Primal Heat (4 page)

Bas’s eyes flashed, locking with mine again, leaving me feeling exposed
to him. He narrowed his and again that hint of a smile played at the corners of
his mouth like he could read my thoughts or know what I look liked naked.

He unhooked his fingers from behind his head and slowly rose from his
chair, moving around his desk with lupine grace. Almost as if I were his prey
and he meant to stalk me. I had a dark flash of what it might feel like to
submit to him. The instant I thought it, heat flared between my legs, my body
answering the question my mind just asked.

Yes. Oh, yes. I would like to know what it felt like to give myself to
him. I blinked hard and rose slowly to my feet. I had to get out of here.
Staying in a room alone with Bas for another second might make me do or say
things I’d regret later. He had some pull over me I couldn’t explain, but it
was the kind of thing that could ruin everything for me. He was the job. That’s
all. No matter how sexy he looked in his tailored suit, I’d worked too hard,
had too much at stake to risk going down this path. I wasn’t my mother.

“Is there anything you’d like me to tell Mr. Thorp or Congressman
Foster? Any notes you have for them?”

Bas kept moving toward me. His fingers trailed along the edge of his
desk and I saw his eyes change. The pupils narrowed to pinpoints and the irises
went pale blue, lined with black.

Wolf
eyes. Feral. Dangerous.

A moment ago, I’d fantasized about what it might be like to see his
wolf. I had a feeling I was about to get at least part of my wish.

“Abby, there are a lot of things I’d like to say to Dale and Foster.
But, if Dale thought he could send you over here to distract me from what he’s
trying to do with that bill, he’s made a mistake. A grievous one.”

What? Me? Oh, God. I’d done a poor job of hiding how much I liked
looking at him. But then, a different truth slammed into place in my mind.
Dale. The minute he said it, I knew he was right. Dale played me. Damn his
werewolf eyes. My blood boiled again, but this time it wasn’t from naked lust,
but deepening anger.

“Look, I have no idea what games you and Dale like to play with each
other. Whatever . . . pack bullshit goes on between you. But leave me out of
it.”

“Pack bullshit? I promise you, Dale Thorp isn’t part of any pack of
mine, Abby. I wouldn’t have him.”

“Fine. Whatever. I’m really just trying to do my job. Is there
something specific you want me to tell him, or was that pretty much it?”

Bas took another step toward me. Then another. Then he reached out and
pulled me toward him. My skin flared hot where his fingers grasped my upper
arms and rested on my shoulders. My knees went weak and my focus rested on the
curve of his mouth as he tilted his head toward mine.

Then he kissed me.

The world was heat and light. Fireworks went off behind my ribcage,
sending tingling heat straight down to my toes. I drowned in him. Starved
without him. It was as if I’d just been injected with straight adrenaline and
my heart started beating for the first time.

Logic. Time. My reason for being here. Everything seemed to fly out of
that glass window for those few seconds when Bas held me and his lips touched
mine. But, this wasn’t a fairy tale. Even though my loins waged a war against
my brain, it wasn’t a fair fight.

I pressed my palms flat against Bas’s chest and pushed myself away from
him. Gasping, I touched the back of my hand to my lips.

“Stop!”

Bas reeled away from me. His eyes, still wild, went wide with shock as
he took a staggering step backward until he leaned against his desk, his chest
heaving. He touched his own hand to his mouth and looked at me.

“Who are you?” he asked. “Where did he find you?”

My heart started to beat a normal rhythm again, and this time, my blood
heated with a touch of rage. As unsettled as I’d been by his touch, it seemed
Bas was having a similar reaction. Whatever he meant to do when he kissed me,
he’d come away with more than he bargained for. But, his question angered me.

“Find me? Is that what you’re running with Dale Thorp? Some sort of
sick werewolf escort service? Sorry. This isn’t what I signed on for.”

“What? No. Fuck.” His eyes flashed shock then maybe a little bit of horror
like he wanted to take his words back. Good. But too late. I’d already let
things get wildly out of control. I could only hope Bas’s apparent regret for
kissing me would be enough to keep him from causing me any trouble back at the
office. At least, not any trouble I wasn’t about to rain down on my own.

