Sinful Suspense Box Set Read Online Free

pocket. “Here, I came prepared. After awhile, swallowing spit just doesn’t do the trick. My ears are ready to burst.”
    I took the gum. “How high are we?’
    “Blackthorn Ridge is at eight thousand feet. We get plenty of snow up here in the winter.”
    I gazed out at the wide expanse of picturesque forest lining the road. Farther down was a long swath of cleared land, a nearly naked valley running through the center of the impossibly dense foliage. A river bordered one side of the clearing and a curvy, dirt road traveled like a snake up to the highway. The metal roofs of buildings, buildings that looked like dollhouses from our vantage point, glinted silver in the last strokes of the late day sun. Thin streams of white smoke floated up from two smokestacks.
    “Is that the Bucktooth Sawmill?” I asked.
    “Yep. Half the men in town work for Hal Stevens, the owner.”
    I stretched my neck up to get a better look. “I start my job there tomorrow. Not cutting wood or anything. I’ll be on office duties.”
    Everly’s face whipped back toward me. “You’re shittin’ me. You’re going to be working there?”
    “I found the job online and applied. I’d been working in an office in a city near The Grog, so I had some of the qualifications the owner was looking for. I need to earn some kind of wage up here, or I’ll have to head right back down the hill.”
    A short laugh spurted from Everly’s lips, nearly making the gum pop from her mouth. “Holy crap. Did you send a picture with your resume, or did Hal just hire you sight unseen?”
    “No picture.” I was a little hurt by her reaction to my working at the mill. “Why? I assure you I am qualified. I even have a degree. Of course it’s in anthropology, but it counts for something.”
    “I’m not doubting your qualifications at all. It’s just—” She looked me up and down. “You’re so beautiful, and it’s just a big bunch of horny men working at that place.” She laughed again. “Something tells me we’re going to be hearing about a lot more accidents out there at the mill.” She noticed my expression. “Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad, Tash. It’ll be fine. I’m jealous. I’m stuck working in my uncle’s dreary grocery store, and you’ll be out there on the river with all the men in town walking around shiny with sweat and glittering with sawdust. Although most are not any better with sawdust glitter, trust me. My guy, or at least the guy I hope to land someday, works out there on the water. His name is Finn, and he’s as big as he is sweet. Most people think he’s kind of weird because he’s super quiet, but he’s a big teddy bear. Besides, I like a man who doesn’t waste words or ramble on like—well, like me.” She tucked her tawny brown hair behind her ear, and I noticed a small sliver of the scar trailing up past her ear and stopping at her temple.
    “I’ll be in the office. You are sweet, but you over exaggerate about my looks.”
    “No. Trust me, I’m not. Take my advice and wear bulky sweaters to cover those curves. There is a severe shortage of women up here, and you—” She dropped the subject with a wave of her hand, and I was glad. “By the way, stay clear of the Wolfe brothers. Ah, you’re smart. You’ll figure that out without me having to tell you. They are sort of the dark, sinister element of the town, if you catch my drift. Dane, the older brother, is as crazy as a rabid bat on LSD. His brother, Jem, the more serious of the two, isn’t crazy, but he’s danger and trouble all rolled up in a beefy package. We went to school together, but when I got to school to start my sophomore year, Jem was gone. He’d been arrested for robbery and spent the rest of his teens in juvenile detention. He was gone for a few years doing heaven knows what, but he returned last year, looking just as troubled as always. It’s a shame though. He’s a real looker, like eye candy on steroids. I think the law could label him as