Between a Ridge and a Hard Place Page 3

  Morgan slammed her eyes shut at the sudden intrusion that verged within an inch of pain and left her breathless. When she opened her eyes again, she realized he hadn’t moved. Instead, he stood above her, his jaw ticking, his eyes closed, his chin raised slightly as if he were basking in some hidden glory. She supposed he was. In her glory.

  “Okay?” Ridge murmured.

  “Yes.” She wiggled her hips, wanting him to move. The orgasm he’d given her hadn’t been enough apparently because her clit started to throb. She reached for it with her third finger only to have her hand swatted away.

  “Mine.” Sweat had beaded on his forehead and chest, and it seemed like it was taking a supreme effort on his part to stay still.

  “Can you move…or something?”

  “Not yet,” he rasped. His thumb found her nub and pressed.

  Morgan arched her hips, impaling his cock impossibly farther into her, and his breath hissed out.

  Ridge withdrew and she immediately felt the loss. She crossed her ankles to tug him back.

  “Woman,” he grated between his teeth, pinning her with a threatening look. “I’m hanging on here by a thread, and I’d appreciate it if you would just give me a second.”

  A tiny smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “One.” She shifted her hips again, sucking him back in.

  Her reward was a stinging smack to her butt. She yelped.

  “Don’t play with me, sweetheart, or things are bound to get rough.”

  “I might like rough.”

  His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “I never knew.”

  “You do now.”

  He tortured her with a slow thrust forward and even longer drag out. Now a smile graced his lips. His fingertips dug into her hips, not hurting, but enough to tell her he was in control. Ridge bent over and latched onto one of her nipples, sucking it deep into his mouth and shoving his cock against her womb. The twin sensation had her bucking under him.

  He let go of her nipple with a pop. “Damn it, woman, you’re killing me.”

  “Like you’re not killing me?” she cried.

  With a lingering lick to the unattended breast, he rose up and fucked her. He’d said this wouldn’t be fucking, but what else could you call the frenzied action of his hips as he pounded into her? Each drag of his cock in her pussy set her inner muscles to twitching. His thumb moved on her clit and she was a goner. This orgasm tore through her, leaving her screaming in its wake.

  “Shit.”

  She barely heard his guttural shout through her own writhing. He slammed into her one last time and stiffened, squeezing her hips to keep her immobile as he spent himself inside her. Even through the barrier of latex, she felt his every pulse within her.

  When the contractions finally quit, she glanced up to find a look of wonderment on Ridge’s face. He collapsed beside her, making sure to brace his weight on his elbows, and buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

  “We should have done that a long time ago,” he mumbled against her neck.

  “Uh-huh.” She could hardly breathe, let alone talk at the moment. “Didn’t know you wanted to.”

  “Oh I definitely wanted to. You’re the one who never showed any interest.”

  Morgan reared her head back so she could look him. “Me? You’re the one who didn’t show interest.”

  “Only because I didn’t think you did.”

  “Lord. Remember that day I interviewed? I could hardly look at you without drooling.”

  “So why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because, you big dolt. You were about to become my boss and unlike certain other employees you have, I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job by panting after you like a lovesick puppy.”

  His already re-hardening cock twitched inside her and for a second, Morgan lost her concentration. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to hold onto the sensation of him moving deep within her.

  “Did you just call me a dolt, sweetheart?” His quiet question fanned across her ear, making her shiver.

  She swallowed. “I did.”

  His hips shifted forward, sparking off a tingling at her clit. “Which one of my employees pants after me?” Amusement rang loud and clear in his voice.

  “Never mind.”

  Another press of his cock, and she bore down on him with a moan.

  “Tell me,” Ridge coaxed.

  “No.”

  He withdrew and slid back in. “I can keep doing this all day.” He nibbled at her ear.

  “Damn you.”

  “Tell me what I want to know and I’ll give you what you want.”

  “Amy Lee,” she blurted, wrapping her arms around him and scoring his ass with her nails. His butt squeezed taut.

  “You play dirty, baby.” He flexed his hips, pushing into her with more force this time.

  “Yessss.”

  Raising up and pulling out, he chuckled.

  “Wha—?”

  Ridge stripped the used condom and disposed of it in a tissue before tearing open a new one with his teeth and rolling it on. “I think you need to work for this one.”

  A sense of foreboding stole over Morgan. There was a definite gleam of enjoyment in his eyes. He crawled onto the bed and over her, deliberately dragging his penis across her torso and shoulder, to settle on his back near the center of the bed. He crossed his feet and propped his head on his hands.

  “Come and get me,” he beckoned.

  Morgan rolled her eyes and sucked in her bottom lip. She couldn’t help but be intrigued by the opportunity he presented. A chance to control the show? To determine how deep she took him and how fast? He didn’t know what he was in for.

  “Do your worst,” he said, smiling, as if he’d read her mind.

  What girl wouldn’t take what was being offered here?

  “How many women have you been with?”

  His sudden raised eyebrow meant she’d shocked him. “You have to ask that now?”

  She shrugged, joining him by straddling his abdomen, unself-conscious in the least when her juice slickened his flesh. His palms came to rest on her hips, then caressed up and down her sides.

