Primal Heat (13 page)

We fit.

He throbbed inside of me as the warmth of the bathwater joined with the
heated juices between my legs, enveloping us both.

“Abby,” he whispered my name against my forehead as he held me close.

This. Just this. Bas impaled deep inside me. There was no urgency. Not
yet. Just absolute intimacy as our bodies joined and locked together. He kissed
me and placed his hands on the top of my head, smoothing down my hair and
gently pulling it away from my face. I tilted my head up toward his, and his
eyes shone with desire and affection.

I loved him.

The thought came unbidden, sending a new wave of heat through me. I
turned it over in my mind, weighing it, considering. It was simple with Bas
when it shouldn’t have been. But, there it was. I felt his absence as a physical
loss, like a craving. And when he was here, with me, our bodies locked, desire
and calm seemed to flood through me. He affected my mood, my pulse, my very
being. I brought my hands up, wiping away tiny droplets of water that beaded
his forehead. Fully drenched, his hair hung long past his shoulders in thick
auburn waves.

I loved him. Simple. Pure. Impossible.

It was on my lips to say it, but something stopped me. Maybe it was the
years of drama and upheaval growing up with my mother’s bad decisions. Maybe it
was the growing conflict between Bas’s interests and what I might need for the
future I’d worked so hard for. I could say it was common sense, but that wasn’t
it. Not even close. Because in spite of everything, Bas made sense. He was for
me. He was mine. And I felt like his.

Bas’s eyes grew inquisitive, he cocked his head. I knew he saw
something in my eyes as he held me. But, he didn’t ask the question. If he had,
I wouldn’t have lied. Connected as we were, I think he knew I wasn’t ready to
tell him. Not yet. So, he lowered his chin and caught my bottom lip between his
teeth. Then, slowly, all questions went out of his head and mine as I swayed
beneath the water and thrust my hips.

Bas let me set the pace. He held me in place with his broad hands
spanning my hips. I began my slow undulation, splashing water over the sides of
the tub. The pleasure point deep within me grew, until every cell, every pore
cried out for the release only Bas could give me. He let me take it. As he held
me steady and kissed me. A starburst of pleasure speared through me as my
orgasm hit. Bas was strong and hard and filled me deep. I felt the first
jerking tremors inside me as Bas’s own crescendo began. But, he had tremendous
self-control. He held me as I threw back my head and let the orgasm ripple
through me.

As I crested down, he shifted, getting his legs under him. He kept me
locked around him as he went up on his knees. I tried to wrap my legs around
his hips; my muscles seemed like rubber. Instead, he held me spread wide with
one leg over the side of the tub, the other balanced on his hip. From this
angle, he could penetrate me even deeper. I clung to him, folding myself around
the core of his need. And he spent himself. Hard and hot, spreading me, filling
me, completing me as I cried out his name.

Chapter Nineteen

I slept in longer than I had in years. My head was clouded and groggy
as I finally rolled over and looked at my phone on the bedside table. It was
nearly ten o’clock.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Bas said. He looked like he’d been up for
hours. I peeked at him through a vee in my fingers, shielding my eyes against
the morning light stabbing through the window blinds. I laid on my stomach, my
ass high in the air, the blankets twisted around my legs. We’d made a wreck of
them

“It’s your fault,” I said, my voice scratchy and deep. It was. The
bathtub had just been the start. We’d made love over and over, long into the
night until early morning. Impossibly, I rose to it each and every time. As my
heart began to belong to Bas, so did my body. And he took every opportunity to
claim it.

He leaned forward and gave me a playful swat on the ass that sent a
wave of stinging pleasure shooting through me. God. If he wanted, I knew I
could rise to him yet again. I’d lost count of how many times we’d fucked
already.

“You game for an adventure?” he asked, wagging his eyebrow playfully.

“Are you kidding? How much more adventuresome do I have to be? We tried
things last night I think would make a porn star blush.”

