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“You’re going to the ball on Friday, right?”

I sigh. I forgot about the ball this coming week. Actually, I didn’t forget. I wanted to forget. But then I think about the fact that all the teachers from LSA have to go, which means Ridge will. Which also means Ridge will be in a tux. Perfect. I’m going. “You’re going, too.”

Tori smiles like she’s been given a million dollars. “Actually, I am because my lunatic sister is running away, and I’ve forced her to babysit for me that night. If the bitch is sleeping on my couch, she’s watching my kid.”

“Wait, who’s Tatum running from now?” Tori’s little sister is a fucking disaster, and that’s putting it nicely. She ran away at eighteen, and nobody saw her or heard from her in three years unless she needed money. Or apparently a place to stay now.

“She got knocked up by some professional football player and she doesn’t want to tell him—because she probably conned his ass—so in Tatum style, she runs away from everything.” Tori shrugs and grabs a bag of hot dogs and begins placing them on the grill behind her.

I see those hot dogs and guess where my mind goes?

Cock.

There’s something wrong with me. I want sex all the time.

Or is there something wrong? Maybe I’m just a twenty-six-year-old woman with two kids and am horny. That’s actually pretty normal, right?

It’s Saturday night, and I barely make it through the evening without finding Ridge and sneaking off to his trailer in the pits. The only thing stopping me is the boys because they’re working the concession stand with me.

Austin picks the boys up shortly before the main events start because it’s his weekend and he claims he didn’t have time to get them after school. I’m kind of glad he didn’t because it gave me a few more hours with them.

When the race is over, it’s about twenty minutes before Ridge finds me locking up the concession stand.

My heart thuds, my body tingly with his close proximity when he presses his chest against my back. “Miss me?”

He smells like dirt and gas. “I did.” I smile, turning to face him. “Would you like to come over? The boys are with Austin.”

He steps back. “Nah. . . I can’t. I need to finish up some things in the office. How about you come by my trailer around eleven?”

“Okay.”

He nods.

We stand, staring at one another before he shrugs and closes the space between us with a long step pushing us against the door to the concession stand. “Fuck this shit. I miss these lips.” His hands cup my cheeks, and he kisses me, desperately, his mouth assaulting mine in the most beautiful way.

I can’t get enough of his taste. His need for me consumes me, and I claw at his clothes, his body, it’s like I’ve lost my mind and I’m trying to rip him to pieces.

But he pulls away with a chuckle. “I really do have to go. I won’t be long.”

I nod and step back, breathing heavily. “If you must.”

It looks to me—and I can’t be entirely sure because he hides his emotions so well—he’s just as worked up as I am.

He leaves without another word, probably because words aren’t what he wants to give me at the moment.

I RUN HOME and change out of my clothes that smell like fried food and beer and then at eleven fifteenish, I arrive at his trailer, and believe me when I say that was the longest couple hours of my life.

He yanks his trailer door open I knock, twice, frowning. “You said eleven. It’s eleven fifteen.”

And now my hearts pounding in my ears. “Sorry, I had to change.”

He roughly yanks me into his trailer. “Bend over the table.”

Okay, so we’re doing this now. Nice. I hate wasting time. I don’t even like foreplay for that reason.

I bend over the table without even thinking.

Exposing my bare ass underneath my dress, I wait for Ridge to realize I’m not wearing any panties. All by design.