As the group took their leave of the Vampire’s table, Landon called over his shoulder, “Watch your step gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, because we will be.”
Since they were already at a bar, Landon decided they might as well blow off some steam. He chose a corner table because he preferred to sit with his back to the wall.
“What do you anticipate their life expectancy to be?” Chance asked nodding to the table they had just abandoned.
“Pretty damn short,” Bradley responded with a snort.
“Can I bring you boys something? Anything at all?” a scantily clad waitress asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Landon had caught her scent as soon as he crossed the threshold of the bar. His hand snaked out to encircle her wrist. He gave a slight tug and she plopped into his lap.
“Hi, Rach,” Landon greeted her by nuzzling her neck and resting his hand on her slightly protruding stomach.
“I’m headed to the dance floor,” Chance announced as he stood. “I need to find me some action.”
Two more chairs were vacated as Bradley and Devon followed.
“An alpha in the making,” Rachel observed with a grin.
“Yes, but there is still some work to do first,” Landon added.
Landon gave Rachel a smacking kiss on the cheek before helping her to her feet.
“You boys stay out of trouble tonight. I’m heading home in another ten minutes. Do you need anything before I go?”
Landon shook his head but flashed a grin as he said, “Just tell your old man, that I kissed his wife and felt his baby kick tonight.”
Rachel laughed and said, “You’re a foolish man Landon Smith to risk the wrath of my Jay. But rest assured, I’ll be sure and tell him.” She turned and blew him a kiss as she walked away.
Landon chuckled. Jay was like a brother to him. They had been raised together as pups. Jay and Rach had been married forever, and she was expecting their third child. She was still as beautiful as ever and still thought the sun rose and set in her husband. They both knew Jay would take a bullet for Landon, but it tended to stir his Wolf if Rach bore even the slightest scent of another man. Landon knew the next time he saw Jay, he would have to listen to him bitch about the sleepless night he would have tonight.
There were times when Landon envied Jay. And other times, like when he was talking to him on the phone and the kids were screaming, he wondered if he would ever be ready for a commitment like that.
Shaking off the seriousness of his thoughts, Landon stood to join the party currently in progress on the dance floor.
Women had started crawling all over the boys within a matter of minutes. Their bulky bodies were like magnets to all females in the vicinity. Soon the dance floor was rowdy and full. The drinks and the women just kept showing up. Due to their metabolism and body mass, alcohol had little effect on Were. In Landon’s experience, that had proved to be a handy advantage when it came to womanizing and pool tournaments.
Rouel watched the Were with distain. His hatred overruled his fear, but tonight he kept both restrained. He would bide his time until the coin was found. Trevor slid another drink in front of him, his favorite-Bloody Mary. As Trevor reached across him, he picked up an underlying scent. He leaned toward Trevor, inhaling deeply.
“Mmmm, delicious. Who is she?”
Trevor, struggling for nonchalance, responded, “Who knows, I’ve been trying to score all evening.” He had hoped to cover Becki’s scent with that of the blond, but he had not had enough time to do an adequate job.
Sniffing again, Rouel said, “Yes, but one is stronger than the others.” With an evil leer, and flash of fang, he taunted Trevor, “Do you smell that Eric? Isn’t it divine?”
Trevor forced a grin and said to Rouel, “Sure wish I knew which one she was.”
“Eric? Are you ready for a refill?” Trevor asked, signaling the waitress to stop by their table when she had a moment. Vamps were less susceptible to the effects of alcohol than humans but not immune to it. Trevor, with a small bit of magic, could simply nullify the alcohol content in his own drinks. It was not exactly fair, but only a fool concerns himself with ‘fairness’ when working with Vamps.
Trevor, Rouel, and Eric left shortly before midnight. As the three left, Rouel leaned close to Trevor and inhaled deeply one more time.
“Back the hell off me, Vamp,” Trevor warned as anger began to sizzle beneath the surface of his skin.