  “I just want to know if I’m anything more than a roll in the sack, a notch on your bedpost, a ship passing in the—”

  He shushed her with a finger across her lips. “I get it.”

  “I’m just saying, it might be a little awkward to go to work every day after having slept with the boss.” Possessive much? Her cheeks heated. How could she have said what she’d just said?

  “More so for me, you little minx.” He pinched her ass. “How can I work knowing this body is out there hiding in those baggy clothes you prefer?”

  “I knew it,” she crowed.

  “Knew what?”

  “That I’d only catch your eye by dressing like Amy…like a skank.”

  There went the eyebrow again. “Sweetheart, it wasn’t the clothes that caught my eye. I mean, yeah, today they did, but you’ve been in my line of sight for a while. I was kinda hoping you’d get jealous from seeing all my…friends, and take a stand. Now, do you mind?” He nodded to where she sat, indicating he was ready for her to start.

  Instead Morgan trailed a fingernail down his chest. “So you had all your lovers parade in front of me so I’d get jealous? That’s kind of…eew.”

  “Lovers?” He cracked out a laugh. “Baby, I haven’t had a lover since I hired you.”

  Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.

  “Surprised?”

  “But I thought…” She narrowed her eyes. “You go on plenty of dates.”

  “Yep. Dates. That’s all they were. Dates. I did not sleep with any of them.”

  Now she snorted. “Must have pissed off quite a few women this year then.”

  “Is that how you see me? Like a stud service?”

  “If the shoe fits.”

  “If the— I’ll show you how something fits.” He yanked her chest down to his and suddenly her
world turned upside down. When she opened her eyes, it was to find that indeed it had. Ridge had reversed their positions and now hovered over her, his length between her legs, his cock poised at her entrance.

  “The cock fits,” he grunted and slid in to the hilt.

  Morgan gasped as he raked against muscles unused to being used so thoroughly. “I thought I was supposed to be running the show this time.”

  “You took too long and talked too much. Had to take matters into my own hands.” He bent and mouthed a nipple. “Whenever you’re ready to accept what I’ve told you, then I’ll let you take control. Until then, I guess I just have to show you how much you turn me on.”

  He pressed his advantage where it counted most. The breath strangled in her throat. Had to be his cock choking her, he was so deep inside her.

  “One year, Morgan.” His words were strained. “One year I’ve been waiting for any kind of sign from you. The least little bit of interest. When I showed up today and saw you dressed the way you were, I knew I couldn’t let any other man see you that way.” His cock worked lazily in and out of her. “And then when you said it was for me, you were a goner. Mine.”

  She needed more than his slow thrusts. Lifting her hips, she met him halfway. The angle forced her clit to his pelvis, where she ground herself against him, seeking the contact.

  “You like that?” Ridge wrapped an arm beneath her ass and held her to him, then started thrusting. “Shit. I can’t even think when I get this close to you. I wanted slow and easy, but my cock wants fast and hard.”

  “Ridge?”

  “What?”

  “Shut up and fuck me.”

  His smile lit up his face. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Whatever he did, however he tilted his hips, it struck her clit with every penetration. Not to mention that other thing he touched. That one deep inside she wasn’t even really sure existed until this moment.

  “Oh my God.” She clawed at his back and shoulders, doing anything to hold on for the ride. The man knew what he was doing. And it had been a long time since she’d been with any kind of man, let alone one who could—

  “Again,” she breathed. Every muscle in her pussy clenched around him. With each contact the tension coiled tighter and tighter. She growled in frustration. “Please!”

  His hand slipped between them and his thumb burrowed in on her clit, sparking off another orgasm. Spots danced under her eyelids.

  She realized from some distance he was talking to her, murmuring words of encouragement. His lips sought hers and she opened to accept his tongue. Her body was wasted, her arms laying uselessly on the bed.

  “My turn.”

  Yes, yes, she wanted to shout, but lay motionless instead, letting him do all the work no matter how wrong it was.

  She wouldn’t have thought she’d be able to summon the strength, but the beautiful glide of his body in and out of hers made her womb quiver of its own accord. Her clit should have stopped thumping. It should be numb by now, but no, whatever it was that gave rise to an orgasm built again. Morgan stared at Ridge’s eyes. She found in them a mass of emotions, one of which told her she wasn’t just another conquest.

  “I can’t hold off any longer.”

  She met his hammering thrusts, giving as good as she got. He grit his teeth, and a drop of sweat slid from his brow to land on her cheek.

  “Come,” she said softly, wanting it more than anything, and suddenly wishing there was no barrier between them.

  His body stiffened and he threw his head back. The muscles in his neck corded, intriguing her as he spent himself. When the tidal wave crested, Morgan wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down on top of her. She loved the weight of his body on hers and wanted to stay like this for the rest of the day.

  “You’re going to kill me.” He thumbed the sweaty bangs from her forehead.

  “I think we’ve already been through this, and you’re not dead yet.”

  “Many more sessions like this and I will be.”

  “Promise?” She could only hope he meant it.

  “You want me dead?”