Color flashed in Bas’s cheeks. “Hmm. And here I thought I was just
getting you warmed up.”

He sat on the bed with enough force to make me bounce a little. Leaning
down, he kissed the back of my neck. With great effort and aching muscles, I
managed to turn to my back. Bas ran a hand up my thigh and reached out to tweak
my nipple. Just that tiny touch, a claiming that sent a thrill of excitement
through me once again.

“Sort of a road trip, actually. Except, without the roads.”

“Huh?”

“The pack needs to move. For a few days at least. Deeper into Wild Lake
lands. I’ve got some business to handle. You up for it?”

I sat up. “Are you kidding? You mean travel with the pack? How does
that work? Dogsled?”

Bas narrowed his eyes and gave my nipple a pinch in response to my
sarcasm. I squealed and swatted his hand away. He leaned down to kiss me, and
all was forgiven.

“Not quite. We’ll travel on all fours. You’ll have wings . . . er . . .
blades, anyway. Ever taken a chopper ride?”

“Uh. No.”

“It’s a short trip. You’ll go up with Callum. You’ll literally be up
and down. I bet you’ve never seen Wild Lake from the air.”

“Actually, I haven’t. But, what’s up? Is there trouble?” I didn’t want
to pry, but I knew something was brewing. Bas wasn’t stupid, and Foster was a
threat. I felt like an ass keeping quiet about what little I knew, but Bas
seemed at peace with it for now.

“Nothing immediate,” he said. “Can you be ready in ten minutes? You can
take your breakfast to go.”

Then, Bas was up. I found the strength to move my stiff muscles and
padded to the bathroom. It was still a wreck from last night’s adventures with
melted candle wax and towels wadded on the floor where we tried to dry
everything. I had just a few minutes to scrape the fuzz off my teeth and throw
on a pair of jeans and a Wild Lake Outfitters t-shirt before Bas bellowed from
downstairs.

It was time to go.

We drove out to a small helicopter pad on the north edge of the
property. Callum already had the bird fired up. My blood hummed with
excitement. Part of it was the promise of the adventure of the copter ride.
But, something else brewed as well. The pack assembled, and I sensed the thrum
of anticipation bleeding through them. Bas was anxious to be on the move. He
helped me into the waiting helicopter and gave a wave to Callum.

“It’s an easy ride,” Callum yelled over the roar of the motor. “Strap
in and enjoy it. I’m about to show you something special.”

Then we rose slowly, leaving Bas and the others below. Callum hovered
over the tree line. Bas and the rest of the pack shifted in unison, making me
gasp at the violent speed at which they managed it. Callum grinned from ear to
ear beside me and I saw the strain on his own muscles as the pack’s movements
seemed to affect him. A flash of panic went through me as I hoped he could
control himself. If he went wolfish in midair, we’d be fucked.

But Callum kept his composure and skillfully maneuvered the copter over
the trees, hovering low enough that I could follow the movement of the pack.
And then I understood. It wasn’t just the novelty of seeing Wild Lake from the
air. I was awestruck watching the pack in formation. They moved in a way I
didn’t expect.

Seth took the lead, setting the pace for the others, and I immediately
understood why. At a good thirty years older than Bas, he didn’t have the
strength and speed his Alpha did. The pack moved only as fast as Seth could so
he wouldn’t get left behind. Though it had only been a few hours since I met
them all at once, I had already begun to recognize them in their wolf form. I
wondered if it that was part of the growing preternatural connection I had with
their Alpha. Alec, Connor, and Eli formed the outer flank of the group. The
youngest and smallest, Aaron and Ben stayed in the center of the pack, the most
protected position in case of danger. My heart stuttered thinking about what
that danger might be.

Bas took a lone position in the rear and slightly behind the rest of
the pack. From there, he could watch the pack as a whole, positioned for
ultimate threat assessment.

