Claim & Protect Read online

  “Already texted the address. Beckett and Danny are on standby to meet you.” He paused a second and his voice dropped. “Three more days, brother. Three days and you’ll have all the leverage you need to make sure Wyatt never hurts Natalie again.”

  Translation: Keep his shit in check and don’t do anything stupid. “Yeah, I get it.”

  Across the crowded mall thoroughfare, Gabe hustled out of the lingerie shop, scanned up and down the hall until she found him and strode his direction. The pink and white bag she’d added to her already hefty stash walloped her thigh with every purposeful step.

  Trevor paced down the long row of glass cases. The shop really did have nice stuff. Classy like Natalie. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings...every bit of it looked top-notch. Not that he had a clue about jewelry outside of his platinum Tag Heuer and his Haven tags.

  Rerouting back for another lap, he paused at the section singled out for engagement rings, then moseyed on to the next.

  “See something you like?” Gabe said as she bustled into the store.

  “Just looking. Quieter in here.”

  The sales clerk kept his silence, but stayed poised and ready for action. No way the guy had missed the number of bags he and Gabe were carting, so he was probably too busy mentally calculating potential commissions.

  Gabe sidled up to the case he’d paused beside and snickered. “Just looking, my ass. Come on back over here and look.”

  A whole tray of pretty bracelets covered the section in front of him, the ivory felt beneath it accenting the rainbow of gems on display. “You think she’d like a bracelet? Something casual she could wear every day? Or are those annoying?”

  “Trevor,” she said softly. “Come over here and look.”

  He held his place and kept his focus in front of him.

  “Sweetheart, they won’t bite. I promise.”

  He shifted his weight and stuffed one hand in his pocket. She was right, really. Looking didn’t mean anything. And when would he have another chance to get a woman’s perspective on something like that? Still, not meeting her gaze, he eased that direction.

  The diamonds winked up at him, but there was one that snagged his attention first. The oval stone in the middle was huge, not so big it was gaudy, but still large enough it said, “This is my woman and I can take care of her just fine, thank you very much.” Around it were lots of smaller diamonds, creating a classy yet traditional look.

  He forced his gaze to the clerk, swallowed and pointed to the ring. “I want to see that one.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Soft colored lights drifted across Crossroads’ mostly empty dance floor, and tiny white shimmers danced across the shadowed corners and black walls. Natalie should have been at home. Would have been curled up in the fetal position with puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks were it not for the wonderful man holding her close and swaying them to the slow song pulsing through the club’s sound system. Instead she was celebrating. Finding solace and comfort from people she’d only begun to know and unearthing a strength inside herself she hadn’t known existed.

  Beneath her cheek, Trevor’s heart thrummed a steady rhythm, and his earth and forest scent surrounded her with the same confident strength of his arms. She still couldn’t believe how he and his family had rallied around her. Turned what Jace had assured would have been a dreadfully slow night into a beautiful gesture she’d not soon forget.

  He’d been right about the turnout. The few real patrons that had shown for a Christmas Eve night out on the town had been obviously confused by the New Year’s banners and party hats, but they’d gotten into the swing of things once the booze had kicked in. Drinks, dancing and general hilarity had kept her occupied from the moment her mom had all but dragged her out of her room and forced her to get dolled up, until now, well past midnight and creeping toward 1:00 a.m.

  The only somber point of the night had been her goodnight call to Levi. She’d checked her watch at a quarter to nine, a silent tell Trevor had spied and led her straight up to Axel’s quiet office for her routine check-in. While Levi had still sounded a little off, he’d rebounded far better than she had, asking questions about her night and sharing details on all the icky food he’d had to suffer through at his grandmother’s house.

