Line of Fire by Cindy Dees Read Free Book Online

much I am sure of.”
    She huffed in exasperation. “Fine. So I have to miss my dinner meeting tonight. At least get me to a phone where I can call the senator’s office and cancel. I really could use a shower and a hot meal, too, while you’re at it.”
    “If you know of any hotels within walking distance in this jungle, by all means let me know,” he drawled. “Otherwise, camping it is.”
    She stared in dawning dismay. “You’re kidding.”
    “Nope,” he replied.
    “But I don’t do camping.”
    “You do now,” he retorted.
    She took a step backward. “You don’t understand. My idea of camping is a hotel without room service.”
    He snorted in amusement. “Then you’re going to be real disappointed with the accommodations tonight.”
    He started to turn away, but he caught a glimpse of the genuinely frightened glint in her green eyes. And then the truth hit him. Poor kid was clinging to the whole this-is-an-exercise idea because she was scared out of her mind. “Think of this adventure as a learning experience,” he offered.
    “I hate learning new things,” she said vehemently.
    “Too bad. There’s a lot I could’ve shown you,” he murmured.
    Her gaze snapped to his. Damn. He hadn’t meant for it to come out with quite that innuendo. He blinked in surprise when he actually felt his cheeks heating up. He couldn’t remember the last time anything had made him blush. Particularly a woman.
    * * *
    Kimberly spent the next few hours more miserable than she could ever remember being in her life. This was real. It had to be. There was no other explanation for why Tex thought he could make her this miserable and not get the tar sued out of him.
    She was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the whole kidnapping idea, but this was definitely a jungle. A jungle! Complete with bugs and sweat and scary noises and God knows what crawling and creeping critters. Insidious fear almost but not quite overwhelmed her dragging exhaustion.
    Just when she was sure she couldn’t take another step, couldn’t withstand another jolt of fear from an unexpected noise, memory of Tex’s sizzling kiss would pop into her head. Be it from irritation or titillation, thoughts of that kiss energized her, putting new life into her flagging spirits.
    Most of the men she’d dated recently—okay, pretty much most of the men she’d ever dated—fell into the same category: politically correct, self-absorbed and more interested in what she could do for their careers than they were in her. Not that she went out with men she despised —Heaven help her if she ever got that jaded.
    But Tex was definitely a departure from all other men who’d ever kissed her. His blunt honesty bordered on rude and he wasn’t worth a darn at slippery maneuvering.
    Abruptly a vine snagged her foot and she pitched toward Tex. He whipped around and his hands shot out, snagging her shoulders and stopping her from falling. The display of lightning quick reflexes left her blinking. His strong hands were impossibly gentle as he steadied her.
    She frowned. No man touched a woman like that unless he was at least a little bit interested in her. Her heart fluttered.
    And then her brain kicked in. She must be suffering from jungle fever. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her. Two people couldn’t be more different than the two of them.
    What was it about his mere touch that sent her pulse racing like that? It was more than a little unnerving. She avoided meeting his gaze as she disentangled her foot. His touch slid away from her skin, almost like he was reluctant to let go of her. She shivered with a sharp, sexual thrill.
    “You okay?” he asked. “You haven’t complained for at least two minutes.”
    “No, I’m not okay,” she snapped. “I don’t like this escape-through-the-jungle thing, and I want you to make it go away!”
    As he resumed walking, his chuckle floated back to her. “That’s more like it.”
    She stared at his back