Geek Bear (Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (Rescue Bears Book 6) (8 page)

The pleasure Corey had given her on the beach was unparalleled. She’d never received pleasure like that in her life. But it came with a price. She should run away as fast as she could, but something about Corey called out to her.

She could feel that there was something wounded inside him that kept him blocked off from love. Maybe if she could help him past it, things could work out for them.

But Willow also knew that Corey hadn’t wanted a fated mate. He was going against his own ironclad decision. That made her uncomfortable.

She wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to feel his hands on her skin again. She dropped the picnic basket off at the front desk and continued up to her room.

Once inside, she took a shower and dressed in clean clothes. Her laptop was sitting there, staring at her.

“I’m going to write,” she said to herself. “Just not today.”

She sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. A local commercial came on, advertising the exciting shifter-run businesses in the area. If Willow hadn’t already been involved with a shifter, that commercial would have made her want to be. Whoever was behind that marketing campaign was a genius.

She clicked through the channels and settled on a movie she wanted to watch, wishing that Corey was here to share it with her. Why would she want to share a movie with Corey? They’d just met. All he’d done so far was confuse the hell out of her.

She rubbed her temples, admonishing herself.

“Willow, pull yourself together. You’d think you’ve never had male attention before. He isn’t that great.”

But he was that great. Maybe even better than great. He was so sexy, handsome, smart, and capable.

She groaned at herself.

“I’m pathetic,” she said.

Lying down on the couch, she curled up in a ball and watched the movie. As the characters went through their own dramas, Willow realized she wasn’t pathetic. She was just lonely.

She’d been alone for a long time. It was getting to her. She needed some love of her own. But should she let herself fall for Corey?

As the credits rolled on her movie, her phone pinged. She sat up and grabbed the phone. The screen showed a text from Corey.

“I have a lead,”
it said.

“I’ll be right over.”

Willow drew herself off the couch with a low moan. Was she getting a headache or was she just excited to see Corey again? Maybe both.

As she made her way over to his cabin, her heart fluttered in her chest like it was about to explode. When she made it to his door, it flung open before she had a chance to knock. The look on his face made her heart stop.

He was wearing a huge smile that told her he was overjoyed to see her. Or was it just that he’d found the stalker and was excited about his own genius? She couldn’t quite tell.

“Come in,” he said, holding the door open for her.

She stepped inside, looking around his living room. She walked over to the chair that still sat beside his in front of the computer.

“So, I’ve been doing background research on the dozen suspects we found earlier.”

“You said you had a lead?”

“Yes. Look at this man. His name is Charles Shaw. He used to work for your publishing company.”

“How do you know my publisher?”

He gave her a look that said, “
Oh please,
” and went back to clicking through the tabs on his screen.

“Anyway, Charles Shaw used to be a minor editor at your publishing company. He was fired three months ago after an altercation with the head editor of the romance department.”

“What was it about?”

“I can’t say for sure. They don’t have any digital files explaining what the argument was about. But he was fired soon after that.”

“My company is headquartered in New York. All the editors live there. How could he have sent those letters from all around the Seattle area?”

“He moved out here three months ago.”

“I’ve never worked with this guy. How does he even know about me?”

“That, I haven’t been able to pinpoint either. But my educated guess is that he had something to do with your books and got attached to you. When they fired him, he decided to follow you out to Seattle.”

“That’s crazy. Why?”

“It’s a mistake to expect his motivations to be rational.”

“Well, what now?”

“I’ve sent this information to the detective overseeing your case. I’m afraid it’s in their hands now.”

“They aren’t going to do anything,” Willow said, crestfallen.

She’d hoped that Corey would have a plan past just sending the information to the useless police.

“I could have some of my contacts in Seattle look into it. I know some guys who could take care of this man, once and for all.”

Willow looked at him, her mouth dropping open in shock. Was he suggesting they have Charles Shaw murdered?

“You’d have him killed?” she whispered, her voice croaking.

“Of course not. I’d just have him beat up a little and told to leave you alone.”

“I guess that doesn’t sound too terrible.”

“Don’t you want him to leave you alone?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

“Good. I’ll let my guys know. They’re ex-military. Very good. Very subtle.”

Willow stood up from her chair and started to pace around while Corey made some phone calls. He was smiling and excited like this was the most fun he’d had in ages.

Learning the name of her stalker and seeing his face hadn’t made her feel any better. She wished the cops would just do what they were supposed to.

Maybe she should go home and get a restraining order now that she knew who he was. She could legitimately have him arrested for bothering her after that.

She knew that would take forever and it would largely be ineffective if he did come after her. At least Corey was doing something. She was grateful he was taking control of the situation. It made her feel safer.

He hung up his phone sat beside her on the couch.

“My guys are going to look into it. You won’t be bothered by that sicko again.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s nothing. You saw how easy it was to find him. The cops could have done something similar. But to be honest, they just don’t care that much about this kind of thing.”

“You’re telling me.”

“I’m glad I could help you, Willow,” he said, taking her hand.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the tender flesh between her knuckles. A sharp shiver went up her spine and her entire body shuddered.

She didn’t want him to betray his own decisions, but it was too late. He’d pressed his lips hard against hers, and she was lost in the flood of desire that overflowed inside her.

Their tongues tasted each other as they breathed each other in. Willow moaned into his mouth, feeling like she was bound to him by a powerful magnetic force.

“I want you, Corey. But I know you don’t really want me. I don’t want you to betray yourself.”

“I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

“I want more than a casual fling with you, Corey,” she said.

“I…I can’t give you more.”

“But why? I’m your fated mate.”

