Free Hunted (Riley Cray) by A.J. Colby Page B

ass-wrangler!” I hissed, cursing my stupidity as I hung half in and half out of the small bathroom window, my naked ass wiggling helplessly in the cold air. At least from my vantage point I saw that the bathroom door was shut, hopefully keeping my verbal explosion to myself.
    Knowing my luck, this will be when Samson attacks, killing me ass first , I told myself and then instantly wished I hadn’t as a freezing wind blew across my bare cheeks and sent tremors of paranoia galloping up my spine.
    “Shit, shit, shit!” I wriggled with more enthusiasm, determined to squeeze my hips through the cheap metal frame.
    Sweet Jesus, if I make it through this, I swear I’ll lay off the donuts , I thought, desperately sucking in my gut. And the Oreo’s , the wolf added, her lips spread in a wide doggy grin.
    “Can it, bitch,” I huffed, almost whooping in relief when I felt the flimsy metal of the window frame give just enough for me to squeeze through. Before I could cry out in exultant joy I heard voices from the other room and went still.
    “Did you hear something?” Holbrook asked, his voice muffled by the closed door.
    “What?” Johnson replied, his voice sounding impatient and tinged with all-around grumpy asshole-ness that I was beginning to believe was a permanent state of being for the older agent.
    “I thought I heard something,” Holbrook answered, his voice closer. “I’m just going to check it out.”
    “No, no, no.” I struggled furtively, my legs kicking madly in the air as I strained against the window frame, and then froze as the door swung open.
    Holbrook’s tall frame was silhouetted in the doorway, light from the other room spilling around him to fall across the grubby tile floor. His hand was already on the light switch, flipping it on, when he noticed me.
    “Hi!” I said, not even wanting to know how ridiculous I looked hanging halfway through the window, naked as the day I was born.
    At first he didn’t react, too stunned to say anything as his eyes took in the sight of my far from graceful entrance. Snapping his mouth shut, he cast a furtive glance back over his shoulder before slipping in through the door and closing it with a slow precision that left no doubt in my mind that he was fighting against the urge to slam it.
    “What the...where have...how did...” he stammered, trying several times to form a coherent sentence but failing miserably.
    All the while his face grew redder, whether from anger, embarrassment, or a mixture of both I couldn’t tell, but the steely edge to his gaze made it clear that anger was definitely featured in there somewhere. I felt myself wilt a little beneath the weight of his glare, my eyes growing hot with the threat of tears.
    “Can you help me?” I asked. “I don’t want to be eaten ass first,” I added, drawing an even more confused look from him. Waving it off, I reached out a hand to him. “Just help me down.”
    “I don’t know...I’m tempted to just leave you there. Maybe bring the press ‘round back,” he said, not moving an inch from his position by the door, settling instead for crossing his arms over his chest. “You might even make the evening news.”
    Another breeze of cold air tickled the backs of my legs, making me cringe and shudder. In the back of my mind I envisioned Samson sneaking through the darkness, spying my pale wiggling ass framed in the window like a flashing neon sign proclaiming ‘Chomp here!’
    Tears of frustration began to make my vision waver. “Oh God, just get me down!”
    Holbrook remained unmoving for another moment, drawing out my torture for several more heart pounding seconds. Finally, the sour expression on his face gave way to one of exasperation as he pushed away from the door and took the few short steps to reach me.
    “Do I even want to know what happened?” he asked with a sigh, grasping my upper arms firmly to pull me through the window.
    “I’d think that was pretty self-evident,” I grumbled,