  She chuckled low and smiled. That was Levi. Whatever curveballs life threw him, he processed quickly and moved on, ready to uncover whatever bright sides to life he could find. He’d especially perked up when she’d promised bigger, better plans for the following week when he was home. Being Levi, he’d begged, cajoled and sweet-talked her for a full five minutes trying to learn more about what was in store, but had finally acquiesced on a precious little-man huff. Of course, Wyatt’s voice had registered in the background around the same time, so his reluctant acceptance might have been based more on lessons learned than resignation.

  Trevor’s hand slid up her back, the heat of his touch radiating through the ivory silk of her strapless, fitted gown. He cupped her nape and nestled his lips against her ear. “You ready for your next surprise?”

  She snapped her head up and her heart jolted. “There’s more?” She glanced behind her where Trevor’s brothers, Viv, Gabe, and the rest of their dates were gathered round a huge table. Like her and Trevor, they were decked out in their finest, pushing the New Year’s theme to full tilt. Axel sat at the head of the table with a buxom redhead sprawled across his lap and yet another tumbler of Scotch in his hand. Clad in a blue and green plaid kilt and a formal jacket, his loose russet hair and full beard made him look like a barely tamed Highland warrior come to life.

  “‘’’Course there’s more. We’re ringing in the new year. You don’t think I’m gonna do that half-ass, do you?”

  Oh, no. Trevor and his family clearly didn’t do anything half-ass. Even her mom and Frank had teamed up for the event, only bailing from the festivities shortly after the midnight countdown and required glass of champagne. “Trevor, I think you bought me half of the Galleria. You raced past half-ass about four hours ago. And even if you hadn’t bought me a thing, watching my mom blush when Frank kissed her cheek at midnight was precious enough.”

  “He’s smooth, I’ll give him that.”

  “Like father, like son.”

  He grinned, eyes sparkling with a pleased-with-himself glint. “You liked the gifts?”

  What wasn’t to like? He’d loaded her up with everything from top-of-the-line black Luccheses, to ridiculously sexy lingerie—the latter being a surprise that had seared her cheeks when she’d opened the package in front of everyone. “I love them. I just wished you’d told me we were exchanging gifts. I’d have brought yours with me.”

  “Those aren’t Christmas gifts. They’re New Year’s gifts. Totally different.”

  Totally different, her ass. More like an indulgent ploy to take her mind off the fact that she was spending her first Christmas without her son. While she’d still trade every second to have Levi with her, the effort everyone had put forth on her behalf was hands down the most amazing gift she’d ever been given.

  “So what do you say?” Trevor squeezed his arms around her and splayed one hand over the curve of her ass. In one smoldering second, his lids grew heavy and sensual, and a predatory air coiled around them. “Ready for the next part?”

  Her breath caught, and her sex clenched, the power of his gaze blasting through her in one consuming inferno. “Does the next part involve people watching while I unwrap sexy lingerie?”

  “Someone’s unwrapping sexy lingerie, but it’ll be me unwrapping what’s under this dress, and there won’t be an audience.” He speared his fingers through her hair, palmed the back of her head and angled her face for his lips. He teased his mouth against hers. “That the answer you’re looking for?”

  “Oh yeah,” she whispered back.

  He smiled against
her mouth. “Good answer.” Instead of giving her the kiss she craved, he pulled away, clasped her hand in his, and ambled toward his crew. Man, but he could wear a suit. In jeans, boots and Ts or button-downs, he was bona fide yummy, but dressed to the nines in a black suit and shirt, he was a midnight prince come to life. Reaching Axel, he held out his free hand. “We good for Wednesday?”

  Axel shook the hand he offered and grinned in a way that didn’t look friendly at all. “Locked and loaded, brother.” His gaze slid to Natalie and his expression shifted, mirth and mischief deepening his forest-green eyes, but his words still directed toward Trevor. “I trust you’ve got ample ways to occupy our lass until our boy’s home?”

  “I’ve got a few.” Trevor scanned the table, resting his attention on each of his brothers with an intensity so potent the air crackled. “Appreciate tonight.”

  Knox raised his glass in salute, and Zeke, Jace, and Beckett answered back all at once.

