Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle) (18 page)

Sorcha whispered,
“Have a problem with them?”

Roxy blushed.
“Mostly with her. She’s fucking with Mikey’s heart. She doesn’t seem to understand my brother is head over heels in love with her. She’s banged half the damned male population in the Seattle area.”

“Funny, her friend can’t seem to keep his eyes off her.”

Roxy nibbled her bottom lip, her blush hotter. “Yeah, well I guarantee Toryn wants her.”

“And how would you know?” Sorcha squealed.

“Does it matter?” Roxy looked away.

“Ooh, now I have to know,” she whispered conspiratorially.

“I was with him one night. It wasn’t my name he was calling, and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” Roxy answered quietly.

“Oh, shit. That sucks.”

She shrugged. “He’s a good guy, and even if his mind was elsewhere, I owe my most satisfying night, up until Trevor, to Toryn. Something is holding him back from Isa, but I don’t know what. In a twisted way, it’s sort of romantic. He’s always there for her.”

“And you aren’t jealous?” Sorcha asked, shaking her head with wide eyes.

Swirling her straw, she met Sorcha’s gaze. “No. Toryn’s great, but he’s not for me. I knew going in that it was a onetime deal. He is a generous lover, but his heart belongs to Isa.”

“Do you often have one night trysts?”

“Nope. That was the first and last time. I can count the men I’ve been with on one hand.”

Sorcha
’s brow arched. “Damn, as hot as you are, how do you fend off the men?”

“
Believe it or not, they don’t all come on to me.” Then she frowned, tapping her fingernails on the table. “Or maybe I’m blind.” She met Sorcha’s gaze. “Is Trevor the jealous type?”

“He wouldn’t like it if someone pawed all over you, but he’s not going to try to rip anyone’s head off for taking notice of his beautiful girlfriend.”

Roxy snorted. “Girlfriend? It seems like so much more, but we haven’t had that talk.”

“Soulmates is much more apt,” Sorcha
ventured.

Mikey dropped into the seat next to Roxy.
“Thank god, I found you. Where the hell is Trevor? I thought you two were inseparable.” His eyes narrowed on her, a concerned frown on his face.

“He should be here any minute. Remember Sorcha?”
she asked, directing Mikey’s attention to the ballsy redhead.

He glanced over and frowned.
“Hi.” Mikey turned right back to Roxy. “You do realize that you have one ticked off bruiser after you, right? That asshole is searching everywhere.”

She huffed.
“I’m not by myself. I haven’t run into him but I have every intention of avoiding a confrontation.”

“I’d feel better if you were with Trevor.”

Sorcha groaned. “Arm wrestle me, big man. Let’s see if you can take this little girl.”

Mikey snorted as he turned back with a wry grin.
“Oh, I can take you.” He moved drinks out of the way and put his arm on the table.

Sorcha grabbed
his hand and counted down. Then his knuckles were pinned to the table.

“Hmph, I was
n’t ready,” he insisted.

“All right, you count.” She put her arm back up with a sassy little smirk.

He counted down, and then he grunted, his face turning red as Sorcha easily held him there.

Then Joey roared with
laughter as he stepped up to the table. “Oi, you’re not going to win this one, Mike. Sorcha, stop going easy on the lad.”

Her grin was full of mischief as she pushed
. Mikey's hand met the table with a thump.

“Not so
little,
is she?” Roxy asked.

“Okay, okay. You’ve made your point.” Mikey gave Sorcha’s hand a shake and then turned to Roxy. “I have a bad
feeling, Rox. Be careful okay? I love you.” He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head before climbing out of the booth.

“You okay, man?” Trevor asked Mike with real concern.

“Yeah, think I’m coming down with something, so I’ll get out of here. Don’t want to make anyone sick.”

“Feel better,” Roxy called.

Mikey waved, and made his way out the door.

Skylar
came over. “Since Roxy is horrible at introductions, Sorcha, would you do the honors?”

Sorcha took over and Trevor pulled Roxy aside.
“I’m worried about tonight too. Please stay at my place, and don’t leave. You can invite someone over if it would make you more comfortable.”

She smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there in the morning when you get back. I may even still be writing. I think it’s going to be one of those wrapped-in-a-blanket-with-cocoa type of nights. I’ll have my laptop in my lap, my fingers flying over the keyboard. Don’t worry. I’ll ignore the world while you’re gone.”

“Will you think of me?” he asked in
a purring growl.

“Mmm, I think you may have inspired a whole new story to obsess over.”

His brow arched. “I can’t wait to read it.”

She took a deep breath.
“Can we ditch them?” Her eyes skated over his clan.

“Aye,
we’re set to go. You ready?”

“Let’s get out of here.”

Trevor lifted a hand to his friends. “See you this evening.”

