Primal Heat (2 page)

“Don’t look surprised,” Lanier said. He stood back and ran a hand
through his mass of auburn hair. The wavy edges brushed his collar. “There are
about a half a dozen more leg traps out there where that one came from.”

Foster steepled his fingers beneath his chin and leaned back in his
chair. Lanier’s chest heaved. The air seemed to crackle around him with his
barely contained rage.

“Leg traps,” Foster said. “You think I put them there?”

Lanier shook a finger at him. “I’ve been telling you for months we’ve
got a poacher problem. And I’ve also told you what’s going to happen if I catch
one.”

“Poachers.” Foster leaned forward and dropped the smile. He narrowed
his eyes and smacked both palms flat on the desk. “Does it say Department of
Natural Resources on my office door? How is this my problem?”

Lanier made a noise low in his throat that made gooseflesh cover me. My
heart thundered in my ears, and I wasn’t even the focus of his anger. Foster
kept a brave face, but I saw the corner of his eye twitch. He was scared.
Lanier knew it too. He leaned forward, planting his own palms on the desk.

“I’m the only reason you’re sitting behind that desk. If you want to
keep sitting behind that one or get a bigger one you’ll need to go through me
as well. If I find another one of these on Bonner’s property or anywhere else
in Wild Lake, or if any of my people get so much as a scratch on them, I plan
to hold you personally responsible.”

Then, he rose to his full height and turned. It took everything in me
not to shrink against the wall. I can’t explain it, but I knew it mattered that
I didn’t show fear. Dale, on the other hand, trembled as Lanier finally noticed
him. Lanier’s eyes flicked to mine and his pupils widened. For an instant, it
felt like the world slowed down into a freeze frame with Lanier the only thing
moving. He took a step toward me and cocked his head to the side. His full lips
curled into a half smile even though the fury stayed in his eyes. He was heat,
power, dominance.

When he leaned toward me, I zoned in on his luscious bottom lip. I
imagined what it would taste like if I took it between my teeth and bit him
there. Or better yet, how would it feel if he did the same to me? My cheeks
grew warm from the flame of a slow blush that traveled all the way up from
between my breasts. It happened in just a fraction of a second, but his eyes
flicked to my neck and the warmth of his breath hit me on the sensitive skin
just below my collarbones where my blouse opened. I pressed my hand against the
wall to keep my balance. Lanier finally took a step back. Then, everything
shifted back to normal time.

“Keep your shit straight, Dale,” he said, his eyes still locked with
mine. “Are you new here?”

I blinked hard and thrust out my hand. “Uh. Yes. I’m Abby. Winslow.”
God. I don’t know why I did that. A part of me wanted to crawl under the
nearest desk until Hurricane Lanier moved through.

Lanier smiled full-on this time and took my hand in his, shaking it
firmly. His body heat seemed to travel from my palms straight to the center of
my chest, warming me, making me blush even deeper. I knew what he was in an
instant. But, instead of fight or flight, my body cried out kiss or fuck.

“Sebastian Lanier. Good luck, Miss Winslow. If Landon’s got Dale
showing you the ropes, you’re going to need it.”

The moment he let go of my hand, the air seemed to suck straight out of
the room. He gave me one more glance over his shoulder and strode out of the
office with the same determined purpose as when he came in, leaving me
shuddering in his wake.

Chapter Two

So, for twenty-one years living in Wild Lake, I’d only heard the rumors
about werewolves. Four hours into my coveted internship, I’d met two of them up
close and personal. Both Dale and the congressman let the leg trap incident
pass without explanation. The two of them retreated behind Foster’s closed
door. I heard muffled shouts from Foster. When Dale emerged, his color looked
gray and his eyes stayed that glinting yellow, wolfish color until he got his
breathing under control. As the workday ended, Dale simply stormed past my desk
without a word.

“See you in the morning, Mr. Thorp,” I called after him. But, he didn’t
even bother to turn his head to acknowledge me.

“Ignore him.” A feminine voice came from the cubicle beside me. Then,
large, owlish blue eyes beneath a mop of curly brown hair appeared over the top
of the wall.

“Oh. Uh. Good tip.”

The owner of the blue eyes came around the wall and extended a hand and
a friendly smile. “I’m Grace.”

