28. Ridge
Twenty Eight
Ridge
I couldn’t keep the slight swagger out of my step as I made my rounds across the ranch that morning. After the mind-blowing intimacy I’d shared with Emma the previous night, there was a newfound lightness to my soul that I hadn’t felt in years.
James was watching Avery for me today, giving me some rare freedom to just lose myself in the familiar rhythms of hard ranch work. As I checked over the fence lines, my thoughts inevitably drifted to visions of Emma - flushed and panting beneath me, eyes dark with abandon…
The memories alone were enough to have desire unfurling low in my gut like a slow burn. Fuck, I needed to concentrate before I ended up pitching an obvious tent right here.
Tipping the brim of my hat lower, I forced my attention back to the task at hand. That was until my gaze snagged on the vision of Emma across the way, standing amidst a flurry of activity as she supervised decorations for the upcoming vineyard festival.
My eyes raked over the lush curves of her body like a physical caress, drinking in the graceful lines of her swaying hips, the dip of her waist that my hands knew intimately now. A possessive rumble vibrated in my chest as I watched her gesturing animatedly to the workers alongside the fountain’s trickling waters.
“Who’s that pretty little thing?”
The amused lilt in James’ voice had me nearly jumping out of my skin. I whipped around to find him leaning against the fence post, trademark shit-eating grin plastered across his face as he not-so-subtly ogled Emma’s backside. Avery was perched on his hip, idly playing with the ends of his shaggy hair.
“What are you doing out here?” I bit out, unable to mask the thread of annoyance lacing my tone as the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head.
James feigned an overly innocent look that fooled absolutely no one. “Well, we were gettin’ a bit bored cooped up inside all morning. Thought we’d come enjoy the nice weather…and the scenery.”
He punctuated that with a low whistle of appreciation, gaze shamelessly roving over the gentle swell of Emma’s curves once more. Instantly, twin spots of rage burned high on my cheekbones as a guttural rumble vibrated through my clenched jaw.
“Eyes off, jackass,” I snarled under my breath, fists clenching reflexively at my sides. “You keep leering at her like that and you’re gonna lose ‘em.”
Instead of looking even remotely chastised, James just tossed his head back with a bark of laughter.
“Daddy likes Emmy,” Avery whispered in a conspiratorial stage-whisper, giggling delightedly. “Lily says it’s a secret an’ daddy can’t know we know. But we hope Emmy marries daddy!”
The breath stuttered from my lungs as if I’d been gut-punched. Avery’s innocent words slammed into me with the weight of a sledgehammer, reducing me to gaping at her and James with absolute horror written across my features.
They…knew? But how? I thought we’d been so goddamn careful, taking every precaution to keep our new relationship under wraps and away from prying eyes - especially the girls. We didn’t want to get their hopes up for something permanent until Emma and I figured out what the hell we were doing first.
Yet here was Avery, admitting with childlike candor that she and her sister were already dreaming of Emma becoming their new stepmom.
James watched the emotional rollercoaster flickering across my expression with naked amusement. When I started mumbling a weak protestation about not liking Emma that way, he simply snorted.
“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, bro. I’ve never seen you get riled up like a possessive bastard over someone else admiring a woman before…” A knowing glint sparked in his gaze as understanding dawned. “Not even when it was your own wife.”
The truth of his words slapped me like a cold bucket of water to the face. My mouth worked soundlessly as I struggled to formulate a denial, an excuse - anything to refute the damning evidence.
But James already had me pegged, the insufferable smug bastard. With a rolling shrug, he jerked his chin towards the direction of Emma’s increasingly shapely backside.
“Go get your girl, Ridgedick. Before someone else snatches up that sweet piece of—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” I cut him off with a warning growl, jaw ticking.
The smug amusement radiating off James in waves was enough to have my hackles rising defensively. He barked out a laugh, purposefully leaning in close to murmur something to Avery - loud enough for me to overhear.
“Your daddy’s a goner, pumpkin.”
The conspiratorial wink he shot my way made me want to wipe that insufferable grin right off his face. James straightened up, smirking as he addressed me once more.
“You might just get your wish after all, rugrat. Your old man seems pretty goddamn smitten.”
Heat crept up the back of my neck at his brazen acknowledgment. A low, warning rumble vibrated through my clenched jaw as I fought not to rise to the bait and make even more of a scene in front of Avery. Tugging the brim of my hat lower, I growled out a terse “Piss off, jackass.”
The words barely left my lips before Avery’s wide-eyed stare bounced between James and me with innocent curiosity. “Daddy said a bad word,” she pointed out, lower lip jutting into an exaggerated pout.
“Yes, he did,” James agreed with an infuriating chuckle, clearly getting far too much enjoyment out of this entire fiasco.
