Page 94 of Bound By Fire
“No,” I say at the same time.
Rider laughs.
“Which is it?” he asks, looking from Ridge to me and back.
“It’s been six months, sweetheart.” Ridge’s arm tucks me even closer. I can feel the heat of him through the dress. “I know it’s gone by in the blink of an eye.”
He’s laying it on a little thick.
“Like we met just yesterday,” he leans in, his eyes on me. They’re more of a stormy gray with very little green. “But it’s been months already.”
I wear my best smile. The one I trot out for board meetings, difficult patients, and that one auditor who comes every March.
“You’re so right,” I say, and pat his chest gently with the hand not holding my glass. The fabric of his suit jacket is fine and soft. The body beneath it is not. It’s like patting a wall.
Ridge looks up at Rider. I don’t think he likes him, and I’m not sure why that is. Maybe he considers him to be a threat to me. He might be a big, burly shifter, but he’s a nice guy.
I can see that he’s about to ask him something.
Both males are looking at each other in a way I don’t like.
What the hell is going on?
“Um…honey, please, would you grab me a fresh glass of champagne? Mine has gone warm.” I hand my glass to him.
Ridge takes the glass. “Of course.” Then his whole expression shifts again as he glances at Rider. “I’ll be right back.” He bends down and kisses me. It’s soft. Not much more than the lightest brush of his mouth against mine.
My lips part on a small inhale of surprise. He straightens. His thumb brushes the corner of my mouth, making every part of me tingle. Then he turns and walks away. I watch him go, and I am, for a beat or two, completely useless.
What. The. Hell?
Rider laughs softly. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
I drag my eyes from Ridge’s retreating back.
“What was that?” I ask, shaking my head.
“That’s a strange question, considering he’s your date and you’ve been together for six months. That whole interaction was…strange and mildly entertaining.”
“That’s just it.” I lower my voice. “He isn’t really my date.”
Rider’s eyebrows lift. “Who is he, then? A friend with benefits? Your boyfriend?”
“Actually, he’s my bodyguard.” I close my eyes for a moment, then open them again. “I’m so sorry about that. Ridge was rude to you. He’s acting completely out of character. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
“I do.” Rider laughs a little harder.
“I’m glad you’re taking this so well.” I’m smiling now, too, in spite of myself.
“You have no idea, do you?”
“No idea about what?” I frown.
“Your bodyguard is jealous.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, please. He is not. Trust me on that one. He’s upset that I left without him shadowing me. He’s trying to make a point or something. That’s all this is.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
