Primal Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page A

on her sunglasses against the sun’s glare.
    After some steering practice and a lunch of ham sandwiches, apples, and brownies, everyone packed bottled water and snacks in their net day-bags. The party shoved off from the shore and pointed the canoes east.
    Sam listened to the wind rustling the pine branches and the plash of canoe paddles. Tiny purple and white flowers poked up in the marsh grass at the water’s edge. He inhaled the fresh scents of clear water and damp earth. Damn, he loved the Gomagash Wilderness. From a zippered pocket in his life vest, he extracted a cookie.
    Popping the treat in his mouth, he lifted his face to the warmth of the sun. He dipped his paddle, gliding the canoe forward to lead the way. A few dark clouds hovered in the northwest but posed no threat. A light westerly helped them along. A good omen.
    To maintain their course, he switched sides with his paddle in a smooth motion that didn’t miss a beat of his companion’s slower rhythm.
    Occasionally he turned to check the other two canoes following them side by side. The two men had partnered up, leaving mother and son together in grim silence. Carl Pulsifer was a Richmond, Virginia, contractor. His initial skepticism had shown him to be a glass-half-empty kind of guy, not just a good ol’ boy ready for good times away from the business.
    Ray Hadden, a computer programmer, had an intense manner that unnerved Sam. “I want an adventure vacation. Can you deliver?” he’d asked. Sam had blathered the company line about the wilderness experience and had promised to do his best.
    Nothing Sam could do about Frank’s attitude for the time being. Maybe the kid would work out some hostility with his paddle. His mom wanted to reach him, but didn’t know how. And the princess...
    Annie plied her paddle in the twenty-foot canoe’s bow, her spine as rigid as a tent pole. At least she wasn’t blind to the beauty around her. More than once she stared at the mountains and checked out a duck lolling in the shallows.
    Sunlight on the ruffled surface of the water threw sparkles across her cheek when she turned. She had kiss-me lips, fine features, and a determined set to her jaw. She radiated almost as much attitude as the kid, mostly directed toward Sam.
    The woman needed to loosen up, enjoy the scenery, go with the flow. His gaze swept down her slim back to a lush flare of hips. Okay muscles, but canoeing would lay new demands on gym toning. Initial stiffness should ease before they hit the rapids on Eagle River.
    Leading the expedition meant avoiding sex with her. She wasn’t built like those anorexia poster girls he’d dated in Boston. Hers was a real body—trim with enough softness to hold on to.
    Too bad the timing wasn’t right for a brief, hot affair. He sure had nothing to offer. They had little in common, but he liked her spunk, the spirit in her silvery eyes. Sparring with her added relish to this hot-dog trip.
    Shadows lurked in the depths of those eyes. Shadows that might be the real reason behind this trip. “Yo, princess, rest for a minute. Don’t throw out your arm the first day.”
    “Don’t call me princess.” She lifted her paddle and laid it across the gunwales.
    He grinned. “Registration form says you’re a reporter for the Messenger . Too many deadlines stress you out?”
    She laughed, a warm, husky chortle that kindled sparks in his groin. “Something like that.” She offered nothing more, shifting to dip her paddle.
    He could read that signal without a team book. Subject in foul territory. But he hadn’t struck out yet. He patted his vest in search of another snack. “Justin and I were buddies back in school, but I didn’t meet any more of the family until today. Your folks still live in Cape Elizabeth?” The bedroom community to Portland was one of the ritzier suburbs.
    “Only summers. They have a condo in Florida for the cold months. My father retired from law practice a few years ago.”
    “No legal eagles