But Avery wasn’t finished, her next words sending a bolt of panic piercing straight through me. “Daddy, do you really really like Emmy?”
She drew out the words with childlike emphasis, earnest eyes searching my face. The implication behind her question, however, was anything but innocent.
“‘Cause I really really like Emmy,” Avery continued in that same pleading tone. “Can she be my mommy? The girl in my playgroup says her mommy bakes her stuff and Emmy bakes for me. Can she be my mommy?”
My gaze swung helplessly towards James as Avery’s hopeful stare pierced straight through my chest. He merely shrugged, expression one of unbridled amusement as he silently left me to fend for myself with this minefield of a situation.
How the hell was I supposed to explain the convoluted, complex reality of my relationship with Emma when she was barely more than a kid herself? Lying felt wrong, a disservice to them both. But dropping that emotional bomb without any context or warning would likely only breed more confusion.
“Emmy really likes you too, sweetie,” I started, the words tumbling out in a gruff rasp before I could properly think them through.
The brilliant beam that Simple acknowledgment sparked in Avery’s eyes very nearly stole my breath. Shit…I was already in way too deep. With a resigned inward sigh, I braced myself to continue paddling through these uncharted emotional waters - for both our sakes.
“She cares an awful lot about you girls and thinks the world of you. You know that, right?” I pressed on, the words seeming to gather more conviction as I spoke them aloud. “Emmy’s real special to your dad too. In a…different way than the other ladies I’ve known before.”
Avery’s fuzzy brows knitted together in that cute, concentrated expression that never failed to make my heart constrict. She seemed to be weighing my words carefully, trying to decipher the unspoken meaning layered beneath.
“So…does that mean Emmy’s gonna be our new mommy?” she finally asked, childlike hopefulness written across her features.
James watched the entire exchange with naked interest, seeming to lean in imperceptibly to catch my response. With his focus so intensely zeroed in, the weight of this moment felt overwhelming - as if I stood teetering on the precipice of a vast, unknown chasm.
Taking a fortifying breath, I allowed the sincerity in my voice to shine through without any facade or bravado to hide behind.
“I sure hope so, baby girl,” I murmured, the deep timbre of pure, unveiled emotion making James’ eyebrows wing upwards in surprise. “I really do…”
The sound of James bellowing Emma’s name across the property had me whipping around with a ferocious glare. “Emmy!”
He was already gesturing for her to come over, waving exaggeratedly with that same shitfaced grin plastered across his features. The shrill laughter of Avery joining in only amplified the sinking sense of dread rapidly pooling in my gut.
“What the hell are you doing, man?” I bit out through gritted teeth, simmering outrage thrumming through my clenched fists.
James simply smirked in that unbearably smug way of his, jerking his chin cockily in Emma’s direction. “Just calling your girl over for a little chat, bro. No need to get your panties in a twist.”
“In front of Avery?” I hissed, jaw ticking furiously as I took a measured step in his direction. “Are you trying to stir up more shit than there already is?”
To his credit, James at least had the decency to glance down at the little girl perched on his hip. Avery was watching the brewing tension between us with wide, curious eyes, seemingly oblivious to the underlying storm about to erupt.
“There’s a baby present, Ridgedick,” he drawled with an infuriating roll of his eyes. “A little decorum, maybe?”
The reminder to mind my language in front of Avery only served to ratchet my irritation up another notch. A muscle jumped in my cheek as I struggled to keep a leash on the string of curses burning the tip of my tongue.
Suddenly, Emma appeared in my periphery, brows knit together in obvious concern. Even with her features scrunched cutely in confusion, she looked like a goddamn ethereal vision with the morning light haloing those wild chestnut tresses.
“Everything okay over here?” Her husky voice caressed the words with velvet softness.
James immediately perked up, lips curving into a grin so lascivious it made me want to knock his teeth out. “Well, hello there, darlin’…”
The endearment dripped from his tongue like warm honey, eyes roving over Emma’s gently swaying form in a way that had my hackles standing on end. I was abruptly, viscerally furious at the mere implication of being ogled like a piece of meat by my own brother. Especially when I knew the exquisite treasure that lay beneath that simple cotton sundress.
A low, warning rumble reverberated deep in my chest - a primal, possessive instinct rearing its head. I moved to bodily place myself between Emma and James’ assessing stare, fists clenched and shoulders tensed.
Emma watched the exchange with evident bewilderment, worrying her full lower lip in that unconscious gesture I’d come to adore. Her silken shoulders lifted in an inquisitive shrug, gaze darting between my thunderous scowl and James’ toothy smirk.
“Hi” She prompted uncertainly. “Is something wrong?”
