Primal Heat: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 3) Read online

  “Hey, you’re supposed to be our designated driver!” I threw another peanut shell at Darby. He shrugged and laughed, but twirled away from me with Kendra in his arms.

  “Traitors,” I muttered, lifting two fingers to the bartender. I was on my second jungle bird. One more and I was going to start making some really bad decisions. I couldn’t help it. I was happy for Darby and Kendra, but seeing them together only reminded me about those few stolen moments with Bas and what I’d almost let happen. He’d been on my mind all week. I’d kept myself buried in paperwork and research at the congressman’s office. He and Dale had traveled to D.C., so mercifully, I wasn’t sent on any more errands to Wild Lake Outfitters. I sipped my drink, and sliding my finger around the rim, I contemplated ordering another one. It might do me good to get well and truly sloshed for once.

  Before I could order another drink, Cal Winters slid into the empty seat next to me that Kendra had just vacated. He was on his fifth or sixth beer and far past me. He put a heavy arm around my shoulder. I tried to peel it off, but he only pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. He nodded toward the bartender and signaled something. A second later, he slid another shot of tequila under my nose. Cal grabbed his and downed it neatly. The rum from my jungle bird made my head swim a little and I knew this was probably a mistake, but I lifted the shot glass and tipped it back. The second I set it down, I felt it hit me right between the eyes, warming my belly and making my vision blur.

  Shit. Big mistake.

  “You gave me a run for my money, Winslow. But my throne is secure.”

  Gross. A night out at the Stacks had become a first year tradition after exams and major paper deadlines. We’d all just turned in our Appellate Brief projects for Research & Writing II and Cal got the A. No one really cared but Cal, but he cared a lot and wasn’t above rubbing it in everyone’s faces. His round head weaved back and forth as I gripped the bar to steady myself. Time to make myself scarce if I could still put one foot in front of the other. The last sip of my cocktail started to hit me along with the tequila, and I could barely feel my feet touching the ground.

  I succeeded in ducking under Cal’s arm and grabbed my drink from the bar. Ned, the bartender, shot me a look to see if I was okay dealing with Octopus Cal as he tried to reach for me again. I neatly dodged him, then swayed on my feet while I gave Ned a wink. I thought I’d made a clean getaway when a pretty second year took my seat and Cal looked her up and down. But, as I stepped toward the dancefloor, Cal followed.

  “Let’s dance,” he said, sliding his arm around my waist. I got catcalls from Darby and Kendra on the dancefloor. I rolled my eyes. Cal was a dork, but basically harmless, and I didn’t want to be rude. I downed the last of my drink and put it on a nearby table as Cal took my hand and tried to spin me. My stomach lurched, and I put a hand on his shoulder to steady myself.

  “Congratulations,” I yelled above the noise. “Seriously. You’re having a great semester. Your dad must be really proud.”

  Cal’s nose wrinkled at the compliment. Admittedly, it was a little passive aggressive. Cal had gotten a lot of ribbing for taking a job with his father rather than finding something on his own like the rest of us.

  “He’s going to retire in about five years. It’s a multi-million dollar business, Abby. I’ll be the richest guy in our class by the time I’m thirty.”

  “Great! I’m really happy for you!” I couldn’t help feeling a little like shit for bringing his father up. Cal really could have been a sweet guy if he could just drop his insecurities and the constant need to one-up everyone. In that, he was his own worst enemy.

  “You know I turned down the job with Foster. That’s how you got it. Did you know I recommended you?”

  I stiffened in Cal’s arms. God, he really couldn’t help himself from being a dick. “You know, we had a moment there Cal. But, I think the song’s about to end. Thanks for the dance.”

  I pulled away, but Cal grabbed my hand. “Aw, come on. Lighten up. I was just trying to tell you I did a nice thing for you.”

  “Hmm. Well, maybe don’t try so hard, next time.” For the second time, I successfully ducked out of Cal’s grasp and started heading for the tables to look for Darby and Kendra. The floor seemed to tilt, and I put my hand against the wall until the wave of dizziness passed. I really, really should have passed on that shot of tequila. If Kendra and Darb weren’t ready to go, I’d had about enough this evening. I’d take a cab home.

