Page 65 of Talon (Road Rebels MC 2)
He was a gentleman and offered to walk her back to her hotel, but she told him no. She still wasn’t sure why. What was the thought process behind that decision? She just couldn’t understand that this morning. How in the hell could Cort have understood? He must have thought she just wasn’t interested, or that she didn’t enjoy herself with him. Maybe he thought she was just using him for a good time.
But that was the farthest thing from the truth.
Teagan grabbed her phone and checked, hoping that he’d called her. But no. She knew that he wouldn’t call. Why would he? After what she’d done to him she would have been surprised if he even spoke to her if she called him.
She clutched the phone to call him. She had to explain herself. But then she remembered that he had her number, but he hadn’t given her his. Crap! She didn’t even know his last name. And it wasn’t like she could check with his employer because he was self-employed.
Ugh! How drunk had she been?
Not too drunk to realize that Cort was the best guy she’d ever met and she’d just blown what could have been the love of a lifetime.
Or maybe not. Was she exaggerating a bit? They’d only had one night together. But when she actually searched her soul for the answer to that it made her want to cry.
She would just have to hope that he would give her a second chance and give her a call sometime.
Teagan grabbed a quick breakfast downstairs and then headed out to meet the group. Outside the hotel was a bus waiting to take them to the location at the base of the woods where they would be a hike to the final camp. This was where they would meet Siri.
When she arrived at the woods, Teagan was a glad to see that there was an actual trail for them to take, so they wouldn’t just be walking along through the woods. She was not really an outdoors type person. So, the trail was a gift from God.
On the bus trip, the other members of the group spoke to each other. They came from all over the world, but luckily at least some of them spoke a smattering of English. Teagan sat in the back of the bus and just kind of kept to herself. She wasn’t really in a talkative mood, mostly because she wanted to sulk and beat herself up about how she had left things with Cort.
The lady who greeted them at the mouth of the woods was named Diane. She briefly went over what was going to happen. They were going to hike to the camp site which typically took about an hour by foot. It was going to be a fun time.
“But first all electronics must be given to me,” Diane said.
Teagan’s head shot up to look at her. Was this woman serious?
“Why?” An Asian girl asked reluctantly.
“Because this is a retreat. A big part of this journey is to find a deeper understanding of yourself and you can’t do that when the world is connected to you through artificial means. So, all phones, laptops, etc. Any electronic devices need to be given to me. I will place them in a bag, and of course, you will get them back at the end of the three days.”
Teagan felt a moment of panic soar through her. That meant she would have to give up her phone. So, on the remote chance that Cort did call her, she would miss that call and not be able to contact him back for the next three days. A sickening feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach. She contemplated refusing, and she thought about hiding the phone somewhere. But she had been dreaming of this opportunity for so long that there was no way she was going to blow it. She did not want to be a troublemaker and get kicked out of the group. All over a guy, she’d just met who would probably never even call her.
With a groan, she reluctantly handed over her phone and other electronic devices. Teagan watched as the electronics were placed in the bag.
“Ok, let’s go,” Diane said as the group grabbed their bags and started the hike through the woods.
Teagan began to feel a bit better about giving up her phone the closer they got to the camp site. There was something about walking through nature that helped to alleviate stress from the body and the mind. The exercise felt great, the fresh air, the sights, the smells—it was all about going back to the roots of humanity, the sources of life.
She was seeing the benefit of giving up the electronic devices already. When you thought about it those things were vices, they were crutches, and they were invisible shackles. They kept a person dependent on a false reality that denied someone the real purpose of their lives in a lot of ways.
By the time, they reached the camp site, she was hardly even thinking about Cort.
CHAPTER 8
Cort
“My Prince, are you ok?”
Cort snapped out of his daydream and focused his attention back on the front of the room. Maricle, one of his father’s most trusted advisors and head of the Council was looking at him with concern and perhaps a bit of irritation on his otherwise emotionless face.
