Billionaire's Blackmail Bride: Billionaire Brothers Kent - Ridge's Story (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) by Judy Angelo Page A

phone on silent mode. At least then she would know he was trying to
reach her. With a growl of frustration Ridge went and retrieved his wallet from
his jacket pocket then dug around until he found her card. Not caring what
meeting or experiment he might be disturbing he dialed the number to the
research lab. No friggin’ answer.
    By this time, the twinge of worry had turned into a knot inside his
gut. What if something had happened to Lani? He didn’t want to make a big thing
out of what was probably nothing but after nine o’clock at night was not the
time for a man to be wondering where his wife was. And rather than just sitting
there, wondering, he decided to make a move. If he couldn’t get Lani on the
phone then he would have to go to her office.
    Ridge shoved his phone into his trouser pocket, grabbed his keys and
was just heading for the door when he heard a car pull into the driveway. Lani
was home. Finally. A wave of relief washed over him but within seconds it had
morphed into anger. She’d better have a damn good reason for coming home at
this hour.
    When the front door opened he was standing there in the foyer,
waiting for her. “Why didn’t you call me?”
    Lani jumped but as her gaze fell on him she smiled. “You startled
me,” she said, coming in and closing the door behind her. “That’s not nice.”
    “And it’s not nice to have your husband at home wondering where the
hell you are.”
    At his biting retort Lani frowned. “I’m a grown woman. I can come home
whenever I want to.” She dropped her bag onto the hallway table and made as if
to walk away but he stepped in front of her, bringing her to a sharp halt.
    “You may be a grown woman,” he said, his tone cold, “but you’re a
married woman now. You’ve got a husband to answer to, and don’t you forget it.”
    “Well, excuse me.” Her words dripping with sarcasm, she glared at
him. “Just in case you missed the memo, this is the twenty-first century. Being
married to you doesn’t mean you own me.” She folded her arms across her lab
coat covered frame, looking ready for a fight.
    Pissed that instead of apologizing she was being combative he hit
back just as hard. “I may not own you but as long as you’re my wife you check
in with me or-”
    “Or what?” Now she’d loosened her crossed arms and had them curved
outward, looking like a teenage street thug fixing for a beat-down. He would
have laughed if he weren’t so mad.
    “Will you shut up and listen to what I have to say? All I was saying
was you-”
    “No, I will not shut up. No man’s going to tell me to shut up,
husband or no husband.”
    “Lani, I’m warning you. Be quiet or else-”
    “Oh, so you’re threatening me now? You think because I agreed to
marry you I signed over the rights to my freedom? Well, you got it wrong,
buster.” And then she did that jerky thing with her neck that feisty women do
when they’re telling you off.
    “You asked for this,” he muttered and before she could make another
move he’d reached out, clamped his hands on her shoulders and hauled her toward
him.
    Lani gasped but it was too late. She’d had her chance to shut up.
Now it was up to Ridge to do it for her.
    Pulling her smack against him he reached his hand up to cup the back
of her head then he tilted her so she was perfectly positioned for his kiss. As
he lowered his lips she closed her eyes tight but her mouth softened and he
could tell she wanted this. Her body would not lie.
    Taking his cue from her response Ridge covered her lips with his
own, exacting her silence with his kiss, not letting up until her body melted
against him, her will yielding to his.
    When he finally withdrew and gazed down at her face her eyes were
still closed. Slowly he released her so she could again stand on her own.
    It was only then that she opened her eyes. Her wide-eyed gaze never
leaving his face, she drew in a shaky breath. “I thought you said you wouldn’t
force me…to do anything