I grabbed my messenger bag and threw the strap across my chest, making
a shield of it across my body. But, Bas kept his distance. His eyes filled with
concern, and his fingers trembled where he ran them across his lips again. I
didn’t know him. But the last few minutes had shaken him, badly.

“So thumbs down on the legislation, I’m guessing.”

I stormed toward the door and grabbed the handle.

“Abby wait. Shit. I’m sorry.”

I put up a hand. “No. I get the gist of the situation. You made it
crystal clear.”

He could have stopped me. My heart raced knowing just exactly how
much
he could have stopped me. But somehow, I knew he wouldn’t. I just needed to put
some distance between us so I could figure out what the hell I should do next.

I walked out and blew past Curtis at the reception desk. He rose to his
feet and held up a pencil, his mouth gaped open. I put up a hand toward him as
I headed for the grand staircase at the end of the hall leading back down into
the main store. I didn’t want to risk standing and waiting at the elevator and
giving Bas another crack at me. I flew down the stairs and hustled my way past
store clerks and customers on my way to the front exit.

I didn’t hear Bas behind me, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood
on end just as I reached for the main door leading to the parking lot. A whoosh
of air lifted the strands of hair at my temples as his hand came down over my
shoulder and opened the door for me. I whirled on him, practically tripping
over my feet.

“Abby, I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes pleading. “You’re not who I
thought you were.”

My heart dropped to my shoes. I curled my fingers into a fist at my
side to keep from reaching up and brushing that same lock of hair out of his
right eye. What was happening to me around this guy? I knew I couldn’t stick
around to find out. He was dangerous. Deadly. And yet, he made things shift
inside of me I couldn’t explain.

“Is that how it works between you and the congressman? He finds girls
to send to you. Keeps you happy so you keep him happy?” I wanted to hurt him. I
don’t know why. But, I didn’t trust or understand what was happening inside of
me when this guy got near me.

He reeled back as if I’d slapped him, then his eyes flashed dark again
and he set his jaw into a hard line.

“I can assure you, I don’t need Foster or anyone else to find girls for
me, Abby.”

I realized I’d been standing there with my mouth hanging open. I
clamped it shut. A different kind of rage flared inside of me at his words and
the insinuation behind them. The thought of Bas Lanier with any other girl made
me want to rip her eyes out. Why? I had no claim on him. Had just rejected him
myself.

“Abby.” He tried again, his words softer this time. With a gentle hand
on my arm, he moved me out of the door and into the vestibule between the outer
door and the one leading into the store. We were starting to draw attention. A
few of the sales clerks looked up from scanning merchandise, and two customers
looked me up and down as they came through the automatic doors and headed into
the store.

“I think you better stick with Miss Winslow,” I said. Damn if that
didn’t lift the corners of his mouth in a smile. I blinked hard against the
memory of what that mouth felt like against mine and the promise of what it
would feel like on other parts of me.

“Fine. Miss Winslow. I really am sorry. I was out of line upstairs. You
didn’t deserve that. I hope you can find it in your heart to give me another
chance sometime. I promise I won’t bite.”

Again, he had me speechless. I took a halting step backward, and he
didn’t stop me. He just stood there staring at me with that infuriatingly sexy
smirk. I wanted to say something to wipe it off. I meant something else, but my
temper flared and it came out all wrong. Except that I did succeed in wiping
the grin off his face.

As the automatic doors slid open behind me, I stepped on the other side
of them. Just before they closed, I turned back to face him and said, “Maybe not.
But I might.”

Sebastian Lanier’s deep laughter sent a shiver up my spine as I turned
and left him there.

Chapter Five

I blew past Grace on my way to Thorp’s office. I tore the strap of my
bag over my shoulder and barged in. She raised a finger and looked ready to
tell me something, but I didn’t give her the chance. I had every intention of
walking straight in and confronting Dale about whatever misguided ideas he had
about my job description. But, Dale wasn’t there. The door to the congressman’s
office stood slightly ajar and I heard both his and Dale’s hushed voices coming
from inside.

