S.A. Price by Entwined By Fate

her. He had a great ass on him and a body that just screamed power. Normally that didn't attract her at all but damn if he couldn't hold her attention. Kidnapping wasn't necessary she really hadn't been joking about the two bottles of house red. She sighed forcing her eyes away from the view. It had been too damn long but not so long that the wounds from her last relationship had healed. "In my experience they tend to all be jerks.
    Although that's been my general experience with all men..."
    "Are we talking about snakes or men?" he mused, looking over his shoulder.
    "Both, my last boyfriend decided to tell all to a newspaper... under priced the scoop too. He was a real snake." She forced a grin Frank had been human but it didn't stop him telling every dirty sex secret they'd shared to the whole world. He’d broken her heart.
    ~37~

    "Brutal. Though I think I read that one, and I gotta say, if you were half as adventurous as that said, I might have to weasel a date out of this when it’s all over."
    "You get me out of this and I'll buy the wine." She moved closer to him hoping that his warmth would chase away the memory of Frank’s betrayal. "So did you really have my poster?"
    He turned and smiled at her again, bending. "Still do."
    She beamed at him, god help her. If he was just suckering her in to kill her then it was working.
    "You do not... you're a little too hot for that sort of thing..." There was no reason she couldn't flirt with her kidnapper would be killer, ok there was every reason but flirting was what she did when she was nervous. Besides she could always use her feminine wiles to charm him a little, keep herself from being expendable.
    He smirked and reached up, holding her chin. "When we get outta here, I’ll show you."
    "Oh I'll hold you to that..." She smiled taking a small step closer so their bodies were inches apart; his heat and scent enveloped her. "Don’t suppose there’s any chance of a phone in the room?"
    "Sadly no, but there’s one in the Jeep."
    Ah the mythical jeep. She nodded stepping back from him, "Good I'll be able to call for help from there..."
    "Damn right. Call the fucking cavalry in, get this fucking place cleared."
    "I'll try... what will happen to you?"
    "You think I have lasted this long without having a plan for myself. I’ll find you, by that time you’ll owe me a date."
    ~38~

    NINE

    Elise woke to the ghost scent of Merrick in the room and groaned. After the night she had, the day before it also, she was not looking forward to the day ahead. Whatever Merrick was planning couldn’t end well for her, and she was going to have to figure out how to salvage everything so that there would be no bloodshed.
    That was the trick though. While usually very peaceful, the nests coveted lands with hunt-able areas and natural barriers. The east had the best land and was easily defendable, with the mountain rings of the eastern seaboard, and the lush forests that the logging companies hadn’t started in on yet.
    It was one of the reasons why Ramona wanted her daughter’s fledgling nest there, as a foothold. Now, well she could out Elise from Knossos West, and that was unacceptable. This issue called for some looking into the council charter, to see what damage can be undone by Merrick’s foolishness. That was going to take time she didn’t have, as she knew at the first opportunity she was going to get challenged.
    There was nothing to be done about it though; she was to meet the council by ten AM, when the research and development teams got to the ranch. Winging it was the only option, and leaving the fate of over thirty snakes in the northeastern territory in Merrick’s capable hands didn’t sit well with her.
    She might still want him and love him, but after everything, trusting him was not an option. All he had proven was that he was still a selfish bastard, and the only difference was that his selfishness didn’t involve her in a positive way like it did before.
    It was