The pack moved swiftly, through open fields and the denser forest,
veering off course just once as Seth caught the scent of a whitetail deer, Callum
explained. Callum peeled off as they stalked the deer, careful not to spook it.
His wolf eyes flashed and he licked his lips as the pack transmitted their
bloodlust to him on some telepathic channel.

When the pack burst through the tree line again after the kill, they
were quicker, keyed up from adrenaline. We continued overland until I saw the
edge of clear, blue water at the center of wooded pines.

Wild Lake.

Though I’d lived in the area all my life, I’d never actually seen the
body of water for which it was named except on a map. Natural forest land
bordered it on three sides. A small peninsula jutted out on the south side.
South of that, I could make out a large, yellow farmhouse nestled on a wooded
hill. A red barn and horse corral bordered the property to the west.

Callum took the helicopter low, heading for a clearing west of the
barn. The horses in the paddock whinnied and reared as we approached. The
downdraft blew their manes back. Callum set us down gently and cut the engines.

“We’ll meet the pack up at the house,” he shouted. “Give ‘em a chance
to get all presentable again before they see you.”

I laughed. “I was there yesterday. I’ve seen it all, remember?”

Callum gave me a wink and a two fingered salute. “Yeah, well Pat’ll
brain us all for having bad manners.”

“Where are we?” I asked as Callum helped me down. The tangy scent of
pine and earth filled my nostrils. Heat coursed through me as Callum held my
hand. He seemed able to transmit the pack’s excitement straight through his
fingertips.

Before he could answer, a lone figure ran toward us, moving fast for
her size. She was maybe Seth’s age or older still. Her wiry gray hair flew
behind her as she waddled barefoot across the soft grass. She wore a yellow
dress which hugged her plump, round curves and her face split into a smile as
she got closer.

“You scared the horses half to death, Callum!” She practically sang her
words, her voice raspy and warm.

Callum put a hand to my back and nudged me forward, as if to put me
between himself and the wrath of the creature barreling toward us. But, her
eyes were kind and her smile genuine as she got there. She threw herself at
Callum and he embraced her.

She slapped him on the butt and stuck her hand out toward mine. “Don’t
be an ass,” she said to Callum. “Who did you bring me?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her good-natured smile and firm grip as I
shook her hand.

“This is Bas’s girl,” Callum said, the sound of it sent a shock of
warmth straight to my heart. Bas’s girl. And he was mine.

The woman put a hand to her heart and smiled even wider. “I knew it,”
she said. “And it’s about time, honey. I hope my boys have treated you well.
Come on up to the house and let’s get you situated. It’s going to take those
mongrels a bit to clean up. They got into something big and bloody on the way
up, I see.”

I nodded.

She leaned over and swatted Callum again. “Manners, Mr. Man. Introduce
me.”

“Ah.” She must have hit him harder this time because Callum rubbed his
rear end and gave her a sheepish smile. “Right. Abby, this is Pat. Pat, Abby.”

“Hello,” I said. “I’m glad to meet you.”

“Pat Bonner,” she said. “Welcome to my home. Now let’s get you up to
the house. You’ve got to be starving. I bet they didn’t even bother to let you
catch breakfast.”

Pat Bonner. As we walked up to the house arm in arm, my blood ran cold.
Pat Bonner. In my mind’s eye, I saw her name on that deed in Foster’s office. I
saw the wicked glee in Dale’s eyes as he realized her tenuous hold on the land
on which I now walked. And I saw that instant of malice flashing through Dale’s
eyes as I explained how she only held this property as long as she lived.

As long as she lived.

Pat squeezed me into a light hug as we walked up the hill.

