Hot & Humid (20 page)

“Yeah.”

“We had some good times with those handcuffs,” he said.

Lightning flashed outside and thunder rocked the house. The lights flicked off and on. It felt like a warning from Josh. “I didn’t come here to talk about being just friends.”

Thane got a beer out of the fridge and twisted off the cap. “Oh? No? You want to be friends with benefits now?”

The question felt like a slap. She pushed on. “I want to know why you’re pulling your company out of Oregon.”

“How’d you hear about that?”

He didn’t look happy. “I heard about it on the news. I think you’re making a mistake.”

“It’s none of your business, Brine.”

“I don’t want you leaving because of me.”

Shadow whined as the lights flickered again. Thane went into the living room to pet him. “There’s no reason to stay. I’ve been thinking about making this move for some time now.”

“Really? Since when?”

“Brine.”

“Fifty years from now the site will be a wasteland.”

“You don’t know that,” he countered.

Brine raised a brow. “I know the area. I know what the loggers are capable of.”

“Give me a reason to stay, Brine.” He crossed the room and grabbed her by the shoulders. “You know what I want.”

She froze. Her heart was racing. “I can’t. You have to want to stay for yourself.”

Thane cursed. “Why are you here, Brine? Tell me. Just say it.”

“I want you to stay. I don’t want you to stop doing what you love because of me.”

Hurt crushed through his eyes. “I can’t be friends with a woman I want to fuck every time I look at her. I’m not pressuring you into forever, Brine. I want what we have now. If you don’t ever want to get married, I’m fine with that. I just want a real chance. So, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

He let go. “You need to decide. Not me.”

“What about your work?”

“What about it? I can start over somewhere else.”

“Thane…don’t do this.”

She could see by the hard look on his face that she’d lost this round with him. It was all up to her. All she had to do was tell him that she wanted him. Why was it so difficult?

“You have twenty-four hours to decide, Brine. After that, I’m gone.”

It wasn’t enough time. He had to understand what she was going through. She couldn’t think about joining her life with another person, only to lose them.

“Thane…”

“Take Benjamin Street home. It’s open. It’s what I use when the mud slides around here.”

There was nothing more to say right now. Brine left and stood on the porch. She did feel at home here. How could she explain it to Thane? It was all about what she wasn’t able to get over. Her past. She’d chosen to never love again. At the end of the day, she really was a coward when it came to love. She didn’t want to hurt again. The loss of her family had been nearly the end of her. She spent every day for a month crying in the shower every time she got up. She couldn’t be taken to the edge again. It wasn’t a place she could go to alone again. Her heart felt as though it was breaking from not loving him.

Brine went to her car and drove away, knowing she’d never be back. If protecting her heart meant she was a coward, so be it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

She couldn’t sleep. Brine tossed and turned. She felt sick inside. Every time she fell asleep she saw Thane and the hurt she put in his eyes. She rolled over again and saw a vision of Poppy telling her that she’d be pregnant by December with a girl. She moaned and rolled over again. Her dream shifted with her twin Josh telling her she was a coward.

She opened her eyes with a start and the darkened room glared back. Thane was a complicated man. He was demanding. He knew what he wanted and he went after it with every facet of his being. That was what drew her to him in the first place. His passion for his company and for life was an erotic seduction that made her take notice.

She shouldn’t stop him from leaving. She should. She had to.

She jumped out of bed. There was no time to change. She had to do this now. She had to let Thane know that she wanted him. Her mind was made up. She was about to make this little complication a giant mess. She grabbed the keys to her car, running out the door. The engine chugged several times and finally flipped over as an afterthought. She drove across town. It wasn’t until she saw his darkened house and his truck sitting in front, that she let go of her breath that she’d been holding.

She slowed the car, allowing the lights to reflect the house. Thane’s truck was backed into his driveway as though he planned on loading it tomorrow. He was really going to leave. Her heart lurched in her chest. She needed him to stay. She wanted him to stay.

Brine slammed the car to a stop, blocking his drive. She sprinted up the walk to the porch. All the lights were off in the house. That didn’t stop Brine from kicking the door several times to get his attention.

No answer. She pounded again. Shadow barked on the other side of the door. No lights came on but the door was yanked open. Thane stood on the other side in just a pair of jeans. That tattoo on his arm, twisted over half his chest. Brine was grabbed by the wrist and dragged inside. He slammed the door shut. Darkness clung to them as he crowded her against the wall. He was a whisper away.

“What are you doing here at two o’clock in the morning?”

She was breathless as she reached out and touched his face with her palms. She ran her hand over his face, through his hair, as though he was slipping through her fingers. “I wanted to talk to you again.”

“Talk.”

A tremble tickled up and down her spine. She’d shared so much about herself over their time together. She told him things she’d never told anyone. Several seconds teased by. She didn’t know how to begin.

“You’re always the boy scout, aren’t you?” she asked. “You always do the right thing. Say the right thing. You’re honorable.”

“I do.”

She touched his arms. “Cocky, too.”

“You like that about me.”

“You seem to think I like you.”

He leaned in close. “I know you do. You’re just too chicken to admit it.”

“I’m sorry for that. I am. I’m a complicated woman. I don’t know how to love without letting go, you know?”

