Part 15 (1/2)

”What the h.e.l.l,” she muttered as she tried to pull out of Royce's grasp. ”Oh! I don't want to dance with you, Mr. Dark Lord himself.”

Becki was sick of this he-man routine. She had been jerked, pulled, and flung around just about as much as she was going to stand.

”Go away! Go play with your new toy,” she said as she attempted to walk off the dance floor and leave Royce standing alone.

He refused to let her leave. He kept groping her, and she was starting to get a headache.

”Get your hands off me, you jerk. Seriously Roy--,”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and smothered her protest with his mouth firmly on hers. They could talk later; right now he needed to get Becki out of here, as soon as he got Trevor's scent off her. He ran his hands all over her body; making sure he touched every square inch that Trevor could have possibly touched. Although, if Trevor had dared to touch some of the areas where Royce's hands were roaming right now, there would be a fight between the two of them after all.

During their kiss, he steadily backed Becki to the rear exit of the building. As soon as they cleared the doorway, he ripped his mouth from hers, threw her over his shoulder for the second time that night, and ran for the car.

What the h.e.l.l? One minute he was feeling her up and was kissing her like she had dreamed about. The next minute he was hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes? She started pounding on his back with her fists.

”Put me down, you imbecile. You Dark Lord! I'm staying with Trev. He's going to do a belly shot, and then we're going to the beach,” she yelled hoping to goad him into putting her down.

She got more than she bargained for when she felt a stinging swat land firmly on her a.s.s.

Becki gasped in shock.

”I've heard enough of that s.h.i.+t so drop it,” Royce advised. ”You are not-- I repeat not-- going to have s.e.x with Trevor Simmons. Not tonight...not tomorrow night...not any night. Do you understand me?”

”Oh- My G.o.d,” Becki sputtered in shock. ”You just struck me! I can't believe you did that! n.o.body hits me, you two-timing jacka.s.s. I'm going to kill you Royce St. John,” Becki threatened. ”Just as soon as things stop spinning,” she said more quietly.

He dumped a still-protesting Becki into the pa.s.senger's seat of his vehicle.

”Stay put,” he warned before starting to walk around the car toward the drivers' side. He changed his mind about the time he reached the front b.u.mper, and walked back to her side of the car. He wrenched the door open, and bent low to put himself at eye-level with Becki. When she looked at him with wide eyes, he spoke to her slowly and quite clearly, ”For the record, I did not strike you. I swatted your a.s.s because you deserved it. And, if I ever hear you utter that bulls.h.i.+t again, that won't be the last time I swat your a.s.s. Hear me when I say-- you will never have s.e.x with that b.a.s.t.a.r.d.” He slammed the door firmly closing the subject.

Royce saw Landon pulling into the parking lot as he stalked around the car, once again. Unfortunately, Becki saw him, too.

”Landon is here!” she exclaimed, fumbling with the seatbelt as she tried to unbuckle it. Problem solved! She would ask Landon to give her a ride home.

Trevor had been dancing with a blond the last time she saw him, so evidently leaving with him was no longer an option. Whatever the case may be, she was not spending one more second with this bossy, pushy, lying, two-timing a.s.s.

”Help me get out of this car,” she demanded, ”I'm staying with Landon.”

”No,” Royce corrected, ”you're going home with me.”

”I don't want to go with you! I don't want to see you, ever again, please,” she whispered brokenly as her eyes filled with tears and spilled over for the third time that night.

”Becki, I don't understand what's wrong,” Royce said in frustration. ”That c.o.c.ky jacka.s.s in there thinks I've done something to upset you. I've wracked my brain to figure what it could be. I have to tell you, I've come up with nothing. I think there has been some sort of mix-up--”

”Humph, I'll just bet you do...the only mix-up was yours,” Becki hissed at him viciously.

”Sweetheart, I'm not following you,” Royce insisted.

”Don't sweetheart me! Of course, you didn't follow me. You were too busy! I followed you!

”You followed me? When did you follow me?” He would know if he were being followed. He'd been trained for that sort of thing.

”You didn't think I would be downtown, did you? Guess what? I was downtown, and I saw you!”

”You saw me downtown?” Royce repeated as he struggled to wrap his head around what she was trying to say.

”Yes!”

”Why didn't you say something to me?”

”What-- so you could introduce me to that b.i.t.c.h you were--” she couldn't bring herself to put it into words.

”What b.i.t.c.h? I wasn't with any--?”

”That b.i.t.c.h was me, you idiot,” Joanna interjected.

Royce was speechless. All this? Over his sister?

”She doesn't know I'm your sister,” Joanna reminded him drearily.

As tears continued to run down her cheeks, all Becki could say was, ”d.a.m.n it!”

She couldn't get the seat belt off. She pulled and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. She had to get the seat belt off! She had to get away from him! She couldn't breathe. She kept trying to suck air into her lungs, but she couldn't. Her heart was about to explode!

”Becki,” Royce spoke calmly trying to stop her panic attack. She was gasping for breath, and he could see that she was terrified.

”Get this thing off me! Royce! Get it off!” She was sobbing again, beating on the seat-belt fastener with her fist.

If she got that seat belt off, G.o.d knew what she would do next. Actually, Royce knew exactly what she would do next. She would huff right back into the bar where a battle between Vampires and Werewolves could erupt at any moment.

”Joanna,” Royce conceded defeat. ”I could use some help here.”

No sooner were the words were uttered, than Becki stopped fighting and started snoring.

Landon had noticed that Royce and Becki seemed to be in a heated discussion when he parked his vehicle. He had intended to take care of the Vampire problem, and then check on Becki. His Wolf had other ideas, however, and had insisted that they check on Becki first. Landon had argued that she was with Royce and would be safe until they had their business taken care of. realized that it would be impossible to deal with peacefully if his Wolf was pacified. He stationed his three buddies at the bar to keep an eye on things and promised to return as quickly as possible.

Royce sighed and rubbed his temples. Becki must have been serious about getting drunk tonight. He hoped he never had to deal with her in that state again.

Landon scented high levels of adrenalin as he approached Royce's vehicle. He knocked on the hood, to alert Royce of his presence as he made his way to Royce's side of the vehicle.

”Everything ok here?” Landon asked as Royce lowered his window.

Royce didn't bother to deny the tension radiating from his body. He knew Landon had already scented Becki's distress. And, truthfully, he was too mentally exhausted to be anything but honest. Landon soon the Vampires ”Not now, but it will be,” Royce a.s.sured him. ”As soon as she is sober enough to understand that the 'b.i.t.c.h' she saw me with downtown was not another woman I'm involved with, but my sister.”

”Ah,” Landon nodded, ”that explains it. She's p.i.s.sed?”

”Crazy p.i.s.sed,” Royce answered. ”The fact that she tried to drown her sorrows in a gallon of Crown didn't help the situation.”

Landon patted the hood of Royce's car, ”You better get her out of here. I'm not sure how things will go down in there.”