Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle) (7 page)

BOOK: Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle)
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Chapter 8

 

 

Trevor parked behind his building, and then escorted Roxy to her condo. The walk took them a couple minutes. She blushed as she unlocked the front door to her building, letting them in.

Roxy glanced over, a blush coloring her cheeks as she started for the stairs.
“Hope you don’t mind the stairs, or the mess. I’ve been in writing mode for a few days now.”

“I don’t mind,” he
reassured. A part of him wanted to be in her space, to breathe in her essence as he took in what made her comfortable. He hoped to learn something important about her, something to give him a clue as to how she might take the news he wasn’t, at all, what she believed him to be.

She hurried up the stairs, and then opened the door. Sweeping her arm inside, she gave him a sheepish shrug.
“My humble abode.”

Trevor
eagerly took in the warm, cozy condo. There were shelves upon shelves lined with books. Piles of notebooks lay on several tables. Her place was obviously lived in, slightly disorganized, but not what he would call a mess. Inviting was a more appropriate word.

“I like it
.” He grinned.

“Well, come in then,” she said, pushing
her fingers through her hair as she slipped past him.

He stepped in behind her to brush a light kiss
over the nape of her neck where her hair was shorter.

She shivered under his touch.
“You do that, and I’ll forget all about dinner,” she whispered.

There would be plenty of time later.
“Go on. I want to feed you.”

A soft laugh escaped her.
“I’ll be right back.”

She moved into the bedroom and he walked to her desk by the window
. Trevor picked up the top notebook. He opened it, only to be pulled into her passions and desires. The poetry was sensual and raw. He wanted to take her to those heights and further, wipe away the pain and show her pleasure.

 

* * * *

 

Roxy hurried out of her clothes and put on a newer pair of jeans, one without holes, and a soft t-shirt she hoped would encourage his hands on her body. It was fast, but she didn’t care. She craved his touch like nothing else.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed all thought aside. She
’d let this take its course. So far Trevor hadn’t done anything to incite doubt. She needed to relax and see where they went.

Sweeping her hair behind her ears, she stepped out of her room to find Trevor leaning against her desk, lost in whatever
captured his attention in her notebook.

Startled, she gasped, flushing deeply.
“Find anything you like in there?” she squeaked, falling way short of the confidence she sought.

His eyes darted to her, desire burning in their depths.
“All of it. Your words are raw and powerful. You paint the most vivid images.”

“My notebooks are my worst stuff.
Those are completely unedited, just pure thought.”

His smile was wicked, his voice a purr.
“A peek into your wants and dreams.”

Her gaze
dropped and caught on what was straining behind his fly.

Holy shit,
my poetry turned him on. There is nothing hotter than a man who craves my words.

Trevor placed the book on the desk and closed the distance. His
warm hands curled around her waist, drawing her close enough to feel his desire as his head bent to whisper in her ear. “If you haven’t noticed, I love what you write.”

Her hands traveled up ribbed abs,
over muscled chest, and finally around a corded neck to tangle in his thick soft hair as she boldly took his mouth in a heated kiss. He spun her, pushing her up against the wall.

The
fingers of one of his hands trailed along her waistband and under her shirt. The heat of his touch intoxicated her. He gripped her hair lightly, pulling her head back. “Dinner, remember?”

She made a needy
whimper. “Are you afraid we won’t make it back?”

“Oh, sweetheart, if I start, I won’t stop, and
then I won’t ever let you go.” He looked torn. “First, I want to make sure you know me, all of me.”

Tipping her head to the side, she studied him. Need, desire and vulnerab
ility all rolled into his eyes.

Then his body went rigid, his nostrils flaring as his head tipped toward the door. Rage flashed through his features before
all expression evaporated.

She heard the pounding footfalls, and then the sob before the banging began. Her head fell against Trevor
’s chest. His arms encircled her, pulling her closer.

“Rox, come on. I need to talk,” Jordan begged.

Trevor’s finger pressed over her mouth. “Will he go away?” he breathed.

She shook her head.

Jordan started spewing the same bullshit he always did. “I love you, Roxy. Please, one more chance. This time I’ll do everything right.”

Done, she was so completely over Jordan and his games. S
he slipped from Trevor’s arms.

He looked shattered.

“Really?” she whispered harshly. “Do I look like I want to go back to all the misery he caused?” Grabbing his wrist, she dragged him to the window, and climbed out.

He
was beside her in an instant, sliding the window closed. His eyes narrowed as they drifted over the rusted fire escape. “Is this safe?” His question was growled in a low, cautious tone.

“I’m not letting Jordan ruin this. So let’s go,” she snapped before quickly making her way down. It wasn’t the first time she
’d done this, and it likely wouldn’t be the last.

Her feet hit the ground and she started for the street. Trevor
caught up. “No more tears?” he asked softly.

“This is the same bullshit he always pulls. He doesn’t change. I know he won’t. Jordan has issues, lots of them, and he won’t change.”

“This afternoon—” he started.

She cut him off.
“This afternoon he insulted me. Look, I’m done with his shit. So can we enjoy the evening? Or maybe I should go find something else to do. Either way, I’m not wasting my time discussing a damned thing with Jordan.”

“Okay, then if you’re sure, we’ll go to my place.”

