Primal Heat(Wild Lake Wolves Book 3)(11)

I opened the door and climbed out. It took every ounce of self-control I  had not to kiss him goodbye. He unsettled me. Deeply. And I couldn't  help but notice the storm of emotions swirling behind his eyes. He could  keep the rest of himself in check, betraying nothing. But those eyes  flashed and churned, a window to the wolf inside. But, he kept it hidden  for now. I turned and waved as I walked to the crooked porch and slid  my key into the lock. Bas waited until I was safely inside. Then, he  revved the engine of his truck and slowly backed out of the driveway.

I swear I felt his steady heartbeat in my ears as I watched from the  window blinds. It only grew silent when his truck made the turn at the  end of the street and drove out of sight.





Chapter Eight

"'It'll be fun,' you said. ‘We'll only stay for an hour,' you said."

I threw a peanut shell at Kendra's head as she reached over me and  grabbed two shot glasses, handing one to Darby over her shoulder and  lifting the other toward me with a wink. They linked arms and did their  tequila shots in unison, right down to the crinkled look of disgust on  their faces a split second afterward.

"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."