Page 10 of Primal

Mr. McIntire…Cody… was big. Broad. Dark. Handsome. Hot. Sexy. His eyes bored into mine, and I felt seen and exposed, as if my clothes were made of thin tissue, not satin. When his gaze lowered to take in every inch of me, my nipples hardened. Traitors!

He drugged me. Kidnapped me. Saw my body, apparently, because I’d been in a robe before, and now I was dressed. Put me to bed. God,hisbed.

This was Tyler’s dad.His DAD. And the more we silently stared at each other, the more I was drawn to him. That close cut beard was doing it for me. So were his intensely blue eyes. His strong body. His–Oh, God… Stockholm syndrome? Daddy issues?

“This is my cabin, sugar,” he said. He lived in town. I’d been to his place before because of Tyler, so this must be a retreat? A mountain getaway? A lair for hiding kidnapped women? “You’re here because…” He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn’t stop staring at me.Intome. “Well, you’re mine.”

I blinked. Then again. “Um… what?” I was his? Okay, now I was freaked.

“What you saw with Tyler was real,” he continued. He stood, feet spread, loose-limbed. But he gave off a commanding air. Strong. God, what drug did he give me because I wanted to lick my lips at how…virilehe was.

“The wolf,” I said, after a hard swallow.

He nodded.

“Tyler’s a werewolf,” I clarified.

He shook his head. “Not a werewolf. It’s not a disease where you can give it to someone–it’s a different species. Tyler’s a shifter.”

“That means–” I eyed him from head to toe. Took in the jeans that molded to his body in ways that shouldn’t be legal. A snap shirt that just asked to be yanked open. Forearms that were pretty much porn. Hair that was a little long and curly, and I couldn’t forget the beard. I wanted to touch it, feel how soft it was. Feel it… everywhere. I was totally into the beard.

Was it because guys my age couldn’t even grow a mustache?

“I’m a shifter, too,” he admitted.

Maybe I hit my head on the hike with Tyler. Maybe I was delirious. Seeing things. Hearing things. Maybe I wasn’t even awake. Maybe this was a drug-induced dream. Through Tyler, I’d known Cody–even tangentially–for a few years. We’d never really talked before because he was a friend’sdad.A friend I’d kissed earlier and found it very lacking.

For some reason, the feelings I should have for Tyler I was feeling now for Cody. Attraction. Interest. A craving. A longing to be kissed and not solely on my mouth. Why? I had no idea becausethis was Tyler’s dad!

Tyler never said anything bad about him, never accused him of being a crazy helicopter parent. Hell, mine was. As deputy sheriff, Dad was a control freak in all aspects of his life, especially when it came to me andmylife. Cody was… cool. Always had been.

Except I hadn’t known he’d always been a freaking shifter or found him H.O.T.

That meant he was going to turn into a wolf. He was going to fight a mountain lion. But there were no mountain lions here, whereverherewas. There wasonly me. Was he going to tear me to pieces? Rip out my throat? Claw me?

No, no, and fuck no.

With a flick of my gaze to the bedroom door, I sprang from the bed and ran for it. I had to get the hell out of here, away from Cody. Away from any McIntire. Just… away.

Dad had always told me to be vigilant about my safety. To walk in groups, to hold my keys in between my fingers. To be watchful. Cautious.

And yet I’d left my front door unlocked, and a man came in, drugged me, and kidnapped me to a cabin in the woods. It was literally the plot of every crime show on TV. If that wasn’t enough, which it was, he just admitted to being a shifter wolf.

If I hadn’t seen Tyler in action earlier, I wouldn’t believe it. I’d laugh in Cody’s face. But I had. Too much. That meant I shouldn’t stick around and do anything with Cody’s face or the rest of his body.

The cabin was pretty small, thankfully. I cut through the main room and threw open the front door.

“Riley!” Cody yelled, his voice practically echoing off the log walls.

I heard the heavy footsteps, which meant Cody was coming after me as I ran across the front porchand jumped down the three steps onto a field of wild grass and wildflowers. I didn’t see another house. A narrow dirt drive was the only guide I had to civilization. I was alone with Cody, the shifter. A wolf. If he was anything like his son, he’d have fangs sharp enough to rip out a mountain lion’s throat. Enough strength to break the animal’s neck.

Which meant he could easily do both to me.

“Fuck, sugar! Stop.Fuck.”

I saw his Jeep, turned, and ran for it, prayed the keys were inside. If not, I could lock the doors and… I had no idea, but it was a metal and glass barrier between me and a… wolf person.

My breath came out in pants, and the adrenaline pumping through my veins fueled my sprint. Except I wasn’t a runner. I’d done cheerleading in high school. It wasn’t an endurance sport. I could bend and flip, but that sure as hell wasn’t going to save me now.