Primal Instincts_ Volume 2(17)
Author: Nicole Edwards

 

She didn’t even give me a chance to respond, disconnecting the call.

 

I squeezed the phone tight enough to break as I stared at Hawk, every ounce of my frustration directed at him.

 

Journey wasn’t wrong. I was playing an angle; I just didn’t know what it was. I was testing Hawk and Garrison, but to what end? Did I want them to overstep? Was I hoping their interest in her would force my hand? I wanted her. There was no denying that. Hell, I wanted her more than I’d wanted anything in a long damn time. It scared the shit out of me, too, because I knew myself. I knew my darkness, my hunger. I lived with it on a daily basis.

 

I did it to please you.

 

I could hear her words like a whisper in my head. Yeah, I fucking wanted her. Now it was a matter of figuring out what to do with her when I got her. Because I would. As far as the animal prowling inside me was concerned, there was no other option.

 

I go to my feet. “Go to bed, Hawk.”

 

I turned toward my bedroom.

 

“Creed?”

 

I stopped and turned back to give him my full attention.

 

“Next time you command me to do something, you better be prepared to fight for it.”

 

My eyebrows rose from the challenge.

 

His eyes flashed with defiance and hatred, but they burned with need. “Because I’m done kneeling at your feet.”

 

“We’ll see about that.”

 

“Yeah.” He nodded, his expression resigned. “I guess we will.”

 

As I walked to my room, I realized Hawk believed what he was saying.

 

Problem was, I believed him, too.

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

 

Wednesday…

 

 

 

 

 

Journey

 

 

As I made my way into the office the next day, I realized there wasn’t the same spring in my step as there had been. I no longer felt anticipation and giddiness when I thought about the future. I felt resigned and forlorn.

 

I noticed it first when I went to select an outfit for today. Unlike yesterday when I’d felt invincible against the day ahead, today I felt the opposite. Which should’ve been evident in the drab gray slacks I paired with a white cashmere sweater. I didn’t even bother with heels, choosing flats instead. I hated flats because they drove home the fact that I was vertically challenged.

 

This was his fault.

 

Creed’s.

 

He had pushed me last night to the point I found myself defensive. That he glossed over what had happened, instead choosing to taunt me about Garrison and Hawk … well, that pissed me off. I didn’t like that he was using either of them against me. Or me against them. I wasn’t lying when I said I wished Garrison had kissed me or when I told him I liked Hawk. I did, and I didn’t see any reason to deny it. Creed clearly wanted to play games, which told me he wasn’t serious. And if he wasn’t, why should I be?

 

I wished I could say I didn’t feel guilty, but I did. I shouldn’t since this wasn’t my doing. I wasn’t purposely trying to land three different men. I was attracted to Creed. I was also drawn to his dominance. It spoke to a side of me I’d always suspected was there. He made me do things I didn’t know I was capable of. With his voice alone, he made me act out the fantasies I’d only ever written about. And if I was being brutally honest, I liked myself more when I was submitting to him.

 

And then there was Hawk. I liked how he made me feel when we were together. He was hot as hell with that mischievous smirk. I’d dreamed about that crooked grin and his pretty blue eyes more than once. He was witty and charming, and he seemed to understand me. And the kisses we had shared … no one had ever kissed me like that. He made me feel important. With him, it felt effortless, like we had a connection. I could talk to him and not worry about what I’d say. It was like we’d known each other forever and what we had was comfortable. And yes, I knew that didn’t make sense because I’d only known him for a week, but that didn’t change the fact that it was true.

 

And now Garrison, with his overabundance of charm and his handsome face. I sensed a vulnerability in him, and for whatever reason, I was drawn to it. I wanted to know his deepest, darkest secrets so I could replace all the negative with good. It was obvious someone had hurt him. I wanted to be the one to help him move on. Not necessarily be the one he moved on with, but I couldn’t deny I was attracted to him.

 

I sighed as I scanned my badge across the RFID reader. The light flashed green, and the lock disengaged, allowing me to pull the door open and step inside.

 

“Good morning, Kurt,” I greeted, forcing a smile I didn’t feel as I held up my badge for him to confirm it was my face.

 

“Morning, Journey,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched me. “Everything okay?”

 

I couldn’t help wondering whether Creed would’ve noticed that I wasn’t my usual cheery self the way Kurt did. Probably not, since he didn’t know me.

 

“All good,” I lied. “Just a little tired this morning.”

 

He smiled as I continued to the next set of doors.

 

I was greeted with the delicious scent of coffee beans and freshly baked pastries. I ignored both, even though caffeine might’ve gone a long way in kickstarting my day and improving my mood. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the energy to stand in line, and there wasn’t a sexy, overbearing biochemical engineer handy to let me skip to the front.

 

My thoughts drifted to dinner with Garrison last night. I hadn’t expected to have such a good time with him. Throughout the meal, I kept watching him, trying to decipher if he wished he could be anywhere else. Creed was the one who made him take me to dinner. He even set it all up. But the only time I saw Garrison uncomfortable was when I was asking questions about his past relationships.

 

I really, really wanna kiss you right now, but I can’t.

 

I could still hear those words in that sexy drawl of his, and like the first time, it felt like someone suddenly made the carousel spin backward. One minute I was moving forward at a relatively slow pace, the next, I felt topsy-turvy. Worse? I liked it. So much so that when Mason had dropped me at my parents’ house last night, I’d seriously considered asking him to take me to Garrison’s. I didn’t know where Garrison lived, wasn’t even sure whether Mason did, but the thought of spending a little more time with him had been appealing.