridge’s family.
No pressure.
“Get out of your head. You look great. And it’s just a fun way to relax. Lark and Bethany are still out of town, so you don’t have the full force of us.”
I turned, raising a brow. “So, you’re admitting that you’re a force?”
“Of course we are, then again, you’re part of us. Because you work here, and we’re a family. You being with Ridge? That just adds a little more fun for us to go over.”
I bit my lip. “How much do you want out of me?”
Kendall put her arm around my shoulders as we walked down the path to one of the staff golf carts. The winery was on the other side of the property so we could walk there, but it would be easier if we made our way on the golf cart. Plus, we’d be able to make it back quick so I could head to the grocery store before going home. I knew many of the Wilders used to live on property, though not all of them did now. So us having a break together before we all disbanded to go about our normal routines would be nice.
“Seriously though, you only have to tell us however much you want to. Though we do pry. And since Bethany and Lark are out of town, it’s just you, me, Alexis, Maddie, and Sidney.”
I bit my lip as Kendall rounded a corner, going a little too fast in my opinion, but considering I’d seen this woman drive, I wasn’t surprised.
“Okay, so Alexis is the wedding planner for all of the events, and then Maddie does what? She’s in charge of the wine club?”
Kendall nodded as we took another turn and I held on to the oh-shit bar on the golf cart.
Kendall smirked before she answered. “She is the director of the tasting room and the wine club manager and works alongside her husband Elijah who is the operations director. My Evan is the wine making director, so they all work closely together. As Amos is the senior manager. It’s nice to have him around too, though he hasn’t married into the Wilders yet. More’s the pity.”
I snorted. “And that means Elliot as the event manager works with Alexis day in and day out.”
“Yep. And East works with everyone as he is in charge of maintenance and quality control along with Ridge’s brother, Brooks. Wyatt runs the Wilder Barn Distillery on the other side. Which you need to go to if you haven’t.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not that I haven’t wanted to see everything, I’ve just been a little hesitant about stepping into Ridge’s brothers’ activities, since they don’t have anything to do with my job.”
Kendall parked and we hopped out of the golf cart. She turned and smiled at me.
“I understand. It makes total sense. It is a little funny though because you do work with the rest of us.”
“I don’t know, I just feel like there’s a demarcation line. Or I’ve lost my mind.”
“Maybe. Okay, who am I missing?” Kendall asked as we walked inside the winery, and I looked around at the beautiful dark wood furniture and archways, and the random barrels artfully placed. It was soon to be after hours and the final tour was going through, which was how Maddie could come to this, so it was quiet and beautiful. Wine bottles and wine glasses were everywhere, but all in pristine condition. I had no idea how they did this, but considering how many people worked here, it made sense.
“Oh, duh, there is Everett who is our CFO, and Eli who is the CEO. Someone needed to fill those jobs, so they got to get the titles, but everybody’s equal. Including the cousins, now that they bought that piece of land west of us and connected it.”
I frowned. “I didn’t know that. Why didn’t I know that?”
“Because God forbid three of those brothers ever say that they did something and have pride in it. Gabriel? Oh, he’ll shout to the rooftops because that’s his personality.”
“Gabriel Wilder. The rockstar.”
Kendall rolled her eyes. “It took nearly a year of me knowing Evan for him to mention that his baby cousin was the Gabriel Wilder. I mean, Wilder’s a common name. I just hadn’t realized that it was that Gabriel.”
“I had such a crush on him when I was a teenager. Not that I’m actually ever going to tell Ridge that.”
“Tell Ridge what?” Sidney asked as she bounced through the doorway. She had on a floral crown. I smiled at her and pointed to the top of her head.
She blushed and quickly took it off.
“Why’d you do that? It looks beautiful.”
“I was trying on different ones, and this was a failure since the color matching was off, but I accidentally kept it on.”
“So the flower girls decided on floral wreaths?” Alexis asked as she came through the door with a tray of wine in hand.
Maddie nearly barreled into her and scowled as she said, “Pregnant women do not carry trays.” She took the tray away and served everybody our wine.
“This is a lovely pinot noir, rich, full bodied, with a slightly sweet taste so it’s not too overpowering before you eat later.”
“Salud,” I said, and Maddie beamed as we all clicked glasses.
Maddie was right about the taste, and I swallowed a bit before I found myself with a small plate of cheese and fruit that Kendall had prepared, and I just shook my head.
“You guys don’t let a girl down at all.”
“Of course not. We want you to be taken care of so you can tell us all the details.”
“Speaking of details, flower girls?” Alexis asked again, and everybody laughed. “What? I need notes.”
“I don’t have the answer yet. They want to see these versus the roses. I said that they could do both, but the mother-in-law was very clear.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “Oh, very clear is a lovely phrase to use when you’re talking about Clarice McButton.”
“I have so many questions about that name.”
Everyone looked at me and I blushed. “I don’t know, McButton?”
