Rock froze, staring down at the text, and then directed the driver to get to the airport and hurry.
He’d curse himself forever if his stupid mistake made him too late.
Mort watched smugly as the replay of Rock Brolin’s infamous bailout played for the millionth time on the news.
No one understood why he’d suddenly let go of the handles and run like a dog with its tail on fire. Or was that a bear with its tail on fire?
Had he even gotten his text or had he simply come to the proper conclusion on his own?
Mort checked the faded watch on his wrist. If he had gotten the text, Mort guessed he would be here any minute.
He was tired of waiting for Rock to come back and do what he’d always known he was supposed to.
Ever since Ros and Rock had been kids, Mort had known there was something between them. Now that he wasn’t going to be around much longer, he couldn’t keep waiting for Rock to come to his senses. If he had to rush him around a bit, so be it.
He looked up as a crashing noise sounded at the front door, and then it burst open. Sending wood splintering everywhere was Rock Brolin, still in his performance leather, bursting into their house.
“Where is she?” Rock gasped, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath as if he’d run all the way here from the airport. “What the fuck is that? Sending me that text and then not answering.”
Mort grinned. “Well, I’m an old man. Old and sick.”
“Bullshit,” Rock said, striding forward. “So where is she? What’s the danger?” Mort stared up at him abashedly, and Rock groaned. “Oh shit, there is none, is there?” He rubbed a hand over his hair. “Now what am I supposed to say to her?” He slumped on a stool and let out a hoarse breath.
“Whatever you were going to say when you let go of those handlebars. I think you hadn’t even gotten my text by then.”
Rock nodded.
“So what made you quit, then?”
“I just couldn’t think about hurting her. If something happened to me, I mean. Or if I wasn’t around to make sure nothing happened to her. I don’t know. I thought I was leaving for her. So she didn’t end up with someone like my dad. But then me leaving meant I wasn’t him. Though, I’m still fucked up.” He put his head in his hands, and Mort felt real pity for the boy.
Not enough to let up on him.
“She is sort of in danger, though,” Mort hedged.
“She is?”
“In danger of falling in love with Joe,” Mort said with a laugh.
Rock replied with a glare. “No, she isn’t.”
Mort shrugged. “You never know. That boy’s right nice.”
Rock sighed. “He is. And I’ve also been calling him every day, making sure he knows I’m his business partner, and he doesn’t want to betray me.”
“By going after your woman?” Mort asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then why are they spending so much time together?” Mort asked. “Maybe you ought to go check on them.”
“She hates me,” Rock said. “She won’t want to see me.”
“Because you’ve been gone a few days? Trust me, you’ve never come back so fast. Maybe she’ll be willing to consider that.”
“Or not,” Rock said. “After what we’ve done.”
Mort grimaced. “I don’t want to hear that. Look, you just go up there and make things right. Sweep her off her feet. Isn’t that what you Brolins do best?”
Rock sighed. “It’s bullshit you tricked me like this.”
“It’s bullshit I had to,” Mort shot back, leaving Rock stunned into silence. “I thought the dating interview thing would bring you to your senses, but you’re even more stubborn than I thought.”
Rock stood, pacing with folded arms, and then nodded. “Point taken.”
Mort felt a rush of pride. He’d always known Rock was capable of doing the right thing, if not on the first few tries. But after what he’d been through as a kid, it wasn’t any wonder.
And anyone could fall down and make a mistake. What mattered was what you did afterward.
“Okay,” Rock said. “I’m going after her.” He strode to the broken front door and stood in front of it, seeming to brace himself against what was coming.
“Go, then,” Mort said.
“Think she’ll take me?” Rock asked.
Mort chuckled. “Depends on what incentive you give her.”
“I want to mate her,” Rock said. “I want to be with her forever. I ran my last time. I can’t promise I’ll never leave Bear Canyon, but I’m taking her with me whenever I need a break. And I’ll bring her back as soon as I can.”
Mort nodded. “Good. Now go tell her that.”
Rock jerked his head in a small good-bye and then headed out the front door.
Mort fought back a chuckle and went to make himself a sandwich, silently wishing the younger man good luck.
15
Ros had no idea what had happened during or after Rock’s jump earlier that morning. Joe, who seemed to know how disturbed she was, had called her and invited her on a horseback ride to distract her.
She’d decided there was no point watching. If something bad happened, she could never stand to see it. She didn’t want that to be her last view of him.
Still, things should be fine. And given that, she could watch it later.
But no matter how beautiful the day was, she felt she was dying inside.
She’d felt she was dying ever since Rock had left, after that one terrified night.
Why had she ever thought things between them could be simple?
She’d also let her own fear come between them. Her fear of leaving Bear Canyon and being out of place in his world. Her fear of being abandoned making it too easy to tell him to go.
She wished she’d gone with him. She wished she was there now. If something happened to him, she’d never forgive herself.
She’d thought about texting him, begging him not to, but what if she only distracted him and made it harder to succeed at his jump? And what if he was just trying to forget her?
