Free Geek Bear (Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (Rescue Bears Book 6) by Scarlett Grove Page A

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