Chapter Ten
Dex
Corbin’s plan ended up being pretty much perfect.
Once she got over the slight irritation of me calling so late, Robin was happy to approve my request for a week of vacation time.
It might have had something to do with her assumption that it was somehow related to my pregnancy, but since it was based on her assumption and nothing I implied, I decided that I didn’t need to feel guilty about not correcting her.
From there, Corbin drove me home and helped me pack for a week, then made me up a bed on his ridiculously comfortable couch for the night. The next morning, Corbin left me a note with the address of the cabin when he left for work and told me to call if I needed anything.
I shot a text off to Taylor with an abbreviated explanation of where I was going and why, sighing with relief when he sent back be safe, call you later with a heart emoji and then ordered up an Uber to get this adventure underway.
The ride up to Gold Hill was only about forty minutes and the scenery was stunning.
The dew on the leaves sparkled in the light of the morning sun starting to come over the peaks.
When the driver came to a stop at the base of a short, steep driveway, cabin was absolutely not the description that came to mind.
With walls of windows and floor after floor of expansive balconies looking out over a private lake, it was a freaking mini mansion, and my brain was completely unable to wrap around how the owner was making money renting it out for fifty dollars a night.
Accepting my suitcase from the driver, I pulled the handle up to drag it to the front porch.
The message said the key would be under the blue flower pot but standing on the expansive porch, I was surrounded by a rainbow of flower pots, including six in different shades of blue.
I couldn’t find the damn key and the Uber had already left. And I needed to pee.
Crap.
Crossing my fingers for luck -and my legs, but for different reasons- I tested the doorknob and went weak with relief when it turned easily in my hand.
Thank goodness.
Pulling the door closed and dropping my bag in the entryway, I went looking for the bathroom. After I peed and washed my hands, I came out ready to investigate my surroundings.
It was my first time in a private vacation rental and I was surprised by how much homier it was than a hotel suite.
I’d assumed that it would be devoid of personal items, but then I remembered that Corbin told me it was only rented out when the owner wasn’t using it, so the blankets on the sofa, the books piled on the table, and other signs of habitation made more sense.
It also made it very cozy.
Cozy enough that I decided to curl up on the sofa in front of the massive picture window and stare out at the sun rising over the lake before settling in. After all, I had nothing to do but relax and not run into Otto for the next week.
Cuddling into the deep cushions, I pulled a fluffy blanket off the back of the sofa and dragged it over me, snuggling into the chenille softness as I watched morning sweep over the valley.
I was almost asleep when a sound behind me caught my attention, and I realized the front door had opened. Before I could react, there was a loud crash complete with the sound of glass breaking and a thud that jolted through the room.
Peering over the back of the sofa in alarm, I saw a large figure sprawled out on the floor surrounded by bags of groceries that had toppled over and spilled out onto the floor. My suitcase was caught on the man’s ankle, leaving very little question of how he tumbled and dropped the groceries.
Oh, hell.
“I am so sorry!” I clambered out of my fuzzy nest and rushed over to help, kneeling to unhook my suitcase from his leg. “I had no idea Corbin requested a grocery delivery or I wouldn’t have left my bag in the middle of the floor! Are you okay?”
The large man shifted up to lean back on his arms as he stared at me. “Who the fish sticks are you?”
“Dexter. Dexter Boreal,” I introduced myself, sticking my hand out but dropping it when he just looked at me. “I’m staying here this week.”
“You are?” His eyes widened briefly before a slightly amused smile hit his lips.
I nodded. “Yep. I mean, I already paid through Saturday, so I think I’m all set.”
“You already paid through Saturday,” he repeated, his smile growing a little.
I nodded before a strange feeling hit me. “Um, didn’t the owner tell you? I booked it kind of late last night.”
“I see. No, I hadn’t heard yet.” He rose gracefully considering his massive bulk and held his hand out to help me to my feet. “My name is Stan.”
“Nice to meet you, Stan. Are you the manager or..” I trailed off, not sure what other options there were.
“More of the caretaker,” he said smoothly. “Hopefully you didn’t have any special needs in the food department since I already went to the store?”
I shook my head quickly. “No. I mean, I’m pregnant so I try to eat healthy but that’s hardly your problem.”
“Nonsense,” Stan said cheerfully. “We’re full-service. Have you eaten yet?”
“Um, no. I was kind of rushed getting here,” I admitted, blushing when my stomach growled.
Stan just laughed and started collecting the groceries scattered on the floor, waving me off when I started to pick up the glass from the broken pickle jar. “I’ve got this. You go back to what you were doing and I’ll rustle up some breakfast. After that, I’ll show you to the guest room.”