I meant to turn away. It was probably better for me to cool down a
little before saying anything to Dale anyway. I
would
have turned away,
except I heard a name that made me freeze.

“You let me worry about Lanier,” Dale said.

For once, I was happy about the cubicles in the outer office. No one
could see me. I let out a quiet breath and moved closer to Foster’s office. I’m
not proud of myself. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped. But, after what Bas said to
me, I had to know for sure whether Dale really was trying to use me as some
sort of bait.

“You’ve said that before,” Foster said. “And yet he still sees fit to
barge in here half threatening me. He’s not afraid of you, Dale. You’re not who
you said you were, are you?”

Dale let out a nervous laugh. “Congressman, pack rules are complicated.
You’re just going to have to trust my advice as far as that goes. You don’t
really have a choice there.”

“Be careful, Dale. That almost sounds like an ultimatum. What I’m
interested in is your ability to deliver on your promises when I brought you on
the team. You know, there were a lot of people who advised me against it. You
want to know what they said about you? They said you didn’t have the right
pedigree for the job. Now, I thought that was either a bad pun or a borderline
racist comment. Would you take it like one?”

Dale let out a noise. Something similar to what Bas had done. Part
human, part animal. All threat. It vibrated up my spine and I held my breath so
I could hear what he said next.

“Congressman, be very careful. I may not be an official member of a
Wild Lake pack, but I can assure you, the pack connections I
do
have are
far more powerful than any of theirs. You’re shortsighted if you think Wild
Lake has any real influence outside this county. They lack the vision that you
need. They’re content to just run, hunt, and live their lives. They’re not
where the real power is.”

“So far, those connections haven’t done a single thing for me, Dale. I
think it’s time I start talking to somebody with more status than you have.
Someone higher bred, maybe. Someone who can do more than talk at me about how
to handle Bas Lanier and the rest of the Wild Lake packs when the day comes I
take their land away.”

The air went out of my lungs and I pressed my forehead against the
wall.
Take their land away?
Is that what had Bas so upset about the
language of Foster’s proposed bill? As soon as I had a chance, I needed to read
through it myself. What the hell was he trying to do?

“Tread lightly, Congressman,” Dale said. I dared to move a little
closer. Through the crack in the door, I could see Dale lean on Foster’s desk,
his palms flat and his neck stretched out. “Nothing happens if you don’t have
the support of the southern packs. Nobody wants to drive Lanier and the rest of
them north where they belong more than I do. But if you try to rush it, everything
might just backfire on you.”

Foster waved a dismissive hand at Dale. I got the distinct impression
this conversation was one they’d had more than once. If Dale was trying to
scare him, he had failed miserably. Foster rose and leaned across the desk,
going nose to nose with Dale. My heart thudded. Dale was a shit. That was
becoming clear. But, he was also were. One swift movement and I imagined he
could have torn Foster’s throat open.

“Your job for now is Lanier,” he said through gritted teeth. “That’s it.
You let me worry about the rest of it. I want him out of my hair.”

Dale seemed to flinch first. He straightened, backing away from
Foster’s desk. Though I couldn’t see his face, I imagined he fixed a smirk in
place as he took a step back and addressed Foster again.

“And I told you. I’ve got something worked out where that’s concerned.”

“Is it something I need details on, or can I for once trust that one of
your schemes won’t come back to bite me in the ass like the poachers are
starting to do?”

Fuck. So Foster had as much as admitted the wolf poachers on Wild Lake
lands were his or Dale’s doing. But how? Dale was a werewolf too. Could he be
slimy enough to pose a threat to some of his own people?

“Just leave it to me,” Dale said. He started to turn, and I had nowhere
to go but his office.

Shit. I slid inside his office door, sweat beaded at my temples, and it
got hard to breathe. I’d been stupid. I couldn’t be sure Dale hadn’t seen me
out of the corner of his eye or with some extrasensory werewolf perception. I
couldn’t be careless like that again.

