Read Hunting Human for Free Online

He had to bend a bit at the hips to get the right amount of leverage. As he pulled the top forward, well-defined muscles bunched and stretched across his back. Her mouth went dry as she let her gaze wander down to a firm backside and long, lean legs. He had the lines of an athlete—broad shoulders over narrow hips, lean muscle broadcasting a powerful grace.
    “Gotcha!”
    Beth snapped her head up, her face coloring in embarrassment. Thankfully, Braden was focused on zipping up the windows. Lightning splintered the sky and a long roll of thunder raced in behind it. Seconds later, as though the lightning had torn a seam in the clouds, the rain began in earnest, falling in heavy sheets of gray. Dashing around the side, Beth tossed the umbrella into the backseat and began furiously zipping up the passenger side window. In the half minute it took to get the window up and throw the door open she was soaked.
    “Get in, quick!” The words were barely out of her mouth before Braden was settling into the driver’s seat and pulling the door closed. The silence that settled thick and heavy between them drowned out the furious sheets of rain.
    “I guess we aren’t going anywhere soon.” He slid his seat back and turned his dimple-infused smile on her. “It’s really coming down out there. You’ll drown before you make it back to Angie’s.” He paused and glanced at his watch. “Unless you’re done for the day? In which case, I’m at your mercy.” His brown eyes, warm and friendly, settled on her face. “Don’t toss me out.”
    “My shift doesn’t end until three.” She swallowed around the nerves clogging her throat and forced the edge of her mouth to quirk up. “By the way, thanks. I’d never have gotten the top up in time on my own.”
    “No problem. I was on my way to Angie’s and I saw you waging war out here. It would have been ungentlemanly not to stop.” He smiled fully this time, dimples drawing deep lines through his face, clearly aware of their charm. “Relax, I won’t bite.”
    “I suppose that would also be ungentlemanly.” Beth didn’t bother to hide her laugh. She could do this. She could interact with another human being like a normal person. Why this human being put her so on edge, she had no idea.
    “Unquestionably. How long have you been working for Angie?”
    Beth peeled herself away from the door. “Nearly five months now.”
    “That long? I can’t believe we haven’t run into each other before now.”
    “Well, I used to work the closing shift. I didn’t start working the morning shift until just recently.”
    “Yeah, that explains it. Coffee after noon keeps me up half the night.”
    “You could always order decaf.” Beth pulled one leg up underneath her so she could turn to face him better.
    “Coffee without caffeine? Blasphemy. Like beer without alcohol.”
    “Just plain wrong, of course,” Beth said, relaxing into the silly conversation.
    “Surely you’ve never had the poor taste not to enjoy coffee in its natural state.”
    “Of course not.” Mischief quirked her lips. “Strictly a tea drinker.”
    “Water and mulch? You’re breaking my heart.” Braden’s face set into a serious frown. “You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”
    Laughter bubbled out of her. “No. I enjoy a salad as much as the next girl, but every now and then, you just have to have a steak.”
    “Filet?” He asked, as if it were the most important question in the world.
    “Mmm, not bad. But when I want a steak, it’s prime rib all the way.”
    “Marry me?”
    “Red meat is hardly a basis for a lasting marriage.”
    “But it’s an excellent foundation for dinner. How’s tomorrow night?
    He said it casually, as though they were still joking around, but his expression charged the space between them with an intensity the storm outside couldn’t match.
    “I don’t think…” Beth hesitated. Since she’d started at the café, several of the customers had tried to chat her up—a few had