by Ros Baxter
“Of course,” he said. “I’d hate you to be lonely.” He paused, and when he spoke again he sounded uncertain for the first time. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No,” she said quietly, her breath hitching in her chest and strangling the sound. “No, I really don’t.”
“Good,” he said, and reached for something behind them.
Donna closed her eyes and tried to think where to begin. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but the candlelight, the bubbles, the feeling of his naked body and the soft strains of classical music were robbing her of coherent thought. It was both sweetly comforting and mind-bendingly sexy.
“Donna,” he murmured as he dragged a deliciously soft washer across her sore back.
“Mmm?” she said. The closeness to Ridge was making her crazy. Her skin was on fire. Her breasts felt taut and full. Her stomach was on some crazy roller-coaster ride and her fingers couldn’t resist caressing the taut skin of his thighs under the water.
“Don’t think,” he said. “Just enjoy.” And with that, he began to undo her. He dragged the washcloth from her shoulder right down to the waistband of her underwear. He repeated the long, sensual strokes until he had covered every inch of her back. He then picked up each of her arms, and washed them thoroughly, each stroke a cleansing caress until she was mad with sensation and desire.
When he finally stopped, he laid her against his chest and spoke.
“Donna,” he said, his voice breaking a little. “I am so glad you’re okay. I can’t even begin to say.”
She started to murmur something but he shushed her. “It’s different now,” he went on, squeezing her shoulders. “Everything was different, from the moment I saw you go into that water today. The thought of losing you. It was very . . .” He paused as though thinking it through. “Very clarifying.” He cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t answer you about Brooke. She’s your sister. You had a right to ask, and a right to expect an answer. And when we left each other, Brooke and I, honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking and feeling. I don’t know if I can honestly say it is over, for good. But Donna—” He gathered her hair up in one hand and wound it into a rope, laying it across one of her shoulders, the better to access her naked back. “Ever since I’ve come back, there’s been only you. You’re all I can think about, all I can dream about.” He chuckled darkly. “It’s crazy, I’ve been like a man possessed. I want you to give us a chance. Will you?”
The words were sweet in Donna’s ears. She turned around and pressed her mouth against his. His lips were warm and wet and felt so right on hers that she let out a little moan. But he pulled back and looked hard into her eyes.
“You have to tell me, Donna,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
She swallowed, amazed that he couldn’t see it on her face. “I thought I knew what I wanted,” she whispered, her voice sounding drunk with desire and the effect of the kiss. “But I didn’t have a clue. Now I know.” She traced a finger down his chiseled jaw and across his decadent lips. “When I saw Eric tonight, and he told me he’s in love with someone else, I felt nothing but joy for him.”
Ridge raised an eyebrow and she nodded. “I’ll fill you in later. The point is, all I felt was relief. Because ever since I came out of that water, I’ve known. I’ve known I didn’t want to play it safe anymore. I want to give you a chance.” She swallowed, suddenly embarrassed by how frank she was being. “Give us a chance, I mean. I know now that you can be trusted. With my life even. And maybe—” Donna could hear the uncertainty in her question as she finished it. “And maybe my heart?”
Ridge’s mouth swooped down to take possession of hers but it was an all-too-brief assault. He pulled back to stare into her eyes, his own like molten chocolate.
“Donna,” he groaned. “The way I feel about you terrifies me. Your heart is safe with me, but I fear for mine. I want to brand you as mine, never let you go.”
“Ridge,” Donna whispered, so close to his mouth.
“Mmm?” he muttered, staring at her mouth.
“I get it,” she said softly. “Now shut up and kiss me.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled her against his hot, wet body and crushed her mouth into his. The kiss made the one earlier in the day pale in comparison; it shot heat and desire right to Donna’s toes, and she moaned as he reached behind her and unhooked her bra, flicking it out of the bathtub expertly then filling his hands with her breasts. The feeling almost tipped Donna over the edge. She slid up his body, pressing the length of herself against him, reveling in the feeling of his hardness pushing into the soft, wet fabric of her underwear.
“Oh, God, I need to get you out of this bath and into bed,” he moaned, wrapping his arms around her and standing up. Impressive, Donna thought, certain she wouldn’t be able to stand, let alone on a slippery surface and holding another person.
Ridge placed her gently on the bathmat and stood before her. She couldn’t help but flick her eyes down to look at all of him—naked, wet and heart-stoppingly beautiful. His shoulders were broad and tan. His chest tapered to a lean waist and long legs. Dark hair curled wet and inviting on his chest, stomach and thighs. And his sex stood to attention in a way that left her with no questions about his desire for her.
He tipped her face up to his. “Are you sure?”
“Ridge,” she said, reaching up to put her hands on his shoulders and kiss his mouth. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
Acknowledgments
My first thanks go, as always, to my pit crew—my husband Blair, my sister Alison and my babies.
Next come Claire, Joel and all the fabulous team at Pan Macmillan, as well as the writers and developers at The Bold and the Beautiful for allowing me to take part in this great project.
Thanks to my editors, Rebecca and Danielle, for their patience and sharp eyes.
And last—but far from least—huge thanks to the writers and reviewers who continue to read and review my work, and sometimes drop me a line to tell me how much they’ve enjoyed it. You have no idea how that feels—thank you!
About Ros Baxter
Ros Baxter writes fresh, funny, genre-busting fiction.
Her titles include Fish Out of Water and White Christmas, and she co-authored Sister Pact with her sister Ali. She has also been a contributing author to the e-anthology URL Love. Sequels to Sister Pact and Fish Out of Water were published in 2014, as well as a new romantic comedy: Lingerie for Felons.
She is also the author of Second Chances, one of the first titles published with THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.
Ros lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband Blair, four small but very opinionated children, a neurotic dog and nine billion germs.
Also by Ros Baxter
Second Chances: The Bold and the Beautiful
About Heart’s Desire: The Bold and the Beautiful
By Amy Andrews
Taylor is being threatened by a stalker in New York.
Rick Forrester is in town for Fashion Week and insists on helping her through this trauma.
They enjoy their days together but when they kiss in Central Park, the moment is ‘snapped’ by the paparazzi.
The next day, their kiss is on the front page of every scandal sheet in the country. And so the fallout begins . . .
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/hearts-desire/.
About Sunset Love: The Bold and the Beautiful
By Shannon Curtis
Thorne has turned his back on Forrester Creations and headed for his Texas ranch.
Brooke is bereft. She is already feeling out of control and misses Thorne’s guidance.
Determined to convince him he has made a mistake, she visits the ranch. But there, she discovers a very different Thorne.
Suddenly, everything she thought she knew about life – and love – is turned upside down.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/sunse
t-love/.
About Blindsided by Love: The Bold and the Beautiful
By Hilary Rose
Caroline has left Forrester Creations, heartbroken after her divorce from Rick.
Ridge senses Caroline’s pain for he, too, is reeling from heartache but he is drawn to her spark and smile.
When Ridge is injured in a wildfire in Malibu Canyon, Caroline returns to Forrester Creations to help them with a fashion fundraiser.
Rick and Ridge begin a battle for Caroline's heart. But who can she trust?
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/blindsided-by-love/.
First published by Momentum in 2014
This edition published in 2014 by Momentum
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
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Copyright © BBL Distribution 2014.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
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A CIP record for this book is available at the National Library of Australia
Dangerous Love: The Bold and the Beautiful
EPUB format: 9781760082505
Mobi format: 9781760082215
Cover design by Carrie Kabak
Edited by Kylie Mason
Proofread by Laurie Ormond
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