Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle) (8 page)

“Nothing,” she
answered.

Trevor closed the distance, putting his hands on the counter on either side of her hips as he leaned close, but not
quite enough to touch her. “That’s not fair. What’s so funny, Roxy?” That growling purr was back and she had to squeeze her thighs together at the ache it incited.

Good thing he
’s got condoms,
she thought wantonly.

She licked her lips.
“It was nothing.”

His cheek brushed against hers, his mouth dancing over her ear.
“Really?” he breathed the word.

Threading her fingers into his hair, she pulled him closer.
“Really.” She turned to capture his mouth.

He let her
, for only a second before taking a step back, and shaking his head. “Nope, not until you tell me.”

Her eyes
nearly rolled out of her head. “I’m rethinking it now.”

He grinned.
“Tell me, Roxy.”

Resigned, s
he sighed. “You’re kind of perfect… so far.”

Then he was on her, pressing her against the counter as his mouth closed over hers. He stole her breath away, but it
ended as quickly as it had begun. When she opened her eyes, she found him turning the steak.

“That was it?
” she complained.

“Don’t want anything to burn. Well, besides your steak.”
He looked back and winked.

Her mouth fell open as she stared at him. He turned around and
to continue cooking.

Yeah, rethinking the whole perfect thing. The tease.

* * * *

Roxy was so damned adorable, sitting there with a look of
indignant shock on her face. If she only knew how hard it was to wrestle back his instinct to claim her, she’d probably give him a medal.

Her phone rang, and she
groaned.

He took a slow breath and listened as he mixed the dressing.

She hesitated. “Mikey?”

“Rox, can you come to my place?” Jordan’s voice slurred badly, but
he heard something inhuman in it.

Trevor
thought back to his brief run-ins with Jordan. He nearly dropped the pepper when he remembered his scent. A hint of sulfur. Not quite human, but not fully demon either.

Shit
. Why didn’t I catch that sooner?

And Roxy had a hint of Otherness to her essence. It was in her blood,
almost like there was a block, but the magic was familiar.

Pieces fell into place.

Roxy let out a cry of frustration. “No! How many times do I have to tell you no?”

“I need you. Just you,” Jordan whimpered.

She ended the call without another word.

Trevor
’s head reeled. There was a good chance Jordan didn’t know what he was. That’s why he kept hurting Roxy.

Her phone rang again.
“Doug?” she whispered.

“No. Still me. Come on, Rox. Let me talk to you at least. Even if it’s only on the phone.”

“What the fuck do you want?”

Trevor
’s heart squeezed tight.
Is there a chance she would go back if Jordan got his shit together?

“Where are you?” Jordan pleaded.

Her voice was cold and deadly. “Doesn’t matter. Get to the point. I’m out of patience.”

“
Your brother said you might leave the band. Please don’t. I need you around. You’re the only one who calms the storm.”

She laughed, it was a bitter sound.
“That’s why you fuck every woman who shows the slightest bit of interest. You know what? I don’t care.”

“Don’t leave. Please. Give me that much.”

“We’ll talk later.”

“Okay.
One thing, Rox. That guy you’re with. He’s trouble. He’s not right. He’ll hurt you.”

“You don’t get to judge me or who I’m with. You don’t get a say. If I stay
in the band, my relationship status is off limits.”

“Do you have to keep making this harder?”

“Harder? Look, lately you make the band unbearable. So you deal with it, or I walk. Those are the only options. Suck it up, Jordan. I’m not taking your shit anymore. Not for anything.”

Trevor felt a little better, but the what-if
s started running through his head. The biggest one was
if
Jordan could fulfill his needs and stabilize, would she go back?

“Fine.
Promise you’ll come to practice tomorrow. I’ll keep my mouth shut about
him.”

“One word, Jordan, and I walk. Remember that.” She hung up the phone.

Trevor turned around to find her slumped against the counter, with a look of fury on her face. Her blue eyes sparked with an anger that wouldn’t be so damned sexy if it were directed at him.