Chapter Twenty

I never had a grandmother. I grew up listening other kids talk about
theirs. They would bring them to school on VIP day or unwrap homemade cookies
sent in for other special occasions. They would always have someone to pick
them up after school or chauffeur them to practices when their parents
couldn’t. They had whole cheering sections at the school plays or just 8
^th
grade graduation. I never had any of that. It had always just been my mother
and me, and most of the time it was just me. I made my own school lunches.
Forged her name on permission slips and other things she forgot to take care
of. But, in the span of twenty minutes, with Pat Bonner in her heavenly-scented
kitchen, I got a glimpse of what it might have been like for those other kids.

I don’t know if she knew I was coming or if she just kept the Bonner
kitchen ready. But, when we walked in, she had real fried chicken tenders
warming in the kitchen and waffle batter in the fridge. Within about five
minutes, she’d made me a heaping plate of chicken and waffles. It seemed like a
strange combination at first, until I tasted it. She smiled wide when she saw
the look on my face after the first bite.

Pat set a pitcher of orange juice and a bottle of milk on the table,
then wiped her hands on the checkered apron tied to her waist. “There’s plenty
more where that came from. Eat hearty. When those boys get back they’ll cut a
path through here like Sherman through Atlanta.”

I waved a fork at her. “Yeah. I saw what they can do to a kitchen last
night.”

She laughed and sat across from me, resting her chin in her hands. “Well,
it seems like you’re settling in with them easily enough. It’s good to see.
We’ve been waiting for Bas to find someone like you for a long time.”

“Someone like me? You just met me. How do you know?”

Pat didn’t blink. “Honey, it’s obvious. You’ve got that glow about you.
You’re happy when you’re with him, aren’t you?”

It was so probing a question, but somehow, Pat didn’t offend me. I didn’t
fully understand the relationship she had with the pack, but she mattered to
them. So, she mattered to me.

“Yes. It’s just been very sudden.”

She laughed and flapped a hand. “Oh, it always is, Abby. That’s the fun
part. I’m going to give you a piece of advice I know you haven’t asked for. I
don’t know how much Bas has told you about me. Probably not much. But, I’ve
been around these boys and their families for most of my life. Follow your
instincts where wolves are concerned. You can’t go wrong there. You know what
you need, I bet.”

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. My instincts were clear. I
wanted Bas. All of him. Though it
had
been sudden, I couldn’t imagine
going back to a life he wasn’t a part of. I didn’t say any of this, but when I
opened my eyes, Pat seemed to understand my thoughts anyway. She likely had her
own stories to tell. Ones I very much wanted to hear. Her eyes misted a little,
and she reached out and put a gentle hand over mine.

“We’ve talked. Bas and me, I mean. He told me about you the last time
he came this way. He’s all in; you know that, right?”

Pat’s eyes became laser sharp. As welcoming as she’d been, the
conversation turned. Bas mattered enough to her that she wanted to know my
intentions. I found it both endearing and scary as hell. In the short time I’d
known her, she struck me as a woman whose good opinion was worth having.

I set my fork down and ran a hand through my hair. I wanted to give her
an honest answer, but also wanted to guard my own heart.

“Lay off, Patsy. The girl just got here.” I startled at the booming
voice coming from the stairs off the kitchen. This had to be Harold, her
brother. He took halting steps down the stairs, running his hand along the
molding at the center of the wall. As he stepped into the light, I saw why and
stifled a gasp. Harold Bonner had likely been a rakishly handsome man in his
youth. He had a strong jaw, broad nose, and rough, tanned skin over hardened
muscles. But, the most striking feature of all was the cruel, jagged scars
running across his face in parallel lines. Claw marks, no doubt. His eyes may
have been brilliant blue at one time; now they were opaque like pearls, and
sightless. There could be no doubt what kind of creature made those scars.
Those were wolf claws.

Pat’s scrutinizing gaze didn’t let up. She took in everything as I
watched Harold. He reached across the table and extended a hand. He held it
dead square in front of me, sensing my location as I spoke.

“It’s nice to meet you, Harold. I’m Abby,” I said. Pat raised a brow,
and my mouth went dry. She hadn’t introduced me yet. She likely thought Bas or
Callum had filled me in on the way. Of course she had no idea I’d seen both of
their names on that deed in the courthouse.