“Later,” Roxy added before turning to drag Trevor away
. Her only goal was to make his birthday memorable.

Trevor helped Roxy out of his Land Cruiser. They were parked toward the front of the ferry so they would one of the first to depart. He felt a little guilty leaving their phones back at his house, but he didn’t want them to be interrupted.

“You sure you don’t want to stay in the vehicle?”
he asked one more time.

There was a twinkle of mischief in her iridescent blue eyes.
“If we stay, I won’t keep my hands to myself.”

He grinned back.
“I don’t have a problem with that.”

She laughed, light and seductive.
“I don’t think you want me to make love to you where someone could see us.”

He growled low in his voice.
“No, I don’t want anyone’s eyes on you while I’m making love to you.”

“Don’t get all grumpy,” she warned with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. “You’re all mine. I don’t share.”

“I love it when you get riled up.”

“Come on. I like going to the
upper deck.” She pulled him toward the stairs. “While we’re enjoying the fresh breeze and the scenery, you can tell me what we’re doing today.”

“For starters, i
t’s a surprise. Although, I assure you I have every intention of getting you back to my place in time to make love before I leave.”

“Didn’t get enough this morning?” she teased.

He pulled her closer. “Never,
A Chroí
.”

One corner of her mouth lifted as she climbed the stairs.
“What does that mean?”

“My heart,” he answered. “You are my heart.”

* * * *

Dina stormed down the hallway. Roxy was gone. No one had been to her apartment for at least a day. Of course Trevor had been with her. William wanted that bitch changed, and she wanted to kill
Roxy. A daughter, a fucking daughter!

“Maybe I can kill her instead. Say she couldn’t handle the change,” she snarled.

“Now, now, love. I know you want her blood, but William will not take it easy on you if you disobey him. Not even Kathryn could spare you from his wrath. This plan will hurt Trevor. Let that be enough.”

“We can’t very well
change her if we can’t find her. You know that, right? We need to figure out where she is, but no one is talking. We need to find another way.”

“What about Jonathon. Send him
fishing for answers. He can fake an American accent and he hasn’t been seen yet.”

Dina turned in her tracks to look at Boyd
, who for the first time all week had come up with something brilliant. “Call him. Tell him who we are looking for and that he needs to do it without drawing attention to himself.”

She marched off to their new condo, directly across from Roxy
’s place. William had bribed someone to bypass the red tape. They were moving in before the paperwork was even filed, thanks to her master’s deep pockets. Oh, how Dina wanted to bust down the door and tear her shit apart, but it was so heavily warded by Fiona she couldn’t get within three feet her entry.

“I’m looking forward to shredding that cunt
.” She slammed her door shut.

* * * *

Mike fell onto the couch with a groan. “I don’t feel so well.”

“What’s wrong,” Jordan asked as he took a seat on the coffee table to get a better look at the man he considered his closest friend. His blue eyes looked dull, his skin pasty and damp. Mike
’s hands clutched at his lower abdomen.

“Fucking hurts. Like someone’s stabbing me with a hot poker. I want to throw up, but haven’t eaten since yesterday, and the thought of food makes it worse.”

“We need to get you to the hospital, big man. Come on.” He stood up and held his hand out. “I’ll drive.”

“Don’t want to move
. Just need a blanket,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, well your sister would kick my ass if I let you die here, and you don’t look so hot. Let’s go?” He thrust his hand out again.

Mikey moaned as he took it and hefted himself back to his feet. “Oh shit, I’m dizzy.”

“Yeah, you need the hospital,” Jordan grunted as Mike threw his arm around him and leaned heavily.

Jordan was still a little sore but Leanan had sped up the healing, or maybe it was him with all the ways he got her off. Surprisingly, he felt better than he had in ages. Now, he needed to start making up for being such an asshole.

“Why do you care? You’ve been
a selfish bastard for so long, I forgot you had a shred of decency.” Mikey made a pained noise as he stumbled out of the house and down to Jordan’s beat up Subaru.

“You’re still my friend. Or have I fucked that up too?”
he asked with a huff.

“Still my friend. I haven’t turned my back on you.”

Jordan got the door open and helped Mike into the passenger seat. He hurried around and climbed in. “When did you start getting sick?”

Mike shrugged.
“Felt off all morning. The pain hit all at once.”

“I’m no doctor, but I think you’ve got appendicitis. Want me to call your sister?”

“No. She won’t talk to you. I don’t blame her either. That bullshit after the show? Yeah, I nearly kicked your ass. And then the very next day at the hospital. Whatever you said to her, she’s done.”

“I know,” Jordan’s tone was
resigned. He didn’t bother looking over. “I deserve worse. I want to fix things with her, but I know it’s too late. I just hope… I hope I can get back to being her friend. I miss her. All of her.” He wiped at his eyes as he drove to Swedish Hospital.