Everything inside her hurt and longed to see him, but she couldn’t figure out what they were supposed to do.
She just knew he had always been a part of her life, and she didn’t know what to do about it now.
His face was always on her mind. Was she on his?
“The jump is probably long over if you want to go down and check the news,” Joe said, looking over at her from his horse. He was so at ease in the saddle, unlike her, still a newbie.
“Okay.” She’d wanted to try something new. To be a bit of a daredevil, understand a bit of Rock.
Her whole life had been about being comfortable and maintaining the status quo.
Now she had to figure out what that was worth if she couldn’t have Rock while doing it.
“Do you think I should go after him?” she asked quietly as they took the trail back to the cabin.
Joe frowned. “I don’t know. I think it’s up to him to come back.”
“He won’t be back,” she said. “Not until the Brawl or something else brings him back. I know how this goes.”
“No,” Joe said. “I know how this goes. He’ll be back.”
“You sound like my dad,” she said.
“We’re males,” Joe said. “Rock is a particularly damaged kind of male, but he’s not too damaged to know when he has a treasure. I think his obsessive calls to me are frankly his own way of protecting you. Making sure I’m not moving in.”
“On me?” she asked. “Wait, he calls every day?”
“Well, it’s only been a few days,” Joe said. “My guess is he’s gonna realize he made a big mistake soon, if he hasn’t already. He’s probably just trying to figure out how to grovel.”
“I would need to grovel, too,” she said. “I told him I knew he would leave. I helped chase him off.”
Joe shrugged again, always calm and nonchalant. “I’m telling you it’ll work out. Bear
s, even the most stubborn ones, can be stupid at times. But when Rock fights off his past, he’ll be back.”
“And then what?” she asked, curious how Joe could know this.
“He’ll come for you, beg forgiveness, and ask you to be with him.”
“And then what?”
Joe pinned her with a look. “Didn’t think I would have to tell you that.”
“No,” she said. “I mean, isn’t he just going to leave again?”
“Probably,” Joe said. “But this time you know to go with him. Even so, he’ll get better and better at fighting off the past. After all, if he comes back like I think he will, it’ll be faster than ever before. That’s progress, right?”
She sighed. “I guess so.” Right now, she just wanted him to be safe from the jump. And back in her arms. And they could talk about the rest.
As long as they were apart, nothing was working.
They reached the cabin and stopped in front of one of the outdoor pens to tie up the horses and let them cool down. Joe helped her down from the horse.
“I’ll miss spending time with you,” he said, keeping his hands on her waist for a split second.
She grinned. “Why?” She pulled him in for a hug, grateful for his friendship.
“The dude is possessive,” Joe grumbled, holding her close and giving her back a soft rub.
“Damn right he is!” Rock’s voice rang out across the clearing, making Ros feel as if she were hallucinating. “Get your hands off my mate!”
“Told you,” Joe murmured, stepping back and placing his hands up in surrender.
“Your mate?” Ros asked, striding up to Rock, looking stubborn and handsome and okay, and poking him in his solid chest. “You mean the woman you ran out on?”
He caught her hand and trapped it against his chest, using it to pull her against him.
His heat was so warm, so familiar, that she felt her legs doing that melty thing they always did.
“My mate,” he said harshly.
She heard a low chuckle from Joe and saw him tip his hat and jog off down the road, leaving them alone in the clearing.
She looked up at his handsome, scarred face. Those clear, gray eyes with long lashes. Those full lips pressed into a line.
“What were you doing with him?” Rock asked, his body still rigged.
“We were just—”
He cut her off with a shake of his head. “I’m going to have to stay around here and keep an eye on you. Mort texted that you were in danger as a joke, as a way to get me to come back, but now I see he wasn’t far from the truth.”
She scoffed. “As if I’m in danger with Joe.”
Rock growled. “You’re mine, Ros.” He nuzzled at her neck, placing a sizzling hot kiss there. Everywhere he touched seemed to burn. “Everything about you belongs to me.”
“But you left. And that jump…” She looked up. “What happened?”
“I stopped. I couldn’t do it.”
“Wait, my dad texted you? Is that why you stopped?”
“No,” he said. “I stopped because I couldn’t get your face out of my mind. I realized I’d been a stupid idiot and made the biggest mistake of my life. I also realized that I can’t help fucking up sometimes, but I can help how fast I go back to fix it.” He ran a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I realized I can’t do a stunt like that. Not when I’m in love with you.”
“In love with me?”
“Obviously,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and resting his lips in her hair.
“But you left,” she said.
“For the last time,” he said. “Without you I mean. Next time, if I really need a break from this place and everything it reminds me of, you’re coming with me.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I can do that.”
“I mean, I hope it’s less and less often. Maybe I headed into the storm too hard because I wanted to be with you and stay here. But I don’t regret it because I got to hold you in my arms and make love to you. And I knew without any doubt as I sat there on the ramp that you were my mate and I was in the wrong place.” He shook his head. “Anywhere without you is the wrong place.”