The worried lilt to her tone pierced straight through the heated haze of territoriality clouding my mind. With a deep, fortifying breath, I forced my rigid stance to relax incrementally until the wildfire of irrational jealousy simmered into a low, sputtering flame.
If I had any hope of keeping this new relationship from imploding due to my own insecurities, the first step was to quash these flare-ups of baseless possessiveness.
Rubbing my face tiredly, I finally shook my head at Emma’s questioning gaze. “Emma, this is my brother, James,” I began in a low rumble, gesturing towards the still-grinning fool. “Jamie, quit leering at her like a piece of meat and say hello properly.”
James, to his credit, did make an effort to rearrange his features into something a bit more respectable as he extended his free hand towards Emma. The roguish sparkle never quite left his eyes, though.
“Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, miss Emma,” he purred, laying on an exaggerated drawl that made me want to sock him right in the teeth. “I’ve heard absolutely nothin’ about you, of course.”
“Huh. oH Really?” she asks and looks at me. “My dipshit brother was just stirring up trouble where there didn’t need to be any.”
Emma’s lips twitched in amusement at that, eyes sparking with something lighter that dissipated the last traces of concern. An elegant brow winged upwards, silently urging me to elaborate.
James’ cocky grin was firmly back in place as his gaze slid towards Emma with naked interest. “So, Emma…how is it living next door to this ol’ grump?”
He jerked a thumb in my direction, hazel eyes sparking with mischief. I could practically see the gears whirring in his devious brain, no doubt already concocting ways to stir up as much shit as possible.
Emma seemed to pick up on the teasing undercurrent right away, dainty features arranged into an expression of feigned innocence. “We talking about the same Ridge here?” she rejoined lightly, lips twitching in amusement.
That one arched brow slowly inched skyward as Emma nonchalantly swept her gaze over towards me in clear challenge. James mirrored the frank appraisal, the smug bastard silently egging her on to divulge more.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I forced my expression into a carefully neutral mask despite the responding flash of heat unfurling low in my gut. From the impish gleam in Emma’s eyes, she could see right through the stony facade.
“This one right here who answers his phone like ‘what?’ and grunts in response to anything I say?” James continued with another dismissive jerk of his thumb, looking supremely pleased with himself.
“Ridge is sweet and caring,” Emma countered, voice ringing with utter conviction. “If he’s a grump, I’ve certainly never noticed that.”
This time there was no mistaking the daringly provocative glint in those endless blue-green depths. Her chin tilted upwards in open defiance of James’ attempt to pigeon-hole me into the stereotypical caricature of a crusty old cowpoke.
The words, uttered in that smooth bourbon rasp, felt like a full-body caress - stoking the already simmering embers of possessive ardor coiling tight in my core. I could vividly recall every instance of tenderness; every trembling sigh and breathless keen as I worshipped her with mouth and hands until that honeyed voice rough-edged into hoarse cries of rapture.
A muscle ticked in my clenched jaw as another rush of scorching desire surged through my veins. The sound of James’s derisive snort brought me crashing back to the present moment, where those knowing hazel eyes assessed me with undisguised amusement.
“Sweet, huh?” he echoed in a blatant show of skepticism, gaze flicking between Emma and me with unveiled glee. “That’s a new one. Usually he’s breathing fire and picking fights before anyone can get a word in edgewise.”
“Only because you seem to enjoy riling him up for entertainment,” Emma shot back primly, sweet lips pursing in a moue of disapproval.
The tart response - so at odds with her normally tranquil countenance - had me struggling to swallow a grin. Emma never failed to keep me on my toes with her unexpected flashes of vinegar.
“Mmm, maybe,” James hummed, eyes glinting as they tracked the motion of her mouth. “But this side of him you’re claiming is real…well, I gotta say I’m intrigued to see it, darlin’.”
My hackles instantly stood on end, protective instincts zeroing in on my kid brother’s unacceptable flirtation. Honestly, was he incapable of not being an insufferable prick for more than five consecutive minutes?
Emma’s nonplussed shrug and secretive little smile in the face of James’s blatant disbelief was like fanning the flames of my smoldering lust. The vixen was clearly baiting me - throwing down the gauntlet with those weighted words and smoldering stares.
“I should get going,” she announced airily, as if we weren’t all three still reeling from the heated undercurrent now crackling between us. “There’s a lot of prep left for the festival.”
Her gaze locked onto mine as she spoke, tongue peeking out to trace that plump bottom lip in a move that had to be utterly unconscious…and utterly devastating. I willed my eyes not to follow the hypnotic glide, but I was only a man cursed with a pulse.
“Hey, you should bring your brother for the festival if he wants,” Emma added as an afterthought, somehow managing to imbue those innocuous words with a deliciously filthy double meaning.
