Series Starter : Firsts in Series Collection

by Kaylee Ryan

  He texted himself so he would have my number. Tyler is hot, but he doesn’t make me shiver in eighty-degree temperatures. He doesn’t have my knees locking and refusing to move from his grip of my hips. Sure, Ridge’s hold is tight, but I didn’t exactly put up much effort to escape. It was all for show. I’ll stand here as long as he does, soaking up his heat, the feel of his hands on my waist. The way his fingers slip just under my T-shirt, his thumb lightly caressing my bare skin. Yep, I’m good right here.

  “What the fuck?” Ridge growls. “Did you just send yourself a text from her phone?”

  Tyler’s grin grows wider. “Good, right?” he asks.

  “Motherfucker,” Ridge swears under his breath.

  I can feel the tension rolling off him in waves. This time, when I try to step away, he releases a heavy sigh and lets me. “I can take the pictures,” I tell Tyler, holding my hand out for my phone. He winks and hands it back to me.

  I quickly grab it and pull up the camera app. I step further away from Ridge, and it’s as though my body can feel the separation. I ache to be back in his arms. Saving me from being hit in the head, holding me for real—at this point, I’ll take whatever I can get.

  “Watch your step,” Ridge tells me.

  Looking down, I see the uneven terrain of the flooring. It’s an inch at the most. I look back up and find his eyes locked on me. His stare is intense and a little intimidating. Not intimidating like Cal, no. Ridge’s intense is . . . sexy and all-consuming. In the best of ways.

  Chapter 19

  What is it about Kendall that makes me forget everything else but her? When she’s near me, the chaos that runs through my head on a daily basis quiets down. The stress of raising Knox on my own, the worry of being able to give him what he needs, the love of both parents—that all fades into the background to simmer while in the presence of Kendall Dawson. It’s not just that; I also seem to forget how to act when she’s around. Although I don’t know any man who, given the opportunity to have his hands on her curves, to be able to trace her bare skin, wouldn’t have reacted the same way. I didn’t want to let go. Leave it to my band of brothers from different mothers to bring me back to reality.

  “Time for a break,” I tell them, not tearing my eyes away from Kendall. I can’t. I hear them snicker while their heavy-booted feet carry them out the door. I don’t think either of us takes a breath, waiting for them to leave.

  “How was your week?” she asks, breaking eye contact and looking down at the phone in her hands.

  I thought about you all week. “Good. Busy. Just taking it one day at a time.” I don’t know if she meant here at her grandparents’ place or at home with Knox, but I gave her both. I’m exhausted from middle-of-the-night feedings, and work is stressful when it lies on your shoulders and those shoulders are exhausted from the weight of the world. “How about yours? I thought I would’ve seen you around here before now.” Hoped is more like it. I was disappointed when Reagan said she talked to Kendall earlier on Wednesday and she asked her to check in with me about the job. I wanted to call her, text her and demand she ask me herself, telling myself it’s not because I wanted to hear her voice or read her words.

  “Same old.”

  “You have plans tonight?” What the fuck am I doing?

  “No, I work tomorrow. It’ll be a quiet night in for me.”

  I chuckle. “Me too. Little man isn’t much for conversation these days.”

  She grins. “He’s adorable. Don’t worry, he’ll be chatting your head off soon enough.”

  “That’s what I hear. To hear my parents’ tell it, if I blink I’ll miss him growing up.”

  “I’ve heard that.” She looks around the demolished kitchen. “So, things good here? Do you need me for anything?”

  Nope, just you. “We’re good. It looks rough now, but I promise when we’re through it will be magazine-worthy.”

  A sad smile crosses her face. “I love this house. The big backyard. I have so many memories of my childhood here. Mom and Dad worked a lot, so I stayed with my grandparents a lot. I’m sad that they’re selling.”

  “Great view,” I say, commenting on the backyard that has her rapt attention through the kitchen window.

  “I’ll get out of your hair. I have a few errands to run today, and then I’m parking it on the couch with a book.”

