Page 61 of Riding the High

“What color is your dress?” she asks Ginger.

“I-I don’t think … This is a family thing tonight, honey—”

“You’re not coming?” Mabel asks, looking down, disappointment lining her sweet face.

I pull the cream from the fridge.

“Of course Ginger will come with us tonight,” I say matter-of-factly.

She looks up at me questioningly.

“I’d have to … I’ll have to run home for a dress. How formal is it?” she asks.

“Very formal,” I say with a smug grin, popping a strawberry into my mouth. I love catching her off-guard, making her a little flustered.

She nods, and I can’t help but think about those perfect curves poured into an evening dress. Mabel loads her plate up with pancakes, then disappears into the living room to watch her favorite show.

When she’s gone, I move to stand behind Ginger, running a finger down her neck. Her soft skin instantly breaks out in goosebumps in its wake. I swipe the wispy hairs away from the back of her neck, the ones that have escaped her bun, and bring my lips down to the sweet-smelling spot under her earlobe. I let my hands slide further still, down her shoulders, over her forearms, until I lace my fingers through hers and lift her hands up. The inside of her wrist begs for my lips so I kiss her there once. If yesterday taught me one thing, it’s that life is too short not to take what I want. Maybe this idea is crazy but I’m hoping, no matter how crazy it may be, that she’s willing to jump headfirst into it with me.

“You look fucking beautiful in my kitchen, Mrs. Ashby,” I whisper, offering another kiss to her palm.

Ginger tenses under my touch and I feel a shiver run through her. She lets out a contented sigh at my words and I revel in the electricity between us after last night’s unfinished business.

So many goddamn years of unfinished business. When she turns to face me, and her light chocolate eyes focus on mine, still sort of sleepy but now lust-filled, I instantly know this sparkbetween us could blow every fucking breaker in this house. Just the way she looks at me makes me hard. I may need five cold showers today.

“This is your special day, Cole, and what happened last night … when we … you know, kissed and other things …” Her words are flustered.

“Other thingsbeing you coming right through your clothes?” I ask with a smirk.

She doesn’t laugh. “Yes, well … maybe living through trauma made us hypersensitive or something?”

I scoff.This woman.

“Also, I want to tell you again how sorry I—”

“Ginger.” I put a finger to her plush lips, which, in turn, makes my cock instantly wake right up. “What happened at the cabin yesterday was a freak accident. You need to stop apologizing for something you handled as well as I could’ve.” I grip both her shoulders and look into her eyes. “You’re both okay, and that’s all that matters.”

I trace her soft shoulder with my thumb, wishing I could slide my hands right under her shirt and rip it from her body, ravaging her until I’ve had my fill.

Need takes over, need for her to understand. I grip her hips and tug her close, sliding a hand up to her face and losing my fingers to her hair. I lean into her and breathe in her coconut scent.

“I didn’t kiss you because I was traumatized. I kissed you because I have thought of nothing else since Vegas. Iwantedto kiss you. In fact, even with Mabes in the next room, it’s fucking taking everything in me not to kiss you right now. Understand?”

She nods once, then turns her face toward my palm, letting me know she approves of my touch. She looks up at me with the tiniest smirk on her face.

“Well, who am I to stop you from doing what you want? It’s your special day. Which means your rules, Sheriff.” She shrugs,her voice like smoke, and it’s a tempting challenge. Fuck, everything this woman does is sexy as hell.

I hear Mabel shuffle in the next room, so I let my hands slip from Ginger’s shoulders and put some space between us. It’s the very last thing I want to do right now, but I have to control myself.

“That’s a dangerous sentiment to challenge me with,” I say nonchalantly as I move to the other side of the island and start placing pancakes and fruit onto my plate. When it’s clear Mabel isn’t coming in here, Ginger leans over the other side, facing me, her cleavage an invitation.

“Never took you for the kind of man to back down from a challenge, Cole,” she says. She pops a piece of pineapple between her luscious pink lips way slower than warranted, and smiles hazily at me. My cock twitches in response.

Fucking little tease.

I chuckle, then scoop another heap of fruit onto my plate, her last coveted piece of pineapple comes with it. I can bide my time until I get her alone.

“You don’t even like pineapple,” she says, reaching to snatch it away from me playfully. I pull my plate back and set it out of her reach, then pick up the piece of fruit. I look right at her, leaning over the island so our faces are only a few inches apart.

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