The Wolf's Call (Two-Natured London) Read Free Page B

She
inhaled sharply for the memory and almost whimpered when a jolt of arousal shot
through her again. She had seen handsome men before, but something about him
just spoke to her.
    He had
been a picture of a powerful and self-confident man. He was extremely tall,
around six foot four or five, but he carried himself well; a man comfortable
with his height. His body was visibly strong, but he wasn’t brawny or overly
bulgy. Rather, his trimmed torso indicated stamina instead of empty muscles
acquired by pumping iron. The buttons of his well-cut suit jacket had been
open, hinting of washboard abs, as his broad shoulders narrowed to a waist that
didn’t show an ounce of extra weight. Then there had been his long legs, their
strength obvious in jeans he had worn in deference to custom. But they had
suited him perfectly. A suit represented tame and institutionalised power. His
was wilder, raw power that shouldn’t be restrained by propriety.
    His
face had untamed savageness about it too. It was strong and chiselled with a
firm-lipped mouth set in determined lines, and a slightly aquiline nose with
wide nostrils; an arrogant nose for a fierce face. His eyebrows were straight
and sandy, and his deep blue eyes had been sharp as he’d studied the office as
if scanning it for dangers. His complexion was slightly tanned, contrasting
with his eyebrows and sun-kissed dark blond hair, giving her a notion that he
spent a lot of time outdoors. The thick hair was a bit overgrown and tousled as
if he had recently battled with wind or had only run his fingers through it
upon waking.
    Watching
him approach, she had imagined him lying in bed just after waking up and
another jolt of arousal had shot through her. His eyes would be drowsy, his
hair even bigger a mess, and his chest would be bare and hopefully dusted with
light hair.
    Just
at that moment, he had looked directly at her. More, he had known exactly how
he affected her, judging by the smug quirk of his upper lip. Not a great
surprise there. Men like him aroused women wherever they went and they knew it.
    And
then he had simply walked past her as if she were air.
    The
shock of it had jolted her to her senses. She was just one of many swooning
women on his path and didn’t even merit a second look. But the impact of him
was so enduring that for once she wasn’t strong enough to control her body.
That brought on a genuine fear that if she failed now, she wouldn’t be able to
control herself the next time she got angry. So she set out to go through every
technique in her repertoire, from meditation to mind games, in order to become
her own master again.
    It
spoke volumes of how he had affected her that it took almost a half an hour
before she was calm again and able to concentrate on her work. The loss of time
aggravated her. She had to finish her case by the end of the week and it was
Thursday already. She couldn’t afford to let her mind wander.
    And
then Mr Latimer returned. “Miss Thornton, could you come to the meeting room,
please. Mr Green would like to speak with you.”
    There
went her equilibrium. Seizing control of herself immediately, she got up to
only slightly shaking legs, her heart pumping wildly. She spent a moment
straightening her pencil skirt, wishing she had worn something less
form-fitting. Then she put on the suit jacket she had wrapped over the back of
her chair and headed to the meeting room.
    Gary
shot her a mischievous smile when she passed his desk. “I bet you wish you’d
made the coffee yourself now.”
    His
words stunned her. Not because they were an indication of a gender stereotype,
but because they were true. She would have loved to make coffee for that man.
What was wrong with her?
    Mr
Latimer was holding the door to the meeting room open for her and she took
courage from him. With his grumpy presence, she would be able to go through the
meeting without embarrassing herself. But then the door closed behind her and
she realised to her horror that Mr