Rouel smiled sardonically, “Backing off.”
Trevor didn’t trust the slimy blood-sucker any further than he could throw him. He realized that he would have to stay away from Becki from here on out. He mourned the loss of his only true friend.
Landon and his band of ‘Werey’ men left soon after Trevor and his Vamps cleared out.
“Chance and Devon, you’re on watch tonight,” Landon said as they pulled in the driveway. “I scented Becki all over Trevor, so I’m sure his friends did too. That classifies her as a high-risk probability in this mess. Unfortunately, she is closely linked to Kurt and the girls, so they are now high-risk as well.” Vamps made Landon edgy. Vamps with an agenda made him downright paranoid. Obviously, they were here for the coin, but why?
The Were/Vamp treaty specifically prohibited running the Vamps out of town unless their behavior became problematic. Without a doubt, problematic was fast approaching. Chance and Devon would patrol tonight, and he would have a talk with Royce and Kurt first thing in the morning.
Tomorrow promised to be a long day on the water, and Landon needed to be ready for trouble. With Vamps in town, trouble was sure to follow.
Stifling a yawn, he closed his bedroom door and stripped before climbing into bed. The body temperature of Were increased substantially at night. The least amount of clothes they had to wear after dark, the more comfortable they were.
* * * *
CHAPTER SEVEN Becki struggled to open her eyes against daylight streaming in through the window. “Ommff,” she groaned deciding it was best to keep her eyes closed for the moment. Seriously, what had happened last night? She remembered dancing with Trevor and getting into a discussion about nights and days? No, that didn’t seem right. She wrinkled her brow as she struggled to recall the details of the previous night.
It came to her in a flash…not days and nights. Rather-- White Knights and Dark Lords! Dark Lords? Oh yes, Royce.
“Jackass,” she mumbled pulling the covers firmly over her head. Scenes from last night flashed through her mind. She frowned as she remembered Royce bodily ripping her away from Trevor just as Trevor was going to kiss her.
“Hypocritical Jackass,” she amended.
Things became a little blurry after that although… she sort of remembered seeing Landon. She would have to call him later and thank him for bringing her home. She needed coffee. Black gold was the only thing that would help this hang-over. She forced herself to throw back the covers, but she hadn’t yet worked up the courage to open her eyes.
“What an idiot,” she groaned, attempting to force her body to cooperate. There was a long list of things to be done today starting with a huge pile of laundry. She really needed to get moving. Gritting her teeth in determination, she opened her eyes and rolled her body hard to the right. Becki’s momentum was interrupted as she collided with a wall of solid muscle. Becki screamed as she sat up rapidly.
“Way to charm her, Royce,” said a sarcastic voice from the open doorway.
Royce? Where was she? Becki realized that she was not at home after all. How long had Royce been lying next to her? Watching her? Narrowing her eyes to stare more intently at him, she saw humor simmering just below the surface.
To hell with this! If he thought he could kidnap her and then laugh at her, he could think again.
Becki quickly rolled to her left. Her eyes darted to the doorway calculating the fastest escape route. To compound an already uncomfortable situation, the bimbo Royce had been fawning over yesterday was standing in the open doorway. However,
today she was dressed in a short robe with a towel turbaned around her head.
Becki stopped mid-roll… her eyes wide-open now.
“You’d better start charming her, Royce. She looks ready to bolt,” said the tramp in the towel, as she pushed off the doorway and strolled gracefully away. She turned to smile and say, “I’ve got coffee made.”
Ok, maybe she wasn’t such a troll after all. However, the grinning male lying beside her was even more of a jackass than she thought. Becki fought the nearly overwhelming urge to beat him soundly about the head, neck, and shoulders. She pushed into a more comfortable sitting position as she prepared to scramble off the bed and away from Royce.
A warm hand rested on her thigh for a moment before dragging her back down into the bed. Before she could think to react, Royce was looming over her trapping her body beneath his.
