Danica’s lips twisted into a grin. “If you’re talking about the coaster in the middle of the Strip, been there, done that. Not worth the hype.”
He rolled his eyes and tugged her hand as he began walking. She needed to move twice as fast to keep up with the way he booked it from the RV. Apparently, she hadn’t been the only one with a bad a case of the jitters at the thought of being stuck in a confined space while under threat.
She swallowed hard and quickened her pace to catch up with Trevor as they strode across the asphalt. The words stuck in her throat, but she forced them out anyway. “Thanks, Trev.” Her skin prickled at the real admission but watching his Adam’s apple bob in response was worth the discomfort. “If we’re going on a date tonight though, I’m picking where we go.”
“Oh, it’s a date now?” he asked, his voice light with amusement. A mere day before, she would’ve drank that down like hot chocolate, but right now the warmth burning in her chest hurt all the more.
She sucked in a breath. One night, and then she would do what she had to.
“You betcha, babe,” she responded, heat flushing through her as their gazes met. A boldness gripped her by the throat. “I’m planning on wining and dining you, then fucking you senseless.”
The curl of his lips into a sensual smirk was the only encouragement she needed.
****
The top of the Stratosphere placed the entirety of the Las Vegas Strip on crystalline display. Danica took her seat at the intimate two-seater in the restaurant, the quiet thrum of jazz music and chatter helping calm her nerves. Over the years, she’d become proficient in compartmentalizing, and she utilized the skill in full force now. She sucked in another breath. Stay present. Stay here.
Trevor sat across from her, looking some sort of gorgeous in the amber lighting. He leaned back, those long legs stretched out in ripped jeans and his leather jacket slung over the seat. He watched her with affection she couldn’t deny any longer.
They’d ordered Chardonnay and steamed clams that came out fast, and she lifted her glass in salute.
“To taking down a veritable asshole tomorrow,” she murmured. He clinked his glass against hers. They locked eyes, and the air left the room. His intensity held her suspended every time. It made her want to stay.
Trevor ran a hand through his silver locks. “I reckon I’ll have to revise my whole future,” he responded. “I always figured I’d be on the run from him for the rest of my life.”
“And what’s that future going to hold for you?” Danica’s heart hurt so bad it spasmed in her chest. No matter what she chose tonight, hers went from as expansive as the view up here to a nothingness that wrapped around her neck like a noose.
He reached across the table to thread his fingers through hers. “You, if you want this,” he said, his voice hoarse. The man she’d met had always been aloof, all confidence and competence. He was the guy sitting in the corner with a wan smile and a wisecrack. She never thought she’d get to see this vulnerable shade of him, and as their fingers touched, her breath hitched and her eyes burned.
Enough of the denial, enough with the roundabouts in the conversation, and enough skating on the surface. Trevor was the first man she’d ever met who made her want to take the leap. Who made her yearn for something real.
“Yeah, I really do,” she responded, quieter than intended. A flush crept to her cheeks, and she tipped back the rest of her glass of wine in an attempt to cover up the way she ached.
“You know, I escaped Alberich over a decade ago,” he said, staring into his glass like he’d lose himself in it. “Back then, I couldn’t trust anyone. Every strange face was going to turn me in, back to him, and my brief stint of freedom would be over. Even when I met Ky and we formed the band, I lay awake most nights, waiting for them to betray me.”
“Sounds familiar,” she responded. She lived that way, apart from Lenora. Every other soul on the planet would sell her out to the highest bidder.
His sad smile melted his eyes. “It took years for me and a lot of stubbornness from Ky to begin to trust again. I still have a hard time. When we first met, you sparked my interest from the start—I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”
“And then I shattered the trust,” Danica said, gripping his hand. Her throat squeezed tight. If she screwed Trevor over now, she would shatter him. There wouldn’t be any coming back from that—ever.
“I want to trust you, cher,” he responded, gliding his thumb across her pulse point.