He pulled away. Disgust twisted his face. Hurt stabbed her heart. She didn’t know how to make things right between them. “You still don’t get it.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“Brine…you really don’t know?” he asked.

“Know what?”

He laughed but it sounded bittersweet. He opened the door. “If you don’t know, I can’t tell you. You’re too smart to play dumb.”

“I’m not playing dumb. I’m not playing you.” He waited but she didn’t move. She couldn’t. “Thane…what is it? Do you need me to say the words?”

“No.” He was exasperated. “Just go, Brine. I can’t be the one to explain it to you. It’s not about love. It’s about understanding what I need, too. It’s not all about you, Brine.”

She didn’t want to leave things like this. “Thane…please.”

“Please
what
?”

“I came back to tell you that I can’t live without you.”

“And?” he asked.

“And what?”

“Just go. You still don’t get it.”

Brine didn’t know how to fix this. Love didn’t always conquer all. She did as he asked and left. The rain started coming down in thick, heavy drops as she stepped onto the porch. The door shut behind with a quiet click of apathy. What had she done wrong? What more did he want from her? She couldn’t do this. She had to get away. Pain spun through her heart.

Brine went to her car but she couldn’t get inside and drive away. Instead, she kicked the corner of the rusted bumper, knocking it half off. She was angry, frustrated, and tired of being soaking wet. Her heart ached, and the cause didn’t want to talk to her at all because he didn’t think that she got it. She paced back and forth. Her pajama bottoms were getting muddy from dragging through the grass. What was she missing?

The front door opened. Thane stood there. His gaze went to her sagging bumper. Her heart skipped a bitter beat with a hope she didn’t know how to define. He came out onto the porch with the Blunderbuss gripped in his hand.
Right.

She yanked open the driver’s side door but didn’t get in. He limped quickly through the rain and handed her the gun.

“This is yours. I didn’t want you to forget it. I know it was your grandfather’s.”

Brine tossed the gun into the passenger seat. It clanked when it hit the passenger door. It snapped and fired. She screamed. Glass shattered around her head. Thane grabbed her around the waist, diving to the ground. She fell on top of him with her knee jacked up between his thighs and her breasts in his face. His hands moved frantically around her body, checking for damage. Light from the front porch cast a warm glow on both of them.

“Brine! Are you okay? Say something.”

She dropped her head on his chest. “I think I just lost about six months of my life.”

His head fell back. Beneath her fingertips, his heart raced. She looked up at him. The corners of his lips were tilted up. He was laughing and cursing. He hugged her tight, putting his head into her neck. She felt his kisses and they felt right. He brought his hands up her sides and smoothed her hair away from her face.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“I’m good.”

Tears streamed down her face. “Thane, I didn’t know the gun was loaded.”

“Hey, don’t cry. I know you didn’t. I didn’t know it was either. I wouldn’t have given it back to you if I’d known.”

She felt her voice tremble. “I like being here with you.”

“That’s a good start for us.”

She moved back to stand but slipped in the wet grass. Thane’s hands came out playfully and tripped her to the ground.

“Hey, wait. Stop squirming, I’m trying to help you up.”

“You’re such a liar. A bad one, too.” She fisted mud, flicking it onto the side of his face. Brine giggled and slapped her clean hand over her mouth.

“Did you just call me a bad liar?” he asked.

“Yes. You’re a big, fat liar!”

“Did you just call me fat?” he asked. “You never complained about my size when we were having sex.”

Brine tried to twist away, but he was stronger. His body was on the hunt for hers but he stopped suddenly.

“Hold still. Don’t move!”

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you hurt?”

Thane reached out toward her face. His muddy finger smeared across her lip, giving her a mustache. “You have something. Right. There.”

“Oh, yeah?” Brine grabbed his neck, kissing him hard. “There! Now you have something, too!”

They stared at each other, both breathing hard. He brushed her wet hair away from her face and kissed her passionately. Brine knew it was now or never. That thought left her breathless. She had to do this now. It was the right thing. Thane was the one.

“Thane.”

“Sweetheart?”

“I’d love to walk away from you, but I can’t,” she said.

“I was thinking the same thing.” He touched his forehead to hers. “I’ll settle for it being a little bit complicated.”

She sighed into his arms, smoothing her fingers over the stubble on his jaw. “You okay with that?”

He grinned. “Yeah, I am. You ready to come inside with me?”

The last thing she was going to do was fall into his arms and have makeup sex. Screw him, but she was playing hard to get. “Maybe. You planning on staying in town?”

“I only leaked the story for you to come back to me.”

She gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

He arched one of those dangerous brows. “Would I?”

She knew then that he probably had. “I love you, Thane.”

“It’s about time you admitted it.”

THE END

WWW.TATUMTHRONE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tatum Throne has a Master’s degree in Social Work. She left the field of medical social work to be a stay-at-home mom and to pursue her dreams of writing romance. She has three rambunctious boys with her husband, AJ. When not writing, Tatum enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies, hiking, spending time with her family, and volunteering.

Tatum is a member of RWA and lives with her family in a suburb of Cincinnati.

For all titles by Tatum Throne, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/tatum-throne