  “Always.”

  “Happy to do it.”

  “Happy New Year.”

  “You ask me, we need to do this every year,” Danny finished out.

  “I’m thinkin’ he’s right.” Jace tucked Vivienne tighter in the crook of his arms, but gave his undivided attention to Natalie. “You need anything and can’t get Trevor, you call us.”

  Trevor’s hand tightened on hers and he nodded in answer to some question she’d apparently missed. “Time to go,” he said before she could figure it out, steering her through the mostly empty lobby and out into the silent night. The streets were nearly deserted, and except for the 7-Eleven at the end of the block, Crossroads was the only building lit up for business. The same limo that had brought them to the club idled at the curb, and Trevor guided her to it with a hand low on her back.

  The chilled air swept against her flushed skin and lifted her hair off her neck, a welcome relief from the anticipation burning beneath her skin. Something had changed in the last few moments. Something important, but so subtle she’d missed it between the promise of his kiss and the swirling lights. She settled on the soft leather seat and splayed her hand against his hard thigh the second he slid into place beside her. “Everything okay?”

  “You’re not curled up and crying your eyes out, so yeah. I’m great.” He covered her hand, laced his fingers with hers and lifted her hand to his lips. “Got another gift for you.”

  The limo pulled away from the club’s bright lights and the darkened streets pressed their intimate shadows around them. “Trevor, I don’t need any more gifts. What you’ve done tonight—what your family’s done—was gift enough. More than I’ll ever be able to give back.”

  His thumb shuttled against the back of her hand, and the calm, confident veneer he kept in place for everyone else slipped enough to show the vulnerable man underneath. “There’s no such thing as enough when it comes to you.”

  The space behind her sternum tightened, and her throat clogged on a surge of joy so powerful her blood sang with it. “You make it all worth it. Every day I was afraid...every day I thought I’d never overcome my bad choices...those days were worth it because I ended up here. With you.”

  He studied her face, his gaze absorbing every detail as though searching for the answer to some unspoken question, then released her hand and reached inside his coat pocket. The box he retrieved was long and slender and wrapped in thick white paper with a simple gold ribbon. “I’ve got to be honest. Gabe did most of the shopping today, but this one I picked out.” He handed it over with a sheepish grin. “Jewelry’s not really my forté, but I thought it was cool.”

  The package lay light against her palm, the ribbon trembling with the car’s vibrations as it trundled toward their destination. “Something tells me this far exceeds anything I got for you. Heck, the wrapping paper alone probably cost double what yours are wrapped in.”

  “You can’t credit me for the wrapping. I’m a guy. We’ll pay crazy amounts of money if we can escape anything to do with tape and bows.”

  She slipped the ribbon free and carefully pried the taped ends loose. The box beneath was just as fine, the gold base and black box of such quality it could have gone without any wrapping at all and still been a thing of beauty. Jiggling the top, the lower half slipped free. A delicate charm bracelet lay nestled atop black felt, three charms already affixed to the center—a heart shaped out of angel’s wings, a circular one with a picture of Levi in the center, and a cell phone. She gently freed the bracelet and fingered the cell phone, the accidental trigger that had brought them together. “It’s lovely.”

  “It’s platinum, not gold, so the links will hold up better if you want to wear it every day. Or that’s what the guy said.” He shrugged, showing more uncertainty in the simple gesture than she’d ever seen before. “I thought it’d be nice for you to have something to add to as you hit your goals. You know, mark the milestones while you rebuild.”

  She traced the length of the intricate band, the sentiment behind his gift breathing fresh air into the dreams she’d left behind. “You really think I can do it.”

  “I know you can. Your mom and Levi believe you can. But it’s you who needs to remember. I thought this might be a nice reminder.”

  Tears swelled and blurred her vision, the knot in her throat blossoming so large she could barely whisper. “I can’t top this. Not your gifts. Not tonight. Not ever.”

