The tempo picked up and the three of them moved with the music. The little trio had become a ritual.
Toryn had perfect pale luminescent skin and shimmery raven hair. In contrast, Leon’s skin was dark ebony, but his head was smooth, and bald. His eyes were black as night and he had full thick lips. Leon’s build reflected his love of fitness. Despite his ripped body, he still managed to move with feline grace. He wore tight black pants and a mesh shirt which left nothing to the imagination. If Leon wasn’t clearly so hot for Toryn, Isa would have made a move.
Toryn kissed Leon over her shoulder, as if to say, Oops, got carried away. It didn’t help when the two of them pressed into her. She had the nearly overwhelming desire to join the kissing.
When they finally broke apart, Isa had only marginally more breathing room. Leon put his chin on her shoulder, running his hands down her abdomen until she leaned back into his chest.
“Lana tells me you’re on the hunt for a man tonight.” He purred suggestively. “I think you could handle two.”
The fantasy played through her head for the millionth time. “I wouldn’t want to be in the way.” She winked, hoping neither of them caught the lie.
“Oh no, you wouldn’t, honey. You would fit right in.” He pressed his hips into her to prove his point, and what a point it was.
One of her dark eyebrows rose.
He licked his lips and pressed in tight. “Right in, Isa.”
“Stop it already,” Toryn growled and pulled her closer. It felt possessive. “Let’s not scare Isa away.”
Stupid Isa, she scolded herself. Didn’t stop her from smirking back at Toryn. “Oh, I’m not scared, sweetheart. But I’m not sure Leon could handle me.”
Toryn’s eyes darkened to midnight blue as he stared back.
Before either one of them could reply, Blondy stepped up with a heated smile focused on her, his dark chocolate eyes devouring her as if she was his favorite desert.
“Care to dance?” His accent was foreign, exotic, but she couldn’t begin to place it.
Something about his angelic expression was all wrong. Mr. Long-Blond-n-Pretty wore black jeans and matching tank top molded over his lean muscles and golden tan. Even if his hair was too perfect, and blonds weren’t normally on her menu, an appetizer couldn’t hurt. She could always ditch him after Toryn and Leon were busy with each other. Besides, she desperately needed a distraction from the two gorgeous men who would ravish her in her fantasies later.
Isadora glanced over at Lana who rolled her eyes but gave a thumbs-up. Her business partner correctly assumed Isa was asking for permission, and the guy did come to her. Besides she was desperate for some action that didn’t involve Toryn.
“Sure.” Isa grinned at him. “I should let these boys get back to their fun.”
Leon kissed the outermost corner of her mouth, tempting her to turn her head for the real thing, but she resisted.
Toryn embraced her tightly and whispered in her ear, “Be careful. He’ll wind up hurting you.”
Before she could ask what he meant, he danced off with Leon.
She felt abandoned. Faking her best smile, she turned to face Blondy.
Needing no other encouragement, he pulled her close and moved to the music. Surprisingly well in fact, though nowhere near as talented as Toryn, or even Leon.
Something was off about him. She couldn’t put a finger on it. Isa looked into his captivating eyes and fought off a shiver of fear.
His smile was slow and seductive, his hands gliding down her back possessively. “You are so beautiful, princess.”
Her brow scrunched and she cocked her head. Beautiful? Princess? Hot, sexy, stunning maybe, but not beautiful. And seriously, what was with him calling her princess? Only Toryn got away with that. Her outfit was anything but classically beautiful. She wore a shimmery black mini-dress, thigh high boots, and more glitter than a Ke$ha video.
“Right, well, you’re quite attractive yourself,” she ventured.
His smile widened. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her skin tried to crawl away. Isa shoved aside the dread settling into the pit of her stomach. Toryn’s warning merely had her spooked.
There was one glaring problem. Toryn had the annoying habit of always being right. Always. If Blondy didn’t move so well, she would have walked away, or maybe ran, but a part of her was curious if he could kiss half as well as he could dance.
