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  Chapter Two

  He was really leaving her there. Brine’s eyes widened with tempered panic. She couldn’t lose it now. Not when she was close to getting what she wanted.

  Brine pulled her grip on the chains tighter when she saw Thane go straight for the cop. They had a little back and forth that ended with the cop heading for his cruiser. The lights were shut off and he pulled out into the access road. Next he went to his workers, who loaded back up into their oversized F-150s and hit the road.

  They were leaving, all of them. Well, all of them except Elam. Now isn’t this a complicated mess?

  Brine tugged on the cuffs, trying to free her hands. She twisted her wrists and yanked hard. Nothing. Brine blew her bangs out of her eyes, narrowing her gaze on Thane Elam. Damn her pride. Damn his. Damn the deepest bottle of Glenlivet. She needed this story.

  Thane was the last of the crew to get into his truck. He sat there for a long while. Brine could see him make a few phone calls on the latest and greatest gadget. Then she gasped when he started up the F-150, spun out the tires, and honked a jingle as he drove away.

  “Lumberjackass!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  Her voice echoed. Brine’s voice was hoarse by the time she stopped screaming. That had panic billowing up in the back of her throat. They wouldn’t leave her out here all night, would they?

  “Damn it.”

  Brine hung her head. Tired, cold and hungry. It was for her job, she reminded herself, but that thought felt suddenly hollow. Maybe it was time she moved on.

  Journalists didn’t chain themselves to a tree in their grandmother’s turn-of-the-century wedding dress to make a point. That was something nutcases did for attention. Brine stuck her tongue out at the Glenlivet bottle. The silver handcuff key taunted her from the last few inches of alcohol.

  Maybe Stephanie would come back to check on her? Maybe Elam would come back and grant her the interview? She suspected that neither would happen anytime soon. Brine hadn’t expected to be abandoned by Elam. The plan was for Stephanie to bail her out of jail if needed. Now that one phone call wouldn’t be coming.

  Last night was a blur of bad decisions, bad music, and a bottle of booze to keep her and Stephanie company. Chaining herself to the sequoia had seemed like a good idea to both of them at the time. Now, not so much. The wedding dress was a bonus found in the attic. The length of chain, found in the shed, was a boa to go with the dress. The cuffs…were a bad idea all around. What was she supposed to do now?

  Right now, her granddaddy was probably flipping over in his grave because she lost his gun. No way would he be real proud of that.

  This was all her making an impulsive, 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 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.

  Rainwater slicked her wrist. Brine yanked hard popping her hand free of the cuff. Thane cursed when the cuff came back to hit him in the face. Surprised, she dove for the truck door. She jumped out, leaving the passenger side hanging open wide. She took off for the woods, slipping through the mud as she went.

  “Brine!”

  He shouted her name as he gave chase. She had to get away from him. Fast. It didn’t take long before Brine was back into the thick of the redwood forest. There were lots of hiding places, but she kept running and leaping over roots. She glanced over her shoulder as she rounded a sequoia. Thane was hot on her tail. He was going to catch her if she didn’t keep moving.