Hot & Humid Read Free

stupid and drunken point to get the story.
    Brine slid to her butt and shot her right leg out toward the bottle. If she could just get the edge, she could knock it back, get the key and then never have to see Elam again. The bottle spun further away when her ankle slipped in the mud. Brine dragged the chains around, and she straddled the thick root. She reached out with her foot again. She concentrated on hooking her heel over the neck. The bottle rolled slowly toward her. She laughed out loud.
    “Yes! Come on… come on!” She pulled her leg back and the neck caught on the thick root. “No! Oh, hell no!”
    Frustration had Brine shifting her leg impulsively. She cried out when the bottle spun further away. “You got to be kidding me!”
    Brine dropped her head against the tree. The rain finally tapered off. She pulled on the chains but there wasn’t much slack. There was nothing to do but wait until Thane Elam decided to return. Brine pulled her knees in close.
    “Brilliant plan, Brine. What did you have in mind for round two of putting the story to bed?”
    Sunlight drifted through the fog. She passed the time by sensing the movement of the sun. She closed her eyes and dozed. An hour ticked into two before she heard the sound of a truck. It was Elam. He shut off the truck.
    He sat for a few minutes. He was on the phone.
    Ten minutes later, he got out of the truck with a giant, grease-stained bag in one hand and a giant soda in the other. She tracked his movement. He had a thick-limbed, athletic swagger that bragged that he was experienced with women. He could make any woman with a set of eyes look twice and have a lifetime’s worth of fantasies to keep her warm at night. Brine knew she’d be thinking of this man as she fell asleep tonight. Had they met under different circumstances, maybe…
    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