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That’s not work, thought Ridge to himself, biting down his anger.Work is where you contribute, you try to change things for the better. He’s an insult to those who plug away at the nine to five. Look at Corbett, here at half an hour’s notice on a Sunday morning. That’s work.He had decided, before Corbett arrived, to keep his thoughts to himself. But a grinding, whirring, uncontrollableneedhad already begun, deep in his gut; he needed tohurtsomeone for doing this.
Raven poured out everything she could think of, every last detail, while Corbett filled several pages in his notebook. After two hours, he asked if he could have a quick word with Ridge outside. “Thanks so much, Raven. I’ll do everything I can. Meanwhile, I want you to rest up,” he handed her a card, “and call me if you think of anything else, or if Hank gets in touch. It would be better for everyone,” he said with a glance at Ridge, “if Hank came to speak with me, off the record. I think a lot could be achieved that way.”
He bid Raven a polite farewell, then followed Ridge and sat on a small bench by the front door. “What do you think, Ridge?”
He blew out his cheeks. “Man, I figured it was just some crazy ex or something. I couldn’t believe it when she said it was herbrother. I mean, what kind of...”
“Put it aside, Ridge,” Corbett said firmly. “Our job now is to keep her safe, find this asshole brother of hers, keep him safe too, and get to the bottom of who’s dealing out the threats. And that’s all, OK?”
They quickly caught up on recent events in each other’s lives; Corbett had been promoted within his department in San Antonio and was rapidly becoming one of the most respected DEA men in south Texas. He had been in a shootout three months before, a short but nasty exchange with three drug-runners who had decided not to go quietly. He had gotten two, his partner the other. Medals were pinned to his chest, but he found it hard to take pleasure in having ended lives.
“They needed ending,” Ridge reminded him. “There are people alive and healthy today because of what you did. Focus on that, not the other side.” It was sage advice, Corbett knew, from someone who had faced the same issues, but much more frequently and on a far larger scale.
“Good to see you fit and well, Ridge. Stay in touch, OK?”
Raven madebreakfast in that halting, uncertain way of someone in an unfamiliar kitchen. “Where’s the salt?” she asked.
Ridge reached up to the spice shelf, his shirt raising up to reveal his incredible abs, and as he passed the cylindrical container to Raven, he noticed that her gaze was not exactly on her work. “Here you go,” he said helpfully, sliding past her in the cramped space to grab plates and coffee mugs from the cupboards.
“Erm, could I go back to Maggie and Wes’s for a little bit today? I kinda need some things.”
Ridge shook his head. “I don’t want you out of my sight.”
“You could come with me,” she said, turning to him. “I mean, it’s just some clothes I need.”
Ridge was far from convinced, she could see from his scowl. “You can borrow some of mine.”
“Sure,” she chuckled. “What bra size do you take?”
“Huh?” he grunted, caught off guard.
“I bet you’ve got some really comfortable panties in your wardrobe, too.”
“Panties?”
She cracked up laughing, his perplexed scowl only making her laugh more. “Underwear, Mr. Dawson. I’m going to need some.”Especially if you keep showing me those perfect abs.
The two of them finished assembling breakfast, getting in each other’s way a few times. Raven didn’t mind one bit as he squeezed through, his chest to her back, his hips quickly sliding past in brushed, tantalizing contact with her butt.Too many layers of clothes, her confused, distractible mind insisted;his boxers, his jeans, my borrowed gym shorts (drawstring maximally tightened) and my panties... just too many.Sore face or not, worried mind or not, her body knew only how to react to the incredible stimulation of having him close.
As they ate, Ridge couldn’t help but notice her occasionally wincing as she lifted her fork to her mouth. “You OK?”
Raven stretched slightly to her left but stopped almost at once. “I don’t know if it’s a bruise or a pulled muscle. I guess I landed on it after he hit me.”
Ridge silently fumed in yet another expression of his unbridled anger, but then gently asked her to show him. Lifting her borrowed t-shirt, Raven showed him her right side, where a large, unpleasantly dark bruise had appeared just under the line of her bra.
“Yeah, you dinged yourself up there. Do you mind if I take a look? You might have cracked a rib, for all we know.” He quickly cleared up the breakfast plates and joined Raven on the sofa.
“Let me move this out of the way,” she said, sliding the t-shirt up over one shoulder so that Ridge could examine her right side. She winced once more, her pained expression distracting Ridge from the lovely sight of her right breast, held firmly in an attractive, lacey white bra. She turned to show him the bruise. “It hurts when I turn, but I haven’t dared to press it with my fingers yet.”
“OK, this might hurt, but I need to check, OK?” He warmed his fingers with his breath, and then very gently pressed from the front of her ribs to the back, feeling for cracks and looking up at her to check for moments of sudden pain. As his fingers approached the bruised area, she wriggled and winced again. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s OK. Can you feel anything?”
“Just your ribs, nothing broken I don’t think. The bruise goes all the way under your arm, though. Can I continue?” His fingers moved higher, touching the fabric of her bra. “Do you think you could fold this back a little?”
“Ummm, sure,” she said, and then a moment later, “Actually would you mind unhooking me? It hurts to bend my arm that way.” She leaned forward and felt his fingers on her back, then a quick release of pressure as her bra came undone. “I don’t want to make you blush,” she said gently. “And thanks for warming your hands.”
Ridge gently prodded the skin above and around the darkest part of the bruise. It was an angry color, dark purple and black, with small areas of yellow; all were painful, and he regretted every moment of discomfort he caused. Raven let her bra fall forward, slipping down the strap from her shoulder, over her elbow, holding the other half in place so that only her right breast was exposed. She glanced down and confirmed what her body had told her: her nipples were incredibly hard, like little strawberry candies. She prayed that he wouldn’t notice.Andthat hewould.
