Page 154 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
“He has a girlfriend,” I pointed out.
Jesse nodded. “I know.” He looked like he was about to say more, and I hoped he would, but he must have thought better of it because he clamped his mouth shut.
My shoulders sagged in disappointment. But really, what had I expected him to say? That Ridge didn’t really love her? That he was just passing the time until I came back to him?
I rolled my eyes at myself. I was being ridiculous.
It had only been a few hours since I saw Ridge, but I was filled with nervous anticipation. I sat straighter on my lounger and looked through the French doors, waiting for his arrival.
Quinn and Ridge emerged from the kitchen and crossed the stone patio with drinks.
“Uncle Ridge!” Fable yelled from the swimming pool. “Come play.” She made grabby hands at him, and he gave her a big smile.
“I’ll be there in a minute, baby girl.”
Baby girl. My heart melted. I forgot how cute it was to watch Ridge playing with kids. He was so good with them, and they all loved him.
He handed me a cold Corona with a lime wedge, the same as he was drinking.
“Thank you.” I smiled, noting how his gaze roamed down my body before resting on my face. I arched my brows. “Do you like what you see?”
He grinned. “Some things never change.”
I guess that was a yes. I should have been ashamed of myself for flirting with someone else’s boyfriend. But my conscience was obviously taking a nap because I felt zero shame as I pressed the cool bottle against my heat-flushed cheeks and moaned like I was having an orgasm.
“You still play dirty,” he said, dropping onto the lounger next to me. He set down his beer, grabbed the back of his T-shirt, and pulled it off, dropping it to the ground with a smirk as I licked my lips and drank in the sight of Ridge shirtless.
The man was in peak physical condition. All lean muscle without an ounce of fat. So carved and chiseled, his body was a work of art. He lifted his arm under the guise of pushing his hand through his hair and flexed, making his abdominal muscles roll.
Shameless.
“You still play dirty too.”
He grinned. “Like what you see?”
I want to lick you.I lowered my sunglasses and let my eyes roam over his body. I kept my expression neutral before leaning back in my seat and sliding my sunglasses into place. “Meh. I’ve seen better.”
He laughed and clinked his bottle against mine. We both drank and took sidelong glances when the other wasn’t looking. It was like high school all over again.
His shorter hair, cut in layers, looked more polished. More grown-up. Less of a bad boy and more like a successful athlete. His features looked more rugged, more chiseled, and more defined.
The boy was gone, and he was all man now.
I missed the long hair, though. Why did he cut it all off? Maybe, like me, he’d needed a change. Or perhaps it was symbolic. A sign that he’d moved on.
Chill out, Evie. It’s just hair.
Why was I reading so much into it?
* * *
Ridge stayed for dinner, and I got the feeling it was a regular occurrence, nothing out of the ordinary.
We ate on the stone patio after the sun had gone down, and I was seated across from Ridge. We mostly made small talk through dinner. I was curious to hear about the house he’d bought and the renovations. Ridge told me that Patrick’s construction crew had done the work and that he’d overseen the whole job from start to finish.
“Do you two get along better now?” I asked, transferring the cucumber chunks from my salad to Fable’s highchair tray. Fable’s favorite foods were cucumber and watermelon. She rewarded me with a big smile.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Ridge said. “We settled our differences.”
