Under Pressure by Rhonda Lee Carver Read Free Book Online Page A

Maybe he was wrong. Four strips remained. His gut clenched. How the hell would he get them off?
    He had every right to be angry, but truthfully, he couldn’t be as livid as she deserved. After all, if what Jewels said was true, her sister had been duped, and he above anyone knew what he’d do for those he cared for. When his sister died in a car accident ten years ago, he would have given his life for hers.
    Swallowing the constriction in his throat, he grabbed his jeans from the end of the bed and brought his mouth down on the material. He didn’t want to scream and wake up the entire second floor. He maneuvered his bound hands and picked up an edge of one pink strip.
    He co uld do this. No problem.
    He remembered Jewels had pulled the strip in one swift tug.
    D amn. He couldn’t wait to get his hands around Clay’s neck!
    Biting down deep, he ripped the strip from his skin.
    After he could breathe again, he lifted the thin ribbon and stared at the hairy side of the paper. Droplets of blood were forming on his skin. Only three more to go. Sweat beaded his brow.
    Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Clay walked in, confusion on his smooth face. Spark had managed to pull his pants on, but the binding wasn’t budging. “It’s about time, buddy,” he snapped.
    “Looks like you had a wild night, bro.” He laughed.
    “Does the last n ame Stone ring a bell in that pretty boy head of yours?” His patience had long evaporated, after finally removing every strip of wax. The pain was now a dull ache. All tan left his buddy’s features and a suspicious green surrounded his lips. “Yeah, just what I thought.”
    ~°°°~
    Jewels fluttered one eye open and stretched. She’d come back from the motel, crawled into bed and curled up into a dream of hunky cowboy bound to the bed. She moved and the sheet fell off her body.
    She bet he had nice smooth legs now.
    Laughing, she climbed from bed and gave her dog, Oyster, a scratch on the head. The scraggly -haired sheepdog rewarded her with a tilt of his head and a swipe of his tongue through the air. “I wish you could have been there, Oyster. I showed that evil man how to never treat a woman again.”
    Feeling vindicated, she went to her closet, ready to start her day.
    Oyster growled.
    “What’s wrong, boy?”
    He jumped up and ran out of the room. His barks echoed off the hallway walls.
    Curious, Jewels went to the window and pulled back the curtain. She saw the parked truck at the same time she heard the bang of the driver’s door shutting. Her mouth went dry and her heart skipped a beat. Stepping back, she let the curtain drop back into place.
    S cooting into gear, she ran down the hall, sliding on the freshly waxed floors, and hurried into her father’s office. Unlocking the cabinet, she grabbed the shotgun from the shelf. She didn’t bother checking to see if it was loaded—her father always kept it loaded.
    Racing back into the hall, she darted into Em’s bedroom and yelled, “Wake up. We have trouble.”
    Her sister flopped, sending on e arm swinging out of the blanket. “No!”
    “Wake up.”
    Em lifted her head. Her strawberry blonde curls were sticking up and frizzled. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she wrinkled her nose. “What?” she said through a yawn.
    “G et up. Something’s happened.” Jewels sprinted to the window and peeked through the glass to the driveway. Spark Ryder was standing by the porch steps, his arms crossed over his chest and a frustrated expression on his face. He looked almost scary.
    Running across the room, down the hall, taking the staircase at an unbelievable stride, she threw open the front door—shotgun raised.
    Disbelief shot over Spark’s expression, but he didn’t show an ounce of fear. She’d give him that, alt hough he should know she was capable of following through.
    “I don’t know what drug you ’re taking to make you brave enough to step foot on this land, but I suggest you slowly back up and get into