He closed the distance, brushing his fingers across her cheeks and into her hair.
Her expression softened as she looked deep into him. “You probably think I’m the stupidest woman alive.” She sighed and tried to look away, but he held her still.

“No. I
get it. You two were close once, and you’re having trouble cutting all ties.”

“I don’t know why. He won’t change,” she replied, but he saw her pain.

“I need to ask one thing, Roxy.”

“What?”

“If he could go back to how he was, would you go back to him?”

Her answer came immediately.
“No. He killed my love. Before that though, we were friends. I miss that friend. I miss the boy who could make me smile on the worst day. He’s been gone so long, I don’t know why the hope doesn’t die.”

And he understood better than he wanted to.
“Then you’re not stupid. You’re optimistic. And you being unwilling to go back is a major relief. I don’t want to let you go now that I’ve found you.”

“
You seem to always know just what to say.”

He shook his head, closing his eyes.
“I wish that were true. I know words won’t go far with you, so I’ll show you every day that I will never hurt you, Roxy.”

Her lips parted, but
nothing came out. He leaned in, brushing a reverent kiss over mouth.

“Don’t say anything. I know it seems fast, and I can’t explain what I feel, but it’s powerful.”

Her head bobbed a little before she tore her eyes away. “Where’s the restroom?”

Stupid. Too much
, too fast. She’s clearly not ready to handle the truth.

Trevor took a deep breath and nodded to the hall.
“First door on the right.”

He stepped back and she slipped past him. Giving her the space she needed, he turned
his attention back to dinner.

Roxy closed her eyes as she savored the last scrumptious bite of steak. Something she rarely ate because she wasn’t big on red meat. Trevor’s cooking was excellent. Once she finished, she opened her eyes to find him watching her with a seductive smile.

“So very good, Trevor. Color me impressed.”

“I could tell you enjoyed dinner. You, well… I can’t say without sounding like a bastard with only one thing on my mind. I assure you that isn’t the case.”

She licked her lips.
“Oh, I promise not to mind.”

H
is smile spread as his dimples deepened. “Your little moans and whimpers of pleasure were purely erotic. It took everything I had not to sweep aside the dishes and lay you on the table so I could devour you.”

Her eyes widened, her heart raced
, and her breath caught. “I wouldn’t have stopped you,” she answered huskily.

“When I take you the first time, I want
everything to be right,” he promised.

Shaking her head, she laughed softly.
“Yeah, well, you’re pretty much there. I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop.” She felt like an ass for admitting it.

His smile dimmed a bit, but he nodded.
“Go have a seat. I’ll clean up real fast and then we can talk.”

Her chest rose and fell with her deep breath
s, but she stood and walked to the living room.
Talk? I can think of much better things to do.
She didn’t dare look back, but she could feel his eyes on her.

She
found herself before a bookshelf and was pleased by his vast variety of books. Yet another point in Trevor’s favor. She was surprised to find two of her books on the shelf, both well-worn.

He did mention that Sorcha gave him the books, so maybe the wear and tear were from her. Not willing to think too much on it, she
moved to his window seat where a five subject notebook lay.

The cover had been sketched on, words, pictures, everything. Creativity was always a
big turn on for Roxy. She picked it up and flipped through the contents. Over three fourths of the pages were written on—a mixture of songs, poetry, and sketches.

Roxy sank onto the bench
when she got to the last page, remembering what Sorcha said about the song he wrote the night before.

She walks in

Your life changes

Everything you crave

Standing before you
…

“I was going to show you that,” Trevor confessed from beside her. “I couldn’t get you out of my head last night.”

She smiled back at him.
“It’s too amazing to be about me.”

“No. It doesn’t do you justice. I’m not as gifted with words as you.”

She snorted. “Please. Your writing is incredible.”

“You bring whole worlds to life, Roxy. I bring moments to life. There’s a difference. You’re a thousand times more talented.

“Ah, but a lot of people would argue you do that with your songs.”

“You do both.”