Then she turned on her heel and began walking away, hips swaying in a slow, tantalizing metronome that my eyes instinctively tracked. My mouth was bone dry, a fiery ache already mounting low in my gut at the mere thought of getting her alone after such blatant teasing.
Before I could even process what my next move would be, Avery’s high-pitched voice cut through the weighted tension like the peal of a bell.
“My daddy really really likes you,” she announced with childlike sincerity. “He said so!” Emma halted instantly at the declaration.
The dainty, rosebud mouth fell open in a perfectly stunned ‘o’ as Emma’s cheeks instantly bloomed with a vibrant wash of color. Her eyes instinctively sought out mine, wide and unblinking.
Beside me, James barked out a peal of raucous laughter - the traitorous bastard.The flirtatious sparkle dancing in Emma’s eyes as she lobbed that cheeky response was like a physical caress, sending desire licking through my veins in an instant wildfire. “Well, I really really like him too,” she purred, the husky timbre caressing those provocative words.
My restraint effectively obliterated, I vaulted over the fence in a few long strides, closing the distance between us with purposeful intent. Strong hands seized her hips, yanking Emma flush against the insistent line of my arousal in a way that had her breath stuttering.
“I thought we were being discreet,” I rasped against the swell of her parted lips, tonguing along that lush curve with smoldering reverence. “But those sneaky girls seem to have figured us out already.”
Emma shuddered violently in my embrace at the sinful implication of my words, of Avery’s innocent understanding of our new intimacy. Her palms flattened against my chest, silken fingers toying idly with the top button of my shirt in a way that bordered on agonizing temptation.
“It’s okay,” she breathed out at last, tilting her head back to gaze up at me through a fan of ethereal lashes. The dainty curve of her mouth quirked in a private little half-smile tinged with shy affection. “At least now we don’t have to keep sneaking around so much.”
The gentle statement held the undeniable promise of something permanent beginning to bloom - something boundless and indefinable as of yet, but very much ours. I couldn’t resist dipping my head to trail a path of openmouthed kisses along the elegant column of her throat, reveling in the tremor that licked through her with each scorching caress.
We were so lost in our heated little pocket of intimacy it took a handful of suspended moments to register the familiar lilt of Jyoti’s voice cutting through the moment like a bucket of ice water.
“Emma!”
Without conscious thought, I instinctively pulled Emma impossibly closer, as if the cage of my arms could shield her from the ominous tone of that summons. I watched the way she instantly stiffened, posture going rigid and eyes squeezing shut as tension coiled in every delicate line of her body.
The reaction left a bitter taste of fury on my tongue - fury that her own goddamn mother seemed to inspire such instinctive trepidation. Fury that anyone could make this radiant, open-hearted woman cower, even for an instant.
Cradling Emma’s face in my calloused palms, I swept my thumbs reverently across those downy, flushed cheeks until her gaze fluttered open once more to lock onto mine. Despite the trepidation still lurking in those depthless blue-green pools, I saw bravery, resolve…an unshakeable inner steel I recognized all too well.
“You’re perfect, baby,” I murmured roughly, holding her spellbound with the solemn weight of my stare. “Don’t let anyone ever make you feel less than that, y’hear? Have fun over there - and know that you’ve got the brawniest ranch hand waiting to sweep you off your feet again just as soon as you’re done with all the boring stuff.”
Emma’s lips curved in a slow, sultry smile that made my blood thrum with fresh heat. She leaned up onto her tiptoes, arms winding around my neck as she slanted her mouth over mine in a long, drugging kiss that stole the breath from my lungs.
“I’ll be counting the minutes, cowboy,” she husked against my tingling lips before reluctantly pulling away.
Watching her saunter back towards the commotion surrounding the festival preparations, I was helpless not to rake an overtly assessing gaze over the sinuous sway of those hips, the gentle flare of her waist that my hands knew so intimately now. Emma threw one last coy glance over her shoulder, cheeks still flushed and lashes lowered demurely.
My breath escaped in a harsh exhale, chest constricting around the overwhelming surge of possessiveness, tenderness, adoration that slammed into me like a physical force. Christ…how was I already in so goddamn deep with this girl?
The phantom heat of her mouth still lingered, igniting an insatiable hunger for more that coiled low in my gut. Growling under my breath, I scrubbed my hands over my face in a futile effort to collect myself. Subtlety was going to be an uphill battle with the way Emma had me constantly riding the razor’s edge of restraint.
Somehow, skirting the edge of disaster had never looked so goddamn enticing. James’ raspy voice finally penetrated the haze of molten desire still simmering in my veins. “I’d put a ring on that if I were you, brother.”