Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle) (6 page)

He pulled her close
again, winding his arms around her waist. “Good. I don’t want to hold back.” The seductive growl in his voice almost had her dragging him to the stockroom… which was something she would never have considered in the past.

Feeling braver than usual, she tiptoed up and nipped his earlobe. His hands curved over her ass, pulling her against his rigid length.

“Careful there, Roxy. I’m hanging on by a thread here,” he purred into her ear.

Catching her bottom lip in her teeth she stepped out of his reach to grab a cue.
“Game on.” She shot Joey a single arched brow. “Who breaks?”

Joey snickered.
“I was going to suggest you break. Seeing how you’re new to the clan and all.”

New to the clan?
That made her pause, but only for a few seconds before she bent over the table, lining up her shot. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the cue back and pushed forward. The cue ball shot ahead and hit with a crack, sending the balls moving along the table, downing two solids.

Joey
’s mouth fell open. Sorcha gave Roxy a high five.

Roxy
gave Trevor a playful look. “Told ya.”

* * * *

Roxy was such a surprise. She already seemed at home with the group, smiling easily and conversing. His enchantress was a pool shark. She easily cleaned the table while Joey stood next to him grumbling the whole time.

“Did you know she could play?” Joey snapped
, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the table with an expression caught between amused and irritated.

He chuckled.
“I did not, but I’m glad she can. Serves your arse right.”

“Damn it,” Joey muttered as Roxy sank the eight
ball. “Your girl’s trouble.”

“The best kind,” Trevor
concurred.

Roxy set her cue aside and sauntered over to Trevor. His hands itched to dive under her clothes
and explore her soft skin. Her voice was silken smoke as she closed the distance to lean against the table beside him. “You can buy me a Lemon Drop.”

He fought the urge to lean in to take her mouth again. It wasn
’t often he regretted anything, but he did regret not taking her home. Then again, he wasn’t ready to spill all of his secrets yet. He wanted some sign she wouldn’t hate him before he claimed her. He wasn’t sure how to tell her that monsters do exist.

Sorcha slid in
beside Roxy. “Ooh, that sounds good. Get me one too.” She made a shooing motion.

Joey narrowed his eyes at his mate and grabbed Trevor
’s arm before dragging him off toward the bar. “You going to be able to keep your hands to yourself long enough to tell her?”

“She needs to know what she’s getting into,” Trevor answered automatically.

“No. She really doesn’t. Look at Sorcha and me. She only learned when I had to change her. Just because Shane told Siobhan beforehand, doesn’t mean you have to.”

Trevor sighed and gave Joey a long look.
“What if she doesn’t want this life? Isn’t that stealing the choice from her?”

“No. She can
still decide. Might make walking away harder, but we’ve both seen it happen. It can be done. Really though, do you know anyone mated who didn’t belong together?”

“That’s not the point,” Trevor grumbled.

“It is. Don’t talk yourself out of something good. This isn’t like those other women in your past. You already feel it. I know you do.”

“I do. Which means I don’t want to fuck this up.”

“You won’t. If I didn’t fuck up with Sorcha, you aren’t going to with Roxy.”

The bartender moved to them, throwing her long dark hair over her shoulder as her gaze devoured Joey.
“Lunar Storm, right?”

“That’s us. I’m Joey, this is Trevor. Can we get a few drinks for ourselves and our
ladies?”

She ducked her head slightly and muttered,
“Should have known.”

The guy sitting at the bar next to Trevor rubbed the back of his neck with a wicked smirk.
“Don’t mind Isa. She’s ready to be off the clock so she can go on the prowl.”

Trevor nodded, recognizing the man
. He met the Fae years ago, but only in passing. The bartender was something Other as well, but he couldn’t tell what.

Shaking his head, Trevor smiled at her.
“Can we get two Lemon Drops and a couple Guinness?”

She shot her friend a dark look before pulling the drinks.
“Ignore Toryn. He doesn’t know when to stuff it.”

Trevor managed
to restrain his chuckle.

Joey
, on the other hand, laughed out loud. “Maybe you two should hookup. You both have that look about you.”

“What look is that?” Toryn asked with a deathly warning written in his
azure blue eyes.

“The one that says you’re both ready for a little action,” Joey offered.

