I was about to text my mother the change of plans and that I would be heading home, when Bettina whispered, “Hot guy alert." She nodded toward the grocery store entrance. "He got out of his truck and has been leaning there, staring at us the entire time,” she informed me. Not feeling any inclination to care about a random ogler, I returned my attention to my phone when her next words stopped me cold. “I guess we’re closer to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina than I thought.”
I knew it was him. I don’t know how I knew it or how it was even possible, but I could feel the heat from his eyes as they penetrated my back. As if in a dream I turned around slowly. I aimed my gaze toward the entrance of the store and saw Christian Bear.
The next few minutes were a blur as I once again hugged Bettina goodbye and tucked my phone in my pocket, completely forgetting I was going to call or text my mother. After waving to Bettina's retreating Miata, I turned back to the store entrance convincing myself that what I'd seen couldn't have been real—I was wrong. When I made eye contact with Christian, he walked toward me, his intense gaze mesmerizing me. He looked exactly as I remembered him from over five years ago, except he was much wider and taller. His vivid blue eyes stood out in stark contrast to his black hair which he still wore long, and I noticed a lot of tattoos as he got closer. I didn’t remember him having so many when he was a teenager.
This couldn’t be happening, I kept telling myself. Couldn’t be real. It was almost as if thinking about him on the drive I’d somehow conjured him up out of nowhere. And speaking of nowhere, that’s exactly where we were. In the middle of nowhere.
“Mimi?” He smiled hesitantly. “Is that you?”
Before I could answer, he asked, “It is you, isn’t it? Mimi Dillon?”
“C-Christian?” I stuttered. “What in the world are you doing here?” Captivated by his intense stare, I had to concentrate on not allowing my knees to buckle.
“It is you!” His tentative smile turned brighter than the sun. He came at me for a hug and before I knew it my face was pressed into his chest. He smelled so good. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Memories of his rejection rescued me from the moment, forcing me to tear myself away from him and look up. I didn’t hold a grudge, but I also knew I wouldn’t let myself get sucked back in. I knew the moment he recognized the change in my attitude as I nervously fiddled with my earring and looked around.
“So,” I said as I rolled back on my heels and thrust my hands into my pockets. “Fancy meeting you here.” I had to remind myself that we were both adults now, and he’d obviously forgotten what had transpired between us. I’d been able to move past it as well, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that seeing him brought memories back from that place in my heart where they lay dormant for years. Unlike my earlier musings during my drive, seeing him in the flesh added a dimension to those memories I hadn’t expected. It felt like a hundred raw nerves had been exposed and with them my humiliation. I felt a blush creeping up my neck. I hoped it wouldn’t reach my face.
“I’m here on vacation with my family.” He rolled his eyes as if he found the admission embarrassing. “We're staying at a house by the lake.” He nodded toward a gray pickup truck that was parked a few cars down. I noticed the bed was filled with bicycles, a small kayak, and fishing poles. “I didn’t want to come but now I’m glad I did. Mom sent me out for a bag of ice. Damn, I wish she’d come with me. I know she’d love to see you. What are you doing in South Carolina?” His voice was deeper than I remembered. "I thought you said your family was moving to Montana."
Warm memories of Christian’s family replaced the angst I was feeling. I couldn’t help but smile. “I go to college here. I spend my spring break at a camp up the mountain.” I nodded toward the intersection and one of the roads that led away from Pumpkin Rest. “I always stop here for gas before I head there.” I was so shocked by his sudden appearance that I forgot to mention the camp was under quarantine.
“Come back to the house with me before you head to your camp.” His eyes were sincere. “Please, Mimi,” he pleaded. “Ten minutes. It’ll take ten minutes to see my family and say hello. You can follow me and be on your way after you see them.”
I looked away nervously. Christian’s parents knew my family’s secret. Seeing them for a quick visit wouldn’t be revealing anything they weren’t already aware of. Except, of course, they believed we’d moved to Montana. There was no reason to say anything different to them. It was totally believable that I drove my car from Montana to attend college in South Carolina.
I made the quick decision that I would accept Christian’s offer, convincing myself it was only because I wanted to see his family. I was so engrossed in watching the sway of his long hair against his wide shoulders as he strode confidently toward his truck, I missed the slight clenching of his jaw when he’d turned away from me. I’d also missed that he didn’t stop for ice from the machine that sat just a few feet away.
Chapter 1
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2007
Two Weeks Earlier
Christian Bear leaned against the cushions of the worn couch and closed his eyes, letting the rhythm of her motions and the teasing of her tongue take him to a different realm. He could smell diesel fuel and grease as it drifted through the open door that separated the garage from the office.
He should’ve been grateful Axel had given him a job. After getting out of prison, he’d had the option to work on his father’s landscaping crew or suck up to Axel for another chance at car and motorcycle repairs. He had to stay off the law’s radar, and it seemed like blending back into society as a mechanic was a good start. He was crashing at his older brother, Slade’s, house in the guest room until he could figure out what he wanted to do with his life.