  Morgan slapped his shoulder and heard him chuckle. “I want more sessions like this.” She pressed her lips together and stilled. She must sound like the most possessive female on the planet.

  “Anytime, sweetheart.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the ringing of the telephone.

  He sighed and sank heavier into her. “Not now,” he groaned. But the phone rang again and he yelled at it, “Go ’way.”

  Chapter Four

  “Maybe it’s important.”

  “Nothing’s more important than this.” He licked a path up her jaw to her ear.

  “Pick up, Ridge, I know you’re there.” Carter’s voice grated across the room on the answering machine.

  “Damn it.” Ridge carefully pulled from her body and rolled to the side of the bed. He stood and walked gloriously naked and uncaring to the phone, feeling her gaze following him.

  “Pick up, you—”

  “What?” Ridge barked. Could his partner have possibly picked a worse time to interrupt him at home?

  “We have a problem.”

  Ridge went on alert. He turned to Morgan, still languidly stretched out on his bed. Her eyes had closed and a small smile graced her very kissable mouth.

  “What?” He stalked to the bathroom, disposed of the condom, wiped himself clean then grabbed a washcloth. He ran it under warm water and crossed back to the bed and to the woman he’d waited a year for.

  “We just lost the bid.”

  What the hell? “We low-balled that bid. We should have been a shoo-in.”

  “Yeah, well, Biggs and Hilliard obviously have inside information because they got one in at the last minute.”

  “That’s fucking three times now.” Ridge held his temper for about two seconds. Morgan rose on her elbow and looked at him with concern. He motioned her back down and spread her legs as if he’d done it a thousand times. Her cheeks took on a pink hue and he had to smile despite his anger.

  “I’ve had some feelers out and I got some disturbing news about fifteen minutes ago.”

  Ridge pressed the warm cloth to Morgan’s apex. She hissed at the contact and collapsed onto her back. For a split, insane second, he wondered what it would feel like to be cleaning his sperm from between her thighs right now. His gaze rocketed to hers.

  “Word on the street is someone’s been letting the competition in on our numbers.”

  Ridge shot off the bed, all thoughts of wanting his seed inside Morgan put on the back burner. “I’ll kill them.”

  Morgan jerked up again.

  “Not if I get to them first while you’re out schmoozing with your PA.”

  Ridge glanced at said PA but didn’t comment. Carter was right. He shouldn’t be here, making love while the business he and Carter had worked so hard to create was having issues. He mentally calculated how long it would take to get Morgan home—no fucking way was she going back to work in the clothes she’d showed up in this morning—and back to work. Maybe it would be better, and easier, to drop her off at her car and let her drive home to change.

  “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

  “I’m starting the inquisition of our employees.”

  “Fine.” No doubt Carter already had a direction to start looking. While being outbid was normal in their business, it wasn’t normal to be outbid at the last second on three jobs in a row. The bids were supposed to be kept confidential except to those wanting the job done, so either someone on the outside hated them enough to ferret out the information to keep them from getting the work, or they had a mole.

  Morgan started to get up. She covered her breasts with one arm and her gaze darted around the room looking, no doubt, for her discarded clothes.

  “What’s happened?”

  “We lost the Honor Center account,” he said gruffly.

  “But I thought that was in the bag.” />
  “So did we.” He yanked his boxers back on, then his pants, before sitting on the bed to stuff his feet back in his socks and shoes. That done, he slipped the shirt back on, buttoned it and tucked it in. His thoughts flitted from person to person at their office. Who the hell had sold them out? Not one person came to mind. He’d worked with all of them for much longer than the one month they’d been having problems.

  “What are you going to do?”

  Ridge turned to find Morgan dressed and waiting for him. He’d gotten so caught up thinking about possible suspects that he’d nearly forgotten about her. The scent of their lovemaking still hung in the air and their bodies were still damp with sweat, yet he’d let work consume him. He’d have to make it up to her later.

  “We have to get back there and find a weasel.”

  She nodded. “Let’s go.”

  They were out the door and to the office in record time. As he pulled into his designated space, she suddenly turned to him.

  “You know what? There’s something I need to do. I’m going to hop in my car and I’ll be back soon as I can.”

  “I may need you in there.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Somehow I doubt you and Carter need me, but there’s something I have to go do.”

  “Why would you say we don’t need you, and what could you possibly have to do in the middle of the day that’s more important than finding a mole in our office?”

  “I promise I’ll be back within an hour,” she muttered.

  “All right. Get it done and get back to work.”

  “Excuse me, but I was at work. You were the one who dragged me out of there and, and…” her hand twisted in the air, “…you know.”

  “Hell yes I did, and whenever we get to the bottom of who’s been handing out our bids like candy, then I’ll be ready to take this ‘you know’ further.” He was happy to see he’d surprised her.

  Her mouth opened and closed, then she nodded. “Fine. I’ll get there as soon as possible.”

  Ridge wrapped a hand around her neck and pulled her close, bringing her lips to his. Waiting as long as he had for this day had been worth it and he, for one, couldn’t wait until they got some more time alone. Time when he didn’t have to think about corporate espionage.