“He’s more likely to go for you,” Isa replied, nodding to Trevor.

That was doubtful, but Trevor kept his mouth shut, and Joey
, thankfully, managed to keep quiet.

* * * *

Dina stood in the shadows with Boyd. “Now what do we have here?” she whispered as she watched Trevor get cozy with some brunette in jeans, a sweater, and not a bit of makeup. Her shiny hair was straight and unstyled, and yet Trevor couldn’t keep his eyes from her, or his hands.

A growl bubbled free.
Dina still held a grudge against the man who was supposed to be hers. His wife, her cousin, before she passed away, had promised that Trevor would fall for her.

Dina could have been Caera’s twin, but she was born in Scotland and
was the daughter of a merchant. They wrote each other often, and from the moment Caera met Trevor, Dina had fallen in love too.

Caera had been sick, though Trevor never realized how much so. When she finally managed to carry their ill-fated child to term, it killed her, as Caera
anticipated.

Dina was supposed to come in and take her cousin’s place, but something went wrong and the baby didn’t make it either.
Dina arrived too late, and found Trevor drinking his pain away in a tavern.

She did the only thing she could do, she convinced him to leave with her. He kept calling her
a ghrá
, the same thing he called his dead wife.

When he realized she was trying to seduce him, he ran from her. He screamed at her, calling her
a demon. Rage filled her and she attacked him, giving him strength, vitality, and his beast.

He should have accepted her then, taken her as his mate, but no.
Trevor’s people always tried to run, but anytime they two clans met, her pack took greater losses.

Now that she had found her mate, she no longer wanted what was promised. Now her goal was
vindictive, to cause Trevor more suffering than she ever felt.

“Calm yourself, love,” Boyd hissed in her ear. “I know you want
to tear Trevor apart, but he looks preoccupied. Maybe I should go distract his woman.”

“Maybe you should stuff it up your arse. We need to find out if this is just some fling, or the real thing.” The bitch could be used against him, and she could finally
destroy Trevor.

Dina nearly stepped out of the shadows to go to him when he went up to the bar, but she took a closer look at the woman talking with Sorcha. When she looked closely, she realized she was looking at the lead singer from Nights Embrace. She spun to Boyd who wore a look of surprise.

“It’s that hot bitch from last night. Of course Trevor is taken with her.”

Dina slapped Boyd
, growling low in her throat. She didn’t want her mate ogling the same woman who so easily captivated the man who shunned her.

She turned back to watch
. “It’s real. He should have had that reaction to me ages ago, but look at him now.”

“I know
. Reminds me of how I was with you when we met.”

Dina growled low in her throat, tempted to rip Boyd
’s throat out right there.

“Cool your jets. I want to
toy with her, and I don’t mind you playing with Trevor. So here’s what we’ll do…” Boyd conspired.

Roxy sank the eight ball one more time, making it three games won. Licking her lips, she looked up and lost herself in Trevo
r’
s jade green gaze.

He closed the distance, practically purring.
“Where did you learn to play like that?”

A smirk quirked her lips.
“We had a pool table in the attic. I told you not to go easy on me.”

“Oh, I don’t think I could, Rox
ana.” His fingers trailed down her sides before wrapping around her waist to pull her close. He whispered in her ear, “I’m not only talking about this game either.”

Her pulse
raced and her breath caught as his lips grazed down her throat. “What do you want to drink, and we can discuss what you won later?”

“Mmm,
then get me another Lemon Drop,” she answered.

“Done.” He backed away, fire burning in his eyes.

She craved him in a way that scared her. Sex wasn’t something she had a lot of positive experience with. She’d been with Jordan countless times but there always seemed to be something missing.

Roxy
took a deep breath and tracked Trevor’s movement as he made his way back to the bar. She couldn’t help wondering what was being said up there. She knew the bartender, and the man sitting at the bar who she was talking with.

“You know,” Sorcha said,
making Roxy jump, “I’ve never seen Trevor so taken by anyone. He’s all about you.”

Roxy blushed and ducked her head.
“Yeah. I might be all about him right now too. That doesn’t mean it will last. Just means this is new and exciting. We’re in that stage where you get to know each other before the flaws come out.”

“Aww, that’s such a pessimistic view. Sometimes the flaws are what make you love them more.”

