Hot & Humid (3 page)

That thought alone brought her up short. She had to keep things professional.

From her background investigation, she wasn’t able to gather any significant personal information. He was very private. He had no online history, other than business write-ups.

A thorough records search indicated he wasn’t married, but she wondered now if he was involved with a woman. A man like Elam had needs that wouldn’t go unsatisfied. There had to be someone on the side.

“Hey, girlie, miss me?” he asked.

She glared.

He sat down a foot away and regarded her with his seductive blue-on-blue eyes. He set the bag between them. Hot flavors salted the air, making her traitorous mouth water. He unfolded the bag, took out an extra large sack of waffle fries and a huge burger that would make any heart surgeon go into cardiac overload.

Her stomach growled when he unwrapped the burger halfway. Steam twisted upward. He took a big bite. Juicy sauce ran down his chin. He closed his eyes, moaning. She watched his tongue lick out over his lips, causing a moan of desperation to escape before she could silence the taunting offender.

His eyes flashed open. “Now that’s a gooood burger.”

He chased the bite with a long drink of soda that made his eyes go sexual. Oh, yes, she could see that Thane was pleased to have her undivided attention.
Now the rat bastard is playing dirty.
He’d turned the tables so fast that her entire body was spinning from the move. He was in complete control of what happened next. His gaze moved over her thighs. He took out his phone, snapped a picture of her, grinned, and showed it.

“Now that’s a cute shot. I love how your lips have that full, natural pout.”

Brine growled and rattled the chains. She kicked out but he was too far away to get anything more than a few rocks to hit him. “You are such a jerk! This wouldn’t be happening if you just called me!”

“Don’t blame me for this situation. I didn’t chain you to the tree.”

He stared at his phone. Ate. “Now let’s see what we have here. Brine Torin, lead investigative reporter for the
Sentinel
. Looky here, you have a blog. That’s cute. You even theme your days.”

She kicked out again but missed wide when her boot went flying. He ignored the attempt.

“Nice try.” He took another bite of food. “I wonder if your boss is aware of what you’re up to.”

“Is that a threat?” she asked.

Thane balanced his phone on his leg. “Just making conversation. Still determined to get that interview?”

She didn’t care so much about the story anymore. She should but right now she didn’t. Comfort, food, and a long hot bath that would massage out the kinks were the things she wanted most. Then she’d curl up with her laptop, blog about her exciting day, and fall asleep in bed. Alone. “I
need
this interview.”

He ate a few fries, then held one out toward her mouth. “Not going to happen. Hungry?”

Brine pressed her lips together. She wanted to bite him. “I am, but I’d rather eat dirt.”

“That can be arranged.” He grinned.

“This isn’t funny!”

“Oh, I think it’s highly entertaining. I have a beautiful woman…” She snorted and he paused. “…chained to my land. My land. My rules. My property. Everything on this land belongs to me. You’re mine.”

You’re mine.
A shiver ran down her spine. He was serious.

“You don’t own me.” Brine words snapped like gunfire. She eyed the steaming fry he brought to his lips. She watched the thick cords in his neck work as he swallowed, making his Adam’s apple slide up and down. He picked up another fry and brought it to her lips.

“Sure you’re not hungry?”

She opened her mouth to tell him off and he shoved the fry in her mouth. Hunger won. The salty, sweet flavor spread over her tongue. Their gazes locked, and time took a slow dive to the bottom of nowhere. She fell deep, fast, all the while knowing she couldn’t surface quickly without throwing her body off. Thane’s gaze dropped to her lips when her tongue licked the sea salt off. A flutter of desire rippled through her body when his finger brushed her chin with a gentle touch.

“Tell me how you got out here.”

Brine swallowed the fry and blinked rapidly. Thane offered her the soda, and she took a sip.
What a fool I am to think he’s interested.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I can wait.”

Brine watched him take another bite of the sandwich. “Just let me go and forget this ever happened, okay?”

His voice softened to a husky whisper. “Can’t do that either.”

She fumed inwardly. The rational side of her brain shut off twenty-four hours ago. She cursed and looked away. Thane reached out and brushed her wet hair away from her face. His thumb skimmed the tear off her cheek.

Thane held up a brownie. “Sure you’re not hungry?”

Right then she hated chocolate and him. “I’d rather not dine with the enemy.”

His grin was quick and surprisingly boyish. He shoved a piece of brownie in his mouth. “Too late for that. I think we’ve just had our first date.”

“We are
so
not dating.”

“Why? Are you married?”

His gaze turned serious. She hesitated and thought about all the stories she could tell about men in her life, but there weren’t any. She just didn’t date. “Go away.”

“Not going to happen. Like I was saying. You’re on my land. What’s on my land is mine. I own you.”

Brine sucked in the corner of her lip. She could tell he was done playing games. The interview was out of her reach, but she could still get out of this with what was left of her pride.

“The cuff key is in the bottle over there.”

He picked up the bottle and shook it around. He dumped the alcohol and the key clanked into his palm. He arched a brow, but she just ignored his unasked question. He hunted in the brush and got her boot, too. He lifted up her ankle and slid the leather boot on.

“Here you go
Cinderella
.”

Thane leaned over her bare legs. Her fingers brushed his when he lifted up her wrist and unlocked the cuff from the chain. He did the same to the other. Brine rubbed her right wrist where the cuff had started to wear. The other still dangled from her left. Thane picked it up and locked it around his wrist. Brine jerked away and his arm came along.