“But you just need time,” she finished. Time they wouldn’t have. She offered a grin that hurt, and those shards drove deeper into her heart. “I trust you, Trevor Arceneaux, and that’s good enough for me right now. You take all the time you need.”
The liquid heat in his gaze rolled through her. The intensity held all the emotion they’d both avoided, pretending their wounds were hate. Acting like they both weren’t falling hard.
“You’re one of a kind, D,” he murmured. “Gorgeous and witty are just perks, but I’ve never met anyone with your singular brand of loyalty. Your sister’s lucky to have you.”
Otherworld be damned. If that didn’t just sucker punch her then and there. She drew in a shaky breath, not bothering to hide the way his words affected her.
“I may not give a damn about a lot of people, but the ones who are mine, I’ll defend with my life,” she responded, the statement sinking into her marrow. She stared at Trevor, near trembling at the relief his touch brought as his thumb stroked across her wrist, at the curve of his sensuous lips and how they sparked her desiccated heart to life. Somehow, he’d become one of those people to her, someone she’d come to rely on. She hadn’t lied when she confessed her trust in him—he’d earned it with her from the start.
She was the one who lied. She stabbed people in the back, screwed them over, and left good folks out to dry so she and Lenora could survive.
“And you’re one of mine, Trev,” she murmured, staring out the window. Outside, Vegas stretched out with thousands of glittering lights, as if the city waged war on the stars above. If she stared into those mesmerizing eyes, she’d lose what resolve she had left. The heat prickling behind her eyes would unleash, and everything she held back would come spilling out.
“We’ll get through this together,” he said. “You won’t be alone anymore.”
Her throat tightened. That was everything she’d wanted to hear since she was a little girl, ever since she and Lenora escaped her parents’ clutches. Danica had been fighting, fighting, fighting for the both of them, and the weight grew so heavy it threatened to crush her with every passing year. For once, she wanted to be the one taken care of. Protected.
She tapped the side of her empty plate—they’d finished the appetizers a bit ago, and the glasses of Chardonnay were both spent. She slipped a couple of bills onto the table, enough to cover their meal. “I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready for the final course.” Her voice dripped with intent, and as their gazes locked, a hungry, wolfish smile spread to his lips.
“Look at that, turns out I’m still famished,” he responded, leaning forward. He pushed himself up from his seat in a fluid motion. The wickedness in his eyes traveled straight between her legs, and she licked her lips in response.
Before she could rise from the seat, she found herself being lifted. Trevor tugged her onto his back, and she looped her legs around each side. The warmth of him pressed into her even through the fabric of his shirt, and those lithe muscles were on clear display, shoulders she wanted to bite. Her arms dangled in front of him as he quickened his pace, carrying her through the restaurant on his back. Giddiness bubbled in her chest, and a laugh escaped her while most of the intimate restaurant gaped at them in abject horror.
“Heavens above,” Danica said, murmuring in his ear. “Is Trevor Arceneaux pulling rockstar shenanigans? I thought Renn and Ky were the only ones ridiculous enough to try.”
He laughed, quickening his pace to a run, almost crashing
into a waiter as he raced for the elevator. The stares of all the dining couples burned into her, but she ate them up and spat them out. She bounced up and down on his back, relishing in his strength, how he held her thighs effortlessly with those corded muscles. He skidded to a halt in front of the elevator and pressed the button. Danica leaned closer to bite his ear, earning her a heavy breath from him.
“Bad girl,” he murmured. “Save that for in here.” The elevator doors parted, and she slipped to her feet to join him inside. The second she stepped into the elevator, his hands were around her waist. Trevor pressed her against her the mirror-lined walls. The door clicked shut, and up they went.
Danica’s lips met his in a crash, a desperate need driving her. This close, heat burst between them, the air so thick she could sink into it. She bit down on his lip, a copper sting following, and a second later his tongue slipped into her mouth. His fingers curled around her waist, and he crowded against her close enough his erection nudged through his pants, pressing to her center. She panted in response, desire rushing through her like the flu.