Grace had deep creases around her mouth and wore hoop earrings big
enough to double as bracelets. But, she had a kind face and an earnest
handshake. She was also the first genuinely friendly person I’d met since I got
here.

“Abby,” I said, slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder. “Is it
always that intense around here?”

Grace nodded as we made our way to the elevator then rode it down.
“Pretty much. It’s gonna get worse the closer we get to the election. Just keep
your head down and your work done. You’ll be fine.”

“What do you do for the congressman?”

Grace smiled. “I’m a legal secretary. I do a little bit of everything.
If you have questions about anything, just come find me.”

I wanted to hug her. I settled for a sincere thank you and another handshake
as we emerged from the underground parking lot. Grace pulled out her key fob
and her car bleeped somewhere close by.

“You parked on this floor?”

I chewed my bottom lip, considering whether I should tell her I took
the bus. I could have gotten off at the lobby level, but she’d been so nice, I
hadn’t wanted to stop talking to her. I don’t know why I did it, but I told her
a little white lie. “No. I’m one floor down yet.”

Grace smiled again and waved at me over her shoulder as she headed
toward her car. I waited a few seconds until she was out of sight, then I
stepped back in the elevator and went back up to the street level. I slipped
off my heels and pulled my ballet flats out of my messenger bag and booked it
for the bus stop four blocks over. I got there just as the crosstown number seven
pulled into the stop.

“How was your first day?” Iris, the driver, gave me a twinkling smile
as I climbed on board. Iris was seventy if she was a day and had the sweetest
disposition of anyone I knew, even when some drunk asshole threw a wall of
obscenities at her from behind the safety glass after a particularly long day.

“Good,” I said as she passed my fare card through the scanner. “They’ll
keep me busy.”

“Busy’s good. You got class tonight honey?”

I slid into the seat behind Iris and raised my voice so she could hear
me behind the glass. “Yeah. Property Law. Six to ten. Am I gonna make it?”

Iris’s shoulders shook with rich laughter. She reached over and pulled
the lever to close the door with a great heave, and her long gray ponytail
swung with the effort. “Baby, you know you’re gonna make it. With time to
spare. But
please
tell me you brought something to eat besides a banana
and a sad little yogurt like the last time.”

I shrugged and sank into my chair as Iris shook her head and tsked. She
knew me too well. She took more interest in me than my own mother did most
times. To the point I knew next week, Iris would probably have a heaping
container of soup, stew, or whatever deliciousness she brewed in her own
kitchen for me. My mother was either passed out on the couch or running through
the house trying to get ready for her latest hot date with another of a long string
of loser boyfriends. I tried not to think about it.

Twenty-five more months. Tops. I’d finish my law degree and get the
hell out of that double wide. I could go earlier if I broke down and applied
for student loans. But, I didn’t want to start my career under the yoke of all
of that. I’d been under my mother’s roof this long. I could finish this out.
One day at a time.

“Work on anything interesting today?” Iris practically sang the
question. Her deep brown eyes brightened as she looked at me in the overhead
mirror.

Interesting indeed. I pressed my forehead against the window glass and
watched the street signs whizz by as Iris hit the highway.

Sebastian Lanier.

My skin still prickled where he’d taken my hand to shake it. I played
with the button on my shirt, just below where his breath touched my skin. Just
the thought of it heated my blood and sent a shiver skittering across my
shoulder blades. Who was he? The name meant something, but I couldn’t place it.

I couldn’t shake the image of the lethal edge of that rusted trap as he
carried it as though it weighed nothing. An object meant not to just to
capture, but to injure, to torture. The thought of those brutal spikes driving
into skin and bone made my mouth go dry. Poachers, he’d said. On Wild Lake
lands. And he thought Congressman Foster had something to do with it?

“Baby girl?”

Iris’s smooth voice brought me out of my head. The bus had stopped
right in front of the Law School complex. Its two-story brick exterior didn’t
match the rest of the architecture at GLU. It was the only building covered in ivy,
though right now, most of that was brittle and brown. I looked behind me, but I
was the only passenger left on Iris’s bus.

“You’ve got stars in your eyes, Abby. You thinking about some man?”

Heat flamed my cheeks as I shot her a smile. I tried to cover but Iris
knew me too well.

“Sort of,” I said.

