Primal Desires by Susan Sizemore

scream.”
    Sofia froze a step away from Jason’s SUV. As his hand tightened on her arm, a stray breeze enhanced the shiver that went up her spine. She was alone in an empty parking lot with a stranger.
    Oh, God, what had she gotten herself into!
    What was he going to do to her? What did he…?
    â€œDon’t show any weakness if you want them to respect you.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThey always need to know who’s the boss. They’ll keep testing you. It’s the pack mentality.”
    â€œI have no idea what you’re—”
    Then she saw the malamutes in the backseat.
    â€œOh.”
    They raised their huge heads to regard her.
    â€œGeorge and Gracie,” Jason said. “Meet Sofia.”
    She looked back at the animals for a moment, then she glared at the man beside her.
    â€œI do not panic at the mere sight of dogs,” she informed him. “What kind of wuss do you take me for? Slavering beasts attacking me tend to put me on edge, but I’m perfectly capable of sharing the planet with man’s best friend. Most of the time.” She looked at the animals again. Their steady regard wasn’t hostile, but it was disturbing. “Let’s take my car,” she suggested.
    â€œWuss.”
    She wasn’t going to let this man think she was a coward. “Fine,” she grumbled, and let him open the door for her. A cold nose touched the back of her neck as she fastened the seat belt, but she refused to flinch.
    Cage noticed. “A point to the lady, Gracie,” he said to the animal. “Oh, and they aren’t malamutes,” he added to Sofia as he put the car in gear. “They’re Arctic wolves.”

Chapter Ten
    Y ou might have mentioned what those animals were before letting me into the car with them.”
    â€œDid they hurt you? No,” he answered for her. “And you learned a valuable lesson about self-discipline.”
    She supposed he was referring to the fact that she hadn’t jumped out of the SUV at the first stoplight and run away screaming. She had merely sat in frozen silence until he’d parked and escorted her into the coffee shop. Now, safely seated at a table with a large foamy latte cupped in her hands, she was finally able to voice her objections.
    â€œDo you have a license for those things? Why would anybody want a pet wolf in the first place? Shouldn’t they be locked in a cage instead of—”
    â€œThey have a very comfortable traveling pen in the back of the truck,” he answered. “But they’d rather be near me, where they can shed in the backseat.”
    She couldn’t help but smile at this. She noticed a few silver hairs on the black jacket he wore over a white shirt. “And on you, too.”
    He nodded and dusted fingers across the front of his jacket. “Fur is my constant companion. The dry-cleaning bills alone sometimes make me question my choice of profession.”
    â€œWhat is the Beast Master doing in San Diego anyway? Shouldn’t you be doing two shows a night in Vegas?” Bare-chested and in skin-tight pants that show off your package?
    The heated look he gave her made her blush and worry that she’d spoken out loud. “I mean—”
    â€œThis started out as a vacation, became an obligation, and now…” He shrugged. “It’s gotten very complicated—or maybe very simple. I’m not sure yet.”
    She wondered why she had this almost overwhelming urge to find out everything there was to know about this man. Everything she hadn’t learned from looking him up on the Internet, that is. It was an odd compulsion for a loner like herself, but she’d been having odd compulsions since the moment she’d first laid eyes on him.
    â€œIf you were really a loner you wouldn’t have come when your family called.”
    Anger shot through her. “They didn’t call, they sent an e-mail. And stop reading