She glanced over. “Seeing is believing. So far, I haven’t seen an endearing flaw in anyone.” Sweeping her hair behind her ear, she sighed. “You?”

“Oh, Joey has a few. Nothing so bad, but they make things fun.”

“Maybe.” Roxy sighed and leaned against the table, waiting on Trevor.

“Don’t forget to have him show you what he wrote last night when we g
et back,” Sorcha reminded her. That was what she won from the last game, and she couldn’t wait to lay her eyes on the song but that meant going back to his place. Which was fine, she was already planning to spend a little extra time with Trevor if he was up for it. She couldn’t contain a cocky smile.
Oh, he’s certainly UP every time I’m close.

“I’ll be right back,” Sorcha told her and slipped away from the table.

Not a minute passed before arms came around her waist, and warmth seeped into her. She leaned back into him. Something was didn’t feel right. She looked down to find unfamiliar tattoos wrapped around the man’s arms.

She spun, shoving him hard. He stumbled back, a smirk on his cold hard face. Acne scars left him looking rough and not in a sexy way. His eyes were a dull shade of brown, his hair buzzed close to the scalp. He leered at her, his eyes
taking on a yellow hue as they drank her in.

“
Feisty and sexy.” His Scottish brogue bled through. “Who’d have thought these hounds would welcome a shark into their midst?”

A trace of fear flirted along the edges of her anger
. “Keep your paws to yourself,” she fired back.

Another arm wound around her, this one feeling
like home. Trevor’s voice rumbled beside her, setting her at ease. That might have given her pause any other time, but he gave her a deep comfort she couldn’t explain.

“Roxy might be more than you can handle
, Boyd.” Trevor spit the name out like it tasted bad.

“Oh, come now, lass. I won’t bite… much.” Boyd
’s eyes practically molested her as he licked his lips.

Roxy
’s stomach rolled in revulsion as Trevor pulled her even closer, his hold tightening.

A beautiful dark haired woman with icy green eyes came up
behind Boyd, trailing her fingers down his arm. “There you are, Trevor. I’ve been waiting on another round with you.” She was Scottish as well.

Roxy had to wonder if there was some old clan feud
or something. She almost laughed at the notion. It wasn’t likely clans still feuded in the modern age.

Trevor
’s tone was harsh, “Should have known you wouldn’t be far behind your lapdog, Dina.”

Joey shoved his way between everyone, separating Roxy and Trevor from Dina and Boyd. He growled,
“Is there going to be a problem, Dina?”

Sorcha bounced from foot to foot, a look of sheer hatred on her face.

Whatever the hell was going on, Roxy didn’t understand, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Unless
, Trevor has been with this two-bit trashsicle.

Dina
’s eyes cut through Roxy. “Looks like we aren’t welcome here. We should find our own table.” There was a promised threat in her tone. Boyd took Dina’s arm and led her away.

Trevor whispered
, “After this game, we should leave. They’re up to no good.”

“Yeah. We could leave now though,” Roxy replied. She wanted answers, but not in front of everyone.

“No. If we leave now, they win. They play this game every time we meet, and we have to stand our ground.”

“Have you two fucked?” The words tumbled from her tongue before she could rein in the snarl.

His eyes rounded as he shook his head.

“Ooh, pup’s got claws,” Joey teased.

“No. Never. I’ll explain later,” Trevor promised.

“You better.” Because this wasn’t something Roxy was going to let go
. She had history with someone who wouldn’t let her go, but her gut told her there was something more sinister at play with those two.

* * * *

Trevor’s nerves were stretched tight, waiting for something to go wrong. Dina and Boyd were bad news, and could very easily scare Roxy away, if not hurt her outright.

Fear wasn’t something he often felt, but a thousand scenarios ran through his mind
. If she ran from him, it would kill him. That wasn’t his biggest concern. No, he was worried they would take her from him and hurt her, or worse.

His heart squeezed tight as he looked into her sparkling eyes. “The stakes?”

She shrugged this time, her edge gone. Trevor could almost see the wheels turning in her head after that encounter. He couldn’t blame her. If her writing was any indication of how her mind worked, she had to be coming up with some strange shit. Trevor knew he needed to lay it all out for her, but he couldn’t do it here.