‘Like a rat caught in a trap,’ as her friend Jayne always said. Only in this case, the rat was the trap! Fury surrounded Becki. She felt as though she might actually drown in the emotions coursing through her body. She began to struggle for her freedom; she had to get away! Becki wanted to go home and forget that she had ever known Royce St. John. While she was at it, she also wanted to forget the fact that her heart felt like it was breaking. She wanted to forget the fact that she had just awakened in his bed, and that the first thing her eyes focused on was his girlfriend.
Feeling somewhat fragile this morning, Becki struggled intently trying to push Royce away from her. Tears hovered incredibly close to the surface.
“Get the hell off me,” she forced through gritted teeth. She tried to dislodge him using her entire body. She arched into him several times trying to gain a few inches of freedom.
“Becki,” Royce said, in a whisper. That whisper went straight to her heart, cracking it open even further.
“Don’t talk to me! Don’t say my name, and don’t touch me ever again. I thought we covered this last night,” she said hatefully. “What did you do, Royce? Bring me back here for a threesome?”
Anger flooded Royce’s body as her words grew increasingly ugly.
As soon as she felt him tense, she should have known she had gone too far. Of course, Becki never did know when to just keep her mouth shut and had to push the envelope a little further. “Well I’ve got news for you; I don’t play in that shit. Now get off me, you sick son-of-a-bi--”
There was very little time to give it much consideration as his lips crushed hers mid-curse.
Damn him! Why did he have to be such a good kisser? As he kissed her silent, Becki momentarily forgot that she was madder than hell. Once Royce lifted his lips from hers, it all came crashing back with a powerful surge of emotion.
Becki closed her eyes and felt the fight leave her body. Incredible anger had been replaced with hollowness.
“You need to stop and listen, Darlin’, before you say something you’ll surely regret,” Royce said softly.
“The only thing I regret right now,” Becki managed, “is that I ever met you.”
“I want some answers, Becki,” Royce demanded. He was tired of being punished for a crime he hadn’t committed.
“Maybe if you actually asked the questions, Royce, I could answer them for you. And then, you can let me up, so I can go home and get on with my life,” Becki said with resolve.
“Ok, why don’t we start at the beginning,” Royce suggested. “Why did you ignore my texts and phone calls yesterday?”
Becki tightened her jaw and turned her face as far away from him as she could.
“No response? Fine! Next question… why were you snuggled up with Simmons on the dance floor when I walked in the Pub last night?” he asked, clearly pissed off.
“You’re jealous? Oh, that’s rich coming from you, you big oaf,” Becki scoffed and pushed on his chest again. She tried not to notice how the springy curls, scattered across his chest, tickled her hands; practically begging her to run her fingers through them. Right-- her fingers-- and the fingers of every other female around apparently. When pushing didn’t work, she resorted to hitting him with her fists. The blows bounced off his pecs like cotton balls.
Capturing her hands, he trapped them both in one of his and pinned them above her head effectively halting the assault. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, the move lined his body up with hers from head to toe. He began thinking about how good she felt under him, how he could get used to waking up with her every morning, and how great it would be making up after their fights. That was when he noticed she was crying.
Royce immediately released her arms and rolled off her body. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Did I hurt you?”
His apparent concern promptly turned the quiet tears trickling down her cheeks into full blown sobs. He heard the bedroom door quietly close and decided that his baby sister had, indeed, grown up.
“Becki, honey, please stop crying. I’m trying to understand what is going on here, and we’ll talk more about that in a minute. But first, I need to know if I hurt you?” He fought an internal battle. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, but judging from her recent reactions, he didn’t know whether he should or not. “You’re killing me, sweetheart. I want to hold you. Can I do that, please?” he waited stiffly for her reply.
Becki finally nodded her permission. His arms slid around her body, cradling her to him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Becki. I’m sorry.”