Yay for desperation, or maybe it was the thrill of danger. Perhaps she was simply a glutton for punishment. Then again, she was too damned desperate for a decent lay. Either way, she needed another drink and slipped out of his arms.
With a confident strut, she headed back to the bar, hoping to draw another man’s attention. Sliding into a stool, she asked for another double shot of Grey Goose.
Lana grinned wickedly, releasing her earlier claim, “I want to hear every detail tomorrow.”
Isa tossed back the booze, set down money and nodded before going back to the dance floor with the intention of finding any other man. She didn’t see Toryn or Leon anywhere, and before she could find a new potential partner, Blondy re-appeared.
* * * *
Toryn stood in the shadowy alley across the street from Shenanigans. He watched as the bastard groped and kissed on Isadora. “Do I stop it now? Or before closing?”
“She’s not going home with him.” Leon leaned against the opposite wall. “She wanted you to kiss her when I stepped up. I don’t know why you both keep fighting the attraction.”
“Yes you do. I can’t tell her the truth yet. How in the abyss do I tell her everything she knows about me is a lie?”
Leon laughed. “Not a lie. Omissions. You left out the past and a few details. Can’t tell me you don’t care about her, or you don’t need her, as much as you obviously love her.”
“Damn it, Leon. You don’t understand. How could you? If I go there, I will shatter every ounce of faith she’s ever invested in me. She’ll know everything. Everything. How is she supposed to forgive me?”
“She won’t have to because there is nothing to forgive. How many times have you swooped in and saved her? How many times did you keep her out of danger? She will understand. She isn’t like most of your kind. I still think you’re really afraid her family will keep you two apart.”
“Of course they will. And she hates who she’s promised to. How do I put a stop to their union? You know what he’s capable of.”
“She won’t marry him. She can’t stand the asshole.” Leon sighed. “She wants you, only you. You’ll find a way to keep her safe, and you will have her.” So much conviction in Leon’s tone, but Toryn didn’t agree.
“I don’t see how,” Toryn growled as he watched the blond piece of shit slide his palms inside the low back of her dress. She moved his hands away as he kissed down her throat. “I want to kill him.”
Leon chuckled. “You see the way she keeps looking around for an escape. She’ll wait until last call and then slip out. Hell, that’s what she’s been doing every night since Reese. She hasn’t had anyone since then, and the last man was a month before that. Isa wants you.”
“I don’t trust this fae. There is no reason for him to show up like this. No way it’s random, something else is going on,” Toryn muttered as he pulled his phone out and called Lonny, one of his trusted friends, and business partners.
It only rang once. “Hey man, what’s up?”
“I’m sending a picture. I’m hoping you know who this pig is. Something is going on, and I want to get to the bottom of it. I have a real bad feeling.”
“Let me guess, some fae asshole is on your girl?” Lonny chuckled but it ended on a breathless curse. “Shit, that’s Evanastie.”
“The Seducer?” Toryn clarified through gritted teeth. “The scum sucking piece of trash they send to awaken changelings?” He felt gut-punched as he kicked the wall. “I want to know who sent him, and I want his head. I don’t care who the fuck set this up, I’m taking him down, bec
ause no one is going to hurt Isadora on my watch.”
“We’re on it, we’ll find out what we can. Keep her safe, man.” Lonny hung up.
One of Leon’s brows rose. “You sure Henroyld isn’t responsible? Maybe he’s moving things forward.”
“Aeryana would have warned me. She wouldn’t want it done like this. Henroyld may be a world class piece of shit, but Aeryana would never allow this.”
“Would she necessarily know?”
Good question. Either way, while Isa was in the bar, she would be safe. Getting back before closing time was key, but he couldn’t stand there and watch this clusterfuck without going in and ripping Evan’s head off. Literally.
“Want company?” Leon asked casually.
“No. Not in the mood.”
“You could go get her now.”