“Let’s hurry. He’ll figure out I’ve left sooner or later.”

His brow arched but he started for home, and she hurried to keep up. They made it up the stairs and before they could get to the door, her phone
played Mikey’s ringtone. With a weary sigh, she pressed talk.

“Did that shithead come by?” Mike snarled, she knew he meant Jordan.

“Yeah, look, I left. Slipped out the fire escape. I didn’t want to listen to his whining.”

“Christ, Roxana, the fire escape? I swear you have a deathwish. Be careful.”

“Yeah, okay,” she dismissed his concern. “I can’t take another ounce of his shit. He ruined the mood, again. So deal with him. You promised you would.”


Damn it, I’m sorry, Rox. He gave us the slip. He went to the bathroom, and then disappeared.”

“Well, he’s sloppy drunk. Worse than normal. Do something for him, please.” A part of her would always care for
Jordan, but not how he wanted. She couldn’t love him after all of his mistakes, but she missed the friend he’d been before sex messed everything up.

“I’ll come get him. I’ll call you when it’s safe to go home.”

“Actually, I may not be going home tonight. You can call in the morning,” she smirked, expecting a strong reaction to that bit of information.

“What the fuck, Rox
? You never move that fast. What the hell are you thinking?”

That Trevor
might be everything I need, and why should I waste more time.

She let out a sigh.
“I didn’t say I would sleep with him tonight, just that I might not go home. Get your head out of the gutter.” She hoped that convinced Mike, but not Trevor.

“Okay, okay. You’re my little sister. You know I worry. I love you.”

“You too. Sorry you have to babysit tonight. Good luck.” She hung up before he could say anything.

Trevor gave her a smile as he opened the door.
“He’s your brother. He’s supposed to look out for you. Give him a break.”

She nodded, and her phone dinged with a message.
Condoms, condoms, for fuck’s sake, don’t forget the condoms!

Heat flamed through her face, and before she could slide her phone into her pocket, Trevor caught her hand to look at the screen.

He chuckled. “He wants you safe. Can you blame him?”

Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“If you want to give him a heart attack, you can tell him I have a fresh box.”

Her eyes flipped open as her jaw dropped.
Does he have women over often?

His expression softened, a slight smile on his lips.
“I bought them last night, hoping I’d run into you again. I knew then that I wanted to get to know you, and I would much rather be prepared.”

“Oh,” she whispered.

“Come on, let me feed you.”

She nodded dumbly, imagining something far different
than Trevor intended, which probably deepened the shade of red on her face.

Roxy thought she heard a low seductive growl as he pushed open the door and motioned her inside.

She stepped in and froze. Leather couches, expensive furniture, a huge flat screen TV. The place was immaculate, and she suddenly felt very out of place.

How the hell did a guy in a local band afford all this shit? And my place? Oh man, he must feel like he
’s scraping the barrel.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart
?”

She managed to compose her face.
“You must think I’m low class.”

His head cocked to the side.
“What the hell gave you that impression?”

Her hand swept around the room.
“I don’t have anything like this.”

He caressed her cheek, pulling her
attention to him. “The stuff is unimportant. I couldn’t care less. These are
things
. If I were left to my own devices, I would still be mostly packed, books laying around, and not a single decoration.”

“Is there a woman?” she whispered, ready to
walk away if there was. She wasn’t about to start messing around with a man who was involved with someone else.

“Siobhan is an interior decorator. You saw she’s quite attached to Shane.”

And now she felt stupid. “I can live with that.” She shoved her hands in her pockets, her mind still churning out crazy notions. “Where did you get the money for all this? You must have one hell of a day job.”

He chuckled.
“Presently, no job. These
things
are thanks to a large inheritance. Sooner or later, I’ll need to fill my days. For now, I haven’t decided what I want to do.”

“Oh.”

He squeezed her hands as one corner of his mouth lifted. “Relax, Roxy. I really do love your place. I didn’t bring you here to make you uncomfortable. I just don’t want our time together to be over.”

“Okay. I’ll chill. What are you making?” She was proud of the strength in her voice, after sounding so defeated over such
trivial shit.

“Steak. Do you have a preference?”

“Charred, no pink or I’ll be sick.”

His brow arched, looking slightly appalled.
“That ruins the flavor.”

“I can’t eat it any other way.” She
lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

His laugh was light
as he dipped his head in a slight bow. “If you insist.” He moved to the kitchen and she followed.

She leaned against the counter to watch. It took hardly any time for the smell of amazing food to fill the room. Her stomach growled as he put her steak in a pan, the herbs crackling to life.

He had asparagus in one pan, baby red potatoes in the oven, and everything for a salad sitting out.

Totally in awe, she asked,
“Where did you learn to cook? It smells amazing.” She could manage simple meals, but her mother wasn’t much of a cook, so she never learned.

He grinned over his shoulder as he pulled a knife from a rack.
“My parents enjoyed cooking in their own restaurant. I learned from the best.”

“You going to be able to handle a woman who isn’t much of a cook?”

His eyes caressed over her, his smile turning wicked. “Oh, I can handle you. I like to cook anyway.” He turned back to start chopping vegetables for the salad.

She wondered how many more points he could rack up, and giggled
.

He turned around.
“What?”

BOOK: Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle)
13.95Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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