“Of the Oil McButtons.” Alexis rolled her eyes again. “We don’t discuss the McButtons. Clarice though? That does sound like a serial killer.”
“Right?” Kendall added.
“As in, I’m going to wear your skin and eat your liver with some fava beans?” I asked, laughing.
Everybody shuddered before Maddie snapped her fingers. “And he said chianti wrong and that has always bugged me.”
I settled back as everyone spoke. I felt safe. This was nice, and I just felt as if things made sense. I ate cheese and drank wine as we talked about the days of work, the kids, and the upcoming concert that Lark was having in downtown San Antonio that they were all going to.
“We have the president’s box by the way, so you’re coming.” I looked at Maddie who just grinned. “We’re all the bossy ones here, so you have to listen to us.”
“Well, that’s a little scary. But sure.”
“We really are nice, I promise,” Sidney put in. “Much better than working at my last job.” She shuddered as she sat and I reached over to clink my glass to hers.
“Cheers to that.”
She took another drink as I took mine, and Alexis leaned forward.
“I thought you were working out of your house, right? Baking those amazing cookies that I love.”
I blushed as everyone’s attention turned to me. “For the past few years, yes. Because my sister-in-law kicked me out of the business.”
I quickly explained about Lauren and my husband and everything that had happened that landed me in the position I was in. When they all started to curse Lauren for me, I wiped away a tear.
“We didn’t mean to make you sad,” Sidney said.
I sniffed and smiled at her. “I’m not sad. Not really. It’s just nice to have you all out here protecting me. Same with Ridge.” I set down my wine glass as everybody made a little tittering sound.
“And that’s enough wine for me.”
“Totally not enough wine,” Maddie said as she held up the bottle.
“I have to drive home, and I need to make sure that I hit the grocery store first. So, no more wine.”
“That makes perfect sense. But I have sparkling water for you,” Maddie added.
I grinned. “That sounds perfect. And I don’t want to talk about Ridge,” I said.
“Oh, I think you should totally talk about Ridge.” Alexis leaned forward. “You don’t need to tell us everything, but we don’t know much about the cousins. I mean, they’ve been working here for two years, and while Wyatt is outgoing and I absolutely adore him, Ridge just lurks.”
“He works with one of my husbands, and yet I barely speak with him,” Sidney added.
“Brooks is much the same way,” Kendall said as she poured my water for me. I nodded in thanks and took a quick sip of the cold and sparkling water.
“I don’t know much about them. I mean, I’ve learned more about you guys and your husbands in the past hour than I have this whole time I’ve been working here. I guess everything just started all at once and it got a little confusing. I don’t want to pressure Ridge into telling me all of his family’s connections and secrets. Because I don’t get to earn those.”
“But you know Ridge. You know some of his secrets,” Sidney said softly, and I swallowed hard and realized that everyone in this room knew too. Of course they did. Because their husbands knew, and these women were in healthy, loving relationships.
“I do. And I don’t know. I don’t know where it’s going to lead. And I don’t want to think too much about it because then I worry and I don’t like to do that. So I’m just going to go with it, and I’m going to have fun. And I am not going to get hurt. Because that’s not what either of us want.”
“That sounds like the perfect way to handle this. And I’m proud of you. And no matter what, you’re one of us. You’re one of the girls that work with the Wilders.”
As she said that Naomi walked in, her eyes puffy and her hair piled on the top of her head.
“Sorry I’m late, long day.”
Alexis cursed under her breath and stood up, bringing Naomi into her arms.
“What is it?”
“Amos and I broke up. But it’s fine. Totally fine. I could use some wine.”
And then Naomi burst into tears, and I stood back with Sidney as the others pulled Naomi into a group hug, and I hoped that would never be me. That pain, that loss. Plus the fact that she would have to work with Amos daily.
Just like I worked with Ridge.
But I wasn’t going to think about that.
I helped comfort a woman who needed it, and when Alexis took her back to her room, I gathered my things and headed off property. I didn’t text Ridge where I was going. He already knew. And watching Naomi fall apart like that made me want to take a step back. Maybe just breathe. I didn’t know.
I put my purse over my shoulder, grocery list in hand, and got out of the car to head into the store. I was tired and glad that I had mostly water that night and just half a glass of wine. I needed to get my head on straight, and that meant focusing on the task at hand and trying not to worry too much about Ridge.
“Aurora Lee?” an unfamiliar voice said from behind me, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I turned.
I didn’t know who it was, nor did I realize what was happening until a large hand ripped the purse off my shoulder and two dots of pain hit my back. My knees went weak and I hit the ground, electricity shooting through my body as I realized that someone had hit me with a damn taser, stealing my purse.
I tried to scream but no words came out.
“Tell Ridge, remember.” And then the man kicked me in the hip, a nauseating pain running through my body, and the electricity kept going until there was nothing, only darkness, only pain.