Twenty minutes later I was back on the sofa with the fuzzy blanket covering me and a plate of velvety scrambled eggs, wholegrain toast, and fresh fruit on the table beside me.
Yep, Corbin had the best idea ever.
~*~
Otto
I looked everywhere and still couldn’t find Dexter.
Okay, obviously I didn't literally looked everywhere or I would have found him, but I had scoured the entire town and even done a cursory search of the local campgrounds and cabin rentals to no avail.
I was absolutely not stalking Dex, I was simply worried about a friend who wandered off with a large suitcase and who-the-hell-knew-who.
Okay, maybe I was stalking him a little, but he taken off before I could tell him that we might actually be fated mates, surely that superseded any claim this new asshole had on him, right?
That’s what I was telling myself, anyway, and since Dex was still missing, it wasn’t like he was even going to know I was trying to stalk him.
Finally giving up in the late afternoon, I returned home to contemplate what our relationship might look like in the future, assuming I could convince Dex to give me a chance.
No, I was not sulking, I was contemplating, damn it. That’s my story and I stuck to it until the next morning when someone banging on my front door pulled me out of the fitful sleep I finally fallen into.
“What the hell?” I grumbled, grabbing my jeans from the day before off the floor and pulling them up. “I know that damn gate was closed.”
When I pulled the front door open, it was later than I thought.
From the position of the sun in the sky, it had to be almost noon and there were two men standing on my porch, both Omegas.
Corbin, who I knew casually, was hovering near the step.
Taylor, Dexter’s best friend for years, was right up in my face, eyes snapping with hostility.
“Where is he?”
I shook my head to clear some of the sleep cobwebs. “Who?”
“You know who,” Taylor huffed, shoving past me and storming into the house.
“Come on in,” I invited dryly as he thundered down the hall to my bedroom before stomping back out to the living room. “There’s no one here but me. Who are you looking for?”
Standing in the doorway instead of following Taylor and me inside, Corbin was biting his lip. “Dex isn’t here?”
“No,” I said slowly. “I went by his place last night and his neighbor said he packed a suitcase and left with some guy she didn’t know.”
“That was me,” Corbin said quietly.
“Then shouldn’t you know where he is?” I growled, my hostility toward Dex’s mystery lover flooding back through me now that I had a target.
“I should,” Corbin huffed, “but he isn’t there. That’s the problem.”
“Wait,” I snapped back, “how did you manage to lose your boyfriend in twenty-four hours?”
“Boyfriend?” Corbin said blankly. “Dex is not my boyfriend. Are you high?”
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Taylor said wearily. “Can we sit down?”
“You’re already inside,” I snarked, regretting it when I saw his expression transition from anger to concern. “Sorry. Yeah, have a seat.”
Corbin closed the door behind him and took a seat on the chair closest to the door while Taylor and I settled on the couch.
“You want to fill me in?” I asked, leaning back against the cushions.
“Dex has been under a lot of stress,” Taylor said, “and you’re the cause of most of it.”
I opened my mouth to argue but snapped it shut when he arched a brow at me.
“He decided to take some vacation time and booked a cabin rental from a friend of Corbin’s. He was supposed to check in yesterday, but she called Corbin today to ask if the plan changed because he never showed up.”
I pinned my stare on Corbin, secretly enjoying the way he squirmed when I did. “You were with him when he left his apartment, where is he?”
“I don’t know,” Corbin insisted. “He spent the night on my couch because he was trying to avoid you and was afraid you might show up at his place. When I left for work yesterday morning, he was still sleeping. He was gone when I got home.”
“That means he’s been missing for twenty-four hours?”
Taylor nodded.
“Have you called his Dads? Reported it to the police?”
“Not yet,” Taylor sighed. “We assumed you’d gotten to him and he was here. If we make a big public thing of this and he’s fine, he will be completely pissed and even more stressed.”
I stifled a sigh of my own. “You know where he is supposed to be?”
Taylor shoved his phone at me, a text from Dex on the screen. “He sent me the address before he left.”
“Well, if you don’t want to alert the police, we probably better get up to Gold Hill and see what we can find.”
“You’ll help us?” Corbin asked suspiciously. “Why?”
I let the sigh out. “I don’t know what you think is going on between us, but Dex has always been my friend. I recently realized he might be more than that.”
“More how?” Taylor questioned.
I shrugged him off. “If Dex chooses to tell you after we’ve discussed it, that’s up to him but for right now, it’s none of your business. Now, I have an Omega to find. Are you two coming or not?”