Chapter 8
Willow was more than a little annoyed that he'd interrupted her investigation.
All the same, she was excited about the date.
She told herself it was just to gather information, to see if he knew of anyone who could shed some light on the missing people. To find out why the town was so hush-hush about the family when they were so vocal about everything else. She needed to know.
Yet, she also knew it wasn't just that.
Carter was a breath of fresh air in the town. He was a familiar song in the middle of chaotic nonsense, and she wanted to be as close to him as possible. He was all muscle and angles, gorgeous from every view, and she wanted his hands on her constantly.
She took her time in the spa.
She got a manicure and pedicure, a deep body massage and a charcoal skin scrub (that took forever to get out of her pores), and tried to look and feel her best.
Willow wanted to blow him away.
Some of the employees at the spa were treating her a little differently now. She wasn't sure if their boss had told them to relax on her so the stay would be more authentic, or if she had done something to offend them. They didn't chitchat with her anymore, weren't overly friendly or sweet. They did their job and then passed her on to the next one.
By the time she was upstairs sliding into a dress and flats, Willow felt like an entirely new person.
Her skin was beyond smooth and flawless. Her legs, arms, and back were massaged until she felt like the most relaxed person on earth. Even her hair had benefited from a wrap. She knew she had gone overboard for the date, but she was definitely going to include a glowing review for the resort after this.
She felt like she was twenty again, instead of 25.
Turning and looking herself over, Willow approved of her look and checked the time.
Showtime.
She headed down, feeling decadent and relaxed, and tried to ignore the stink eye she got from another guest.
Soon, she'd be out of this town – just five days left – and she could forget about everything except for Carter.
Speaking of the devil – he was just outside the front door of the resort, leaning against his car and watching the door patiently. When Willow stepped out, she watched his eyes carefully, entertained by how they roamed all over her until they made it to her eyes.
“Ready to go?” she asked, knowing her tight black dress was showing off just enough of her assets to grab his attention.
“Let's go,” he offered, holding the car door open for her.
The restaurant he swept her off to was on a side street she hadn't been on before. It was a seafood restaurant that had outdoor seating with a view over one of the lakes. The air was still too cold out for that, so they were led to a table in a corner of the large dining room. It was a beautiful restaurant, obviously old and a staple of the town. The decor was outdated enough that it was freshly back in style. The other diners looked like locals; none of them seemed like tourists.
“How was the rest of your day?” he asked, obviously avoiding anything they'd spoken about earlier in the day.
“It was nice. Mostly writing,” she lied, not wanting him to know how much she'd worked to look as good as she did. “How about you?”
“I was helping out at a friend's bar,” he replied, smiling. “I should take you there some time. I think you'd like it. It's the only building in town older than this one,” he explained, looking around.
“If you like these older businesses, why work at the resort?” she asked, surprised by him.
“Eh, it's a job until I can get something better,” Carter shrugged off. The waiter came and took their orders. “Where are you from?” he asked. Wine was delivered to the table, and he poured them both a glass.
“All over, basically. My parents are military, so after they adopted me, we traveled all over,” Willow said, her eyes distant. “I spent most of my time in Texas, though,” she added. He made a quick mental note that she was adopted. It wasn't too common of a thing in West Valley. “You?”
“Spent my whole life here,” Carter felt a little disappointed in having to say that. He wished he could say he traveled as well, but the only time he'd left West Valley was when he was searching for his brother in the neighboring cities.
“That must be nice,” she replied, taking a sip of her wine. “Getting to grow roots like that,” she sounded almost jealous, and Carter was surprised.
“It's all right. It's nothing like getting to see the world like you have.” He shook his head and smiled.
“Sounds like your tiny town has enough interesting happenings as it is,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
Of course, she wanted to know more.
He was hoping he could have distracted her out of it.
“I mean, not really. Just the family missing. Besides that, West Valley is a perfect little oasis,” he said, the words came out practiced and easy. He didn't want her digging anymore. The pack would kick them both out of town.
“Do you know of anyone who was close to the family? Spending a couple years here like they did, I can't believe they didn't make any connections,” she explained. Of course, she couldn't drop it. He liked her even more for being so curious, so thorough. Even if it would have made his life easier, he wouldn't have liked her as much if she couldn't stick to her guns.
“I don't. I'm afraid as small as this town is, there's still a lot of people that live in it I don't know,” he lied. He knew each family member extremely well.
Bill and Karen, the first to go, were the Alphas for over a year with Carter and Richard.
They were first Alphas the twins had to guard. The last guard had died with the previous Alpha. That's how it was supposed to be. The guard died with the Alpha if he couldn't protect them.
Richard had vanished with the pair, and many assumed he'd died in duty like he was supposed to.
Carter hadn't been so lucky.
He worked to protect the Alphas when he could, and yet they just vanished away, like they were waiting until the moment he was gone to just vanish. He was lucky the pack hadn't killed him for his negligence yet.
One by one, the following Alphas and their sons had vanished.
He got to know each of them – what they enjoyed, who they talked to, how they spent their time away from the pack. He knew them as almost friends.
Yet there he was, staring Willow down, and having to lie to her face.
The lie was easier, safer.
She didn't need to know.
“Fair enough,” she replied. Their food arrived, and her eyes were huge.
Thank God for the little distractions.
Carter relaxed, glad the questioning was over, and tried to enjoy himself.
When he saw Willow walk out earlier, he was blown away. She always looked good, without fail, but seeing her in that tiny, black dress, showing off her gorgeous curves and soft skin, he had never wanted his hands on her more. Whatever she did to him, this strange magic she set on him, it was intoxicating.
He'd only met her a day ago, and he could already see himself with her in a long-term relationship.
Which was dangerous, yeah, but that didn't mean he wouldn't let himself enjoy her while she was there.
She was just a tourist, just flying through. He could allow himself at least a little fun.
“This is amazing,” Willow said, entranced as she took a second spoonful of the chowder she had picked.
“Wanna try the salmon?” he asked, offering his fork to her.
“Mm, yeah, please,” she agreed. Carter lifted a forkful of the fish to her lips, and Willow made eye contact with him as she wrapped her lips around the bite and slid it off the fork. His arousal was quickly apparent, and he tried to will it away, but she was too damn hot. Regardless of the consequences, he knew he couldn't say no to her.
She was the push that set him into motion, the first person to make him actually feel good since his brother vanished.
“Do you have any plans after this?” he asked her, taking a sip of his wine.
“What do you have in mind?” she replied, licking her spoon.
She was going to be the death of him.