sexiness seemed to have magnified, starting with the midnight black hair, striking gray eyes, the sharp nose, full lips, and strong jawline. He stood as an imposing figure who robbed her of speech in his designer suit, the jacket of which he hadn’t unbuttoned. Leave it to Ridge to be put together without a flaw while her dress sported wrinkles from sitting for five hours on the plane.
“Hello, Ridge,” she managed in a raspy tone and kicked herself for it.
“You’re looking well, KeyKey.” The formal speech lost its impact with his use of her nickname—that and it weakened her at the knees.
“Thanks, I don’t go by that nickname anymore,” she informed him.
A dark brow rose as if in disbelief. “Kiona then. Were’s Alex?”
She turned away from him with relief. “He’s here. He couldn’t stay awake.” She busied herself unbuckling her son, but Ridge touched her arm. She jumped away, and he frowned at her.
“I’ll get him,” he offered.
Kiona backed up. To take her idiot mind off the way his arm muscles bulged with his amazing strength, she argued, “I don’t know why you couldn’t just pick him up. I told you I have plans for Christmas break just like you do.”
Ridge glared at her. “With your new boyfriend?”
“That’s not your business, is it?” She sighed and licked her lips. “Look, do you mind having your driver drop me at my hotel? It’s not far, and I can make my own arrangements for getting back to the airport in the morning.”
“You’re telling me you can’t see your own son into the house, Kiona, and at least say hello to my family?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me, Ridge. It won’t work.”
His lip curled on one side. “Of course not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind.” He pivoted on his heel and started away with Alex tucked against his chest.
Her little boy raised his head and opened his eyes to slits. “Mommy?”
Kiona clenched her hands into fists. Damn jerk! “I’m right here, baby.” She followed the two of them with reluctance.
“There’s my little man,” Ridge’s mother Marian said when she spotted Alex. She tried taking him from Ridge’s arms, but to her ex-husband’s credit he held on.
“I’m sorry, Mom. He’s pretty tired, and it’s late. You’ll have plenty of time to spend with him in the morning.”
The older woman frowned. “Well at least let me give him a kiss. I’m sure he missed grandma something fierce.”
Of course. Kiona scarcely kept herself from rolling her eyes. She wondered when Marian would bother greeting her. Not that she gave a damn. She turned to Ridge’s dad and smiled. “How are you, Sam?”
“Kiona, great to see you again, honey.” The older man drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek. That got Marian’s attention. She straightened from fawning over Alex.
“No greeting for your mother-in-law, Kiona? What do they teach young people in Baltimore these days?”
To avoid self-important biddies. She forced a smile and strolled over to kiss the woman’s cheek—an air kiss because Marian had made her dislike obvious from the beginning. “Hello, Marian, you’re looking well.”
“As much as can be expected, I suppose.”
Sam threw up his hands and thrust his glasses onto his face before scuttling away. “Here we go. Now you’ve gotten her started.”
“I resent that, Samuel.” She wagged a finger in the direction of his retreating back, pink staining her cheeks. Marian didn’t believe in using nicknames. Sometimes Kiona wondered if that’s why she’d named her oldest son Ridge, so it couldn’t be broken down. That had tempted Kiona to call him Ri just to screw with her head.
“Kiona!” came a shout from down the hall.
She sucked in a breath. “And the gang’s all here. Nice.”
“What was that?” Marian squinted at her.
“Nothing.” Kiona swung away from her in time to be scooped up into Ridge’s younger brother Raymond’s
“Hello, Ridge,” she managed in a raspy tone and kicked herself for it.
“You’re looking well, KeyKey.” The formal speech lost its impact with his use of her nickname—that and it weakened her at the knees.
“Thanks, I don’t go by that nickname anymore,” she informed him.
A dark brow rose as if in disbelief. “Kiona then. Were’s Alex?”
She turned away from him with relief. “He’s here. He couldn’t stay awake.” She busied herself unbuckling her son, but Ridge touched her arm. She jumped away, and he frowned at her.
“I’ll get him,” he offered.
Kiona backed up. To take her idiot mind off the way his arm muscles bulged with his amazing strength, she argued, “I don’t know why you couldn’t just pick him up. I told you I have plans for Christmas break just like you do.”
Ridge glared at her. “With your new boyfriend?”
“That’s not your business, is it?” She sighed and licked her lips. “Look, do you mind having your driver drop me at my hotel? It’s not far, and I can make my own arrangements for getting back to the airport in the morning.”
“You’re telling me you can’t see your own son into the house, Kiona, and at least say hello to my family?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me, Ridge. It won’t work.”
His lip curled on one side. “Of course not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind.” He pivoted on his heel and started away with Alex tucked against his chest.
Her little boy raised his head and opened his eyes to slits. “Mommy?”
Kiona clenched her hands into fists. Damn jerk! “I’m right here, baby.” She followed the two of them with reluctance.
“There’s my little man,” Ridge’s mother Marian said when she spotted Alex. She tried taking him from Ridge’s arms, but to her ex-husband’s credit he held on.
“I’m sorry, Mom. He’s pretty tired, and it’s late. You’ll have plenty of time to spend with him in the morning.”
The older woman frowned. “Well at least let me give him a kiss. I’m sure he missed grandma something fierce.”
Of course. Kiona scarcely kept herself from rolling her eyes. She wondered when Marian would bother greeting her. Not that she gave a damn. She turned to Ridge’s dad and smiled. “How are you, Sam?”
“Kiona, great to see you again, honey.” The older man drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek. That got Marian’s attention. She straightened from fawning over Alex.
“No greeting for your mother-in-law, Kiona? What do they teach young people in Baltimore these days?”
To avoid self-important biddies. She forced a smile and strolled over to kiss the woman’s cheek—an air kiss because Marian had made her dislike obvious from the beginning. “Hello, Marian, you’re looking well.”
“As much as can be expected, I suppose.”
Sam threw up his hands and thrust his glasses onto his face before scuttling away. “Here we go. Now you’ve gotten her started.”
“I resent that, Samuel.” She wagged a finger in the direction of his retreating back, pink staining her cheeks. Marian didn’t believe in using nicknames. Sometimes Kiona wondered if that’s why she’d named her oldest son Ridge, so it couldn’t be broken down. That had tempted Kiona to call him Ri just to screw with her head.
“Kiona!” came a shout from down the hall.
She sucked in a breath. “And the gang’s all here. Nice.”
“What was that?” Marian squinted at her.
“Nothing.” Kiona swung away from her in time to be scooped up into Ridge’s younger brother Raymond’s
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