Cort glanced around at the other members of the council who were also peering at him. They all seemed very annoyed because this was the third time Maricle had stopped what he was saying to make sure Cort was paying attention.
He felt stupid and knew that this was not helping his cause as he tried to appeal to the rule of the new king being a married man before assuming the crown. So far it was not going well, and he knew it was because his mind was so preoccupied.
Cort could not stop thinking about Teagan. Ever since she walked away last night, she’d been in his every thought. He’d barely slept because he was thinking about her so heavily. She was the most perfect woman he’d ever known, and he’d known a lot in his time. In his younger days, he was something of a cad, gallivanting around with a different woman in his bed almost nightly. But he’d grown out of that over the past few years and was longing for something so much more.
He thought he’d actually found that with Teagan. Of course, he couldn’t talk to anyone about it. The idea that he’d actually fallen in love, at first sight, that way was utterly absurd. If he told his father or the council, then they would go through some crazy hoops to ensure that Teagan was brought to him to discuss marriage. That was the last thing in the world he wanted. If he and Teagan were going to be together, it had to be done the right way, the normal way. That was the way he wanted it this time.
But he doubted that he would ever see her again. She had made it so clear that this was just a fling to her, something she could remember years in the future. She could tell her friends that she’d done something wild and crazy while on holiday.
“Yes,” Cort said. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“Oh, would you care to share?” Maricle asked a bit sarcastically.
Cort thought fast. “Well, I just don’t see why this rule still stands in the year 2015. I mean how archaic can we be living?”
“Prince, while this rule does seem outdated to you it is a big part of our society and the way our nation has always governed itself. We can’t break protocol for it all because you are not ready to settle down. And we certainly can’t have a king who is not ready to settle down. There is a certain level of maturity, a certain station in life that one must have accomplished before you can really obtain the status of King. Certainly, you understand this.”
Cort gritted his teeth and held his breath a moment before answering.
“I certainly do. And I am far from immature as you would believe. Being married is not something that is obtained in my opinion. It isn’t a skill or something you train for at the University. It is two people who really love each other coming together to form a perfect union. It is not a political chess match. I just don’t get why no one can understand how wrong this is. I don’t need a wife by my side to rule, just because it looks good.”
“This is not what we are suggesting. You are approaching life as if you were a normal man. You are the prince. And if you are to become king then you have certain duties that will be required of you. That means you will have to do things differently, things you don’t rea
lly want to do. Surely you can understand that.”
Cort glared at Maricle. He had known the man all his life and he’d always known him to be level-headed but right now he was as thick as a bull.
“This rule must be changed,” Cort said. “I understand there is a tradition at stake here, but traditions get broken over time as people progress towards new ideas. That is what civilization does. It evolves. What worked hundreds of years ago no longer works today. I will be king with or without a wife. You will have to get used to the idea,” Cort said.
With that, he stormed out of the room.
His hands were shaking he was so angry. The only thing keeping him anchored at the moment he realized was the thought of Teagan. Her sweet, beautiful face repeatedly flashing in his mind. He knew that he would never forget her and he realized that she would never be out of his thoughts. It was going to drive him mad eventually. He had to talk to her. He had to see her again.
Cort picked up his phone and gave Teagan a call. He could not go without hearing her voice another second.
“Hello, this is Teagan Norton. I’m not available right now. Please leave your name at the beep, and I’ll call you back soon. Thanks.”
Teagan Norton. So that was her full name. He loved the sound of it. There was a nice ring to it.
“Hey, Teagan. This is Cort, from last night. Cort Monreau. I would love to talk to you and maybe get together again soon.”
He left his number and told her to call him anytime.
Ugh, he hated voicemail. Now he had to wait until she decided to call him back. If she decided to call him back. That was the torture of it all. He was so close to saying screw it and having his personal assistants track her down and bring her to the castle, but he would never do that. This girl meant too much to him. He had to know if she felt the same way about him.
Just hearing her sweet angelic voice was enough to calm him down and give him the most pleasing satisfaction and just enough hope to go back into the chambers and apologize to the council for storming out.