The rest of Foster’s and Dale’s words were muffled behind the door, but
Dale finally emerged and I watched him through the glass wall. He ran a hand
through his scruffy head of brown hair and his jaw twitched. He was unsettled,
angry. But, he didn’t seem to have sensed me listening in. That was the good
news. The bad news was he looked up and saw me now, waiting for him in his
office. His grimace became a leer, and he headed straight for me.

He leaned casually in the doorframe, playing with the end of his tie.
No. He had no idea that I’d just listened in on his conversation with Foster.
Dale’s mind was occupied by whatever he thought he knew about me.

“How was your meeting with Mr. Lanier?” He pushed off from his shoulder
and came toward me. I stiffened when he paused, getting a little close as he
moved around me to get to his desk chair. It happened quickly. If I didn’t know
what he was, or hadn’t been on my guard, I might not have noticed. But, as Dale
passed me, he tilted his head almost imperceptibly toward me and flared his
nostrils. He straight up
sniffed
me. The spark of light that flashed in
his eyes at what he sensed made my blood run cold. He didn’t say it, but I knew
what it was.

He could smell Bas on me.

When he turned and eased himself into his chair, Dale’s smirk was fixed
firmly in place. God, I wanted to hurl my messenger bag at him and break his
nose. He knew nothing, but assumed everything.

Clenching my jaw hard enough to make the blood throb behind my eye, I
pulled open my bag and took the thick file folder out. I lobbed it on Dale’s
desk hard enough to get a raised eyebrow from him.

“Mr. Lanier didn’t seem particularly pleased with whatever language
changes the congressman wants. I’m afraid if you’ve given him the impression
Lanier is handled, he very much isn’t.”

God. Why the hell had I said that? Because I wanted to do something to
wipe that simpering smile off his face. It worked. Dale’s eyes flashed dark and
his lips became a colorless line. He snatched the folder and spread the papers
out on his desk. Bas had made a few notes in the margins and crossed out great
swaths of text. Dale pushed the paperwork aside and leaned back in his chair.
I’d unsettled him for a moment, but no more.

“But, he liked you I take it? Why don’t you have a seat? I’m anxious to
hear your impressions of the man. He’s prickly; that’s for sure. But, I have a
hunch he might be willing to listen with new ears if the message is coming from
you.”

I chose to stand. I gripped the back of the leather chair in front of
the desk and plastered on a neutral expression. I had to be careful. Was I
willing to throw over this internship because of Dale? If I confronted him head
on, I wouldn’t be able to walk it back. But, I couldn’t just let him walk all
over me and think he could use me to distract Bas Lanier. The reality was, it
was Bas Lanier distracting the hell out of me.

“I think you’re wrong,” I said. “I think my talents will better serve
the congressman from the research end of things. Although I welcome the
opportunity to network, I don’t think I’m the best person to act as any kind of
go-between for you and Mr. Lanier. Whatever reservations he has about this
bill, I’m guessing there’s a long history behind it. Far be it from me to do or
say something that might get in the way of that history and your relationship
with him.”

Dale set his jaw on edge and narrowed his eyes. He leaned forward,
resting his crossed arms on the desk. He flicked a few of the marked pages,
sending them wafting to the floor.

“Well, your reservations are duly noted, Miss Winslow. As it happens, I
do have a rather sizeable project for you to start working on. Today in fact.”
He pushed away more of the file and closed his fingers around a small black
flash drive. He lobbed it at me and I caught it one-handed.

“Eminent domain,” he said. “I might have mentioned it before. There are
few unpublished cases and other materials on that drive. Why don’t you dive in?
I’d like a memo from you by the end of the week. Think your
talents
are
sharp enough to handle that?”

“Of course. Is there any particular angle you want me to emphasize?”

Dale let out a laugh that sent an icy chill down my back. “Yeah.
Federal takeovers of state-owned and private property.”

My mouth went dry when he looked up at me; his eyes had gone black.
Foster’s words to him rang in my ears. He and Dale hoped to take land away from
Bas and the Wild Lake packs. Now, it looked as though I’d been indirectly
enlisted to help them.