Page 10 of Primal Urges

Lucas had once felt safe and secure. Wrapped inhispowerful, warm arms…

Once.

It had started like something out of a movie. A romance, made-for-TV kind of movie. Not a blockbuster hit, but something that left you feeling all warm and tingly.

But then, somehow, it all went wrong…

Standing at the end of the Santa Monica Pier, Lucas raised his face toward the sky and let the warm California sun drip over his nose and cheeks.

God, he loved the heat.

He was a Cali boy. Born and raised. He had just graduated from college and was excited to finally be able to start auditioning for roles in musicals that were about to open. If he worked really hard, he hoped that in a year or two, he would be able to land the starring role in one of LA’s biggest musicals. A few years after that, he hoped to get enough credits andwork experience to land him a role in one of the major musicals playing in New York and then eventually move on to London, England.

That was his dream. To become world-famous and perform in London’s famous West End. Perhaps even conduct a performance or two in William Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. What a dream that would be.

Lowering his head, he took one last look over the Pacific Ocean and smiled. The world was his to conquer.

Reaching for the cache of shopping bags he had nestled by his feet, he winced when the bags were suddenly torn from his hand.

What the fuck?Lucas thought to himself, startled.

He looked up just in time to see a man with dark-orange hair dash down the pier, clutching the bags filled with end-of-school clothing that he had just purchased as a graduation gift to himself.

“Hey! Thief! Stop! Stop him!” Lucas shouted, knowing full well there was no point in yelling. Not one single person was going to stop what they were doing in order to help him catch his robber.

Lo and behold, he was right. Not one single person looked up or reacted to his pleas for help.

Seriously. What was the world coming to?

Lucas watched as the man got about halfway up the pier before he slowed, trying to blend in with those power walking around him.

“Great,” Lucas whispered, wondering how long it would take him to save up enough money to replace all the clothing the man had just stolen.

Further up the pier, a tall man with a buzz cut and a chiseled jaw glanced over at Lucas before turning his head toward the thief himself.

To Lucas’s surprise, the man took off after the thief, tackling him to the ground at the top of the pier.

Lucas watched in amazement as the man struggled with the thief, giving him two powerful punches to the face. The thief stopped struggling and dropped the bags from his grip. He covered his nose with his hands and rolled onto his side in pain.

The modern-day Captain America got off the cowering thief and gathered the stolen bags he had dropped.

Slowly, the mystery man began making his way back to where Lucas was standing, shocked and even a little impressed.

It wasn’t every day that a six-foot-four hunk of man-beef stepped in and came to his rescue.

“Are you okay?” the man asked once he reached Lucas at the bottom of the pier.

He set the bags down by his feet and placed a gentle hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

The man’s touch was incredible—both strong and gentle, like a Disney prince who had come to his rescue.

“Did he hurt you?” the man asked, his chestnut eyes analyzing every inch of Lucas’s face, no doubt searching for signs of injury or trauma.

Swoon.

The man’s eyes were breathtaking and heart-stopping.

Was it possible for someone to be able to see into your soul and know exactly what it was that you needed?

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