Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(24)

What could possibly have been going through my mind when I agreed to come to the training room? I shifted my gaze from one chiseled, muscle-bound man to the next, gawking down the line like some horny teenager. There were ten in total. All deliciously shirtless, wearing loose-fitting track pants, bodies gleaming with sweat as they moved in unison, Cal in the lead, through what Andrew informed me was a karate kata.

For warm-up, he had told me before leaving me behind to stare and squirm.

The men hadn’t seemed to notice my entrance, apparently so entranced in their kata, so dedicated to their training, that none, not even Cal, had shifted his eyes to me. But I wasn’t fooled. They all knew I was there, even Cal. The electricity in the room had spiked and was growing, crackling with excitement, arousal, and my own frustration.

I swept my gaze over the men, coming to a rest on the one I found most appealing. Oh yeah, this is definitely not the way to avoid thinking about Cal. Not when he moved with such fluidity, his massive body flexing, his muscles pumping with each strike and kick. It was mesmerizing. And though my gaze strayed to the others, I always returned to him as if pulled there, hungry for another ogling. Despite the sting of what felt like yet another rejection from him, I continued to gawk, feeling safe to stare when his back was to me.

I licked my lips and pulled at the collar of my shirt. The room’s air was thick with the scent of male musk, and my body buzzed as I inhaled it like a ravenous slut, certain that I could detect Cal’s smell mingled within.

Oh god, how am I going to keep my hands off him?

The blush that burned on my cheeks was spreading slowly down my neck, and I forced my eyes to scan the rest of the room, taking it in for the first time in its entirety. Andrew had called it the training room and it looked exactly like that. We had descended a flight of stairs to the lower level of the west wing, passed into a hallway and then through the door into this immense gym. From what I could see, it housed some impressive-looking training equipment, elliptical bikes, treadmills, weight-lifting systems, dumbbells, punching bags and, of course, this massive court where the men were currently running through their katas.

As my gaze strayed back to the chiseled bodies, and then to Cal, I felt my blush deepen.

How could I lust for a man who was determined to keep me at arm’s length? Why did it seem like I was such a sucker for the unavailable ones? First Jimmy and his no-strings attached policies and now Cal with his “reasons” for pushing me away. And then there was Lazarus, a werewolf with evil intent and from what I’d experienced, disgusting to boot. Mixed into to all that was the psychic’s prediction that one of the two men was meant to be the love of my life.

How could that be? Cal certainly didn’t want to fall in love with me and was going to do whatever necessary to ensure that didn’t happen. So what was the alternative? Seek out the werewolf king? I cringed. No matter what Cal had said about the king being able to turn human, I didn’t get all hot and bothered at the thought of running into Lazarus again. No, more like nauseated and fearful.

The psychic might have said I had a choice, but I’d already made my decision—or at least, my body had. I wanted Cal. I wanted him in a huge way. My stomach fluttered with each of his movements, my heart pounded with more intensity when he was near and deep down in my core I grew tight with want and wet with desire. Oh yeah, I had it bad for Cal and, no matter what I told him, it was going to take all of my power to deny my urges.

I shifted my gaze down to my shirt, busying myself with picking at stray pieces of lint. Andrew had said he would be back to fetch me in a moment, but that moment had stretched on for a long time. I needed to either get the hell out of there or walk right over and stick my tongue down Cal’s throat and get it over with. I glanced back at him through my lashes and was startled to find him looking at me, his eyes blazing with intensity as he continued his movements.

I sucked in a deep breath and stumbled backward, using my butt to hit the door, my hand fumbling on the knob until I could push it open. Cool air hit me the second I made it out, a welcome relief for my burning body. With my heart fluttering and my body aching for him, I leaned against the other side of the closed door and lowered my head, my chin almost resting on my chest as I sucked in deep, calming breaths.

Andrew had set me up. He had walked me right into a den of sex. It was intoxicating, and he had to have known what effect it would have on me. Bastard. I sighed, but I couldn’t blame his calculated move. He wanted me to be with Cal and so did Kelly—that much was clear.

I took in another deep breath, and rested my head against the door, still fighting to rein in my desire. What harm indeed. Seeing Cal in there had me doubting my vow to never sleep with him. Cal was definitely a hunk—a big walking sex magnet, and I had no idea how long my conviction to deny him would hold out. Because if it was up to my body, I’d be dragging him out of the training room in a heartbeat. I closed my eyes briefly, then pushed myself from the door. What I needed right now was a distraction. My bedroom had some novels on the shelves. I had some reading to catch up on.

When I opened my eyes, determination set in. I could fight this insane urge to jump on Cal and ravage his body. Just as I told Andrew, I was in control. I didn’t need sex. I would not lose this fight.

“Nice move, Andrew,” I mumbled as I headed toward the stairs that would take me back to the main level. “But now it’s my turn.”