He proposed,
“How about whoever wins picks where we eat dinner.”

A slow smile started on her face.
“That sounds good. Either way, we both win.”

“Does that mean you want dinner with me?” he purred.

“Oh, I do.”

“You break.”

She did, and sank a solid. Then proceeded to down the eight ball the very next turn. “Oops, you won,” she grinned.

Well, that worked for him. He was nearly out of patience as it was. He waved to the rest of his clan and ushered
Roxy toward the stairs.

Dina met them halfway, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Oh, you don’t want to stay and play?” she taunted.

His glare was deadly.
“No, never did if you recall.”

He brushed past her, pulling Roxy tighter to him as he hurried down the stairs. Roxy sucked in a breath as the rest of his friends surged around them, blocking them from Dina
’s view. He knew he could count on them.

She whispered,
“I thought we were leaving alone.”

“You are,” Joey grinned at her. “We’re all hungry, and it
seemed like a good time to leave, before Dina and Boyd could ruin our good time.”

“Right,” she
grumbled, her gaze dropping back to the floor as her hands dug into her pockets.

Joey and everyone hung around the doors as Trevor and Roxy slipped out. She glanced back to see the huddle, and looked
over at him with a raised brow. “Why does it seem like they are purposely running interference?”

“They are. Trust me, Roxy. You don’t want to
tangle with Dina and Boyd. Trouble is the only thing they bring. I wish to god they hadn’t followed us, but it seems to be a never ending cycle.” It was worse than that, but he didn’t have the words to explain.

“I trust you,” she said softly, but he
could scent her doubt.

“For dinner, would you mind coming back to my place? I can cook.”

A smile flirted across her mouth. “Your place? I can handle that. I only live a couple blocks from you. I’ll run home to change real fast.”

“Unless you’re starving
, I’ll park, then walk with you.”

“Okay.”

* * * *

Boyd stared after Roxy like a
bitch in heat. Of course his version of playing with her would result in bodily harm. He liked to hurt his prey, and that’s exactly what Trevor’s new little toy was.

Dina
watched as Trevor’s clan milled around the entrance, blocking Dina and Boyd’s path. By the time they made it out another exit, Trevor would have effectively disappeared.

Shane glared at Boyd first, then Dina.
“You do realize we won’t let you touch her. Trevor wants her, and it’s pretty damned obvious she’s feeling the same about him. We aren’t going let you ruin his chance at love.”

“Oh, he doesn’t love her,” Dina spat, wishing she believed it. “He’ll use her, break her, and be done.”

Joey growled, “He’s not the monster you pack of hounds are, no matter what you want to believe. The fact that he still stands with us should say something.”

Boyd leaned forward and glared up into Joey
’s face. “Oh, I can’t wait to play with the little bitch. I want to watch her bleed.”

Before the encounter could escalate, Dina wrapped her hand around Boyd
’s throat and shoved him to the ground. “You’ll shut your mouth,” she warned.

He glared up at her. She knew he hated she was the stronger of the pair and could control him when he got out of hand, which was often the case.

* * * *

Jordan leaned against the bathroom stall as he stared at the woman
across from him. He zipped up his jeans with a scowl. She looked drained, and he wasn’t even close to satisfied. He growled, slamming his hand against the metal stall wall.

Her eyes rounded as she righted her clothes and ran from the bathroom. It didn
’t seem to matter how many times he came, he always needed more. Sliding down the wall he reached into his pocket to get to his stash. The cocaine would help for a little while. At least until he could stand to find another round.

Roxy was the only one who dampened his need, and even
she wasn’t enough for him in the end. It took her three years to catch him, but he had become reckless when he started drinking.

His desire
was more than an addiction. It was a need, a hunger, one that was never sated. He slammed his hand against his head before snorting his blow. His pulse raced as liquid fire shot through his system, dulling the need to fuck.

Help, he
desperately needed help to get himself straight, but without Roxy, he was lost. That piece of shit singer was going to sweep her off her feet and take her away before he could fix himself and win her back.

His eyes burned as tears leaked down his face.
Silent in his agony, he held his breath as his heart started to stabilize.

Jordan needed Roxy. She was the only one who balanced him,
and he wasn’t good enough for her. He needed to figure his shit out so he could be what she needed, but he didn’t know how.