“What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

“Taking you home with me.”

She fought his hold, but he had size and strength on her. “Like hell.”

He pushed her up easily against the tree with his hips, sliding a muscled thigh between her legs. Brine felt the dress bunch and her thighs spread wide. Her pussy lips spread and her clit jumped up and down, begging to be spanked because she’d been a bad girl. His jeans knocked her sensitive flesh into submission and his heat seared her skin. She hated him for making her want him so easily, so fast.

Thane’s free hand slid up around the side of her neck, forcing her chin up to meet him halfway. A flutter of unleashed desire shot down to her pussy when his gaze locked with hers. He moved his leg out, forcing her legs to widen further. When she tried to adjust them, he reached down with their cuffed hands and held her leg in place.

“Your little stunt cost me six hundred thousand dollars today.”

“I really don’t care.”

He smiled. “Something tells me you’re all bark but no bite. I think I’ll take you home with me to see if that’s true.”

God help her, when he looked at her like that, she wanted to go home with him for the rest of her life.

She felt sexy when she was angry. All hot and bothered, she angled her chin defiantly. She struggled to get free but he wouldn’t release his firm grip. “Let me go!”

“Stop fighting me. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He warned.

A zip of irrational fear rocketed down her spine and landed between her thighs. A man like Elam would hurt a girl for all the right reasons. Thane pulled their linked wrists around his back, cinching her in closer to what she was discovering was a well-muscled chest. Her arm was drawn around his waist, the other pinned between them.

“Hurt me. I dare you. I’ll make your life hell.”

He let his lips fall to her neck. “Is that what you want?”

He nipped at her neck with his lips and teeth. His tongue swirled over her thrumming heartbeat. He groaned erotically when she wiggled against his thigh.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve had anyone challenge me.”

“Please…
Thane
. Let me go.”

“Make. Me.”

Thane’s voice dropped to a sultry whisper. Their lips were inches apart. She wanted to kiss him until she forgot her name. Her heart was pounding in seductive anticipation. She couldn’t remember the last time she had kissed a man let alone had sex or even who’d she’d been with. Then she remembered why she worked hard to stay away from men.

Men didn’t want damaged things.

The memory of the fire that took her mom and dad flashed through her mind like it was happening. She struggled within Thane’s arms and he locked down tighter. Thick black smoke had been billowing from the front door. She’d tried to save them. She’d spent weeks in intensive care.

She pushed the memory of that night aside with a moan.

She wanted to forget the burn scars and the fact that she probably couldn’t ever have children. She thrust her hips up, trying to pop him away. She hated how he brought her body alive, how he made her remember what was lacking in her life. Thunder rushed through her body as he used his arms to prevent her from getting away.

Thane’s hand slid up the front of her neck and he used his thumb to tilt her chin upward. She shivered. “I’m going to tell you something. I want you to listen very carefully.”

She opened her mouth, but she snapped it shut with the look of warning he sent her way. “I’m listening.”

“I know you want me.”

She opened her mouth to refuse again and that predatory gaze made her shiver. “So?”

“You want me to do things to you with my hands, my mouth, my tongue.”

He was taunting her and it felt so right. She looked away. He could say whatever he wanted but she wasn’t going to look at him. She knew he was planning on using the knowledge that she wanted him in the most erotic ways against her.

She snorted and mocked. “I’m sure you’re well hung.”

“Oh, baby. I am. My cock is thick, long…I have control of my cock in ways that no man does.”

She groaned at the thought of him having control of his cock deep inside her. “I don’t care.”

“You should. I plan on pleasuring you with my cock in every way imaginable.”

“I don’t want you.”

He chuckled. “Oh, you do. I know your pussy wants what I have. You can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to have my body all over yours and my cock rutting up inside you.”

The vision of his body attacking hers sexually would have brought her to her knees had Thane not been holding her body up. “You don’t know me, and you don’t know what I want.”

“I know more about you than you think. Curious?”

She snapped her gaze back to his. Her heart was hammering. She hated wanting and not getting any. “What do you think you know about me?”

“I know your work. I read the paper. What you do is impressive.”

There was a hint of sincerity in his voice. “You’re just trying to get under my dress.”

“I’m already there, babe. Admit it, you want me there.”

“No I don’t—”

He leaned down fast, silencing her with a full-mouthed kiss. He kissed her hard. He owned her lips in the most possessive way. His tongue forced his way over her lips and flicked erotically into her mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance.

A snap of lightning shot across the sky, unleashing a downpour. He broke away and his voice came out as a growl against her ear. “What’s on my land is mine and I always take what’s mine.”

“I won’t give myself willingly.”

He chuckled. “I don’t doubt that for a minute. I’m not letting you go. You’re coming with me.”

Brine screamed as he lifted her easily over his shoulder, but the sound was smothered by the crash of thunder vibrating the ground. Thane headed through the rain to his truck. He opened the driver’s side door and slid her bottom across the seat. He followed behind and shut the door.

Rain hammered on the cab. It didn’t take long before their breath fogged the windows.

Brine ran a hand through her wet hair. They stared at each other for a long moment. He looked as though he wanted to say something, as though he was trying to get hold of the heat flashing through his body. She wanted him to have more things to say. She had to get out of there. She knew she was coming down with a nasty case of Stockholm syndrome. Bonds were meant to be broken, she reminded herself as she looked down at their linked hands. Thane started the truck.