When the field operatives left, he was alone in his cabin with Levi. As Levi spoke with the teams, Corey had a growing sense of shame spiraling inside his chest.
He’s been so blind about his mate. Everyone had told him and he hadn’t listened. He’d been so angry that his crew had conspired against him to bring Willow here. But now, he was only angry at himself for rejecting that gift.
“I’ve been an idiot, Levi,” Corey said, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses.
“We all make mistakes.”
“Not like this.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. We’ll find her. She’ll be fine.”
“I knew she had a stalker. I even knew that he was no longer in his area. I was too blinded by my stupidity to see what was in front of my face. I broke her heart and sent her away to be kidnapped.”
“Corey, the guys never should have tricked you two into meeting.”
“You weren’t in on it?”
“Not until it was too late. If I’d known before she arrived, I would have put a stop to it.”
“Even Angus was in on it,” Corey said.
“They all were. But don’t hold it against them, Corey. They just wanted you to be happy.”
“I don’t hold it against them. I’m grateful. I never would have met her if they hadn’t done it. I’ve been stubborn and pig headed. I’m not proud of that.”
“Corey, you’ve told me about your parents. I understand your reservations about mating.”
“But you thought I would come around too, didn’t you?”
“I did. But I figured it would be on your own terms, not when the rest of the crew tricked you into it. That wasn’t really fair.”
“I’ve realized that Shane was right. It’s time for me to get over the past. What my father did has nothing to do with Willow and me.”
“What will you do when we find her?”
“I’ll ask her to be my mate. If she says yes, I’ll claim her. Marry her and keep her close for the rest of our lives.”
“Good for you, Corey. I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t congratulate me yet. We have to find her first. And she has to accept me.”
Corey felt a hard lump in his throat. He was terrified he’d destroyed his chances at love. But he was even more terrified that his stupidity had put Willow in serious danger. They had to find her. Now.
“I’m sure she’ll come around.”
“The guy who has her is a real sicko. There’s no telling what he’ll do. I’ve input all the information I have on him into my random probability generator, and it should give us a better idea of where he’s headed.”
12
Charles dragged Willow through the forest. Her whole body ached from the crash and the forced march through the dense brush.
Willow was beyond afraid, and a survival instinct deep inside her took over her body. If she’d had to think too much about what was happening, she would have collapsed into a frantic little puddle. At least if she was moving, and doing what he asked, she could keep herself somewhat safe from him.
“Why are you doing this?” she gasped as he pulled her up from her resting place under a tree.
“Because I’m the only one who can appreciate you for your genius. The publishing company didn’t appreciate you. God knows that shifter didn’t appreciate you. That man will never see you for what you really are.”
“And what is that?” she asked as she trudged through the dark underbrush.
“A goddess. And a genius.”
“Hate to break it to you, but I’m neither of those things.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. And that man you were with, he was wrong too.”’
“He’s confused.”
“He’s an idiot.”
“Corey Bright is anything but an idiot. He’s a genius.”
“Any man who would send you away crying is an idiot.”
“He had his reasons. Things you wouldn’t understand.”
“I don’t care about his shifter issues. All I care about is you getting what you deserve.”
“What do I deserve again?” she asked.
“You deserve a man who will worship you as I do.”
“I don’t want to be worshiped.”
“You need to be worshiped. A woman like you needs a man like me to show her what she’s worth.”
“I already know what I’m worth,” she said.
She knew she was worth more than this. That was for sure.
She could feel at the core of her being that Corey would find her and save her from this psycho.
The fated mate bond was strong between them, and she knew he was on his way. She didn’t know what would happen after he found her. Maybe she’d just go back to Seattle and go on as always. But she knew she would never be the same.
She was falling in love with Corey and she’d never be able to forget him. It would haunt her for the rest of her life. The pain of it ached like an unhealable wound deep in her heart.
“We have to hurry,” Charles said.
“Where are you taking me?” Willow asked.
“Somewhere we can be alone.”
She shook her head, trying to find the strength to carry on. Charles continued dragging her through the forest, and Willow grew more tired with every step. The morning sunlight was bright overhead. She was exhausted and trying to keep herself from crying with every aching footstep.
They came to a clearing, deep in the forest, with a campsite and tent set up. He hurried toward the tent and shoved her down into a foldout seat.
“Where the hell are we?” she asked.
“We are at the camp I prepared for you earlier today. This is where you will fall in love with me. This is where I will give you everything you deserve.”
“You’re demented,” Willow muttered.
The tent zipped open behind her, and a moment later Charles came back to light a fire in the fire pit.
“Is this some kind of campground?”
“I’m not telling you where we are until I know that you finally understand what I’m trying to do for you,” he said.
“How is keeping me prisoner worshiping me?” she asked, staring over the flickering new flames.