Mike snorted, shaking his head.
“Good luck. You’ve got your work cut out for you. I believe you mean it, but I’m not the one you treated like shit. She’s going to be a hell of a lot harder to convince. Plus, I’m pretty sure she’s falling for Trevor.”

“
The guy from that band?”

“Yeah, the
singer from Lunar Storm. He’s good to her too.” Mike sounded sympathetic, but unyielding.

“Good. She deserves the best.” His voice wavered, tears blurring his vision. He knew it was too late but that didn’t make it hurt any less. “I’ll do my best to show her my support.
”

“God, I wish you could have figured that out ages ago. You two were good together once
.”

“I was never good enough for her,” Jordan
responded, knowing it was the truth. “Let’s get you taken care of. It’s the least I can do.”

Rain was pouring down when Trevor parked his Land Cruiser behind his building. She only had half an hour before Joey would be there to pick up Trevor. It wasn’t nearly long enough as far as she was concerned.

Determined to make the most of their time,
Roxy hopped out of the SUV before he had a chance to shut off the engine. She ran for the building. He caught up, and opened the door for her.

They raced up the stairs and he let them into his apartment. His hands caught her sweater and shirt, pulling
them over her head while she still faced away from him. Then she was pulled firmly back against his chest, his mouth dancing over her sensitive neck where he’d kissed and teased her the whole ferry ride back.

Her fingers fumbled as she opened her jeans and started
to slide them down her legs while kicking off her boots.

Trevor
had already shed his clothes and spun her, palming her ass, lifting her against him. Her legs wound around his waist as her back hit the door. With one powerful thrust he was buried inside.

Sensation washed over her.
“Trevor,” she cried out as he started to move. It was so intense her teeth sank into his shoulder.

H
e growled, his rhythm hard and fast, sending her body into overload as pleasure built quickly. She dragged her nails down his back while her teeth clamped down.

“Fuck, yes. Harder, Roxy,” he growled, each thrust
jolting the door in its frame, the wood shuddering behind her trembling body.

His fingers dug into her ass with bruising force, and she loved it.
Peaking, her head fell back as she screamed out her release. His mouth found hers, swallowing her cries of passion as he erupted inside her.

He held her there
, leaned up against the threshold, while they both tried to find their breath.

Joey
’s roaring laugh made her jump in Trevor’s arms. Then the bastard started pounding, rattling the door at her back.

Trevor yelled,
“Give us a damned minute.”

The laugher didn
’t stop, but the knocking did.

Trevor set her down. His fingers tracing her face before delving into her hair and pulling her close for a sweet
, heartfelt kiss. “I’m sorry,
A Chroí
,” he whispered against her lips.

Her heart squeezed tight as she fought back tears. It was too soon and she didn
’t want to let him go. She gripped his neck, drawing him close as she deepened the kiss. When she finally pulled back, she drowned in his jade green eyes, and admitted, “I love you, Trevor. I do, with everything I am.”

“Roxy, you a
re my everything. Stay here and be safe?” he pleaded.

“I will. I’ll be right here when you come back,” she promised.

The laughter was gone, but there was a light rapping on the door. “Hurry up, lovebirds. We’re running out of daylight.”

Roxy sighed as she turned to dress. She could hear Trevor pulling his clothes on. As soon as she zipped up her pants, Trevor pulled her against his chest
and unlocked the door.

Joey barged in with a wicked glance at Roxy and then an arched brow at Trevor.
“The door? You had to bang her against the door? We could hear it echoing down the stairwell, my man.”

Sorcha followed on his heels.
“Leave them alone. It’s new love, and we did interrupt their morning lovemaking.”

Roxy turned and caught Trevor
’s face in her hands. “Be careful, and I’ll see you in the morning,” she promised. “I really do love you.”

“Love you too,
Roxy. Stay inside.”

“I will.”

He closed his mouth over hers, stealing her breath as he drew her ever closer, wrapping her in his embrace.

“I’m not going anywhere, babe. Go on, and enjoy the rest of your birthday
.” She gently pushed at him.

He stole one more kiss.

Joey groaned. “Gah, he’s going to drive me nuts, going on and on about how much he misses you. I can already hear the incessant whining. The sooner I can drop him back off with you, the better!”

Roxy swatted at Joey as she broke the kiss.

He rubbed his arm with a frown. “I was teasing.”

“Aww, you big baby,” Sorcha mocked. “Come on, we should go.”

“Bye,” Roxy waved.

Trevor squeezed her tight before letting go.
“I can’t wait until I’m back in your arms.”

She melted as she shut the door and locked it. It was time to lose herself in her writing.
Trevor inspired an entire book, and then some.

