He disappears inside and I move the towels a little further apart before laying down.
When Ridge returns he hands me an orange drink, complete with a straw and little umbrella and a piece of fresh orange stuck on the side.
I take a long sip. It’s delicious and refreshing.
And then I watch as Ridge takes off his t’shirt. As if in slow motion, bit by bit, his tanned, muscular body is exposed. First rock hard abs. Then his chest. His arms. Like some sort of adonis, standing there letting the sun’s rays play off his body. As though the sunlight was made only to worship him.
My mouth goes dry and I take another long sip of my drink. I can taste the alcohol in it now. I’m going to blame that for feeling all hot and bothered by a near-naked Ridge Kingsley.
“You really don’t know how to relax?” He lays his body down on the towel, laying on his side to face me.
“I do. I like to read. And I like to go for a walk around the lake. Or just sit on the jetty in the early morning when the frost hovers over the water. It always feels magical out here in the early morning.” And then I pull myself together and add, “But it’s the summer season. There is so much that needs fixing at the cafe. We’ve got broken lights, a coffee machine that needs fixing… We can’t all be playing and parting all summer.”
“You think that’s what I do?” He asks in a quiet voice.
I shrug. “I used to watch you and your brothers when I was here for the summer. I used to sit alone watching one of those big parties your family would throw. And you would be off in some corner with a sketchpad and pencil. I always used to wonder what you would draw.”
He smiles and it makes my heart squeeze tight.
“I used to read a lot. I was a little bit obsessed with Lord of the Rings, so usually I was drawing hobbit houses and fairy worlds.”
I sit up. “I read Lord of the Rings when I was fourteen and for a whole year I was obsessed with the fairy queen. I dressed up as her for halloween.”
“If we’d known each other you would have seen me dressed as Frodo” He is grinning and I laugh. “You would have been in your twenties.“
“And still dressing up as Lord of the Ring characters. Though I was in the army by then where it’s kind of frowned upon to declare yourself a hobbit.”
I laugh again. Amazed that we have this in common and that he is so easy to talk to. And funny. Who would have thought this very serious, often grumpy man was actually quite amusing when he lets his guard down. Laying here with him talking about our childhood feels almost friendly. Almost.
There is the fact that I find his bare, naked chest distracting. That his muscles are so defined that I want to reach out and run my hands over him. That we are so close, it wouldn’t take much to reach out and touch him. That I find myself wishing this was a real date and not just pretend.
Chapter 6
Ridge
Talking with Summer is pure joy. I love that we have things in common. I love that she is smiling and laughing. It feels like a small win, getting Summer to relax around me. She is the kind of girl who always has her guard up. But she is beautiful. The sun glinting off her red hair. The way she smiles. She is wearing a tank top and shorts. No designer string bikini for her, and yet she is so damn sexy. Her skin is pale and soft. Her curves. She has a little muffin top that spills over her shorts and damn me if it isn’t the sexiest thing. My hands ache to reach out and touch her. To feel her body against mine.
“You know, to really make this seem real, we would have to kiss.”
She blinks up at me in surprise. I dare not look at the rise and fall of her chest. She licks her lips.
“Okay.” Her voice has a little quiver to it. I don’t want to make her do anything she doesn’t want to do and yet… my need to kiss her is overwhelming.
I move my body closer to hers. Leaning over her, my hand resting on her waist.
For a moment I hold myself there. Enjoying the intimacy of almost holding her. Her breasts touching my chest. My hand on her waist. Looking into her green eyes. There is a speck ofhazel in her right eye that is captivating. Her pert little nose. Her plump, kissable lips. She smells of fresh strawberries.
Lowering my lips to hers. I kiss her softly. Exploring. A teasing, torturous light touch. Gently sucking on her bottom lip. And then deeper. A hunger to know her. To claim her as mine. This is meant to be a show for my family but right now, in this moment, it is just me and her. This kiss. This joining.
I pull her closer. Needing to feel her whole body against the length of mine. One hand in her hair to hold her to me while my other hand roams over her back, across her ribs and hips. Slipping under her tank top I spread my fingers wide across her soft skin. She feels so good. The kiss is all consuming. Firing my blood. My pulse rate quickens. She is breathing hard. Every little movement of her body drives me on. She’s kissing me back with an unexpected passion. Her hands touching me.
Fuck me, it is hard to maintain control. But then her hands on my chest are pushing me back. Breaking off the kiss I let out a groan.
“We can’t get carried away like that. We have to remember that this is all fake.”
I’m still holding her to me. Not ready to let go. “That kiss didn’t feel fake to me.” My words come out as a growl.
“But it is fake. All just for show. We are from different worlds.”