“You are confused. You need to be taught. I’m the only one who can teach you,” he said.
He knelt in front of her, grasping her hand and staring into her eyes.
“Willow Rhine, I know you. I know how you love. I know how to touch you,” he said.
“You realize reality and fiction are two different things, right?”
“You and I both know that you couldn’t write those things if you couldn’t feel them,” he countered.
“That doesn’t mean I would ever feel those things for you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
He gritted his teeth and reached up to grab her neck, squeezing until she couldn’t breathe. She gasped, trying to speak. She closed her eyes hard, regretting that she hadn’t just played along.
She heard a roar in the distance. It was unmistakably grizzly. Charles looked in the direction of the sound, and Willow kicked out at him, pushing him away and tilting the chair over backwards. She twisted herself out of the chair and began running toward the forest edge.
She made it to the cover of the trees when she heard the police telling Charles to put his hands up. She turned to see men overtake the campsite. Then a big brown bear paced through the camp, sniffing the air.
Willow didn’t know how, but she knew it was Corey. A grateful tear slid down her face, and she started to run to him. The bear sniffed the air and started toward her. They met in the grassy clearing beyond the campsite in the morning sunlight. She could see his eyes flash as he approached.
“Corey,” she whispered.
She was both afraid and intrigued. She needed to touch him, hug him, and stroke his fur. She stepped forward as he sniffed, groaning softly. Willow ran her hand along his muzzle and then wrapped her arms around his neck, holdi
ng him close to her.
“You found me,” she said into his fuzzy ear.
Before she knew what was happening, the bear retracted in her arms and she was being held by a very naked geek. She looked up at him, his eyes not disguised by his glasses.
Drew threw a blanket around Corey’s shoulders, and Corey tied it around his waist. Willow couldn’t help but peek at him, even though she tried to divert her eyes from his body.
“We need to get you back to the lodge,” he said, his voice all business.
All her feelings for Corey welled up inside her. The longing, the pain. The fact that he’d made it so clear that he didn’t want her. It all spiraled inside.
She fully understood her heroine now. She knew how she felt when the hero walked away. The feelings flooded her senses, and she knew she had to get them down on paper. She had to pour her emotions into her story. Maybe then she could understand what to do in her life.
“Do you know what happened to my laptop?” she asked, growing nervous that she’d lost her book.
“We recovered your belongings from the car crash.”
“Where are they?” she asked, walking past him to the campsite.
“Back at the lodge,” he said.
Charles Shaw was handcuffed, and the cops read him his rights. The Rescue Bears were standing back, looking confident in their rescue gear.
Willow turned back to look at Corey, wrapped in a thermal blanket. He’d come down here to find her. Even with a team of cops and the rescue crew out here, he came too. That had to mean something. She shoved the feeling aside. He’d made it clear that he didn’t want her. What she had to focus on was finishing her book, getting it to the editor, and getting on with her life. No matter how much she wanted Corey, she knew it was for the best.
“We need to get you checked out and back to the lodge,” Corey said.
“I’m fine,” Willow said. “I’m just tired. I need my computer so I can work on my book.”
“You want to work at a time like this?” he asked.
“I had a breakthrough while I was out here. I need to get it down. Tell me my computer is all right.”
“Um. I didn’t turn it on.”
“Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
“Let’s just get you back to the lodge.”
“Where are we?” she asked as they walked past the campsite and onto a dirt road beyond.
“Backpacking campsite. But there’s a Forest Service access road right by it. We just drove in.”
They walked down to a collection of vehicles, and he opened the passenger door of his compact truck. She slid inside, putting on the seatbelt.
Corey sat across from her, the metallic thermal blanket he wore crinkling in the silence between them. She had so much on her mind, she didn’t even know where to start.
Their bond spiraled back and forth between their hearts. She took a deep breath, feeling the profound tug toward him. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Being close to him made her come alive with desire and inspiration.
She wanted him so badly. Why did he have to play with her heart? She knew he wanted her too. His insistence that they stay apart was hurting them both.
13
Corey parked his truck in front of the lodge and helped a shaken Willow out of the passenger seat of the car. They’d barely spoken on the way home. She was so concerned about her computer that it didn’t seem to leave room for any other discussion.
He wanted to tell her he’d changed his mind about them. He saw it all differently now. When she’d been taken, he realized he couldn’t live without her. But now that she was with him again, all he could feel was shame.
He’d hurt her with his own stupidity in more ways than one. Because he’d been so adamant about not wanting a mate, he’d ignored the danger she was in. He’d broken her heart and caused her to run off in the night. She’d been in a car accident and her car was totaled. How could he feel anything but shame?
Everything that had happened to her was his fault. If there was something wrong with her computer, that would be his fault too. The feeling of guilt was so deep and painful; he couldn’t tell her how he felt about her now. He couldn’t tell her he’d changed his mind.