Becki took a hitching breath, and then blurted it out, “You didn’t hurt me, not today. But you hurt me so much yesterday. I saw you holding her hand and kissing her, laughing with her like you laughed with me earlier that morning. I’m not good at relationships, Royce. I don’t share well. I don’t trust easily either, but I had started to trust you.”
Whatever reaction she had expected from him, it certainly wasn’t the reaction she received. She felt his body begin to shake with…laughter?
He was laughing at her! She was cocooned in his arms, spilling her heart out to him with his girlfriend in the next room, and he had the audacity to laugh at her? It was too much-- it was just too much! She tried to roll away from him, but he tightened his arms like steel bands and bellowed, “Jo, get in here.”
Becki’s eyes grew wide and round as she wondered what kind of kink he had in mind. She wasn’t into sharing, and she certainly wasn’t into group sex. She tensed as she heard the door open. Suddenly the “other woman” was staring down at Becki. She looked even more gorgeous than she had yesterday. She was wearing a bikini which revealed not one ounce of flab anywhere on her body. Becki hated her even more, if that was possible.
“What do you want, Royce?” she snapped. “I’m trying to get ready to leave. Remember, we have to be at the dock in an hour.”
“Becki,” Royce said warmly, “I want you to meet Joanna… my baby sister.”
“Oh God, shoot me now,” she pleaded. Becki closed her eyes and prayed for the world to end.
“It’s nice to meet you, Becki. I’m sorry about last night. How does your head feel this morning?” Joanna asked with a friendly smile.
Royce had loosed his death grip which allowed Becki to turn and look at Royce. “Can I get up now, please?” she asked sweetly, too sweetly.
“Do you promise not to hurt me?” he asked with a grin.
“No,” Becki answered as she pushed him out of the way and swung her legs off the bed. Ignoring Royce completely, she asked Joanna, “Did you say something about coffee?”
“Sure did. Follow me,” Joanna said, leading the way to salvation.
Royce watched them walk out of his room with a grin on his face. He wasted little time in the shower. It wasn’t hard to imagine the kind of stories Becki would drag out of a more-than-eager-to-embarrass-herbrother Joanna. He grabbed a cup from the cabinet and kissed the top of Becki’s head as he passed by.
“Where’s Sean?” he asked Joanna.
“He is downstairs waiting for me. We’re going to drive separately, so you can drop Becki at her h
ouse. I’ve already arranged to have her car delivered by the time you get there. I need to go now.” She breezed out, and then moved back into the room with surprising speed. She handed something to Royce with a whisper and disappeared again.
As he looked at the stone necklace in his hand, he heard Joanna’s whisper echo in his ear, “Make sure she wears it…red jasper for protection.”
“Thanks, Jo,” He said long after the front door slammed. She would still hear him. He knew she might have grown up, but she was still his bossy sister. She would wait around just long enough to make sure he followed her instructions.
Becki stood at the window taking in the breathtaking view of the gardens.
Royce slid his arms around her and pulled her to lean into his chest.
“You can trust me, Becki. I would never knowingly do anything to hurt you.”
Turning in the circle of his arms to face him, she said, “I know that in my heart, my head is just a little thicker. I’m sorry for acting like such a bitch.”
He kissed her softly and pulled her in close for a hug. “Just so you know, the next time I see you in another man’s arms, he is going to be missing his front teeth and maybe a few other body parts before I am done with him. And you,” he continued, “you won’t like your punishment. Not one bit.”
“My punishment? Oh, Royce, don’t tease me so,” she said fluttering her eyelashes.
He swiveled her around to face the window once again and placed something around her neck. Looking down, she touched the fiery red stone dangling from an intricately woven gold chain.
“It’s beautiful, but what is this all about?” Becki asked trying to turn and face him.
He held her in place nibbling on her ear, which he knew drove her crazy. “Promise me you will wear it every day and not take it off,” he asked. “Feel free to wear something black and sexy with it tonight when I pick you up for our date. Ok?” he whispered in her ear.
Treasure Tides (The Coins) Page 16