She shrugged. “Either way, Trevor, you’re amazing.”

“Would you sing it with me?”
he asked, his gaze blazing.

She nodded.

“What time are you done with rehearsal tomorrow?”

“Depends. If Jordan is an ass, I’ll turn around and walk out. I wasn’t kidding. So anytime between
twelve and four.”

His eyes sparkled
. “Then how about you meet me back here at 4:15 and I’ll feed you. After that, you can come to my practice and we can see how we sound together.”

“Okay.” She hooked her hair behind her ear and glanced out the window with a sigh.
It was tempting to tell him that she could spend the day with him, instead.

The last thing Roxy wanted to do was
waste a single moment with Jordan, let alone four hours. She didn’t want to leave the band, but she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. She’d been on the verge of breaking for weeks, long before she ever met Trevor. Roxy desperately wanted to stop stressing over Jordan and all the heartache that came with him.

He gently pulled her gaze to his.
“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing
worth thinking about,” she blurted.

“What can I do to help?”

She did the only thing she knew would block out all thoughts of Jordan. She grabbed the back of his head and kissed him hard.

It only lasted a moment before he
gently pushed her back. “No. Let’s think of something else to do.”

The rejection physically hurt.
“What? You didn’t have a problem kissing me earlier.”

He
dragged his fingers through his hair and chewed his lip. “Look, I don’t want you to regret anything later. I don’t want you thinking about someone else when we kiss. Even if it’s someone you want to forget. It’s got to be you and me, nothing else, or it isn’t right.”

Her heart fell and all coherent arguments
left her. She turned to start for the door with a million questions churning through her head, and a forced bravado on her tongue. “Fine. I’ll go home. I knew the drama was going to be too much.”

He
moved in front of her faster than she could react, and she walked straight into him. His hands wrapped around her upper arms, drawing her close enough to feel his hard length straining against his jeans. “No. I don’t want you to go.”

“Damn it, Trevor.
That’s not fair. You can’t tell me you won’t touch me if I’m thinking about something else. My head doesn’t stop without a reason. So, let me go and I’ll write until I clear my head.” She tried to pull away but he didn’t let her go. “Trevor,” she pleaded.

At her defeated tone, h
is eyes slid shut. “Please, don’t go.”

Except, he
had a damned good point. She needed to clear her head instead of rushing into things her body wanted. “It’s better if I go. I’ll come back later, once I’ve sorted my shit out.”

* * * *

Trevor couldn’t stand the hurt in her eyes, the strain on her face. He wanted to bare his soul to her, but first he needed to ease the pain he’d caused her. Then he heard the sound of Joey’s beat to shit jeep.

“I’m wrong,” he uttered
a second before pushing her back against the door. His mouth descended on hers, his tongue sweeping in to taste her. Her hands slid up his abs and his pecs, to his shoulders. A moan escaped her as his fingers dug into the flesh of her ass. Then her leg wrapped around his thigh, drawing him even closer. His rigid length held tight against the seam of her jeans as he groaned into her mouth.

“Trevor, I swear, you’re the only thing on my mind,” she
assured in a hungry whisper.

He lifted her, and
both her legs wound around his hips, fitting against him perfectly. He wanted nothing more than to sink into her until their bond surged and solidified. His urge was so intense that his hand slid down the back of her jeans.

Then Joey banged on the damned door and Roxy undulated against him as she gasped. Her eyes snapped open, but they glowed an unearthly
, dazzling blue.

The tang of magic flared to life around him, and he heard the rain fall harder as she tried to catch her breath.

“
A Chroí
,” he whispered against her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head.

Joey pounded on the door again. Understanding, then a dark look crossed her face as she snarled, “Fucker.”

Trevor chuckled.
“Give me a minute, dumbass.”

He could hear Sorcha laughing.
“Little warning,” she called out. “He’s about to break down your door if you don’t open it right this second.”

“Tell me you’ll stay,” Trevor
implored urgently.