Maybe it was too late. Maybe he wouldn’t get a second chance. He wouldn’t blame her after what he’d done. All he could do now was try to make sure she got what she needed to resume her life.
He got the keycard for her suite and took her up in the elevator to her floor. When he swiped the card through the reader, she pushed through the door and immediately started searching for her computer.
“Where is it?” she asked, digging through her things.
“It’s right here,” he said, standing beside the dining room table.
The computer hadn’t fared well in the crash. It was dinged pretty badly, and he feared the worst. Willow groaned when she saw it and ran across the room to open it up. The screen was cracked, but she tried to plug it in and turn it on anyway.
Nothing happened.
“Damn it!” she wailed. “It’s all lost. All of it! I was so close to figuring it out. I finally understood my heroine’s motivations. I knew what she needed to do next. Now I’ll have to start all over again!”
She sat down on the bed and started to cry. Corey’s heart ached seeing her like that. He sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulder.
“I can get your data off the hard drive,” he said, pulling her close.
She pulled back and looked at him with hope in her eyes.
“Really?”
“I can take it home and have it for you in the morning,” he said. “You need to rest now.”
“No. I’m coming with you. I need to know my files are okay.”
“All right,” he said hesitantly.
He understood her obsession with her writing, but he also knew she really needed to rest right now. Her health was more important than her work. She needed someone to remind her of that as much as he did sometimes.
They needed each other.
Every second, it became clearer and clearer that they were meant for each other. As he was walking her back to his cabin, he looked up into the blue sky and took a deep breath. He wanted her to the depths of his soul. He knew it was right. Would he ever be worthy of her?
He had to make himself worthy of her. If it took the rest of his life, he had to make up for what he’d done. He needed her to forgive him. He needed to be allowed to love her and to feel her love in return.
As he opened the door to his cabin, the need ached inside him. Whatever it took, he’d do. For Willow. For their future. His past be damned. He had to think of the future and the joy they could share if he just let it happen.
“Why don’t you rest on the couch while I do this,” he said, grabbing a throw blanket out of a closet.
She laid down on the couch and he covered her with the blanket.
“I could use a bit of a rest,” she said, yawning. “Just tell me as soon as you have my files.”
Her voice grew more distant with each word.
He let out a deep sigh at seeing her resting, finally. He took her busted laptop, disassembled it, and pulled out her hard drive. He had the drive hooked up to his mainframe in no time flat.
He planned to transfer her files to a new laptop with the same operating system she’d been using. He would then give it to her so she’d have something to use.
When he’d finished extracting her files and settings from her old hard drive, he started to copy them to the new computer. It would take a while to upload, so he stood up and walked over to the couch.
Willow slept peacefully under the throw blanket. There was no way he would wake her now. He looked at the clock on his phone. It was already late in the day. He needed to get a few hours of sleep himself.
Tomorrow, he was going to tell Willow that he wanted her to be his mate. No matter how hard it might be to battle through his shame. He’d need a clear mind for tha
t. It would take everything in him to ask for a second chance. He went to his room and crawled into bed.
He woke with a start the next morning and opened his eyes to see Willow standing over him with a worried expression on her face. The sun shone brightly behind the window blinds. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and sniffed the air.
He could smell coffee and Willow’s agitation mingled with the scent of her arousal. He focused on the thing he wanted to deal with least. Corey had made a decision to face things head on. Today was the day to start.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, sitting up in bed.
“I asked you to wake me when you retrieved my files,” she scolded.
He swung his feet over the side of the bed and slid his glasses on. He could smell her scent in the air between them.
“I uploaded your files and settings to a new laptop,” he said, walking across the room to pull a pair of jeans off the back of a chair. He slid into his pants. “It takes a long time, so I just let you sleep.”
“Anyway. I made coffee.”
“Great. Thanks,” he said, walking past her and into the kitchen.
He was shirtless and rubbed his hand up his chest as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The clock on the stove said it was still early.
“How are you feeling this morning,” he asked her, bringing the cup to his lips.
“I’m fine. I’m just anxious about my files,” she said.
He hurried into the living room and flicked his finger over the new laptop he’d prepared for her. The file transfer was complete and everything was ready to go.
“Here it is,” he said, unplugging it for her. “Try it out.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking the machine.
She sat down on the couch in the pile of blankets she’d slept in. She picked up her coffee cup from the side table and took a sip before diving into the computer to find whatever it was she needed to find.
“Thank God, it’s all here,” she said.
Her fingers started to move over the keyboard before he had a chance to say another word. Was she already working? He opened his mouth but then closed it. He couldn’t bother her now.
He turned to his computer and started to type code into his latest project. His fingers moved slowly as he tried to keep his mind focused. Every few minutes, he turned around to check on Willow. She was still typing furiously, her brow furrowed in concentration.