She blinked back tears. “I’m sorry it’s hard for you.”
“It’ll get easier.” He pulled back to wipe her tears. “And will you really come with me?”
“To the ends of the earth,” she said. “It doesn’t mean anything to be here without you. I was already wondering if I should go after you, but I didn’t know where I’d fit in the world out there.”
“No,” he said. “I needed to let everything else go. All that matters is you. I don’t mind going to sleep to nightmares if I can wake up and see your face. I don’t mind running from the past if I can take you with me. And I don’t mind staying in Bear Canyon if I can make love to you as my mate.”
“Of course you can,” she said, reaching up on her toes to kiss his lips.
He sank into the kiss with a groan, and they stayed that way for a long moment, just sharing their love and relief with each other, sharing that quiet promise to always be together.
When they finally pulled back, breathless and panting, she sent him a crooked smile. “So better than jumping through fire?”
“No adventure compares to being with you,” he said, sweeping her up in his arms. “Now let’s go make this official, because I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
She nodded. “But where?”
He narrowed his eyes and quirked one side of his mouth. “I have just the place.”
Her eyes widened. What could he mean? He hoisted her up against his chest, and when she saw the direction he was headed in, she laughed.
Rock shoved papers off the desk with one hand and lowered Ros to it with the other.
He was glad Joe had headed off in the direction of town and wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
This was payoff for trying to make a move on his mate while he was gone.
As soon as Joe got back, Rock would make it clear he didn’t need to stay in town. He could manage this remotely and Rock could help set up things here, with Joe only making occasional visits. He could buy him out on the house and the office.
It would be a new start for them. Rock already had a million ideas of things to do with the camp.
And even more ideas of things to do to his mate.
She’d taken him back. She was willing to go with him if he needed to.
They’d both somehow learned to bend a little without breaking, and it felt like the pain of a thousand years was worth it if this was what it led up to.
All those years coming back to look at her like a starving man staring in a bakery window.
Now she was his, completely his. Forever.
He left her on the desk and locked the door to the office before coming back to her.
“But this is—” She flushed, looking around them.
“Shh,” he said. “I’ll tell Joe it’s my office. He won’t argue. He’d do anything for my investment. And I want the house, too. A new start here with you.”
“Okay,” she murmured as he stole her breath by kissing up her newly exposed neck as she shrugged out her jacket.
He helped her pull her long-sleeved shirt over her head and ran his hands over her curves wonderingly. “You’re so perfect. Mine.”
“Mine,” she said, pulling his shirt over his head and lightly grazing his muscles with her nails.
“Quit the bar,” Rock said. “Give it to Harvey. Work here with me.”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“Really?”
“Of course,” she said. “I was being silly about that, too. You mean more to me. I promise. And Dad made it clear I didn’t need to worry about it. I guess I was just stuck in my own ways. And afraid of him dying, and—”
“You don’t have to face it alone anymore,” Rock said. “I’m here, and we’re going to look into all the options. Even supernatural ones if we have to.”
<
br /> “You think there’s hope?” she asked.
“No one lives forever,” he said. “But I think there’s a good chance things could be prolonged.”
She flushed with happiness. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you,” he said. “I’m so sorry I ran. I’m so sorry I panicked.”
She reached up and touched his face, and he felt it all the way down to his soul. “I knew you would. I know you have your whole life. I know you fight things I can’t understand. But I’m here for you.”
“We can do this together,” he said, putting his forehead to hers.
“Yes,” she said.
“Because it’s just impossible apart.” He thought of those tense moments on the ramp. The clarity that had come like nothing he’d ever known.
Life would be different from now on. Sometimes you needed to fuck it all up to realize just where you were meant to be. He was just lucky that every time he came back, she was here. She was home for him, waiting to welcome him in.
Speaking of which… His fingers trailed down under her jeans to feel her over her panties. She was slick and wet, making him even more painfully hard.
“You don’t even know what I felt when I thought you were in danger,” Rock said. “I already felt stupid for leaving you when I thought something might happen…”
“It’s over now,” she said, running her fingertips over his hair as he yanked on the waist of her jeans, pulling them off of her, leaving her splayed on the desk, her legs over the front, bared to him in only panties.
He undid his jeans and came up in front of her, his hard length out and ready.
She spread her legs and reached up to grab him around the shoulders, and he slipped her panties aside and pushed inside her.
There was no need to worry about barriers this time. They could be bare, skin to skin. He cupped her butt cheeks, supporting her, protecting her from the smooth wood of the desk as he thrust inside her and pulled out to do it again. She rocked against him, and the desk creaked.
He loved the rawness of the moment, could see being up here again and again, coming in here after a hard day of work and taking each other on the desk, up against the wall, on a chair…
He grinned. Maybe not if this was going to be an office others visited.
Craved by the Bear (Trapped in Bear Canyon Book 2) Page 14