“You knew they were coming?” she asked, her eyes dropping. “Why did
n’t you tell me instead of working me up?”

“I didn’t know if you would stay,” he admitted as he took a step back and set her on her feet before he swung the door open
.

Trevor
sprang out of the way. Joey fell on his face, like Trevor knew he would.

Roxy
barked a laugh and her eyes went back to their dazzling iridescence. Her emotions were still a jumble.

Sorcha
’s brow arched as she gave him a pointed look. She must have caught the scent of magic.

Joey
picked himself up with a smirk at Roxy.

“Can I talk to you
, Trevor?” Roxy asked with a hint of sweetness, but it wasn’t a question.

He took her hand and pulled her into his bedroom
, leaving the light off. He hoped to hurry this conversation up. Her scent spiked and his cock throbbed against the rivets of his button fly. He shut the door and tried not to breathe her too deeply.

“
What was that?” he could hear the heat in her whispered words. “You say no, then you practically take me against the wall?”

“Shit,” he whispered. She was right. He
’d nearly lost it.
What happened to taking my time and explaining?
“I knew they were coming,” he explained lamely. “I needed to buy some time. I’m sorry. I get started with you and the whole world falls away. I’m so caught up in you that you’re all there is.”

“Yeah,
I get that.” She took a slow breath and relaxed. “I’ll stay. You better behave or they might get a show they weren’t expecting.”

He chuckled.

God, I love her
.

The realization hit, causing him to pause mid turn
. Love made sense, it went with mating, and they were well on their way. Mentally shaking himself, he opened the door.

* * * *

As they emerged from the bedroom, Sorcha started in with, “Please say you’ll stay and play poker with us? Please, please?” She bounced up and down, her hands pressing together in front of her face with wide puppy dog eyes and a full pout.

Roxy gave Trevor a nervous glance before looking back at her.
“Okay. Sure.”

“Good
!” Sorcha squealed. “Siobhan and Shane are on their way, but they aren’t nearly as much fun as you.”

Roxy’s brow lifted at her enthusiasm
. “What do we do while we wait?”

Joey produced shot glasses
which he sat out around the square table. “We play quarters.”

“Quarters?”
she asked with wide eyes.

Sorcha pulled a bottle of Jameson from a bag.
“Yup, quarters. Need to loosen you up for the poker game.”

Oh
lord, that’s what I need. Even less inhibitions around Trevor.

“Sit down, kiddo.” Joey pulled a chair out.

Trevor brushed his knuckle down her cheek and looked deep into her eyes. “You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.”

“They won’t be long
, will they?” she asked, hoping a little alcohol would make him forget his inane desire to play the gentleman. She wanted him so badly she should have been embarrassed by how aroused she was.

“Shouldn’t be,” Trevor answered.

A sly smile took hold of her lips. “A few shots won’t kill anyone.”

Joey passed out quarters.
“You’re up first, Roxy. May as well get the first shot out of the way,” he winked.

She stuck her tongue out and bounced the coin, missing by a millimeter. Before Joey could open his mouth, she grabbed the shot and slung it back. She winced as she set it down.

“God, that burns,” she muttered.

Trevor squeezed her thigh.
“You sure you want to play?”

Her eyes lasered in
on him. “I won’t miss next round.”

There was clink as Sorcha bounced her quarter off the table and into Roxy
’s cleavage.

“Oops,” Sorcha’s
blue eyes sparkled as she threw back her shot.

Joey laughed out loud,
“You just wanted to take a shot.” Then he missed, but not nearly as badly, giving Roxy a wink.

* * * *

By the time Siobhan and Shane arrived, Roxy had taken a total of three shots and wore a crooked smile Trevor found adorable. Sorcha had six, Joey seven, and Trevor only two.

Shane had
a key and they let themselves in. “Quarters?” he asked with a raised brow at Roxy. “You holding your own over there?”

Her head dipped as a smirk formed.
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ve had way less than Sorcha.”

Joey
laughed. “Okay, take your last shot, seeing how it’s poker time.” He threw his back.