  She heads toward the door, and I want to reach out for her as she passes and demand she stay here and talk to me. I grip my fists tightly to keep from doing just that. I turn and follow her like a puppy out of the house, not bothering to look at the guys as we head to her car. Instead, I keep my eyes trained on her ass, those long, tanned legs and the gentle sway of her hips.

  I should have been paying attention to where I was walking, because she stops suddenly and I barrel into her. My hands land on her hips, keeping her from falling. Keeping her close. She smells incredible, sweet like honey. I rest my chin on the top of her head and soak up the feel of her in my arms. I’m sure any minute now she’s going to pull away from me.

  “Ridge,” she whispers.

  Instantly, my cock is hard. Her fine ass pressed against me, my name falling from her lips—how the fuck am I supposed to resist that? “Kendall,” I growl, turned the fuck on.

  “I-I should go.”

  Fuck. I know she’s right; plus, I have work to do. I’m not getting paid to try and fuck the granddaughter of the home owner, but I want to. Oh, how I want to. Instead, I bring my mouth next to her ear. “Drive safe, sweet girl.” My lips land on her cheek and then I step away. I have to make myself release her. She doesn’t bolt like I expect her to, just stands stock still, the only movement the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She’s just as affected; her body confirmed it.

  I watch as she takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. Turning to look over her shoulder, those baby blues lock on me. “Good-bye, Ridge,” she murmurs.

  I don’t get time to reply as she quickly turns around and takes the final few steps to her car. I stand there like a lovesick fool and watch her drive away.

  “Break’s over,” one of the guys’ yells—I think it’s Mark.

  I’m not ready for their mocking. They’re going to give me shit about this for the rest of the day. I knew that, but it didn’t stop me. There’s just something about her that reels me in. I slowly turn and walk back toward the house, not that getting there any slower is going to prevent what my friends have in store for me.

  “You good, man? You need a tissue or something?” Kent asks. He’s trying to keep a straight face.

  “Trouble in paradise?” Seth chimes in.

  “I bet I can get her to say yes to a date before you can,” Tyler says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  “Don’t even fucking think about it,” I warn him.

  “She’s fair game, brother. Unless you’re calling dibs,” he fires back.

  Yes, I’m fucking calling dibs! “Can we just agree that she’s not available?”

  “Fuck, man. Have you seen her? Why the hell would we let her get away? One of us—” Mark points around the group “—needs to hit that.”

  “Not fucking happening.” My voice is low and stern. Not that my friends are the least bit affected. No, the assholes laugh at me.

  “One of us has to call dibs for the rest to back off,” Kent states, reminding us of the pact we made years ago.

  Mark opens his mouth, “I—”

  “Mine,” I spit out, interrupting him. No way will I let them have her; she’s too sweet for any of them. Too sweet for me. They’ve forced my hand, but that doesn’t mean I have to act on it. I called dibs, which means they leave her be.

  “Remember, you can’t be messing with anyone else after calling dibs. That happens, she’s up for grabs. And she’s not an ex, so . . .” Seth trails off, but I know what comes next.

  Son of a bitch! I forgot that small aspect to the pact. Fuck. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and try to think this through. It’s not like I’m
out in the dating pool at the moment, and it won’t be hard to stay away from women in general. I have a newborn son to raise. I’m in so fucking far over my head it’s not even funny. I have too much to learn to let a woman distract me. He’s depending on me.

  “Noted,” I finally say. The four of them are wearing matching smirks. Fuckers, they knew what they were doing. “Get your lazy asses back to work.”

  They do as I say, but not without riding my ass about my girlfriend.

  What the hell did I get myself into?

  Chapter 20

  What the hell was that? I can still feel his body next to mine, the feel of his lips against my skin. The touch was feather-light, but the impact it had on my body was apparently a lasting impression. I’ve just finished my final errand, having already gone to the bank, the post office, and the grocery store. It’s mid-afternoon and my body is still calling for his. How is that even possible? And that voice, the deep timbre next to my ear. The way he calls me ‘sweet girl.’ Apparently, my body is telling me that taking a hiatus from men is not what it wants. I’ve got to get this attraction for him under control.