He chanced a glance down at the girl who was furiously trying to spin magic between his legs. It was working until she felt his stare and stopped what she was doing.
“You haven’t even asked me my name,” she said coyly, still holding his hardness with one hand. She batted her eyelashes and tried to look away shyly.
He rolled his eyes and roughly shoved her away. They were done.
Not another one. Another one who didn’t understand a blow job was just a blow job. Not a fucking marriage proposal. He’d just turned twenty-three, but he knew the type. How he kept getting tangled up with these women, he didn’t have a clue. She would want to talk and connect with him. She’d tell him she understood the depths of his pain and could heal him from the inside out.
So many had wanted to try. So many had been kicked out on their slutty asses as soon as he realized they thought they could be more than just a lay.
There was only one who could’ve been more. Only one he’d had feelings for.
How many times had he berated himself over the years thinking about how tongue-tied he’d been around Mimi? He’d barely been able to communicate back then, and missed more than one opportunity. By the time he was able to finally tell her how he felt, it was too late. Her mother was moving her away to start a new life in another state.
He remembered how back in 2002 when he was seventeen, his mother had made a big dinner and invited Mimi’s family over for a final goodbye. Except he hadn’t known it was final. He’d thought it was just dinner. Apparently Mimi’s mother, Ginny, had sold their house and had already shipped their personal belongings to their new home. They’d be spending the night in a hotel, starting the long drive to Montana the next day.
He almost dropped his fork mid-bite when he realized they were talking about leaving the very next morning. Everything had been set in motion.
How had this slipped by him? How had he not known? How could he not have heard his parents talking about a cross-country move by one of their closest friends?
There was no way his parents hadn’t known about this, he concluded. They had purposely kept it a secret, and he wanted to know why. Being caught off guard like that had pissed him off to no end. As everyone stood in the fo
yer of his parents’ house hugging and saying their final goodbyes, he’d slunk off to his room to fume, beyond angry.
He was throwing darts with his back to the bedroom door when he heard a soft knock. He gritted his teeth. If his mother thought she was going to try to smooth things over, she had another thing coming. His parents were guilty, and he planned on playing judge, jury, and executioner.
He heard the door open and was surprised when he heard Mimi’s voice.
“Christian?”
His arm had stopped mid-throw, letting the dart drop to the floor as he slowly turned around to face her.
She was taking something out of her backpack.
“I never had a chance to give this back to you.” She gave him a small smile.
He absently reached for the jacket he’d loaned her so many months ago. Mimi had looked at him with her big brown eyes as they both stood clutching the jacket, neither one willing to let go. He slowly tugged, and instead of releasing it, she held on and let him pull her closer. He saw something in her eyes then. He saw recognition. She was realizing at this very moment how he felt, how he’d always felt about her, even though he'd never been able to express himself.
“You have to go?” he heard himself ask her.
She nodded. “I want to go,” she said in a soft voice. Her forehead crinkled. “At least, I think I do.”
A pause. She looked at him with uncertainty and wonder.
Just then, her younger brother, Jason, poked his head into the room.
“Mimi, Mom said c’mon.” They could hear his footsteps as he ran off.
“The guy that Jason mentioned at dinner, James. Is that why you’re leaving? Your mom is seeing someone?”
“He’s part of the reason. I’m glad my mother has fallen in love again. I want her to be happy, and I just don’t think she can stay here.”
“James who?” Not that he cared. He was just trying to think of conversation to prevent Mimi from leaving, if only for a few more minutes.
“Just James.” She looked away.
Christian nodded. He was honestly happy for Mimi’s mother and respected her privacy. She was a good woman, and Christian thought she deserved some happiness. But Ginny’s happiness was taking his happiness across the country and out of his life.
“Mimi, I’ve waited too long, and now it’s too late.” His words were quiet.
She’d finally let go of his jacket, and he now held it in a crumpled ball.
Mimi laid a hand on his arm. “No. It’s not too late, Christian. Look—we’re going away to start over. Mom doesn’t want us connected to anything from her old life. I don’t blame her. We’re going off the grid”—she emphasized the phrase with air quotes—“but it won’t be forever. I know how to get in touch with you, and I will. You’ll hear from me, okay?”
“When?”
“I honestly don’t know, but I'll figure out a way as soon as I can. I have to go now. They’re waiting. It won’t be long. Trust me.”
She'd stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed his cheek.
“Mimi,” he'd called after her. She stopped and looked back at him, her hand clutching the doorknob. “Were you disappointed Slade wasn’t here tonight? You know, to say goodbye?”
“No.” She dipped her chin and peered up at him through her eyelashes. “I wasn’t disappointed at all.”
And then she was gone. That was five years ago.
He’d waited for her to reach out to him.
She never did.
Days slowly became weeks, which became months and finally stretched out into years, and there was no word from Mimi. She left, and he’d never gotten over her. Never forgotten that he’d seen something in her eyes that night. Something maybe she didn’t even know was there. Something he’d wanted to pursue and would have—if she hadn’t driven out of his life the next morning.