  Cal bobbed in front of me again. “Thorp asked a ton of questions about you when I interviewed with him. Did you know I did that? I knew I was going to be with my father’s firm, but I thought the interview experience would be a good one. It really was. Eye-opening, you might say.”

  He wagged his bushy black eyebrows up and down and gave me chip-toothed grin. He had a hawkish nose and lanky frame. He bobbed on his heels like a prize fighter about to step into the ring. I really wasn’t in the mood to join the main event. I needed food. I took a fistful of popcorn from one of the baskets set out on the bar. Hopefully, it would help to absorb some of the alcohol. Or I could use it to throw at Cal if he said anything else stupid. But, he had me curious, even though my better judgment told me to turn and walk away. I crossed my arms in front of me and blew out a breath to move the hair away from my face.

  “All right, fine. What the hell are you talking about, Cal? You’ve obviously been dying to tell me this.”

  He smiled wide and put an arm around me again, leading me to the nearest table and sliding in a chair across from me. “Thorp’s got a reputation, that’s all. I’m giving you a heads up. Just watch out.”

  “For?”

  “Let’s just say Lud Morris had his meltdown after Thorp passed him over for the internship.”

  I shook my head, wanting to pretend I already knew what Cal was talking about. But, he’d seen my eyes widen and knew this tidbit caught me off guard. “Why did he do that?”

  “You really are naïve, aren’t you? For a smart girl, I mean.”

  “Hmm. Though I’m clearly not as smart as you, right?”

  “Well, I’m your friend, Abby. Seriously. When I told him I’d have to pass, he asked me if I knew anyone who might fit at the congressman’s office. His eyes lit right up when I told him about you. He went berserk when I showed him a picture from my phone. I just thought you should know that. It seemed kind of lecherous. He hasn’t tried to get anything off you, has he?”

  My blood simmered. I knew who and what Dale Thorp was, and that wasn’t it. But, the way Cal leered at me now told me he’d probably started a new set of rumors about me.

  “Good night, Cal. It’s been grand.”

  “Oh, come on, Abby. I’m just trying to have a little fun.”

  “Go home, Cal. You’re not doing yourself any favors.”

  Darby and Kendra staggered breathlessly off the dancefloor as I turned my back to Cal. Tipsy as she was, Kendra saw the look on my face and straightened her back.

  “This dickwad causing trouble?”

  I shook my head. “He’s nothing. I’m just ready to head home.”

  A look passed between Kendra and Darby. I put up my hand and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll Uber it. Just promise me you’ll do the same thing when you’re ready to leave. I mean it.”

  “Oh, stay for another hour. Please?” Kendra put her hands on my shoulders and shook me gently. “Don’t leave me here with all these gross boys.”

  I reached up and tousled her hair. “Nice try. I drank too much and I don’t feel like third wheeling it anymore. You guys have fun, but be careful. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”

  I slid my phone out of my pocket and gave them a last wave as I headed out the back entrance. It would be quieter there while I pulled up the app on my phone. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to wait very long. Leaning against the brick wall, I plugged my location into the phone and waited. My vision blurred a little and my stomach lurched. Bad tequila. Bad. I slid down and sat on the cement
ledge that ran around the building. The steel door opened and I felt a blast of heat from inside the bar. The bass pumped from the dancefloor along with peals of laughter that rose and fell as the door shut.

  “Damn. You hustled out of there quick. We just started talking.” Cal plopped on the ledge next to me and put a heavy arm around my shoulder. “I was looking all over for you.”

  “Well, here I am.” I dropped my shoulder and slid out from under his arm.

  “Are you partied out? It’s only ten. Why don’t you let me take you for a cup of coffee or something?”

  “I’m tired, Cal. It’s been a long week. I’m heading home. I’ll see you in class on Monday, though. Thanks for the drink and the dance. You know, I think I saw Mary Fink from Contracts checking you out. Last I saw her she was over by the D.J.”

  Cal’s eyes widened, but he didn’t take the bait. He slid off the ledge and stood directly in front of me, planting his hands on the wall on either side of my head. This close, he was taller than I realized. And I didn’t like the look in his eyes one bit.