The floors continued to ding as they rose even higher.
Trevor pulled back for a gasp of air. “I want to be inside you, now.” He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a pick. Within seconds, he had the fire lock turned and pressed the bottom floor—this elevator traveled a long, long way.
He slipped his hand beneath her skirt, bringing it up as he glided his palm along her thigh. The fingers traced right over the swatch of fabric barely covering her. He pressed down, stroking right over her clit.
“Think I found it,” he murmured against her neck before those lips traveled up and down the column in slow, sensual precision. Danica let out a low moan tugged straight from her core. She ground against his long fingers, growing slicker by the second until he dragged her thong down her thighs by the elastic. His fingers stroked over her clit again, this time bare, and her breath hitched.
“I need you in me, now,” Danica whispered, drawing his face to hers. She cupped the side of his cheek.
“I think I can accommodate,” he said, his eyes crinkling with his smooth-as-sin grin. The dim light of the elevator sharpened the shadows of his even features, his skin duskier as the golden hues emerged. His brows curved with wickedness, and the leather jacket of his show attire, the plain grey tee and the ripped jeans, hugged muscles so defined her mouth watered to sink her teeth into them.
Her thumb traced his bottom lip before he descended again, drawing her into the sort of kiss that sent warmth coursing through her like the first sip of coffee. She focused on the sharp, ragged breaths between them and the way her chest heaved, even as the elevator continued to ding while it traveled lower to ascend once more.
She reached down to snag his belt, flicking it open, even as he bit and sucked at her neck, her collarbone, all before returning to her mouth. He tugged on the elastic of her panties before he had them off and flicked them to the opposite side of the elevator. A low growl came from his lips, one that reverberated against her skin.
The snick of his zipper resounded through the elevator, and he brought his cock out. The sheer size made her core throb with a need that pulsed until it grew into a deafening roar. He nudged against her drenched entrance. She leaned against the mirror panel, her skin sticking to the surface as her breaths came out ragged.
Trevor inched inside her, and she lifted her thigh to circle around his, taking every ounce he offered. Drops of sweat beaded across her forehead, and her chest swelled up and down with anticipation. He slid deeper in, and his hands wrapped around her hips as he brought her up against him. When Trevor sank deep into her, Danica let out a moan that resounded through the room and wrapped her legs around his trim waist. He slammed her against the wall, bracing her there.
His lips met hers, right as he began to move inside her.
They were a clash of teeth, skin, and desperation as he thrust deep. His fingers dug into her hips, and he slammed her against the wall again and again, holding her effortlessly. Danica sank into his sheer strength, the heat blistering between them and the ecstasy rolling through every time he rocked inside her. Sweat dripped down her neck, and the bunched fabric of her dress rode up around her thighs.
The elevator continued to ding, ding, ding, as she rode him, as he thrust inside her like they searched for the same thing. Her nails curled into his shoulders, biting past the thin fabric. Trevor’s lips met hers again and again as if he chased a fleeting memory. Her chest tightened, and she gasped out a sharp breath. Maybe he did.
Danica closed her eyes, surrendering to the sting of their skin against skin when they smacked together, to the bliss curling around her like a spring breeze, and to the ragged breaths they shared with every kiss.
Her pussy throbbed as each thrust brought her closer and closer.
“Come for me,” Trevor whispered in her ear, the silk of his voice her undoing.
She threw her head back, and her core squeezed tight, her vision blanking for a moment. Pleasure so exquisite she could feel it in her teeth took over. Her breath caught in her throat as she sagged in his arms. Trevor continued rocking forward into her until a few seconds later, heat followed as he spilled inside her. Their bodies shuddered together, and for a moment, the only sound was their ragged breaths and the ding of the elevator.
Danica made the mistake of looking up. The way his eyes crinkled when he looked at her, how he pierced past her surface to plunge straight to her heart—she’d remember him for the rest of her life. Her heart stuttered at the sight of him, rumpled clothes and ragged heart, yet he risked all of those fragile pieces on her.