He was no longer the tongue-tied teenager who couldn’t bring himself to ask Mimi out. Now he was a man. A man who knew what he wanted. A man who could finally admit that he'd always been in love with Mimi.
Shaking off the unhappy memory from five years ago, he barely noticed when what’s-her-name pouted her way out of Axel’s office and slipped out the back door of the garage. It was a Sunday, and the place was empty.
He absently looked around the small room and wondered if Axel had any liquor stashed. He rummaged through drawers and file cabinets until he came to the last one. It was an old metal number that had seen better days, and the drawers gave a loud screech when he opened and closed them.
The last and final drawer didn’t contain files. A brown paper bag was sitting on top of something black. Maybe there was a bottle buried in here somewhere. He grabbed the bag, but could tell by its weight that it was full of paper. He wasn’t interested and tossed it aside. Next, he came to a black leather jacket. Maybe there was a bottle of booze wrapped in its folds. Christian carefully lifted it out, but it wasn’t concealing a bottle either.
He started to put the jacket back when he noticed part of a patch. Was this Axel’s old club jacket? Standing up from his crouched position, he grabbed the jacket by both shoulders, stretching it out so he was looking at the back. He studied the patch. It was a sinister skull with devil horns. A naked woman was draped over the top of the skull. She had dark hair and dark eyes. He knew it was an image of Mimi’s mother when she was a teenager, but he saw Mimi.
The suppressed feelings from his past started rising to the surface. She had told him to trust her. He’d waited. Trusted. And she’d never come back.
He was tired of waiting. He knew he could have someone find her. Yes, he would have someone track her down. Life wasn’t fair, and there were too many rules.
He didn’t play by the rules.
It was no secret that Mimi’s biological father, Grizz, had her mother, Ginny, abducted back in 1975. It was no secret that Christian’s father, Anthony, had taken his mother, Christy.
He’d grown tired of waiting. It was now time for Christian to take what he wanted.
And he’d always wanted Mimi.
Chapter 2
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2007
After leaving Axel's garage, Christian immediately sought out his computer geek friend, Seth. They launched a plan to find Mimi Dillon. He’d given Seth the only picture he had of her. The photo was of the entire family at the going-away dinner his mother had planned. Christy Bear had insisted on taking pictures that night and after she'd had them developed, Christian snuck one out of the processing envelope without her knowing. He’d trimmed it down to fit in his wallet where it had been tucked away for the past five years. He pulled it out and handed it to his friend.
“It’s pretty worn, dude." Seth examined the photo, his forehead creasing as he frowned. "I’m going to try a facial recognition program that might help.”
Eight hours later, Christian was back and standing behind his friend, staring at the computer screen.
“Is that her?” Seth was pointing at a cluster of friends who were all smiling for the camera.
Christian didn’t answer at first. All he could do was stare. It was Mimi and she was no longer the young teenager he remembered. She was a woman, and he felt a stirring that was almost animalistic. The need to possess her, to own her, overwhelmed him with a soul-exposing intensity.
“Yeah, it’s her.” His voice sounded hoarse.
“I'm pretty sure they're all students at a college in South Carolina based on this dude's sweatshirt," Seth informed him as he pointed to one of the guys in the photo. "I also enhanced the picture and was able to confirm the name on one of the buildings in the background. I hacked the school’s database and couldn’t find a Mimi Dillon. She might not go to school there. Then again, she might be using a different name. Normally, when someone assumes an alias they still use a form of their real name. I found two possibilities, but they're a stretch.” He swung around to face Christian. “Mary D. Dixon and Miriam D. Hunter.”
Christian had an instant memory of be
ing with Mimi when they were children. They’d been playing in the back yard and her mother had been trying to get her attention. After Mimi continued to ignore her mother’s calls, Ginny had cried out in frustration, “Miriam Ruth I’m talking to you!”
Without taking his eyes off the screen, Christian replied in a low voice, “Her name is Miriam. The D could stand for her real last name, Dillon, and I can't say for sure about the name Hunter, but it's definitely her.” Christian felt his back go rigid as the thought that Mimi might have gotten married crept into his mind.
“She’s a senior and will be graduating this year—history major,” Seth added.
Christian thanked him and headed out the door. It was time to put the next part of his plan into action.
A little over a week later and after paying a small fortune, Christian was handed an envelope that told him everything he needed to know about Miriam D. Hunter. He felt his jaw relax when he read the word single for her marital status. He wondered if she still went by Mimi. He dismissed the thought as he scoured through the information provided by the investigator he’d hired. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Mimi would be finishing up her midterms in a week. In addition to details about her academic life, part-time job, and other information, the P.I. confirmed that Miriam Hunter drove a green Ford SUV with a Montana license plate. But more importantly, a lot of digging revealed that she was signed up to attend a retreat during her spring break. The same retreat she'd attended for the past three years. Christian carefully read each detail as a plan started to form in his mind.