  Grabbing a bag of chips and a bottle of water, I settle on the couch with the remote. I was going to read, but I think it’s wise to watch some TV instead; those book boyfriends of mine remind me too much of Ridge. I need to learn to deal with this . . . whatever it is before I go adding any more fantasies in my head. Then again, who needs the fantasy when I still remember the feel of his chin resting on my head, his hands on my hips . . . yeah, TV is a much better option.

  I settle for getting caught up on episodes of Lip Sync Battle on my DVR. No romance there, just laugh-out-loud ridiculousness. I love it.

  Hours later, my stomach growls. My DVR selection served its purpose to distract me from Ridge; I feel like I have a better handle on this than before. He’s hot as hell and a nice guy, but I swore off men for a while, and I need to stick to that. After my disastrous relationship with Cal, I need the break. Ridge needs one as well.

  I’m in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich when my cell rings. I run into the living room to get it. “Hey, I’m not coming straight home,” Dawn’s voice greets me. “Some of the girls and I are going to grab something to eat. Want to meet us?”

  “No, I’m good. I’m actually making a sandwich now.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive. I think I’m going to turn in early tonight anyway. I’m having a lazy day.”

  “Okay. Well, if you change your mind, we’re going to the Mexican place just down the street from the office.”

  “I’m good.”

  “All right, see you later.”

  I go back to my food, adding lettuce and tomato. My mouth waters and my stomach growls yet again, reminding me I’ve had nothing but junk today. I grab my plate, another bottle of water, and some more chips and head back to the living room. Just as I get settled on the couch, my phone rings again, and I curse the fact that I left it in the kitchen. Setting my plate on the table, I run back to the kitchen and swipe the screen without even looking.

  “Hello,” I say breathlessly.

  “Kendall?” Reagan’s voice comes over the line. She sounds confused.

  “Yeah, sorry. I had to run to get to my phone. What’s up?”

  She laughs. “Been there. So, the reason I’m calling—No, wait, I’m on the phone,” she says to someone else. “Sorry about that. Ridge is here to pick Knox up. Anyway, I wanted to invite you and Dawn to the Memorial Day get-together my parents’ have every year. It’s a good time. Dad usually sets off fireworks, because he loves them.” She laughs. “Anyway, there are always a ton of people here, and it would give us the chance to hang out again.”

  Ridge will be there. Count me in! “Sure, that sounds fun. I’ll run it past Dawn, but as far as I know we didn’t have anything going on. Thanks for the invite. What should we bring?”

  “Nothing. Mom goes overboard every year, so there’s always way too much food left over. Just bring your swimsuits for the pool or hot tub. Other than that, unless you have a specific drink you want, just bring you.”

  “Sounds good, thanks.”

  “No problem. Okay, I better get off here. Ridge is already taking Knox out to the truck, and I forgot to tell him that his bottles were in the dishwasher. Talk to you soon.” With that, she hangs up.

  I shouldn’t be this happy or excited that an old friend from high school invited me to a holiday cookout. I’ve got two weeks to learn how to deal with my body’s reaction to Ridge. Now to just figure out how to do that.

  I take my seat on the couch and dive into my dinner. The TV is on, but I have no clue what I’m watching, my mind wandering to earlier today. Maybe it’s not Ridge that’s causing my body to betray me. Maybe I just need to put myself back out there, go on a date.

  I finish my sandwich and fight to keep my focus on a Lifetime movie, but I give up after an hour and decide to go to bed. As soon as I slide under the covers, my cell alerts me to a text message. I assume it’s Dawn, letting me know she’s on her way home.

  It’s not. It’s Ridge.

  I stare at his name on the screen until it goes dark, then hit the Home button again, just so I can make sure my mind isn’t playing tricks on me.