  He cupped the side of her face. “You top it every morning. The way you feel next to me. The sleepy look on your face when the alarm goes off and you don’t want to get up. The sweet way you kiss me before you roll out of bed. For me, that’s heaven.”

  God, this man. This amazing, honest, genuine man. “I used to think Wyatt’s harassment was punishment. A consequence I had to endure because of my bad judgment. Now I’m grateful.”

  He frowned. “Not thinking I can ever muster any gratitude for the way he’s treated you and Levi.”

  “I can.” She skimmed her fingertips along his jawline. The blond stubble was barely detectable in the darkness, but it tickled the pads of her fingers and sent delicious tremors down her arm. “If he hadn’t hammered on my door that night, you’d have never followed me home.”

  His face hardened, an unyielding resolve sparking behind his gaze and drawing his body up tight.

  Before he could get ramped up and refocused on plans to hire lawyers like he had the day before, she handed him the bracelet. “Will you help me put it on?”

  His chest rose and fell. Behind him, highway lights zoomed past in a lulling, dizzying rhythm, but he stayed locked in place.

  “Let it go, Trevor.” She lifted the bracelet higher. “Don’t let him come between us tonight.”

  He swallowed and his shoulders relaxed on a slow exhale. Carefully, he took the delicate band and draped it over her wrist. Once the latch clicked into place, he spun the platinum around, his attention centered on the charms against the back of her hand, but his gaze distant. “I want to ask you for something, but want you to know up front there’s no pressure. You decide when or if you’re ready.”

  “Anything.”

  He lifted his head. “Think you ought to hear what I want before you agree.”

  A mix of flutters and unease scampered beneath her skin. “Okay. I’ll listen.”

  The limo exited the highway and the road noise dimmed, surrounding them in fragile silence.

  Trevor covered her hand. There was warmth in the touch, but a hesitancy, too. “Never taken a woman without protection.”

  She frowned. “Never taken a woman where?”

  He grinned and huffed out a chuckle. “To bed, darlin’.”

  Oh. Duh. “You mean no condom.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.”

  She bit her lip. “Never?”

  “Never. Frank browbeat me about gloving up from the fir
st day I woke up with wood. I never forgot. Not once.”

  She dipped her head and shifted her hand beneath his, lacing their fingers together. “But you don’t want to with me?”

  “When you’re ready. If you’re comfortable with the idea.”

  Comfortable with it? She loved it. Loved the intimacy of it, but even more so, the unspoken commitment behind it. She lifted her head and whispered, “Okay.”

  He shifted in his seat, the same nervous check Levi always got when he wasn’t 100 percent sure if he’d tiptoed into dangerous ground. “I checked with Zeke. He ran all my tests. I’m clean. I’ve got reports I can show you, too.”

  She pressed her hand above his heart, the rhythm thrumming faster than normal. “Okay.”

  “I mean, I didn’t go ahead of time to pressure you. I just wanted to show you I was taking it serious. To make sure you felt safe and—”

  She silenced him with a finger to his lips. “Okay.”

  He blinked back at her, the dumbfounded expression on his face probably not unlike the night she’d first asked him to dinner and they’d traded a similar exchange. “You’re sure?”

  “Very sure.” She slid her hand around the back of his neck, tugged his band holding his hair back free, and threaded her hands in his hair. “After Levi, Wyatt demanded I start taking pills and I’ve never stopped. I suspected Wyatt screwed around while we were married so I had myself tested after I moved out. I’m fine.”

  “What are you telling me?”

  “I’m telling you I haven’t been with anyone but you since I got a clean bill of health and that there’s a less than one percent chance of pregnancy on the pill.”

  “You don’t want to wait?”

  The limo pulled to a stop. Dimly, her mind registered that the scenery outside the window behind him didn’t belong to the parking lot outside her apartment, but in that moment the only thing that mattered was him. What it had taken them both to get to this point in their lives. “I spent eight years waiting to feel like I do right now. I think I’ve waited long enough.”