“Willow, when fated mates claim each other, the bond never ends, no matter what either of them do. Do you want to be trapped in that for the rest of your life?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Neither do I. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to be hurt either. The safest thing for both of us is to end this now.”

“You just had your tongue in my mouth,” she said, incredulous.

She’d known he would hurt her. Sharp pangs of despair shot through her veins. She felt sick, like she might throw up. She stood, starting to the door.

“I’m sorry, Willow. You’re right. I made a mistake. I never should have let it get this far. I got caught up. My bear kept insisting so strongly, I… I admit it. I lost control. You were right to stop me. You can see what the fated mate attraction does to people. Just imagine what it would be like if we mated and I claimed you. We would be forever bound. We would never be free of each other again.”

“Then I’ll say ‘goodbye’ now. Thanks for the help with my stalker. Nice knowing you.”

She hurried to the door and flung it open, running off into the night and away from Corey forever.

9

C
orey watched Willow hurry away, feeling like a complete tool. Why had he let himself lose control with her? She didn’t deserve this. He was doing to her exactly what his father had done to his mother, and he would never forgive himself.

The best thing for both of them was to break it off right now. He regretted turning her on to him more than any other single thing he’d done in his entire life. He’d seen the terrors of war, and hurting Willow was worse than that.

He sat down in front of his computer, bringing up his latest project. He typed a line of code and then deleted it. He couldn’t focus. All he could think about was how he’d hurt her.

Even finding her stalker couldn’t make up for the hurt he’d caused. Nothing could make up for it. He’d used her animal attraction to him so that he could feel the pleasure of his fated mate under his hands.

He wanted to punch something for being so weak. Instead, he stood from his computer and started to pace the room. He’d called his contacts in Seattle over an hour ago and still hadn’t heard anything back yet. He went to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

His inner bear growled and groaned inside his mind, reminding him that his mate was close. The bear was single-minded in its focus. All it cared about was claiming his woman at the soonest possible moment. The bear would not be soothed and neither would Corey.

He felt ashamed of himself, and it was clear why. He also felt depressed. Seriously depressed. It was an emotion Corey wasn’t used to. He usually didn’t bother with it. If there was something he wasn’t happy with, he’d just change it. There was no use feeling depressed about it. He considered it illogical.

But as illogical as he tried to tell himself it was, he couldn’t make it stop. He was genuinely sad. And why? He searched his feelings. Something Corey wasn’t used to.

He had to figure out what was going on. These feelings were highly uncomfortable and were getting in the way of his work. That’s when he realized why he felt depressed. He loved Willow! The shock gripped his chest and grasped his heart as he gasped. He really loved her.

He’d be lucky to be with a woman like Willow. She was in touch with her emotions in a way that he never would be. He could imagine their life together. Both of them working on their own projects, taking breaks to swim together in the lake. It could be beautiful.

She could open him to his own heart. He could help her keep her life in order.

But it never could be like that. They were fated mates. The pheromones and their animal bond would destroy that peaceful scene and turn it into something compulsive and ugly.

He couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t do it to himself. Just because the rest of the guys on the crew had found love and happiness didn’t mean it would happen to him. There had been plenty of problems during his friends’ courtships. There was no guarantee that any of them would live happily ever after.

It was a chance his friends had been willing to take, but it wasn’t one Corey was willing to take. His phone pinged as he sat down on the couch.

“Target cannot be located.”

The text came from one of his contacts in Seattle. Corey decided to contact the police and see what they were doing about the case. When he got on the phone with the detective in charge of Willow’s case, the detective immediately started to interrogate Corey.

“Where did you find this information? Who is your source?”

“I prefer not to reveal my source.”

“How am I supposed to know this is true?”

“I sent you all the information you need to make an arrest.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but there is no reason to arrest this person. You’ve given me some circumstantial evidence. Sending letters to someone isn’t illegal.”

“Those letters are threatening.”

“Indirectly. He never said he’d murder her and cut her up. If he had, maybe we could move on this information.”

“You’re kidding, right? You and I both know these things always escalate.”

“Be that as it may, sir, the suspect still hasn’t done anything illegal.”

“So, you have to wait for him to hurt her before you’ll do anything?”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I suggest you stay with her to make sure she’s safe, since you are obviously concerned for her safety.”

“Well, thanks for nothing,” Corey said, hanging up the phone.

He felt powerless, a sensation Corey was not used to having. He was a Rescue Bear. An ex-Navy SEAL and a computer genius. There wasn’t much Corey couldn’t do. But when it came to Willow, he was lost.

10

W
illow went back to her suite, feeling the tears already rolling down her cheeks. She’d covered it up on the way through the lobby, but the moment the door was closed behind her, she burst into sobs.

Ugly crying, she walked from one room to the next, throwing her things into her suitcase. She didn’t care that she had almost an entire week left at the lodge. She had to get away from here as quickly as possible. She couldn’t risk seeing Corey again.

He’d hurt her. Why? Because he was afraid of hurting her? He’d already done exactly what he was so afraid of doing. He’d let himself get carried away on the beach. He’d licked her until she’d screamed for more.

But she couldn’t blame him. She’d let him kiss her. She’d let herself get swept up in the desire that seemed to take over her body whenever they were together.

Why had she allowed herself to be so stupid? She’d come down here thinking she was going to meet a great guy. Maybe things would work out. She’d been willing to give it a shot.

Then she’d arrived just to find a man who didn’t want her, no matter how good they might be for each other.

It wasn’t fair.

She wanted to storm back over to his house and demand he tell her why he was so opposed to falling in love with his fated mate. She needed to know.