* * * *

Trevor paused, waiting to make sure she locked the door. Joey stopped, crossed his massive arms over his broad chest and stared at him. There was the click, and then the door itself locked. Satisfied, Trevor smiled grimly before turning down the hall.

Joey slapped him on the back and gave him a sympathetic smile
. “You know she’ll be fine, right? I don’t think she’s going anywhere.”

“She’s planning to write. I bet she’ll forget to eat. Maybe we should bring her
something yummy in the morning.” Sorcha grinned.

Trevor’s brow furrowed
. “She better eat.”

Sorcha nudged Trevor.
“Don’t stress so much. She’ll be fine. She’s a big girl.”

“I have a bad feeling about toni
ght,” Trevor answered quietly.

Joey snorted.
“Trust me, you’ll feel that every time you have to leave Roxy for any stretch.”

“
Agreed, but knowing that doesn’t make it easier.”

“
You need to chill,” Joey insisted, going through the door to stomp down the stairs. “Your place is surrounded by wards. Boyd and Dina still haven’t found where we live thanks to Fiona’s magic. As far as those arseholes are concerned, she’s fallen off the face of the earth.”

“I fucking hope so.” The further Trevor got from Roxy the worse the worry became, and the more he wanted to run back to take
her with him. If he wasn’t terrified she would run when she found out the truth, he would. He still hadn’t found the words to tell her about the beast lurking inside him.

Sorcha squeezed his shoulder.
“Stop stressing. It’s not going to do you any good. You have no choice in this, unless you want to explain what’s about to happen. Considering the timing that’s pretty much a no go.”

“I know. I need to suck it up and deal.”

* * * *

Jordan paced the hall, listening to a ring tone for the hundredth time since he got Mike to the hospital.
In an attempt to respect Roxy’s wishes to be left alone, he left exactly one voicemail on her phone, and a single text, but he had called Doug’s a dozen times.

Doug was at work, so it made sense, but he was about to throw his phone if Doug didn
’t answer soon.

He finally picked up
, clearly annoyed at the constant calls. “What’s got your panties in a wad, asshole?”

“Mike’s about to go into surgery. I can’t get a hold of Roxy. Yes, I know that’s my fault, but you need to call her.”

“Wait, what?” Doug stammered. “What’s wrong with Mike?”

“Appendicitis, but they’re about to take him back.”

“Is he okay?”

“Looks like hell. Nearly passed out on me. I got him to the hospital though, and I’m not going anywhere.
Would you call Roxy? Maybe she’ll answer if it comes from you.”

“Yeah, if she doesn’t think it’s you with my phone again. Her place is on the way.
I’ll stop by there if she doesn’t answer.”

* * * *

Roxy’s phone rang a plain tone, meaning it wasn’t someone she knew. She had a song programmed for everyone.

“Hello?” she finally answered.

“Oh, good. You found your phone. I was starting to feel like an arse for not bringing it this morning, but I was being selfish with your time.”

Her heart warmed
at Trevor’s voice, and she laughed softly. “No need to be sorry. I’m glad you were. I had a wonderful day. I only hope your birthday winds up being all you hoped for.”

“Never better. I
will admit to needing to hear your voice before we get too far out and I lose all signal. Don’t forget to eat. I left the address on the desk in case you want to order something, and the Wi-Fi info in case you want the internet. Everything you might need. There’s also food in the fridge.”

She groaned.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. You’ve drilled it into my head.”

“Then may your fingers fly as you write,
A Chroí
.”

Grinning, she nodded.
“Good luck with hunting. I don’t know anything else to say, other than I love you.”

“I’ll see you before you know it. Good night.”

“Good night, Trevor.” She hung up with a smile on her face. She took a look at her phone and saw a missed call from Jordan, three from Doug, and she didn’t recognize the last. Oh well, they’d try back if it was important.

She settled back in the couch, laptop in her lap,
and mouse on the coffee table as she started to write.

And then her phone rang again. With another number
that wasn’t programmed, but this one looked familiar. Her heart sped up as she clicked talk. “Hello?”

“Roxana Nights?” a male asked.

She hesitated. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Your brother
, Michael Nights, is about to go into surgery. You’re listed as the emergency contact, and the young man who brought him in insisted you wouldn’t answer his call. He urged me to call you one last time.”

“Where?”

“Swedish Hospital—”

“I’ll be there.” She hung up, sat her laptop on the coffee table and yanked her boots on
before she ran out the door and slammed it shut. After charging down the stairs, she took off for the hospital as fast as her legs would carry her.

The thundering of her heart echoed in her ears, her breathing harsh as a pain in her side flared up.
Her imagination conjured images of Mikey disfigured or maimed.

S
omething slammed into her head, causing an explosion of agony. Cement filled her vision before it all went black.