“She’s a good one,” Harold said to his sister. Then he straightened and
squared his shoulders in my direction. “Don’t let Patsy scare you off. She’s
overprotective of our friends out there. Can’t blame her. They really do need
it half the time.”

Pat swatted a hand toward her brother. He feigned real pain but reached
down and kissed the top of her head. Then, he moved off toward the pan of fried
chicken. Pat slapped her hands on the table. “Well, those boys don’t seem
inclined to head back up to the house yet. You feel like going down to them?
They’ll be at the lake by now. We can ride down. Do you know how?”

It dawned on me by “ride” she meant horses. “I’ll manage,” I said. One
of my mother’s boyfriends had horses. That was Blake, I think. For once, I was
grateful for her eclectic tastes.

“Buster and Ladybug are all saddled up,” Harold said. “You better let
Abby take Bug. Buster’s ornery today.”

Pat excused herself for a moment, then came back wearing jeans and a
flannel shirt. She grabbed a cowboy hat from a hook near the door and heaped
another dollop of syrup on Harold’s plate of waffles before we left. He reached
up and held her hand to his cheek. A moment passed between them that tore at me
a little. Whatever history the Bonners had with the Wild Lake packs couldn’t
have been easy. The price of it was literally written on Harold’s face. But,
this place felt like sanctuary.

Pat gave Harold a playful smack on the back of his head as he reached
over and poured even more syrup on his waffles. “Why don’t you just open up a
line and clog your arteries directly?”

Harold shook his head. “Says the woman who just served me fried
chicken.” I laughed. He had a point.

Pat made a circular motion with her hand and led me out of the house.
The late April air was clean but brisk. As Harold promised, two of the horses
had been saddled and tied off near the fence by the barn. Pat couldn’t be more
than four foot eleven, tops. But, for her size and shape, she was fast and
agile. She untied the reins, placed her foot in the stirrup, and heaved herself
into the saddle. She ponied the other horse, a dappled brown, toward me.

“Ladybug, I presume,” I said, nuzzling the horse’s nose with mine. I’d
palmed an apple from the kitchen and held it out for her. Ladybug nodded her
head and munched the apple greedily.

“Oh, now you’ve done it. That old girl will follow you for life now.”

I patted Ladybug’s nose and heaved myself into the saddle. Pat clicked
her tongue and got the horses moving down a trail winding behind the barn. She
rode ahead of me. Ladybug’s surefooted movements led me to believe I wouldn’t
have needed Pat as a guide.

“How long have you lived on this property?” I pulled Ladybug alongside
Buster.

Pat smiled. “It’s been in my family for over a hundred years. My father
left it to Harold and me. He passed on, oh, fifty years ago now. And when we’re
long gone, it’ll still be here for the packs.”

I don’t know what I expected her to say. Maybe it was wrong of me to
pry, but knowing what I did, I had to ask. “You want to leave it to Bas?”

Pat clicked her teeth to straighten Buster out. He seemed more inclined
to root through wild strawberries on the path then move forward. “Not just Bas.
Wild Lake is home to six different packs now. Bas’s is just the largest. This
place is special. I’m not saying they don’t have their differences now and
then, but you’ll never find a group of packs like them. Allied like they are, I
mean. Not wanting to rip each other’s throats out. Most packs you’ll find are too
territorial to roam or hunt on a stretch of land like this so close to each
other. And I’m not saying they didn’t have to go through hell to get to this
point.”

“Is that what happened to Harold?” As soon as I said it, it felt too
blunt. But, Pat seemed in a talking mood.

She nodded. “That happened when he was a kid. Before my father died.
During the pack wars. Harold got in the middle of something he shouldn’t have.
The Wild Lake packs finally drove out the rival packs, pushed them further
south. Every now and again, one of those southern packs will try causing
trouble up here, but it’s not like it was. Thank the Lord.”