“No. I don’t want to scare her. And you’re right. She’s been bailing on the men who pick her up before leaving for the night. I’ll let her handle this. She’s getting irritated and it would serve the prick right if she blasted his ass. I want to stay and watch, but that would lead to bloodshed before I have cause.”
Leon laughed out loud. “You take care.”
“Safe trip.” Toryn nodded, not taking his eyes off Isa as Leon headed for his car.
Chapter 2
Isa glanced up at the clock and gave Lana a pleading look. She misinterpreted because she gave another thumbs-up, this time with an encouraging smile. The prick wouldn’t keep his hands off her, and each time she moved them from indecent territory, he only became more persistent.
His mouth devoured her neck, as she wouldn’t let him kiss her again. She needed to put a stop to the insistent pawing, but she didn’t really want to create a scene either. Blondy could kiss, she had to admit, but he was putting off some serious heebie-jeebie vibes.
At first she thought the problem might only be Toryn’s warning echoing through her head. She’d been interested in the beginning, but now was heading toward pissed-as-hell.
The DJ finally announced last call as Blondy’s hands made another run at slipping under her dress.
“Excuse me,” she managed to sound calm, “I need to stop at the restroom before we leave.” The separately went unsaid.
Feeling sick to her stomach and filthy dirty, she headed for the bathrooms, but stepped into the kitchen and slipped out the back door.
Despite the breakneck-heeled boots, Isadora jogged down the alley and up the hill to her street. She ran into someone as she turned the corner, barely containing the scream as she started to fall.
The guy had enough decency to catch her, pulling her upright, against a familiar hard body.
Toryn’s eyebrow arched as she looked up into his vibrant blue eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Is that a hint of humor in the bastard’s tone? She wanted to strangle him for being so damned smug.
“Fuck,” Isadora snarled, “you scared the hell out of me.” With a dirty look, she smoothed out her dress.
He stifled a laugh and slid an arm around her shoulders, “Are you all right?” he asked again. This time his concern was more genuine.
She glared back. “Fine. Now I need some coffee.”
Passing her building, they walked quickly toward their favorite all-night coffee shop, for their closing-time ritual.
“Didn’t bring lover-boy home?” he asked, sounding overly pleased.
Her hand itched to slap the smirk off his face. “Nope.” She managed a nonchalant shrug, even though venom raced through her twisted emotions. “Ditched him at last call. Something was off.”
She wanted Toryn to drop the last couple hours. Besides, it was his fault she needed to get laid. The encounter with Blondy was a mess, but seemed the only available option to help get Toryn off her mind.
And there he was, rubbing it in that she was going home alone. Again.
“You enjoyed your first dance.”
Was that jealousy? Nope, I’m definitely drunk if I’m entertaining such a ridiculous notion.
Toryn had Leon. Hot, sexy, definitely fuckable, Leon. Yeah, she was a tad jealous of the man, but she still liked him, so she dealt with it.
Isa shook off her overactive imagination, and explained, “Somewhere along the way, Blondy creeped me out so I bounced. I didn’t like how grabby he was.” Her hands started to tremble, and she needed a distraction. She pulled her braid out, letting her hair fall around her in waves. Under the soft blanket, she felt less self-conscious, something she rarely struggled with.
“Good. I still think he’s bad news,” he grumped, but didn’t look convinced.
That ticked her off and she went from freaking-out to bitch in an instant. Ice chilled her tone. “Where’s Leon?”
Then she paused. How the fuck does he know about what happened? Toryn was gone before things got out of hand. She knew because she had looked for him a few times, ready to beg him for any excuse to get away from the sleaze-ball.
Disappointed, he sighed. “He has to work early in the morning. Business as usual.”
There was a pang of guilt in her chest. “Sorry, that wasn’t fair.”
“Eh, I deserved it.” He lifted a shoulder in a sheepish shrug. “I could have been more tactful.”
The tension between them eased as their easy companionship fell back into place. They stepped into the café and ordered their usual coffee.
Upstairs, on the balcony, their favorite table was available.
While they settled in, her mind kept rounding back to one serious question. “What did you mean when you warned he would hurt me?”