  “Come on, Abs. Tell me how you like it working for the congressman. Is it everything you hoped it would be?”

  I tried to duck out from under his arms, but Cal wouldn’t budge. His breath blew hot in my face and something changed in his eyes. Whether it was the alcohol or something more sinister, it was as if he dropped the mask of from his face.

  “It’s just you and me now. You can tell me. They picked you because you’re a woman, and you’re hot, didn’t they?”

  “What?”

  “Everyone’s talking about it. You know that, right? Ask Ken and Barbie if you don’t believe me.”

  “Kendra and Darby. They don’t appreciate the nicknames, Cal. You want me to start telling you what people say about you behind your back?”

  Cal’s dark eyes flashed with menace and he pressed his forehead against mine, the hard bones of his skull digging into me. “Well the rumor is, Dale Thorp is uh, a little wilder than most men. What’s that like?”

  I shoved against Cal hard. I’d been buzzed before; now I was stone sober. Blood roared in my ears and it took everything in me not to haul off and land a right hook against his smugly set jaw. He took a staggering step backward and nearly fell. The guy was drunker than I realized. And possibly dangerous. He rounded on me and swung his arm. Wincing, I took a step back thinking he was about to hit me. Instead, he smacked his hand flat against the wall behind me and his unfocused eyes widened.

  “You like a little monster in your man? Is that it? The rougher the better? I get it. It’s all right. Nobody’s judging you. Well, maybe they're judging you a little. Can you blame them?”

  “Cal. You’re hammered. I’m turning around and I’m walking down to the street corner. You stay the hell away from me. Whatever you’re trying to insinuate, you’re full of shit. I’m working for the congressman because I’m good at what I do.”

  “Trailer trash like you? I just bet you are.”

  I put up a hand and shook my head. I was one hundred percent done with this asshole. Turning toward the street, I gripped my phone in my hand and started walking. Three steps later, Cal had his hands on me, trying to pull me back toward him. Adrenaline coursed through me, and this time, when I turned, my curled fist made contact with his jaw.

  “I said stay the hell away from me. You think you’re the first drunk asshole who’s ever tried to put his hands on me? You’re right, Cal. Trailer trash like me? You just bet I can take care of myself.”

  He came at me, his steps halting, ungainly. But, his eyes held cold fury and drunken lust. I’d seen that look a thousand times directed at my mother from whatever loser she brought home. This one’s different, she’d say. He’s got a decent job. He’s going places. She was right, most of the time. They usually ended up going to jail or splitting the second they realized she had a kid. I suppose that made me lucky. Better that than them thinking they’d get a two for one. Except for the one time one of them did. That was Martin. He’d tried with me once, but I was old enough to put up a fight. As Cal took another step toward me, I curled my fist, ready to show him how much of a fighter I really was.

  A shadow fell over Cal’s face, and his eyes widened. As I stood there, my shoulders square and my feet planted hard, ready to deck him again, a blur of motion blew past me with the speed of a freight train. Later, Cal might think that’s exactly what hit him.

  Strong arms lifted Cal of his feet, fisting his cotton t-shirt. A furious pulse thundered in my ears, but it didn’t feel like mine. This one was heavier, filled with menace and fury.

  Bas.

  He shoved Cal hard against the brick wall and held him there, suspended a foot off the ground. Cal’s eyes went in and out of focus and a slow trickle of drool ran from the corner of his mouth.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” His words ran together in a high-pitched stream.

  Sweat beaded at Bas’s temple. My mind raced to catch up with what my eyes saw. Bas, standing with his legs slightly apart, holding up Cal’s entire weight with one hand. The muscles of his back and shoulders bunched and rolled in a rippling wave beneath the stark white cotton of his dress shirt.

  He turned his head and looked at me, still holding Cal in place. Bas’s eyes were gone. His ice blue wolf eyes glinted under the street lamp. Through gritted teeth that seemed to lengthen as he spoke he said, “Did he hurt you?” It came out deep as a growl.

