Free Mine: A Stepbrother Romance: (With bonus novel Bossy!) by Kim Linwood Page A

Blaze cuts it short.
    “Just beyond those trees is a challenge that will see some of you rise victorious, and the rest of you crying for mercy. It’s messy. A little bit sticky. And a whole lot of fun.” Blaze grins and elbows Hunter, who smiles thinly, like he’s embarrassed to be part of this. “For us anyway. Right, Hunter?”
    “That’s what it says on the card, Blaze.”
    “Card. Hah! What a kidder.” Blaze laughs awkwardly. “Ladies, I’m sorry to say those pretty outfits are going to have to go, because they won’t last a minute in the... mud wrestling pit!”
    There’s a pregnant pause as we register what he just said. Someone gasps. I’m still blinking.
    The what ?

Liz
    T he guy with the rake gives the gross brown concoction one last stir to check the consistency before giving Blaze a thumbs-up. It’s a huge inflatable kiddie pool, laid out on the lawn behind the estate. The show’s logo is printed on its outer walls, while the inside is filled with wet, gooey, dirty mud. It’s got to be almost six inches deep.
    The host flashes us his trademark grin. “It’s time to get down and dirty, ladies. Are you ready?” We laugh nervously. There are a few nods, and a lot of head shakes. “Hunter, if you’ll do the honors?”
    On a table next to them is a glass bowl full of paper slips, resting on a makeshift stand. Hunter reaches in and pulls out a rolled-up piece of paper. Unrolling it carefully, he reads it out.
    “Bianca.”
    The black-haired beauty smirks confidently and takes a step forward. She’s the only one in a one-piece bathing suit, and I bet it’s not just me looking enviously at her choice. My bikini isn’t the skimpiest by far, but I’m still terrified that something’s going to pop out while we wrestle.
    Bianca rolls her head back and forth to loosen up, sending her tight ponytail swinging. She looks ready to rumble.
    Please don’t pick my name next. I cross my fingers.
    “Heather.”
    Thank God.
    I don’t even feel bad for her, not after that crack about my breakfast. But then I feel a little bad about not feeling bad. The cattiness seems so artificial when you watch these shows, but being on one now, I can see how the situation goes to your head really quickly.
    Bianca climbs over the side of the pool, staring down Heather, who looks like she wants to hide behind Elena. Elena narrows her eyes and steps away, leaving Heather to her fate.
    They meet in the center and shake hands. While they’re about on scale, Bianca is obviously the more athletic, moving with a spring in her step that Heather doesn’t have at all.
    Hunter blows the whistle, and they leap into action.
    In high-school I had pet rats. Mom doesn’t like cats, and I didn’t want fish. They were our best compromise and it turns out they were pretty awesome little buddies. They used to wrestle all the time, pouncing and rolling until one ended up on top, and the other on her back with her legs in the air.
    This goes a lot like that.
    Bianca grunts. Heather squeals. Mud splatters over all of us.
    Twice in a row, Bianca easily ends up the top rat in the ring, gaining the best of two out of three. Winner clear, Hunter blows the whistle again, and they get up, both covered head to toe in mud.
    Two more names are drawn. “Elise and... Sarah.”
    For a second I’m relieved, until Megan pats me on the shoulder in sympathy and I remember Sarah is me . I stumble forward, grabbing the side of the pool. Elise is slender like Megan, but other than that, I don’t know anything about her. I’m no bruiser, but I have a few pounds on her.
    That should help, right?
    I can do this. Two wins is all I need.
    We look at each other across our clasped hands, smiling awkwardly. The whistle blows and I realize that I know absolutely nothing about wrestling. Fortunately, neither does Elise. We grapple, quickly sliding off our feet and ending up down in the mud, where it goes up my nose and into my eyes. I struggle to figure out how to