  One photo attachment.

  What the hell?

  I slide my finger across the screen to open his message. It’s a picture of the kitchen. The floor is completely finished, and it looks really good. I save the picture and make a mental note to send it to my grandparents in the morning.

  Ping. Another message.

  Ridge: Thought you might want to send them an update.

  Me: I do. It looks great.

  Ridge: Thanks.

  Me: Thanks for the picture. They’re going to love it.

  Ridge: You’re welcome.

  Me: Good night, Ridge.

  Ridge: Good night, sweet girl.

  The smile on my face is huge. Who wouldn’t be smiling getting a text from the hotness that is Ridge Beckett? I place my phone on the nightstand and drift off to sleep with thoughts of him and his hands all over me.

  I’m at the office an hour early. With being off yesterday, I wanted to be able to check my e-mails and go through the pile that’s always waiting for me on my desk after a day off. I get lost in the daily grind getting caught up. It’s not until I hear voices down the hall that I realize that it’s time to start the day for real. I’m covering today for one of the girls. She works every Saturday, but this week, her son had something going on, so I told her I would cover for her. It gave me yesterday off, which was nice.

  The schedule is filling quickly as I work on keeping the patients roomed. This keeps the doctors happy, which makes everyone else happy. There is a small break in the schedule. This gives me time to scope out the rest of the day. Scrolling through the patient list, I stop when I see his name.

  Knox Beckett.

  I open his chart to view the chief complaint. It looks like he’s been fussy for a few days. Poor guy. Last weekend, Ridge had said he’d been off all day. He’s my last patient before lunch, so that will give me the opportunity to take my time. Pathetic right? Excited to delay their visit just to be with him, both of them really. That baby boy is too precious for words.

  The rest of my morning seems to drag on. I keep watching the clock wishing for time to move faster.

  Finally, the little green bubble beside his name, letting me know that they’ve checked in appears. I waste no time.

  “Knox,” I say to the waiting room.

  Ridge stands. His inked arms grip the baby carrier as he walks toward me. “Kendall,” he says. It’s almost like I hear relief in his voice.

  “Hey.” My voice is all breathy, and I can feel my face flush with embarrassment. Get it together, Dawson! “We’re going to be in room four,” I say, walking along behind them. Once in the room, I shut the door for patient confidentiality and pull up Knox’s chart on the computer. “So, what’s going on with
the little guy?” I ask, trying like hell to remain professional.

  Ridge runs one hand through his hair, while the other rests on Knox’s seat that is on the exam table. “He’s been fussy. I thought maybe it was just me and that he could tell I was nervous, you know? But then Mom said he’s been that way for her too.”

  “Any changes in the household? Wet diapers? Bowel movements?” I fire off a round of questions. Ridge answers them all and just as we finish, Knox starts to fuss. I watch as Ridge carefully lifts him from his seat and lays him against his chest. He’s patting his back and bouncing him a little in his arms to try to soothe him. His efforts are wasted as Knox starts to cry. I can see that Ridge is exhausted, so I step in. “Can I hold him? You look like you could use a break.”

  He gives me a small smile. “Is that in your job description?”

  Shit. “I—”

  Ridge chuckles softly. “I’m kidding, Kendall. Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?”

  “Never, gimme.” I hold my arms out. He transfers him to me, not before his hand rubs across my boob. I don’t dare look up, just keep my eyes trained on Knox. “Hey, handsome.” I keep my voice low and even. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.” Knox whimpers but his cries have quieted down.

  “He hates me,” Ridge says, his voice defeated.

  “He doesn’t hate you. Babies can sense your emotions. He knows that you’re exhausted. He doesn’t know how to handle that. It makes him irritable. Besides, you said that he was fussy with your mom as well,” I point out.

  He doesn’t say anything, so neither do I, at least not to him. I speak softly to Knox, letting my voice help soothe him.

  “You’re good with him,” Ridge finally says.