  “I’m okay.” In that split second, I realized something else. If I didn’t do something, he was going to rip Cal’s throat out right in front of me. I can’t deny a small part of me wanted to see it. It was as though my adrenaline fed off whatever was happening inside of Bas. His fury was mine. His struggle to control whatever simmered inside of him churned within me too. If one of us didn’t get a hold of it fast, things were about to take a murderous turn.

  “I’m okay!” I went to him. Some part of my brain that still held reason told me how dangerous that was. If he lost control, he could turn on me just as easily as Cal. Except, he wouldn’t. Reason was one thing, but I was dealing with pure instinct. I reached out and put a hand on Bas’s forearm. His skin twitched and flared hot beneath my fingertips, sending warmth straight through me like a quickening.

  “Bas. Let him go. He can’t hurt me.”

  Then Cal started to cry. Full on, blubbering, weeping. “Please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oh, God. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t hurt her.”

  Bas turned his head and looked at Cal. Though his shoulders stiffened, he didn’t advance. He regarded Cal as if he’d sprouted a third eye. Bas gave him a quick shove, then let him go with the same ferocious quickness as he’d used to grab him in the first place. Cal crumpled to the ground and curled into an honest to God fetal position.

  “He’s not worth it,” I said.

  Bas turned back to me. Coiled fury flashed behind his eyes; his pupils widened but looked more human than wolf now. But, Bas’s hand on the small of my back was at once forceful and gentle as he led me away from Cal and the alley. My skin sizzled where he touched me; my nerve endings crackled with energy. His nostrils flared and I knew he felt it too.

  Bas towered over me like a mountain as we walked toward the open passenger door of his truck. He must have brought the vehicle to a violent stop. I’d never even heard him drive up. The engine ran and it was parked at a severe angle, its front wheels up on the curb at the end of the alley.

  “I’m taking you home, Abby.” It was a command, not a question. Then, whatever self-control Bas had seemed to melt away as he slid his hands under my knees and swung me off my feet caveman-style. My body sang to life at his touch and the primal strength of the action. Yes. Oh, yes. I’d let him take me anywhere.

  Chapter Nine

  Bas didn’t speak as he tore away from the curb outside the Stacks. His nostrils flared as his breath came hard. I resisted the urge to reach across the cab and touch a hand to the side of his face. I wanted to. I couldn’t explain it,
but in that moment, I wanted to feel his skin against mine. Turmoil raged within him. If I couldn’t see it in the flash of his eyes or the tension in his jaw, I felt it racing through me somehow too. Maybe I saw the pulsing of an artery in his neck. But, I don’t think so. This was something else. It was as if his heart pounded inside of me.

  I put my hands in my lap and focused on the lines of his face in profile. His blade-straight nose. Those full, bee-stung lips that had kissed me so thoroughly the other day. I wanted to reach up and smooth the crease in his ruddy brow and make him turn toward me. He gripped the steering wheel, his chest heaving in and out. I should have asked him if he was okay to drive. I may still have been a little buzzed, but Bas was Driving While Wolfish. I wondered which posed a bigger road hazard.

  Though he was all controlled fury, Bas maneuvered the truck with racecar driver precision. He hugged the curves and kept his eyes straight ahead as he made the final turn into Oakwood. My heart sank when he did it. I didn’t want to be here. Didn’t want my reality right now. I wanted something else. I wanted the earth beneath me, wet from the rain. A canopy of trees above my head. Again, I wondered if what I felt was more of an echo of Bas’s emotions. Though I’d never seen it yet, I felt the wolf between us, struggling to get out.

  Bas’s tires crunched over the gravel of my mother’s driveway. The lights were on inside, and ringing laughter wafted out of the open windows. My mother was home and she wasn’t alone.

  The headlights flooded the trailer, and the voices went silent. We waited a beat and the screen door opened. My mother stepped out. She held a beer bottle in one hand and her high-heeled peep-toe pumps in the other. The red ones with the ankle straps. Date night. She turned toward the open door and held up a finger to whoever belonged to the shadow just inside. Chad, probably. But he had friends with him.

  My mother shielded her eyes against the glare of Bas’s headlights as she took a few halting steps toward the passenger side window where I sat. I rolled the window down.