Ridge discovers Natalie at the club and is fascinated by her and her work. She gets pulled away for a private dance and Ridge follows to get a peek at the part of her life behind closed doors. He discovers an addiction, but isn't sure if it's to her or to her work.

Chapter 5: Publication history

Natalie woke to Ridge scrolling through his phone. Somehow the schedules had aligned, and they both had a night off at the same time. Natalie leaned towards Ridge and kissed over his nipple. She murmured, "Unless we launched the bomb, there are more important things in this bed, sir."

Ridge's eyes flicked to Natalie's face then returned to his screen. "Give me a moment, Nat. Not a global thermonuclear war, but stuff has happened." Natalie sat up and gazed into his eyes. Judging quickly, she fell silent, her hand rubbing on his hip as she softly kissed his chest again. She murmured, "I can wait. A little."