Iris turned in her seat and slammed the bus into park.

“You got time,” she said. “Spill it.”

I rolled my eyes and felt the blush spread to my neck, no doubt making
my skin a bright shade of pink. Iris rested her chin in her palm and twisted in
her seat. Yeah. No way I was getting off this bus without clueing her in.

“You ever heard of Sebastian Lanier?”

Iris’s eyes went wide and she clucked, shaking her head. “You’ve lived
here your whole life, Abby. You mean to tell me you haven’t?”

“The name’s familiar.”

“Well, it should be. He’s Wild Lake Outfitters, honey.”

Wild Lake Outfitters. Holy shit. They were the reason this town
existed, pretty much. One of the largest retailers of hunting, fishing, and
sporting goods in North America. The world, maybe. Wild Lake’s water tower was
painted blue and silver with the company name and logo, a stylized wolf’s head
with pine trees behind it.

Sebastian Lanier.
That
was Sebastian Lanier. In my mind I had
pictured him as some gruff, gray-haired, long-bearded old man. As if he’d fit
right into the cast of
Duck Dynasty.
I didn’t expect the gorgeous hunk
of man I met today.

“That’s who’s got your eyes all glassy?” Iris cocked her head and
grinned.

“What? No. I sort of ran into him. That’s all.”

“Well, I sure as hell wouldn’t mind running into him. Under him. Mmm.
What’s he like?”

“Uh. Purposeful.”

Traffic behind us started to honk. Iris waved a dismissive hand. Her
bus. Her rules. Everybody else could sit tight or go around.

“Well, you be careful with a guy like that.”

“Iris. What? I’m not
with
a guy like that. I just said I sort of
met him. That’s all. Besides, what do you mean?”

Iris’s eyes grew dark and the smile left her face. She picked at a spot
on her nail and wouldn’t meet my eyes for an instant. I slid out of my seat and
squatted next to her.

“It’s okay. I know he’s one of, uh . . . you know . . .
them.
”

Iris gave me a hard look. Her flint-gray eyes filled with the wisdom
she’d earned in her thirty years of driving this bus. She put a hand on my
shoulder and leaned in. “Oh, yeah? What else do you know about
them
?”

Deep lines framed Iris’s mouth and crinkled the corners of her eyes. In
her seventy-some years, she’d seen every kind of person there is. She could
size you up with just a glance, and her instincts were never wrong. My heart
thundered behind my ribcage as she fixed her razor sharp gaze on me.

“I just met him, Iris. That’s all. Shook his hand.”

“Just be careful, baby.” She reached up and smoothed a lock of hair out
of my face where it sprung loose from my ponytail. “Those wolves bite. Best to
keep your distance.”

“Well, thanks for looking out. It’s nice to have someone who does.”

She leaned forward and put a kiss on the top of my head, catching me
off guard. I stiffened and nearly overbalanced on the balls of my feet.
Stinging tears formed in my eyes. Again, I tried to cover. Put my armor back in
place. Iris knew better. She hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my head
until she had my eyes.

“You’re special, Abby. Don’t you ever let anyone make you feel like
you’re not. You got a piece of shit mamma and had an Invisible Man for a daddy.
It does me no pleasure to say it. You keep your head on straight like you have
been and you get the hell out of here the first chance you get.”

She pointed over my shoulder toward the building. “That’s the way.”

I rose to my feet and wiped my eyes. “Thanks, Iris. I mean it.”

She clucked again and waved her hand. Then, she threw up a middle
finger toward the back of the bus as a new round of honking rose to a crescendo
behind us.

“Hurry up!” she called after me as I headed down the stairs to the
curb. “And I meant what I said. Steer clear of those wolves, baby. They’re
nothing but trouble for girls like you!”

My back stiffened as her words carried over the quad, and I got a few
blank stares from some of the other students hustling into the building. A new
blush heated my cheeks. I turned around and thrust my chin out at Iris as she
kept on waving then drew a finger across my neck, gesturing for her to shut it.

Her loud, infectious laughter had me smiling as I turned and readjusted
the weight of my bag and headed into the building.

My breath hitched and gooseflesh spread across my neck as if I had some
premonition. Wolves, she said. Stay away from wolves. I wonder how my life
would have turned out if I had listened.