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

keep from losing my top, or accidentally grab her somewhere embarrassing.
    She pins me.
    I always did have a competitive streak a mile wide. Hunter is probably to blame, the way he always insisted on turning everything into a race, whether we were running, swimming, diving or climbing. He could make a contest out of dinner.
    It’s been years since I’ve had to go head to head with anyone like this, but the moment I think I might be losing, those instincts claw their way up to the surface.
    This means war.
    With a roar, I take her down, and almost as soon as she’s back up, I do it again. At the sidelines, Amanda and Megan gape at me as if I’d just turned into a monster. I shrug at them and climb out of the pit.
    After the first match is over, I can relax enough to have a little fun. I’ve won once, and that should make my spot on the island safe for now. Alright, maybe one more win, just to be sure, but then I’ll let it go. Whatever the prize that Blaze was hinting at is, it almost definitely means spending more time with Hunter, and while teasing is fun, I’m better off keeping a low profile. Much as I hate to lose.
    Still, speaking of teasing.
    I look up, and catch Hunter watching me. I make a point of adjusting my breasts, scooping out the still squishy mud and flicking it away. The look he gives me, and the images that flash through my mind make me glad this is going on cable. Network TV couldn’t handle the heat.
    The rest of the wrestling goes about as expected. Tall beats short, strong beats weak, everyone beats the squeamish. So few of us know anything about what we’re doing that it mostly comes down to size and not being afraid of ending up with a mud wedgie.
    Megan surprises me. She easily wins her matches, flipping down her opponents until finally ending up against Bianca, who buries her in the mud like she has everyone else.
    In the end—as much to my disbelief as anyone else’s—it’s just me and Bianca.
    My goal was to stay in the middle of the pack, but somehow I’ve managed to put myself in the running to win. I don’t really want to, but Bianca wipes the mud off her brow and stares me down across the ring like she’s got a personal grudge, and I don’t want to lose either.
    This is all your fault, Hunter.
    We circle each other slowly, the cameras following our every move. Chances are she’s going to kick my muddy butt with ease, but I can’t just lie down and throw the match. Not if I want to make it look good.
    She sneers, pitching her voice low. “He can’t come rescue you this time. No matter how hard you throw yourself at him. You think we don’t see it?”
    “See what?” I taunt. “The win with my name on it? Oh, I think I can just about read it from here.”
    Over the chatter and occasional cheer, the girls probably don’t hear us. Hunter, Blaze, and the cameras on the other hand, are eating it up.
    Bianca laughs. “You wish. You just think you’re so damn special because you got to spend yesterday together. Wasn’t that convenient? You’re going down. Just. Like. Your. Boat.”
    “Bring it on.” I don’t care anymore about the competition, I just want to see her on her back in the mud.
    She charges with a growl. I step aside, but not quickly enough. It’s a whirlwind of grabbing hands and sliding legs as we struggle to keep our footing and get the other one to go down first. She shifts her weight suddenly, and I find myself looking at the sky, the wind knocked out of me as I land heavily in the mud with a splash. One for Bianca.
    Stepping back with a smirk painted on her face, she waits for me to get back up. I take a moment, blinking while I get my breath back. I can’t afford to screw up again or she’ll win.
    I charge almost as soon as I’m up, hoping to catch her off guard. I don’t, and she almost ends it right there. She slips while trying to get leverage, and without that I’d already be back in the mud. I press the advantage, wrapping my arms around her