Toryn ran a hand through his hair, before capturing her gaze. “Exactly that. He strikes me as one of those guys who likes it rough. Not in a good way. Something about him rubbed me wrong, especially the way he relished your resistance.”
“Hmm?” she murmured.
He saw that?
She stared out the window, and froze when she thought she saw Blondy in the alley across the street, but when she blinked, he was gone. Her imagination was really getting the better of her.
Placing a comforting hand on her thigh, he gave her a squeeze. “It’s just a hunch, but he’s bad news. He will throw your whole world into upheaval.”
Toryn wasn’t the type to judge without reason. He always accepted everyone until they gave him a reason not to. So it made her wonder what he knew when his attitude was so different about this guy.
“All right.” She sipped at her coffee. Unlike most people, coffee calmed her. Much like a lot of things tended to have the opposite effect for Isa. Coffee could help her unwind enough to sleep while sleeping pills made her jittery.
Then an explanation dawned on her, and she turned back to look into Toryn’s stunning blue eyes. “Did you come back to check on me?”
He didn’t answer.
Her brow arched, holding eye contact. As much as she hated it, he was always right, and generally looked out for her. Her own rogue knight in leather. His seemingly cryptic warnings were always dead on, and as long as she listened to them, she stayed out of trouble.
He gave her a sideways grin. “Leon and I left the bar for a bit. I came back to check on you after he took off. Leon had a feeling you would go home alone, and I was lonely.”
“Aw, you are such a sweetheart.” She kissed his cheek. “I seriously hope you would have intervened if I hadn’t snuck out when I did.”
“I had you covered,” he promised.
That was one of the many reasons she loved him. She wished like hell it was the platonic sort, but she had been in love with Toryn from the very beginning. It was getting harder to pretend she wasn’t when he was absolutely everything she ever wanted.
* * * *
Like most nights, he walked her home, his arm wound around her waist as she snuggled close. If she only knew how much he craved these quiet, stolen moments, and how much he really felt for her… she’d probably hate him.
Isa unlocked her door, but lean
ed back before opening it, considering him. “So, tomorrow night, right?” Why did she sound so hopeful? Could she be feeling even an inkling of what he felt?
“Our gig?” He was a bit breathless. “Yeah, we play tomorrow.” He gave her a grin, and futilely tried to shut off his heart. “I hear Mike’s supposed to be coming too.” At least Mike was safe. She would never fall in love with him, even if she did sleep with him from time to time. They were buddies, but they fought like cats and dogs, so a relationship was out of the question.
Mike was a great guy, and Toryn honestly felt bad for him. Somewhere along the way he had developed real feelings for Isa, but she didn’t reciprocate. He felt some guilt for being relieved Mike and Isa would never be anything more than fuck buddies.
Toryn remained terrified that one day she would fall in love with someone, forcing him to let her go. He wasn’t sure he was capable. Since the dreams about their possible future started, he found it impossible to ignore the love he’d confined all these years.
“So, I should dress to kill?” Isa purred, her smile turning wicked. “Seeing how I didn’t get anything out of my system tonight.” Some raw emotion, he was afraid to interpret, passed over her face as she looked away.
Oh, what he wouldn’t give to help her get some relief, but he couldn’t, and he had to continually remind himself. If he did have her, even once, he would never let her go. And with the way things stood now, he would have to, at least for a time.
Toryn managed a chuckle. “Yeah, you need to get laid. You were pretty frisky tonight.” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. He licked his lips and before he could think, the words tumbled out, “Oh, don’t think I didn’t notice. You had me all muddled up. I was ready to help Leon convince you to come back home with the two of us.” He kissed her on the cheek, but it really was the outermost corner of her luscious mouth.
“Liar,” she accused breathlessly.
“I have never, ever, lied to you, Princess. Trust me, I was truly considering it.” Besides, he couldn’t lie—he could evade, mislead, even omit, but never lie. “Sweet dreams, Isadora.”
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