She didn’t want to leave.
Chapter Nineteen
Trevor stretched his arm out, but he felt nothing there. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes before pushing himself from his bottom bunk on the RV, which he lay in alone. Last night, he and Danica had fucked their way across Las Vegas between drinks, laughter, and sharing old wounds. Disappointment curled in his chest at the sight of his empty bed, but based on the golden rays creeping in through the blinds, they were already well into the day.
He hopped up and strode to the kitchenette. Jett leaned over the table, studying the mirror and tracing the symbols again and again. Even though everyone else remained asleep, Jett was dressed in his usual button-down and slacks ensemble, his dark hair combed and his thick brows pulled together in concentration.
“Your girl snuck out hours ago,” he said, not looking up from the mirror. “Her rustling about is what woke me up in the first place.”
Trevor’s heart pounded in double time, and he couldn’t resist the smile that spread as he sat at the booth.
Jett looked at him, those ice blue eyes crystallizing. “Be careful,” he warned. Trevor’s chest burned at the statement, but he just nodded. Jett continued, “She’s witty, charming, and she may care for you, but the woman’s a liar. I know my kind.”
Trevor opened his mouth and then shut it. Jett wasn’t wrong—they both knew Danica lied and maybe even to him, but the way they’d connected was real. He reached out and cuffed Jett on the shoulder. “Thanks for watching out for me, J,” he said. Because at the end of the day, all of Jett’s concerns and sharp comments came from a place of worry.
The siren’s eyes darkened as a charmer’s smile lit his face. “Hush now, we both know I don’t dabble in things like feelings or concern.”
“Total ice, man,” Trevor said, glancing to his phone. No calls or texts from Danica, but the time ticked closer and closer to their scheduled meet-up with Kincaid. He reached down to fire off a text to her before casting a glance at the mirror again. The heavy piece glared at them, somehow still in their possession despite Alberich’s attempts. After today, Kincaid would make his move, and if luck was with them, they’d take the impossible monolith down—that part, Trevor still had a hard time grasping.
“First thing I’m going to demand from Kincaid is an explanation of what the hell this mirror i
s. I know this scrawl from somewhere, and it’s been driving me crazy ever since,” Jett muttered, slumping onto the table. He pressed his forehead against his folded arms.
Kieran lumbered out from the bunks, sliding a hand through his tangled black hair. His gaze landed on Trevor with the same wild intensity as always. “Today’s the day, brother,” he said, grinning so wide he revealed his fangs. “Are you ready? You won’t have to look over your shoulder at every new place we travel.”
Even as Kieran’s enthusiasm rolled over him, Trevor couldn’t shake the nerves jittering like a wrong chord that reverberated inside. Maybe he’d spent too many years disappointed to hope, but he couldn’t shake the feeling something had already gone horribly wrong.
He cracked a grin, more for Ky’s sake than his own. “Habits like that die hard. I’ll still be the same paranoid fucker you’ve known from the start.”
Kieran peered at the coffeemaker, which had a slim amount left. He pulled the glass carafe out and poured the coffee straight into his mouth. A moment later, he was wiping his forearm over his mouth and had replaced the carafe. Kieran strode over to set his hand on Trevor’s shoulder, the heavy weight a familiar one. The hotheaded incubus might not have been his birth family, but he was the only one who’d earned the title.
“I’ll summon the troops,” he said. “We’d best start getting ready. We’ve got an important meeting with your freedom today.”
****
By the time they reached the Peppermill Lounge, Trevor’s heart slammed full force in his chest.
The entire walk over, he’d been waiting for one of Alberich’s redcap mercs to jump them, or some shadow to lengthen and another fae to emerge. They ran into a couple of close calls with roaming ankous and had been ducking into alleys and shadows, but they’d managed to blend with the dense crowds every time.
Hypnotizing Beat Page 16