Page 14 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 5
Bartol
A strange thumping noise awoke him.
Bartol sat straight up in bed and shot his gaze toward the window. A few seconds later, a ball of snow splattered against the glass pane. The clock on his nightstand told him it was only half past eleven, but he never got visitors this late. Who would dare disturb him now?
As his grogginess lifted, a note of urgency hit him. Bartol hurried out of his bed, finally sensing who was out there—Cori. Had the woman lost her mind? It was too cold for her to be traipsing through his yard, and it had been snowing heavily before he’d fallen asleep. A glance out the window proved the weather still hadn’t cleared. He could barely make her out through the swirling blizzard obscuring his view, but he was certain it was her by the way the soft tendrils of their mate bond reached out to him.
Cursing under his breath, Bartol quickly donned a pair of pants, boots, and a sweater. He considered going for his coat in the living room, but there was no time. His mate would catch her death of cold if she lingered out there much longer.
He flashed outside and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his mouth close to her ear. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you!” she shouted through the wailing wind.
Bartol pulled her tighter against his chest, relieved she had enough layers of clothes on this time that he could hardly feel her body and either be tempted or terrified by her nearness. “Go back to Melena’s house.”
She shook her head hard. “No.”
Her truck was a mere ten feet away, but he wasn’t certain if she could make that journey on her own. How she’d made it this far on such a night, he didn’t know. Pure stubbornness and willful pride, most likely.
“I will take you there myself,” he said, resolved.
“Please don’t.” She turned in his arms and lifted her chin. “I need to talk to you.”
“About what?”
Her teeth chattered. “Can’t we go inside where it’s warm?”
Of course, that was what she wanted all along. He’d known it from the moment he’d seen her out here. She was trying to get inside the cabin and would have made it to his door if not for the high snow drifts on his porch blocking her way. Cori still had a key he’d given her last month when she’d stayed with him for a short time.
“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” Or better yet, next week or month? If he let her inside his home, he wouldn’t let her go for the rest of the night. She would tempt him too much once she began removing garments, which she would undoubtedly do if yesterday morning’s events were anything to go by.
“I’m taking you back.”
She gave him an imploring look. “Bartol, this is important—I swear.”
He was weak. He was so weak that he hated himself for it, but when he flashed, he took her to his living room. Cori spun around in his arms. For a moment, they simply stood there staring at each other. The relief in her features was almost more than he could take. She’d expected him to reject her and send her away. As mates, he could sense her emotions when they were near enough to each other, and it was clear something was bothering her deeply. She could have come to anyone, but she’d chosen him. It was an olive branch, this offering. He only had to take it and give her a chance to willingly rely on him for once.
Bartol slowly removed her hat, scarf, and gloves as she stood there shivering. He directed her closer to his wood stove and helped her sit in a chair in front of the fire while he added more kindling to the flames. Her lips were blue and chapped, and her hands were an angry red.
“You should not have been out there,” he said, kneeling in front of her and attempting to rub warmth into her fingers.
His need to care for his mate was surpassing his fear of touch, and he would take advantage of it for as long as it lasted. There was something intoxicating about her truly needing him and allowing him to help. In the past, she’d had difficulty accepting much of anything from him. Cori liked to think of herself as strong and independent. What had brought her so low that she’d come to him now, giving no protest to his ministrations?
She took a deep breath. “I needed to see you.”
He’d gathered as much. Bartol finished with her hands and sat back on his heels. “Tell me there is a full set of clothing under that jacket.”
“Even I have my limits when it’s cold,” she said, unzipping the long, heavy coat. “And I wasn’t coming here to seduce you like I know you’re thinking—just to talk.”
Despite her protest, his gaze dropped to see what she wore underneath as she shrugged the dark blue jacket from her shoulders. He found she had a black sweater underneath—a close fitting one that enhanced the curves of her breasts—and a pair of tight blue jeans. While it wasn’t lingerie, he still found her alluring. Since yesterday, he hadn’t been able to get the image out of his mind of her bent over his work table and wished he’d been able to take more time to enjoy her body instead of transporting her back to Melena’s place.
Cori set the jacket on the back of her chair and hugged herself. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”
“I sleep to pass the time.” He turned his attention toward the fire, stoking it again. “But I don’t actually need that much.”
“I’ve missed you,” she said quietly.
