Was that why she was so responsive to him? Because it had simply been years since she'd had sex?
Yes. That was it. She liked that idea. She'd go with that explanation.
She relaxed then. Loosened her grip on the handlebars. Lowered her shoulders. It was okay. She was just sex-deprived. That's all this was.
Whew. Now she knew the problem, she could deal with it. Not with Ridge of course. She wasn't going to have a wild weekend wedding fling with him. Not at her brother's wedding.
But this chemical reaction did call her attention to the fact she'd been neglecting her physical needs. It was something she would address once the ceremony was over and Ridge was safely in Canada where he could do her no harm.
"How was the ride back? Did you hang on to his hot bod for dear life?" Tara asked, mischief shining in her eyes as Kaia joined her sisters in the ranch house kitchen.
Thankfully, as soon as they arrived at the mansion, Ridge had offered to put the ATV in the barn and she couldn't hop off and sprint into the house fast enough.
"I drove." Kaia tossed her head. "He was the one doing the hanging."
"Ooh." Tara giggled and wriggled her fingers. "How was that?"
Kaia rolled her eyes. "It was a ride on an ATV."
"With his big strong hands on your body." Tara ticked her head back and forth like a human metronome.
"Ridge is so hot," Aria breathed, sticking her nose into the conversation. "Pure testosterone on two feet." She fanned herself vigorously. "He's such a badass."
"Just like his brothers." Ember sidled up, shot a look at Ranger, who was talking to Archer. "The Lockhart boys are yumminess personified."
"Are you lusting after Ranger?" Kaia asked Ember.
"Eww! Good grief no," Ember said. "He's my best friend in the whole world. Why would I mess that up? But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate how hot he is for someone else."
"I guess it's a good thing that neither Rhett or Remington can come to the wedding," Tara mused. "Can you imagine all four of them together in one place?"
"All the air conditioners in Cupid wouldn't be able to cool off that chapel." Aria panted.
"What are we whispering about?" Casey asked, popping over.
"The supreme hotness of the Lockhart men," Ember said.
Casey scoffed. "As if they can compare with Archer."
"We know you're madly in love with our brother, but Archer cannot compete against four Lockhart men." Tara clicked her tongue. "No one in Cupid can."
"I hate to disagree with you," Casey said. "But it's my wedding and my opinion is the only one that counts this weekend. Can we get this brunch started?"
Kaia let out a sigh and followed her sisters and Casey into the dining room, where the guests were lining up at the buffet of chafing dishes.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to Ridge, who was at the head of the line, his plate stacked high with food. He'd taken off the Ray-Bans, and she could see the bruise darkening at his temple, but the swelling seemed to be receding.
Kaia was the last one to get her food, and now there was only one seat left, and it had to be directly across from Ridge.
Damn her luck.
She sat down and, flanked by Lynne on her left, Casey on her right, she kept her eyes on her plate.
Or tried to.
"Could you pass the pepper?" Ridge asked.
Why did the confounded pepper have to be right in front of her? She glanced up and her gaze slammed into his sultry navy blue eyes and even sultrier smile. And why did he have to keep staring at her like she was some fascinating creature he'd hauled onto his boat during a fishing expedition? Especially when the entire table could see the way he was looking at her?
Kaia dropped her gaze to the pepper shaker, picked it up and thrust it at him.
In the handoff, his big, broad fingers touched hers.
Intentionally?
Her heart gave an excited little kick and it was all she could do not to react. Or look at him again.
All right.
She did look at him again, but only after he'd lowered his eyes to pepper his eggs, and she tried not to let him see she was looking. From her peripheral vision, she watched his Adam's apple slide while he drank orange juice. The sun slipping in through the big picture window splashed him in a luminous glow, accentuating that dark sexy stubble on his jaw.
And that mouth! Full and angular. A glistening drop of juice on his bottom lip, his tongue whisking it away.
Detonating tiny little bombs of desire inside her. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Good God, surviving this weekend was not going to be a slam-dunk.