Puzzle pieces took shape and realigned in my thoughts. Where did Dale
and his pack fit into all of this? If he belonged to a Wild Lake pack, did that
mean this harmony Pat described was coming to an end? I wanted to ask her, but
hesitated. If I probed her any more, she might start asking why.

We rode through a thicker part of the forest, down the hill until we
reached a clearing. I gasped as I saw the lake ahead of us. Seeing it from the
air was breathtaking; on horseback it was magical. Clear blue waters framed by
deep pine. A large, rocky outcropping formed a natural ledge at the south edge
of the lake. The scene would have been pristine. Now, though, whoops, hollers,
and splashing cut through the air as Bas’s pack dove off the ledge and splashed
through the water.

“Jesus H!” Pat called out. “That water can’t be any warmer than fifty
degrees yet!”

I laughed. Alec stood at the edge of the ledge; he jumped, arcing high
in the air, and his naked, muscled profile cut through the water and he
disappeared below.

Bas rose up out of the water; fat droplets dripped down his chest as he
came toward us. I blushed as my eyes were drawn to his sex. Pat just shook her
head and clucked. Buster whinnied and reared his head, as if he were offended
by the wall of naked men around him.

Pat pulled back on the reins and turned him. “I’d better head back up
to the house. Those fools didn’t think to bring clothes or towels. They were
probably planning on marching straight up to the house dripping wet and naked
like that. You have no idea the war I fight not to have ‘em ruin my damn
floors. You wanna stay here or head back up with me?”

Bas had almost reached us. My heart fluttered at his proximity. I
laughed and gave Pat a salute. “I think they’re basically harmless. I’ll head
up in a second to give you a hand.” She nodded and gave Buster a kick to get
him going again.

Bas caught up to me and pulled on Ladybug’s reins. I leaned down to
give him a kiss. Despite the chill in the air and the near frigid water, Bas’s
lips were liquid heat.

“How about a swim?”

“No way. No chance. You want me to freeze my tits off?”

Bas laughed and wagged his brow. “I have a few ideas how to keep you
warm.”

I swatted his shoulder. I thought about dismounting, but didn’t trust
he wouldn’t throw me in the lake just for sport. “I like her,” I said. “Pat.”

Bas nodded. “I knew you would. She’s kind of made a career out of
taking care of us. This place is home base for the Wild Lake packs. It’s been
that way for half a century since her father was alive.”

“She told me a little bit about it. She said she’s leaving the land to
you and the other packs after she and Harold are long gone.”

Bas nodded. “That’s what she’s always said. And that’s the thing that’s
got Congressman Foster twisted in such a knot. There are copper veins running
all through this land. A lot of it’s state owned, but he’s thrown in with some
people who don’t have our interests at heart. I know I shouldn’t be telling you
all of this. But you need to know. Environmental conservation isn’t his goal.”

I swallowed past a lump in my throat. What Pat had told me was just a
throwaway comment, but it cut to the heart of everything that tore at me. It
became clear that Pat had no idea she didn’t have a claim on the land after her
death. Which meant Bas didn’t either. Either she’d misunderstood her own
father’s will, or there was something even more sinister going on.

I looked out at the lake. Aaron and Ben were wrestling each other on
the ridge. It looked like Ben didn’t want to go back in the water, but Aaron
had other ideas. Before they could sort it out, Davis came behind them, picked
them both up by the scruffs of their necks and pitched them both in. Bas’s rich
laughter vibrated through me.

Seth watched from the shoreline. Connor and Eli cut through the water,
swimming with freestyle strokes at a speed that might set Olympic records. The
rest of the pack watched and laughed, cheering one or the other on. They were
at peace here. They belonged. The land and lake seemed to nourish them as much
as the kill they’d made on the trip up.

“Abby?” Bas reached up, sliding his hand along my thigh. “What are you
thinking?”