LITMIR.BIZ

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ask?”

      “Whatever it was, looks as if he hasn’t finished,” Blondie muttered.

      “Yeah. Right. We should leave.”

      The young one talked sense. Annie decided she liked him.

      “And miss the opportunity to give Kane shit? No way. Where is he?” Blondie looked past her. “Hey, Kane!”

      Her mind went blank for a second. “Kane?”

      Blondie’s eyebrows raised in question. “Kane Travers. The man you’re sleeping with.”

      Now, there was a wrong conclusion.

      “I just need to talk to Kane for a second; then we’ll get out of your way,” the younger one said. “I promise.”

      Time to get the who, what, where and when basics. “He’s your…?”

      “Uncle.”

      She would have guessed brother. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Unbelievable looks with an air of something exotic and forbidden. A younger version, probably somewhere in his early twenties. All torso with broad shoulders and long legs. Maybe a bit friendlier around the mouth and eyes.

      Not that she was taking any chances. Not with one arm useless and a knee on the injured list. If needed, she could kick out the other leg. That one worked just fine, but she had limits.

      “Why are you here?” She didn’t know all of her enemies yet. Until she did, everyone was suspect.

      “I actually live here, or did before college.” The young one held up one of the keys as evidence.

      “You still do.” Blondie leaned back against the door frame and eyed her with a mixture of appreciation and skepticism. “Where’s Kane?”

      “Hiding like a rat in the bathroom.”

      Those narrowed blue eyes popped open wide. “Never known Kane to hide from anything.”

      “Never known him to chain a woman to his bed before either,” the young one said.

      She relaxed her stance a bit, still on her knees and ready for flight, but no longer stretched across the room. “That’s fascinating and all, but could one of you get me out of these?”

      “No, they can’t.” Kane walked back into the room, wearing another pair of faded jeans this time with a slim gray T-shirt.

      “Damn,” she whispered under her breath, both because of Kane’s untimely entrance and because of how fit and athletic he looked in that tee. This guy cleaned up nice.

      “What are you doing here?” he asked the younger one.

      “I’ve been calling for three days. You didn’t answer.”

      Kane shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”

      “Apparently.” Blondie wiggled his eyebrows. “Sorry. If I’d known I would have taken him straight to my place.”

      Kane focused on his nephew. “You called Josh? You shouldn’t be here. You have classes tomorrow.”

      “Because you never skipped a class in college,” Blondie said.

      “It’s important that he—”

      Annie cleared her throat. “Excuse me? Hate to break up the education lecture, but you have a woman in handcuffs over here.”

      Kane dumped his wet clothes in the laundry basket. “How could I forget? Josh Windsor, Derek Travers, meet Fern. Derek is the young one. Josh is the ugly one.”

      “My name is not Fern.”

      “Blanche?” Kane asked. Even managed to look serious.

      “Stop doing that.”

      Kane motioned in her general direction. “Call her whatever you want. Doesn’t matter since she’ll answer even if you haven’t asked a question.”

      Her head pounded. Her sore knee ached no matter how she sat. And three guys loomed over her as if she were a speck under a microscope. All in all, not the most fun she’d ever had while mostly naked.

      “Guess you didn’t get around to introductions before you—” The young one blushed under his deep tan.

      “It’s not what you think.” Kane reached into his front pocket and pulled out the handcuff key.

      “Yes, it is. He’s holding me here against my will.” She raised her handcuffed arm as evidence. The chain didn’t reach very far, so her arm snapped back and jolted her shoulder joint. Add one more injury to the list.

      The younger one frowned in what looked like confusion, not anger. “I guess women usually run too fast for him to use the handcuffs.”

      “Don’t encourage her.” Kane held the key right in front of her face. When she took a swipe at it, he yanked it back. “This is the only way out of the cuffs.”

      Nothing like stating the obvious. “The ocean water didn’t affect my eyesight.”

      “I’m going to free you. In exchange, you’re going to behave.” Kane bent down to fiddle with the lock.

      “Like hell,” she muttered.

      He stopped right before slipping the key in. “Excuse me?”

      This time she shouted in his ear. “Like. Hell.”

      “That’s quite a woman you have there. Feisty. I like that.” The broad smile on Josh’s face suggested more than like.

      Derek chuckled, but didn’t take one step to help her.

      Annie decided right then that these men could use a lesson or two in how to treat a woman. Handcuffs might have a place in the bedroom, but this wasn’t it. She honed in on the one she suspected would be the weakest. Weaker in the sense of vulnerable to a helpless woman, and now she knew a name. Derek.

      Playing the victim required a bit of acting. Pleading voice. Sad eyes. A scared shake or two. She’d learned this skill from the best. Her mother could put on a show that would have everyone around throwing pity and assistance in her direction.

      Annie had spent most of her younger life with a frontrow seat to her mother’s performances. Then most of her adult life on a series of freelance assignments far away from home to avoid the act. By the time her mother actually needed her, Annie knew only how to be away.

      “You have to help me.” Annie focused all of her energy on convincing Derek. When his smile faded, she knew the show had gotten his attention.

      “Uh, Kane?”

      Kane stood. “Ignore her.”

      “That’s kind of tough. I mean, damn, look at her. She’s—”

      She liked this kid more every second. “Derek, please help me.”

      “She’s playing you.” Kane twirled the key ring on his finger.

      “She can play with me.” Josh’s comment earned him a shove from Kane.

      Derek looked around the room. “This is the weirdest one-night stand I’ve ever heard of.”

      Josh shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

      “Shut up.” Kane delivered the order, then turned on her. “Fern, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

      The mention of the damn Fern name made her double her efforts to convince Derek. “Kane will lose his job over this if you don’t put a stop to it now.”

      “When exactly did you learn my name?” Kane asked.

      “You forgot to ask her name before you climbed into bed with her?” Josh shook his head. “Damn, Kane, what kind of example does that set for the kid here?”

      “Doesn’t bother me,” the kid said with a big

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